Internet Magic in Fairy Tail (Re-upload)

Rob surviving wasn't something Nate could directly ask about, especially not to Rob himself.

"Hello, Fourth Master," Rob greeted warmly, smiling. "Since I came back, I've been hearing all sorts of stories about you from Makarov."

"Hello, Rob-san."

Nate returned the smile, already deciding to ask Irene about it later. His gaze shifted to the bar counter, but Mirajane was nowhere to be seen.

"Master, is Mira not here?" he asked.

Not just Mira—the guild's bar was unusually empty today.

Makarov chuckled. "She left for the capital this morning to attend the Pokémon Tournament."

"You're not going, Master?"

"I'll be there for the finals."

The online preliminaries had taken place from January 1 to January 15.

The gym badge collection stage, set for January 16 to January 31, required participants to gather at least eight badges to qualify.

The finals would begin on February 7.

Nate wasn't in a rush to head to the capital. Due to his time-travel adventure, his competition ranking was a dismal -2 points, far from the top thousand.

But that wasn't a problem—he could easily tweak it from the system's backend.

After bidding farewell to the two older men, Nate left the guild and headed back to his apartment.

…

The moment he got home, Nate logged into Magic Net and sent Irene a private message.

Sigma Male: Was it you who saved Rob?

Scarlet Empress: God, no—Great Sage. I see you've safely returned from 400 years ago.

Hmm?

Nate paused. Irene seemed to retain some memories from the altered timeline.

Scarlet Empress: Following your instructions, I abandoned Erza in Rosemary Village in X765. I've been secretly watching over her ever since, until she joined Fairy Tail.

Scarlet Empress: When she was 11, the Dark Magic Cult attacked the village, capturing her and taking her to the Tower of Heaven.

Scarlet Empress: At the time, I wanted to kill all those dark mages myself. 😮‍💨

Sigma Male: And then?

Scarlet Empress: I continued protecting her from the shadows until the slaves rebelled.

Scarlet Empress: Rob, that old man, protected Erza, so I couldn't help myself and secretly saved him.

Irene's motives made sense—Rob had risked his life to protect her daughter, and as Erza's mother, Irene couldn't let her benefactor die in vain.

Scarlet Empress: But I was afraid my impulsiveness would change history too much, so I sealed him away until recently, when I woke him up.

Scarlet Empress: Did I do the right thing, Great Sage?

Sigma Male: It's just a small ripple in history; so far, everything seems fine.

Sigma Male: The fact that we can still communicate suggests that our actions succeeded.

Sigma Male: Thank you for your efforts, Irene. 🙂

Suddenly, Irene sent a photo.

Scarlet Empress: Indoor_selfie.jpg

Curious, Nate opened the image. Irene had lifted her shirt, revealing her smooth, pale abdomen.

Unlike her previous swimsuit photo, the faint scar that used to be on the left side of her stomach was gone.

Speaking of swimsuit photos...

Nate opened his private gallery. Inside were countless pictures of beautiful women—Ultear, Juvia, Cana, Lucy, Erza...

Ultear's folder was the largest, even containing explicit photos: bare legs, revealing poses, and some with just enough to tease.

Nate scrolled through the collection, finding Irene's swimsuit photo. He opened it and confirmed—no scar.

"Sure enough, history has changed!"

Nate stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The major events seem intact, but Irene's details have shifted slightly."

Sigma Male: Why are you suddenly sending pictures like this? 🙄

Scarlet Empress: Does the Great Sage no longer want to touch my stomach? 😳

When he touched her stomach 400 years ago, it was to confirm Erza's lack of a curse!

Nate rolled his eyes internally but admitted—if asked whether he wanted to touch it now, the answer was a definite yes.

Scarlet Empress: Everything about Irene belongs to you, Great Sage. 🛐

Sigma Male: You really retained your previous timeline's memories, didn't you?

Scarlet Empress: Just a fragment. I'm not sure why, but my memories of the Great Sage haven't disappeared…

…

Meanwhile...

Western Continent, Alvarez Empire

In a luxurious, elegantly decorated bedroom, Irene sat gracefully at the edge of a grand bed, her legs crossed, typing with a faint smile on her lips.

She wasn't sure why, but she retained some memories from the previous timeline.

To be precise, it wasn't so much "retained" as "recalled."

It seemed to have started when she encountered Azuma, one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, and obtained a Magic Net ring from him.

The moment she activated the Magic Net and input her nickname, "Scarlet Empress," she was flooded with memories related to Nate.

But beyond those memories, there was nothing further.

What she did recall was an encounter over 400 years ago with a man called the Great Sage.

The Great Sage had changed her fate.

Scarlet Empress: Perhaps this is the power of the Magic Net. Truly befitting of you, Kami-sama~ 🛐

Sigma Male: That's intriguing. Your guess might be correct.

Sigma Male: I'm going to check on your daughter now to confirm her situation. Goodbye.

As soon as Irene received this message, Nate's username grayed out, indicating he was offline.

"I wish I could see them, too..."

Irene stood up restlessly, sipping her coffee, its bitter sweetness lingering in her mouth.

The coffee did little to quell her longing, and she murmured under her breath:

"I'll secretly go to Ishgar for a peek..."

"They'll be in Fiore Kingdom's capital for the Pokémon Tournament, right?"

"If I'm discovered... oh well, I'll just let Kami-sama spank me a few times as punishment."

The thought made her smile mischievously.

Unable to hold back, Irene activated a telepathic magic.

[Brandish μ, tell August I'm heading to Ishgar to search for His Majesty.]

Without waiting for a response, Irene approached her window. She pushed it open and stepped outside, light as a feather.

In the blink of an eye, she transformed into a massive red dragon, soaring above the capital's skyline before vanishing into the clouds.

…

At the same time, on a street in the capital, outside an ice cream shop, a girl with green hair and bangs raised her head. Her eyes followed the red dragon as it flew away from the royal palace.

A crimson body and wings.

"Irene?"

Brandish narrowed her eyes.

"Searching for His Majesty? At least come up with a better excuse."

What's she going to Ishgar for?

It seemed like something fun. Should she follow and check it out?

Brandish glanced between the transforming red dragon and the shop's winter-special ice cream on sale.

Hmm, ice cream was more important!

…

Magnolia

Apartment

After finishing his chat with Irene, Nate prepared to head to the capital himself.

With Erza's Flying Thunder God mark, finding her was just a thought away.

In an instant, golden light enveloped him, and he disappeared from the apartment.

Meanwhile, on the train to Crocus, Fairy Tail's group had once again "booked" an entire train carriage.

Erza, Juvia, Mirajane, Lucy, Ultear, and Cana sat together, leisurely playing poker.

Suddenly, a flash of golden light illuminated the car as Nate appeared.

"Nate!"

"You're back?"

"Where have you been?"

"Honestly, disappearing without a word..."

"Oh my, as long as you're safe."

"Welcome back."

Each of the six girlfriends spoke in turn.

Seeing them gathered together playing cards, Nate couldn't help but twitch an eyebrow.

"Sigh... hey, everyone."