Chapter 5: Because That is What Erza Said
Yumesaki pushed the door open and stepped inside the Fairy Tail guildhall.
The usual boisterous noise washed over him the exact moment he crossed the threshold.
Compared to yesterday, the guild was noticeably more packed. Members were gathered in small groups of two or three, some shouting arguments, some getting into friendly scuffles, while plenty of others crowded around just to fan the flames and cheer them on.
Well... how should he put it? This was pretty much the quintessential Fairy Tail experience.
Yumesaki made his way through the chaos toward the bar counter. Spotting Mirajane standing to the side and simply watching the spectacle with a smile, he decided to ask.
"What exactly is going on over there?"
"Oh, it's about Gray," Mirajane explained. "Gray is an Ice-Make Mage here at Fairy Tail. Because he practices Maker Magic, he has this unconscious habit of stripping off his clothes. Today, he accidentally threw his discarded clothes right onto Cana's head, so now he's caught up in a bit of a dispute with her."
Yumesaki let out a soft hum. "All that over just a shirt?"
Mirajane gave a gentle laugh. "It just goes to show that everyone here has a lot of energy to spare."
Yumesaki found himself entirely at a loss for words.
Then again, looking at it deeply, this chaotic charm was probably what made Fairy Tail what it was.
As the two of them were chatting, Erza walked up to them. "Good morning, Yumesaki."
Yumesaki pointed a thumb over his shoulder toward the bickering duo of Gray and Cana. "Aren't you going to do anything to stop them?"
Erza cast a brief glance toward the commotion, then pulled her gaze back as if it were nothing. "As long as it doesn't escalate into a serious physical brawl, I try not to micromanage these minor squabbles. Besides, there's actually something I wanted to discuss with you."
Yumesaki blinked. "What is it?"
Erza replied, "I spent the entire night thinking it over, and I have finally decided which fruits I want to eat."
"You deliberated on it all night and made your choices that quickly?"
"Indeed."
"Alright then, tell me. Which fruits did you pick?"
Without a single shred of hesitation, Erza looked him straight in the eye and listed the exact items she desired. "The More More Fruit, the Warp Warp Fruit, and the Twinkle Twinkle Fruit."
Erza knew her own combat style inside and out. It was already fully matured, and rashly attempting to overhaul the foundation of her fighting style wouldn't do her any favors.
What she needed right now was to reinforce and amplify the combat style she already possessed.
The More More Fruit would drastically boost her offensive output.
The Warp Warp Fruit would make her attack vectors infinitely more flexible and unpredictable.
As for the Twinkle Twinkle Fruit, it would grant her an incredibly solid layer of physical defense.
With a combination like this, her overall combat prowess would naturally ascend to an entirely different tier.
Hearing her choices, Yumesaki couldn't help but crack a small smile. "I'd expect nothing less from you, Erza. You really have a precise grasp on exactly what you need."
Receiving the praise, Erza replied with genuine humility, "Thank you for the compliment."
Yumesaki reached out and produced three Devil Fruits he had prepared in advance, setting them down in front of her. "The fruits are ready. But before you dive in, you need to take an injection first."
"An injection?" Erza tilted her head, unfamiliar with the term.
Yumesaki pulled out a syringe and explained, "Under normal circumstances, a person can only consume a single Devil Fruit. If someone attempts to eat a second one, their body will literally tear itself apart and explode. However, we've managed to crack the biological secrets behind the Devil Fruits."
"By administering a dose of the Superman Serum first, a person's body can easily accommodate and handle multiple Devil Fruits simultaneously."
Hearing the explanation, Erza didn't even hesitate. She extended her right arm right away. "In that case, I will trouble you."
"No need to be so formal." Yumesaki gently administered the Superman Serum into her arm, then pointed toward the three bizarrely patterned fruits on the counter. "Alright, they're all yours to enjoy now. Just a heads-up though—Devil Fruits taste absolutely abysmal. You might want to brace yourself mentally."
Erza picked up one of the fruits. "Abysmal? That is fine."
She had eaten plenty of unpalatable things during her rougher days. It was just a single piece of fruit; how terribly bad could it possibly taste?
A sharp, crisp crunch echoed as Erza sank her teeth into the fruit. Almost instantly, the color drained from her face, and her posture visibly faltered as she stumbled slightly.
Mirajane blinked, asking out of pure curiosity, "Are you alright, Erza?"
"I... I am fine." Erza forced herself to swallow the bite down her throat, her complexion looking thoroughly awful.
Mirajane couldn't help but press further. "Is the taste truly that horrendous?"
Erza remained silent for a long moment before she managed to find her voice. "I feel as though what I just forced down wasn't a fruit at all, but rather rotten filth that has been left to spoil for a hundred days."
The way Mirajane looked at the remaining fruits instantly shifted into a look of deep, profound revulsion.
Did that thing really have a taste that defied all logic and sanity?
Erza stared down at the partially bitten fruit in her hand, her expression completely helpless as if she were a soldier preparing to march to her doom. Just as she resolved herself to scarf the rest down in one giant, agonizing gulp, Yumesaki's casual voice drifted over.
"You only need to take a single bite of each fruit to gain its power, you know."
Erza, who had been fully prepared to embrace the sweet release of death, let out a massive, instantaneous sigh of relief.
She immediately tossed the remaining piece of the fruit aside, then picked up the other two whole fruits, hastily taking one quick bite out of each.
By the time she finished, every single one of her facial features was scrunched up in sheer misery.
Watching the legendary Titania suffer like that made Mirajane's heart throb with a touch of horror. It seemed these things were far more unpalatable than she could have ever conceived. Even Erza could barely stomach it.
At that exact moment, any lingering curiosity Mirajane had about trying a Devil Fruit vanished entirely.
"So, how does it feel?"
"It is... extraordinary." Erza extended her right hand, and within a fraction of a second, her fingers completely transformed into shimmering, translucent diamond.
"How should I best describe this sensation? It feels as natural as breathing. This ability has woven itself directly into my body's instincts. It requires no incantations, no prior setup, and doesn't even draw upon a magic circle. The moment the intent forms in my mind, the power manifests."
Hearing that explanation, a flicker of profound astonishment sparked deep within Mirajane's heart.
She understood the sheer weight behind Erza's words all too well.
Being able to wield a power as easily as breathing was a hallmark trait reserved exclusively for mages who had honed their magic over decades, embedding it into the very marrow of their bones.
Generally speaking, the individuals capable of reaching such a seamless realm were usually old monsters who had lived for half a century.
Even with her own Take-Over Magic, Mirajane still needed a brief, one-second window of preparation before she could fully transform.
Yet Erza's new Devil Fruit abilities didn't require a single millisecond of delay.
In a real, life-or-death battle, a split-second advantage like that was more than enough to completely alter the outcome and dictate who lived or died.
The taste of a Devil Fruit might be utterly foul, but the sheer return on investment was undeniably magnificent.
Perhaps... she should think about eating one herself down the line...
While Mirajane was lost in her internal dilemma, Erza suddenly spoke up. "By the way, I have an urgent matter that requires my immediate attention. I will be unable to accompany you for the next few days. If you find yourself needing anything or want to look around, you can ask Mirajane."
"Oh? Where are you planning to go?"
"I am going to pay a brief visit to Eisenwald."
The moment the words left Erza's mouth, her figure vanished into thin air, leaving the Fairy Tail guildhall behind.
Eisenwald was a notorious Dark Guild operating within the country. In the original timeline, they were secretly tracking down Lullaby—a cursed flute capable of mass slaughter—with the explicit intent of assassinating the legal Guild Masters during their regular conference in Clover Town.
Originally, Erza had only stumbled upon this sinister plot by pure coincidence while overhearing some dark mages whispering in a tavern.
That accidental discovery was what prompted her to hurry back to the guild, round up Natsu and the others, and form what would be dubbed the guild's strongest team to hunt them down—marking the very first major climax of the story.
However, because of Yumesaki's arrival, Erza had used the Air Door ability to return to the Fairy Tail guildhall much earlier than originally destined.
As a result, she never had the chance to sit in that tavern and overhear Eisenwald's careless plotting.
Fortunately, Yumesaki had shown her the pages of the manga beforehand.
Therefore, even without physical eavesdropping, Erza already possessed absolute knowledge regarding the dark guild's upcoming schemes.
Her sudden departure to seek out Eisenwald right now was clearly a preemptive strike to completely eradicate the threat before it ever had a chance to bloom.
It seemed that in her desire to reshape the tragic threads of the future, Erza had chosen to take swift, decisive action.
Yumesaki watched the empty space where Erza's silhouette had just been, having absolutely no intention of tagging along. The primary reason was simple: the mages of Eisenwald were nothing more than a bunch of small-fry, rotten fish and crippled shrimp. With Erza's current boosted strength, obliterating them would be as effortless as child's play.
There was zero need for him to stick his nose into it.
Rather than wasting his time on a tedious trip like that, he figured his efforts were much better spent seeking out some delectable cuisine.
Turning back to Mirajane, Yumesaki asked, "Are there any exceptionally good restaurants around this area? Somewhere that serves food with a unique, local flavor."
Mirajane placed a delicate finger beneath her chin, humming thoughtfully. "If we are talking about exquisite food, I do recall a fantastic barbecue restaurant nearby. They source incredibly fresh snow mountain yak meat. The flavor is absolutely wonderful."
Hearing that, Yumesaki's eyes instantly lit up. "Where exactly is this place located?"
Mirajane gave a radiant smile. "If you do not mind waiting until noon, I can personally show you the way."
"Mind? Not at all! Thank you so much, Miss Mirajane."
Yumesaki offered his gratitude with a bright, cheerful grin.
...
Come noon, Mirajane guided Yumesaki straight to the barbecue establishment she had mentioned.
The moment Yumesaki took his first bite, he had to admit the taste was spectacular—especially the snow mountain yak meat Mirajane had recommended. It wasn't just ordinary beef; it was the meat of a genuine magical beast, possessing a rich savoriness that wasn't inferior to Sea King meat in the slightest.
Because these magical creatures naturally absorbed the ambient magic power of the world into their bodies, the texture and flavor of the meat were enhanced to absolute perfection.
Yumesaki dug in with gusto, thoroughly enjoying the feast.
Once their lunch concluded, Yumesaki and Mirajane made their way back to the Fairy Tail guildhall.
It was during this time that Yumesaki finally ran into the supreme leader of the guild.
One of the revered Ten Wizard Saints, Makarov Dreyar.
"So, you are the newcomer who joined our Fairy Tail yesterday, Yumesaki?"
Though Makarov held the prestigious title of the guild's Third Master, his physical height was indisputably the shortest among the entire membership.
He was quite literally a tiny old man.
Yet, the raw power residing within this diminutive frame was something no sane person would ever underestimate. He was a master of Giant Magic, alongside possessing mastery over elemental magics like fire, ice, wind, and several others.
Setting aside his other elemental spells, just the concept of his Giant Magic alone was incredibly fascinating to ponder.
While the magic fundamentally allowed the caster to enlarge their body to gargantuan proportions, simply calling it "becoming a giant" failed to capture the true terror of the spell.
The true essence of Giant Magic lay in the proportional scaling of the caster's physical parameters; the physical strength grew in perfect, linear correlation with the increase in body mass.
To put it simply, if Makarov grew into a hundred-meter-tall titan, his raw physical strength would simultaneously skyrocket to match the exact natural muscle output of a hundred-meter giant.
In theory, provided he had an infinite supply of magic power to sustain the spell, Makarov could easily balloon into a titan thousands of meters tall and physically hoist the entire Himalayan mountain range over his shoulders.
It was a terrifyingly monstrous capability.
The mechanics were almost identical to the legendary mystical technique known as Fatiandixiang.
Yumesaki found himself deeply intrigued by this specific brand of magic.
Meeting Makarov's probing gaze, Yumesaki gave a respectful nod. "Yes, that would be me."
Makarov scrutinized Yumesaki up and down a few times with a pair of highly curious eyes before gesturing with his hand. "Come with me."
With that, he led Yumesaki deep into the archive room of the guild, a quiet space stacked high with countless volumes detailing the intricacies of magic.
Upon entering the room, Makarov pulled out a chair and hopped onto it, settling himself down.
"Erza contacted me late last night. She informed me about your peculiar background. A traveler hailing from an entirely different world... is that correct?"
Yumesaki nodded calmly. "Yes, that's correct."
Makarov rubbed his temples, a weary sigh escaping him. "To be completely honest, if these words hadn't come directly from Erza's own mouth, I wouldn't have believed a single syllable. A visitor from an alternate reality is simply too far outside the realm of common sense."
"And yet, you chose to believe it anyway, didn't you?"
"Because it was Erza who told me," Makarov stated firmly. He might doubt Natsu on any given day, and he might question Gray's antics, but he would never, under any circumstances, doubt Erza's word.
Erza would never lie to him about something of this magnitude, nor was she the type to be easily deceived by an outsider.
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