Fairy Tail Space Mage

"...No! I didn't!"

Elsa hugged her legs, buried her head in her knees, and curled up in a ball on the bed. Her body was trembling violently, as if a hidden illness had flared up.

Intense unease and pain clung to her like venomous snakes, leaving her nowhere to escape... Finally, Elsa, like a little girl, choked back tears and wept.

Perhaps pain is contagious. Mira and Lisanna, who also lived in the Fairy Tail dormitory, seemed to be dreaming about painful things from the past. They frowned and hugged each other tightly.

In the boys' dormitory.

Gray, the usually cold and arrogant "stripper," for some reason, was now like an abandoned child, shedding tears and repeatedly calling out the name "Uru" as if in a murmur.

……

Today, I don't know what happened. Even in the empty space where I don't usually pay much attention to my surroundings, I noticed something was amiss.

They had agreed to challenge Sora yesterday, but when Sora arrived at the agreed location this morning, Natsu and Gray had already started fighting on their own.

If this were their usual fighting style, Sora wouldn't find it strange. But the way they were fighting was like they were risking their lives, attacking without any restraint, as if they wanted to kill each other!

After beating their opponent beyond recognition and exhausting their strength, the two collapsed together with satisfied expressions.

As Xun'er helped Kong apply medicine to the two men, she frowned deeply and couldn't help but mutter "crazy!" She seemed startled by their earlier behavior. Of course, the real reason for her anger was: why did they, guildmates, engage in such a "foolish" contest!

Kaoru is only two years old. Although she was born in Fairy Tail, a place teeming with "weirdos," she has a normal standard of living because her guardian is absent. She understands what kind of behavior is crazy and abnormal.

If you get used to fighting when you meet someone, you might be able to tolerate it. But something like what happened just now... Xun'er didn't know why, but she felt inexplicably sad!

She hated what she had just witnessed! It was as if something she couldn't see was hidden behind those actions. And she couldn't understand it, couldn't help, could only watch Natsu and Gray suffer like that…

Sora didn't know how to comfort Kaoru. All he could do was apply medicine to Natsu and Gray and then take them back to their lodgings to rest.

Kong knew that even though his strength had increased and his relationship with the guild members had improved, he still couldn't do anything for Gray and the others. Because he had never carried those heavy burdens like they had. He could feel the distance between them.

Perhaps to cheer Xun'er up, Kong brought her to the guild hall. This place is always bustling with activity, no matter the season, and any unhappiness is forgotten here… except today, of course.

Elsa and Mira were on the verge of war, completely unaware of Kong's arrival.

The hall was eerily quiet! The terrifying atmosphere between the two was so intense that even Xun'er, who was most favored by Mira and Elsa, dared not approach! Xun'er buried her head in Kong's arms, seemingly wanting to escape today's dream and wake up quickly. But unfortunately, this was a dream she was already awake in.

After a slight hesitation, Sora stepped forward. Erza and Mira finally noticed Sora as well. But both of them turned away in a panic, sending Sora a message of "refusal to approach" mixed with complex emotions.

After sensing this sentiment, Kong's foot stopped in mid-air, unable to take another step.

A dim, swirling energy suddenly drifted in from the entrance of the hall, and from there, guild members collapsed to the ground one by one. Even Xun'er in Kong's arms, and Mira and Elsa in front of Kong, only managed to hold on for a short while before succumbing to the shock.

Kong quickly grabbed Xun'er with one arm and frantically supported Mira and Elsa with the other. At the very least, he couldn't let them collapse to the ground like that.

Sora placed Xun'er on the table, then carefully laid the two of them on the ground. He looked around and saw that he was the only one awake in the guild. Sora didn't panic; instead, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Today seems to be the day when Mr. Gang receives a commission.

It's great that Mystergan came to the guild to accept a quest today!

Mystogan quickly came into Sora's view. Seemingly used to the fact that Sora wasn't asleep, Mystogan nodded to Sora, then went to the notice board to choose a suitable request.

Mystogan was dressed in a black cloak, wore a black hat, and had his face covered with a black veil. Except for his eyes, he was completely covered from head to toe.

Sora always believed that even if it was to conceal one's identity, there was no need to go to such lengths. Perhaps only someone who is extremely shy and unable to communicate or get along normally with others would dress like this.

“Mistgang…” Even though Sora knew that Mistgang was not good at getting along with others, Sora still couldn’t help but talk to Mistgang for the first time.

Mystogan was indeed startled by Sora's sudden conversation. He seemed to want to leave, yet also wanted to ignore Sora, and ultimately hesitated, frozen in place.

“Mistgan, I know you’re skilled in mental magic. So, there’s something I’d like to ask you for help with… For some reason, Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Mira have all been acting strangely today. Could you check if they’ve been affected by any kind of mental magic?”

Sora pleaded with Mistgang. Of course, Sora was currently in "talkative mode." This proved that he was not at peace.

Perhaps it was because he had accidentally nodded and greeted Sora earlier, and ignoring her here would be too much of a stretch. Or perhaps, to Mystogan, Sora was different from the others. In any case, after a slight hesitation, Mystogan took out a wand from behind his back, cast a spell, and began checking on the guild members' condition.

"Nothing...is amiss." After checking the surroundings, Mystogan withdrew his magic, shook his head, and answered quietly to Sora.

"Nothing's wrong? Really? But Elsa and the others..." Sora was puzzled.

Chapter 042 Empty Tenderness

“Try putting your necklace on them, and you’ll understand…” Mistgang thought for a moment, then pointed to the necklace on the empty chest, and then to Elsa and Mira in front of the empty chest.

The necklace on his chest was made from the "Dream Crystal" that he and Mira bought during their last "Exorcise Ghosts" mission.

This necklace grants the wearer immunity to mental magic. Considering Sora's cautious nature, it's not surprising that she would prepare such a defense. This is also why Sora is always unaffected by Mystogan's hypnotic magic.

“They just had a nightmare…” Mistgang added before taking the selected commission and preparing to leave.

"Nightmare?" Sora couldn't quite believe it.

"A nightmare for powerful mages, sometimes even comparable to mental magic. Especially for those mages who have a great influence around them..." Mystogan added two more sentences before leaving the hall.

During the distance from the notice board to the lobby entrance, Mistgang probably spent the entire time organizing his thoughts. Kong was also a man of few words, so he understood how cautious Mistgang was when he spoke a longer sentence.

Kong believed Mistgang's words. And if that were the case, the source of all these anomalies today would probably be Elsa's nightmare.

Having just become an S-Class Mage, and the youngest S-Class Mage in Fairy Tail history, Erza's influence within the guild is currently at its peak. And besides Erza, who suffers from a severe lack of security, Sora can't think of anyone else prone to nightmares.

Unfortunately, while the "Dream Crystal" can suppress mental magic, it can't control nightmares. Otherwise, Sora wouldn't mind giving the "Dream Crystal" necklace to Elsa.

After Mistgang left, the hypnotic spell was lifted, and everyone woke up one after another.

But when they woke up, they found that Elsa, Mira, Sora, and Kaoru, who had been in the hall, had all disappeared.

Fortunately, Sora later "moved" over and explained things to everyone. Otherwise, if the four mages had suddenly disappeared, everyone might have had to contact the guild leader who was at the Guild Alliance meeting and ask him for help.

Sora didn't want this matter to escalate. After all, it concerned the backgrounds and privacy of several younger generation mages. Moreover, Sora knew that even the guild master couldn't offer much help in this matter.

Although Sora couldn't help Elsa escape the nightmare, he knew how to help everyone step out of the shadows and change their mood.

Sora used teleportation magic to send Elsa and Mira back to their respective dormitories. Then, he had Kaoru take care of Elsa, while he took care of Mira. In short, he wanted them to get a good night's sleep with the help of Mystogan's hypnotic magic.

Sora had originally planned to have Lisanna take care of Mira. But when she heard that Natsu was injured, she immediately rushed to look after him. Before leaving, she gave Sora a strange look, which Sora didn't understand. But feeling it was unimportant, he pretended not to see it.

In fact, Sora felt it would be better for him to stay by Erza's side at this time. But that would make Mira uncomfortable.

Sora isn't a fool who's clueless about relationships. Since she understands Mira's feelings, she should put herself in her shoes. Putting herself in her shoes, Sora wouldn't want Mira to be by the side of other men who are more seriously injured when she and other men are hurt.

In fact, just like Mira, who was completely devoted to him, Sora was also carefully nurturing his relationship with her. However, due to the insecurity and inferiority complex hidden deep in his heart, Sora couldn't respond to Mira actively and obviously. He could only subtly express his care and concern for Mira.

Sora cherishes this relationship, so he resolutely avoids anything that might cause Mira to misunderstand him, such as being unfaithful, ambiguous, or engaging in flirtatious behavior.

The reason why I resolutely refused to use the "princess carry" on Elsa during the S-class exam was precisely because of this.

Wearing thick armor, even a "princess carry" would only produce feelings of "so heavy" and "so hard." The idea of ​​a soft, warm body was out of the question.

Even at this level, Sora was considerate of Mira's feelings. He immediately shook his head sharply at anything that made Mira uncomfortable. It was fair to say his attitude towards Mira was very clear.

……

Mistern's hypnotic magic was very effective. Of course, it could also be because Elsa and Mira hadn't slept well the night before. Having finally drifted into a nightmare-free dream, both of them seemed somewhat greedy, unwilling to wake up immediately.

In short, it was already evening when they woke up. Sora and Kaoru then invited them to have dinner with Gray, Natsu, and Lisanna (Elfman had gone to do a quest with the others).

Of course, the location was outside the "Ancient Library," which had practically become Sora and Kaoru's "private property." The meal was Sora's "barbecue party."

Perhaps it was because they had a good night's sleep and felt refreshed. Perhaps it was because of their close relationship with Natsu and Lisanna, or perhaps it was because of Sora and Kaoru, who were all good friends. In any case, everyone got along very well. With the help of the Sora faction, the younger generation of the "Mira faction" and the "Elsa faction" officially reconciled today!

Of course, Kong didn't invite everyone to dinner for some trivial matter like "factional reconciliation," which is unprecedented for him.

Sora's purpose is simply to create today's happiness and smiles, so that they can become the strength for everyone to overcome painful memories in the future. Sora wants to use this experience to tell them that we are all connected. Therefore, there is no need for anyone to suffer or be afraid alone.

In addition, Sora also needed to give Mira and Erza, who were somewhat shy and avoiding him, a way out. To this end, Sora deliberately turned the dinner into a "factional reconciliation."

"Sora, really, could you be any gentler... But, as expected of the one who hatched Kaoru." Only Kaoru, who was with Sora from beginning to end, understood how much Sora had done for everyone that day.

That evening, after the president returned, he called Kong over and asked about the day's events.

The guild leader is the guild leader after all; even when he's not in the guild, he knows everything about what's happening within it. And he's also very worried about the mental state of the younger generation in the guild.

Sora didn't intend to hide anything and told the guild master what Mystogan had said and his own guesses. The guild master didn't say anything after listening, but the next day, he kicked Natsu, Happy, Gray and the others out of the guild dormitory.

Although the president said, "A real man should be independent as early as possible!"

But Sora felt that the president wanted to prevent something like yesterday from happening again. Therefore, it was necessary to disperse these sources of nightmares that could potentially infect each other.

The president has gone to great lengths to ensure the healthy growth of the younger generation.

(Sorry, I forgot to upload it on time again!)

Chapter 043 Xun'er's Path

After the guild members' relationships returned to normal, it seemed to have an impact. Erza and Mira were no longer as obviously avoiding Sora as before. Of course, they didn't forget about honing their skills, and only occasionally teamed up with Sora.

Sora also somewhat understood what the two were thinking. Therefore, unless it was a request that was very suitable for Erza and Mira, she would choose to team up with Kaoru to complete it.

When facing demons and magical beasts, Sora can use "Singularity" without any scruples. If used as a direct attack, under certain conditions, its destructive power is comparable to Gildarts's superior destructive magic—Disintegration Magic.

Getting even slightly close to the "singularity" will cause injury due to the distortion of the surrounding space. Direct contact with the "singularity" will inevitably result in being torn apart and swallowed up... The destructive power of the "singularity," like a black hole, is terrifying! This makes Sora almost invincible in subjugation-type missions! Of course, this only applies to difficulties below S-rank.

In just six months, Sora amassed a fortune through raiding missions. But he wasn't happy about it. All that money would be spent on Kaoru.

"Xun'er, are you really sure you want to go down the 'ownership' route?" Kong asked after the banquet on Xun'er's birthday night.

Sora believes that the "ability-based" route is the safest. However, Sora himself also uses a magic gun. Therefore, his persuasiveness in trying to convince Kaoru to take the pure "ability-based" route is somewhat lacking.

"Yes. No matter how hard I train, Xun'er's magic power increases very slowly. Xun'er can't be like Sora, recklessly performing 'complete meditation' three times a day. Most importantly, Xun'er has decided to dedicate her life to the path of 'magic circle magic'. Xun'er will become the most proficient mage of 'magic circle magic' in the world!"

Within Xun'er's small body lay a grand ambition beyond Kong's imagination! Kong looked at Xun'er floating in the air and felt a divine light emanating from her that made a small person like Kong, who only thought about survival and self-preservation, unable to look directly at her!

"Who raised Xun'er? Why is she so different from me, with such an amazing pursuit in her feline life! ... Hmm, I seem to be her guardian. But I'm not... I understand now, it must be because she read the books left behind by those old scholars in the 'Ancient Library' since she was little, and Xun'er received some strange enlightenment..."

Although he understood what was going on, Sora didn't intend to do anything.

Though he didn't say it aloud, Sora actually hoped that Kaoru, whom he raised, would eventually become an outstanding mage. It was like the feeling that parents always have high expectations for their children.

Of course, the main reason is that Xun'er was originally talented, and she herself liked "magic circle magic." Otherwise, Kong would have preferred that Xun'er's cat life be easier and happier...

“Alright, Xun’er. Although crafting the lost grimoire—the ‘Grimoire of Arrays’—is an extremely difficult task, I will accompany you to the end. After all, you helped me develop new magic before. This time, it’s my turn to help you.”

Kong stopped trying to persuade Xun'er and agreed to help her refine the "Array Magic Book".

The "Grimoire of Arrays" is not an ordinary grimoire that records magic. It is a "magical item" that can be used as a medium for casting spells. Of course, as a top-level item on par with the "legendary holy sword that can kill the Demon King with a single blow," completing it is no less difficult than completing an SS-rank quest.

The most difficult material to obtain for this item is a gem called "Angel's Heart." And the reason this gem is called that is exactly what the name suggests.

Yes, it is a gem formed from the heart of an angel after death, over many years, when the body is in a special environment!

This kind of gemstone is not only impossible to find, but even if it were found by chance, no one would dare to use it.

Because that would anger the Papal States deep within the continent of Ishgar… Even in the Kingdom of Fiore, where Kong resides, there exists a powerful church organization. If they set their sights on you, neither the kingdom nor the council can protect you.

But Sora doesn't have time to consider lofty goals like "Angel's Heart" right now. Even without "Angel's Heart," Sora and Kaoru can complete the half-finished "Array Magic Book." That's enough for Kaoru's current needs.