Chapter 200: Gildarts is Back!

When Nate woke up, it was the middle of the night.

Feeling a numbness in his arm, he turned slightly.

Lucy was resting her head on his arm, her face peaceful and pure in sleep, like a freshly bloomed lotus.

Her delicate, radiant cheeks still held a faint blush that hadn't fully faded.

"Mmm… is it morning already?" Lucy murmured drowsily, sensing the movement beneath her head.

Too cute!

Nate couldn't help but lean down and kiss her.

It was clear that Lucy wasn't as resilient as Erza—her first time was quite similar to Juvia's.

Now fully awake, Lucy's face turned a deeper red as she looked up at him. Gradually, her memories of the night resurfaced.

"It's not morning," Nate explained with a smile. "It's a little past midnight. Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"I'll go prepare something to eat."

"You can cook?" Lucy blinked at him in surprise.

Nate rolled his eyes. "How do you think I survived all this time?"

Lucy giggled. "I'd love something to eat!"

"Since I rarely cook, you can look forward to it."

Nate got up, put on a shirt, and headed to the kitchen to get started.

The fridge was stocked with ingredients Lucy had bought. Since she couldn't fit everything in her own place, she'd stored some here.

Lucy, feeling a bit sticky and uncomfortable, took a quick shower.

By the time she finished, Nate had already prepared a midnight meal.

The two of them sat down together, sharing the small, cozy meal.

Usually, Lucy did the cooking, and Nate just enjoyed her dishes. Now, with the roles reversed, Lucy felt a pleasant warmth at the change.

"How is it?" he asked.

"It's delicious!" Lucy smiled as she took her time savoring the food. "If you can cook this well, why did you always ask me to make meals?"

She had her own answer in mind but still wanted to hear him say it.

Thinking back, their relationship had started in a funny way.

Nate had come across a Zodiac key on an S-class mission, and Lucy had really wanted it.

So she'd ended up with an 8-million-Jewel debt.

They'd made an agreement: each time she cooked, it would knock 3,000 off the debt.

Looking back, it felt like ages ago, though it had only been about three months.

"Knowing how to cook and wanting to cook are two different things," Nate said with a grin.

"Liar! I'm sure you had other ideas from the start!" Lucy teased. "You totally set me up!"

Nate laughed. "What was I supposed to do, just give you the key for free?"

"So… were you really interested in me from the start?" Lucy asked shyly.

She couldn't help feeling a little pleased with herself. 'I must be quite charming!'

"That wouldn't be far off," Nate nodded, indulging her a bit.

Lucy blushed. "Then… does this mean my debt is erased?"

"No way!" Nate replied instantly.

The debt had become part of their dynamic, something he didn't want to lose.

"Even if you're my girlfriend now, that debt still stands."

Lucy clenched her teeth playfully. "Fine, then we'll settle accounts properly!"

"How do you want to settle?"

"How many times did you kiss me? And how many times did you—"

Her face flushed as she spoke, remembering everything, and she found it hard to continue.

"And… all the other things, too…"

She couldn't go on. 'So embarrassing.'

Under the table, Lucy kicked off her slipper and playfully stretched her bare foot toward him.

Nate chuckled and caught her foot, tickling her sole.

"Ah! Stop! No! Don't!"

Lucy giggled uncontrollably, her toes curling tightly.

They teased and laughed, barely eating at all, stretching out the meal to almost an hour.

Afterward, both tired from playing around, they cleaned up the dishes together, and then curled up back in bed.

This time, they just peacefully drifted off to sleep, arms wrapped around each other.

…

Two days later.

During these two days, Nate didn't go anywhere and stayed in his apartment. He was either studying the essential magic for game creation through the [Library] feature on the Magic Net or working on creating new Pokémon. The initial four types were far from enough.

Of course, there was no rush to complete everything at once. Preparing a few dozen types before the official release should be sufficient. After that, new ones could be introduced gradually. Since this was a gacha game, regularly releasing new Pokémon would keep players excited to draw for them.

In these two days, he only created one more Pokémon—a Pidgey.

Nate didn't immediately add it to the summon pool.

In the meantime, the members of the guild had all reached their guaranteed draws in the pool, so each had at least one [Celestial Pokémon] by now.

Only then did Nate finally head over to the guild.

When he arrived, nobody seemed to notice—they were all too absorbed in their Pokémon battles.

Nate found a seat in the outdoor café and quietly observed. Natsu's Charmander was noticeably stronger than everyone else's Pokémon, going undefeated so far. Nate suspected it was already over level 10. 'Doesn't that guy ever rest?' Even if he didn't need rest, surely Charmander did, Nate thought with a smirk.

At that moment, a powerful tremor suddenly shook the ground outside the guild.

Everyone involved in Pokémon battles and those watching looked south in unison.

"This tremor... Is that Nate?"

"No, wait! This feels like... Gildarts is back?"

"Oh no, Gildarts has returned!"

Someone shouted in alarm.

'Gildarts?' Nate's curiosity piqued, and he focused his Six Eyes on the scene, taking in the entire city of Magnolia at once.

In the sky above the city, a network of magic speakers began blaring.

"Magnolia is about to enter Gildarts Mode!"

"All citizens are asked to immediately relocate to designated zones!"

"I repeat…"

As the magic broadcast echoed through the air, the bells at Kardia Cathedral in the city center tolled, their resonant chimes spreading across the city. Streets began to clear as residents hurried to evacuate. The buildings in the city's main area began to rise like pieces of a jigsaw, lifted to a higher level.

Finally, a wide path emerged, stretching directly from the southern edge of the city to the Fairy Tail guild. On either side of the road, walls of steel rose up, and on top of these walls were the original streets and buildings. Many citizens stood along the walls, watching the figure steadily approaching down the road.

"This is… quite the spectacle."

Nate instantly sensed Gildarts' powerful presence.

At that moment, Gildarts scratched his head, feeling something strange, and turned his gaze toward the Fairy Tail guild in the distance. Despite the considerable distance, and with only a sliver of the guild visible, he could feel an unusual presence.

'Is it my imagination?' he wondered. 'It feels like someone is watching me, though without any hostile intent.'

Nate raised an eyebrow, surprised by Gildarts' keen perception. Amused, he decided to use his Telepathy magic to greet him.

'Hello, Gildarts. I'm Nate, a mage from Fairy Tail.'

'The gaze you felt—that was me.'

Hearing the voice in his mind, Gildarts' eyes widened.

"So, you're Nate? I've been hearing your name mentioned everywhere on my way back!"

~~~

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