Chapter 87: Samurai's Identity, Erza's lap pillow

Sigma Male: "Sorry, Juvia, something came up. Our date tonight is canceled."

Sunny Doll: "Eh?! Juvia understands. [cute crying emoji]"

Sunny Doll: "Nate-sama, Juvia wants to help too!"

Sigma Male: "It's just a small matter. If all goes well, I'll be back tomorrow."

Sigma Male: "Be good, and I'll bring you a gift when I return."

Sunny Doll: "Juvia will be looking forward to it! [excited emoji]"

Sunny Doll: "Nate-sama, please stay safe!"

As the magic train began its slow journey with a steady "clack, clack" toward its destination, Nate reassured his second girlfriend before closing the private message interface.

'Akane Resort…'

The name sounded familiar, and after Levy's reminder, Nate finally recalled its significance. It appeared during the Tower of Heaven arc, meaning this "Samurai" was likely one of Jellal's people.

With that realization, Nate closed his eyes and entered the deep web—0s and 1s forming a frozen landscape. In a small wooden cabin, Ur leaned back in a relaxed pose, one hand supporting her chin while the other scrolled swiftly through streams of information.

"Ur, pull up the user data for the account named 'Samurai,'" Nate instructed.

Without asking any questions, Ur used the secondary permissions Nate had granted her, quickly retrieving all available information on the account.

'Registration date… Activity time… Message history… Friend list…'

Every detail Samurai had left behind in the system was now laid out before Nate.

"Is there something wrong with this person?" Ur asked.

"Just a minor issue, nothing to worry about," Nate replied, his eyes scanning quickly until they stopped at the friend list. Samurai only had five friends: "Siegrain," "Knight," "Cats Are Cute," "Round Wally," and "Card Master."

'As expected.' Nate nodded, then instructed, "Pull up Samurai's chat history."

Soon, the information he needed appeared.

...

Siegrain: "The time is right. Go and bring Erza back."

Samurai: "Understood, Jellal-sama."

...

Chat Group: The Family of the Tower

Samurai: "@everyone, get ready. Find a way to bring Erza back."

Card Master: "Has it finally been completed? The Tower of Heaven!"

Card Master: "Erza-nee… We'll see her soon?"

Round Wally: "Just the few of us? Going to Magnolia sounds too risky."

Card Master: "She's been posting on the forum recently asking about the Tower of Heaven. Let's come up with a way to make her come to us."

Cats Are Cute: "I have a few free resort passes for Akane! 'Meow~'"

Round Wally: "Are we really discussing vacation right now, Milliana?"

Samurai: "Milliana, can you give me one of those?"

Cats Are Cute: "Sure, 'meow~'"

Round Wally: "Simon, can you focus? We're supposed to bring Erza back, not go on vacation."

Samurai: "That's why we need the pass."

...

'So it's Simon, huh?'

Nate vaguely recalled these names. 'Cats Are Cute' was Milliana, the cat girl. 'Card Master' was Sho. 'Round Wally' was just Wally. And 'Samurai' was Simon.' These were the people Erza had once been imprisoned with at the Tower of Heaven during her childhood, including Jellal.

However, Jellal had later been brainwashed by Ultear and had fallen into darkness, taking control of the Tower of Heaven in an attempt to revive the black mage, Zeref. Only Erza had managed to escape. The others had been deceived by Jellal into believing Erza had betrayed them.

'The Tower of Heaven really did produce some interesting people,' Nate mused, recalling that some members of the Oración Seis had also come from there.

...

Returning to reality, Nate opened his eyes and heard Erza's voice.

"Are you tired?"

Nate shook his head and, after a moment's thought, asked, "Erza, why are you looking for the Tower of Heaven? As far as I know, its real name is the R-System, a forbidden magic banned by the Magic Council."

"You know about the R-System…"

Erza looked surprised, then fell silent for a moment.

"If it's hard to talk about, forget I asked," Nate said. He knew the answer but was just passing time talking to Erza.

"No, it's not that," Erza said softly. "I should be the one apologizing for dragging you into this." She took a deep breath before beginning her story. "It happened when I was a child…"

Erza described her life in Rosemary Village. One day, the village was attacked by members of the Cult of Black Magic. She was captured and taken to the Tower of Heaven. From there, the events unfolded as Nate already knew.

"…In the end, Grandpa Rob sacrificed himself to save me, and it was then that I awakened my magic."

"After I escaped the Tower of Heaven, I joined Fairy Tail."

"All these years, I've been searching for the Tower of Heaven to find out if those friends are still alive…"

Erza paused as she realized Nate had fallen asleep.

...

'You're the one who asked me, but you're also the one who fell asleep…' A faint smile curved Erza's lips. She shifted her position, gently resting Nate's head on her shoulder.

"So hard…"

Nate cracked open an eye, feeling something pressing against him. "You're awake?"

"Even if I were asleep, your armor would wake me up…"

"Sorry…" Erza seemed a bit embarrassed. "If you're tired, I can offer you my lap as a pillow."

A lap pillow?

Without hesitation, Nate adjusted his position and rested his head on Erza's thighs. She was wearing her usual armor on top, but her skirt on the bottom provided a surprisingly soft and comfortable pillow. She smelled nice too.

'Erza is really treating me like a bro', Nate thought as he closed his eyes, deciding to enjoy the moment. He was genuinely tired.

It was the first time Erza had ever offered someone a lap pillow. She looked down at Nate's peaceful face, her heart filled with quiet contemplation.

After realizing that Siegrain was actually Jellal's Thought Projection, Erza understood that even if she found the Tower of Heaven, rescuing her old friends would be nearly impossible on her own—if they were even still alive.

She needed Nate's help.

He was the only one in the guild with the strength to support her.

Although she had dragged him along, Erza knew that if Nate hadn't wanted to come, she wouldn't have been able to make him.

With a gentle smile, she whispered, "Rest well, Nate. I'll wake you when we arrive."

~~~

Damn!

1/9 Bonus Chapters hdhdhdh!!!!