There were still a few hours left before they would reach their destination.
Nate didn't waste any time. He took out the magic book that Juvia had stolen and put on his magic reading glasses, diving into his studies of Thought Projection magic. He was fully focused on the book, oblivious to the world outside.
Erza, Juvia, and Laxus were also quietly browsing the Internet, and no one spoke. The carriage remained silent.
As evening approached, the train arrived at Hargeon.
Stepping off the train, Nate made his way to the harbor with ease.
"From here, we'll take a boat to Galuna Island... Our contact should be here by now."
Among the many boats at the port, Nate spotted a familiar face.
"Nate-san! You've finally arrived!"
"Still a boatman, I see. The village chief's son, right?" Nate had already forgotten his name.
"My name is Bobo..." Bobo, sweating nervously, quickly gestured to the boat. "Please, come aboard. I'll take you to the island. Are these also Fairy Tail mages?"
"I'm Erza."
Erza, being the serious person she was, had already taken the mission as her own. As they boarded the boat, Nate introduced Juvia and Laxus.
When Bobo learned that all three of them were S-class mages, he was overjoyed. This time, they were surely going to solve the demon's curse for good.
As Bobo rowed them to Galuna Island, he recounted the recent events.
"About three days ago, the evil magic barrier you broke last time reappeared. By today, some villagers have started experiencing memory loss. That's why we contacted your guild right away."
Nate nodded, continuing to read the magic book whenever he had free time. Thought Projection magic, although considered advanced, didn't seem all that difficult to him.
"Don't worry. We'll take care of it for good this time."
They arrived at the island by nightfall. After disembarking, Bobo led them toward the village.
Juvia gazed at the sky, noticing that the full moon, which should have been bright and white, appeared to have a faint reddish hue.
"There's something up there... Is that the 'evil magic barrier'?"
Erza, also sensing the disturbance, nodded. "You can definitely feel the evil power."
Laxus raised his hand toward the moon, electricity crackling from his palm.
"So we just need to break that thing? Easy job!"
"Did you even listen on the train? Breaking it won't be enough—it'll just come back," Nate said, stopping Laxus. "Based on my research, there's a Moon Drip ritual happening on the island. We need to stop that first."
Hearing this, Laxus lowered his arm and silently walked away from the group.
"Where are you going?" Nate asked.
"I can handle this myself. You go enjoy a drink in the village and rest up for our fight!" Laxus called over his shoulder.
Nate didn't stop him. After a moment's thought, he turned to Bobo.
"Village Chief's son, you go back to the village and let the village chief know we'll take care of things soon."
"Nate-san, I have a name..."
Bobo sighed as he rowed away. Meanwhile, Nate's body began to float as he activated his flight magic.
"You can fly too?" Erza looked up in surprise. Nate hadn't used flight magic during their previous sparring match. 'So he went easy on me?' she thought, noticing that his magic power had significantly increased. 'There's no way someone could grow this much stronger in just a week. He definitely went easy on me!'
"Hey, Nate..." Erza clenched her fists, slightly irritated. "Our last fight doesn't count! Holding back like that was too much! After this mission, we're sparring again!"
Hovering in the air, Nate surveyed the island and quickly identified the temple. Moonlight poured down, passing through layers of magic formations, turning purple as it reached the temple's roof.
"So, it's over there."
Hearing Erza calling him from below, Nate sighed inwardly.
"Do we really learn magic just to fight? Don't any of you have other goals?"
Juvia, standing in front of Erza, declared, "If you try to fight Nate, I won't stand by silently!"
'You're just here to make things worse!' Nate thought, quickly intervening. "The temple is to the north. I'll go ahead. You two can catch up."
Without waiting for a response, Nate flew off toward the temple, leaving Erza and Juvia staring at each other.
"We were just going to spar," Erza muttered, now fully exasperated. 'Why do so many girls like him?' she thought, feeling somewhat frustrated.
Meanwhile, Juvia's magic flared up as she considered the situation. 'This is a perfect chance to deal with my rival!'
"Juvia won't let any rival stand in her way! Prepare yourself, Fairy Queen!"
Erza: "?"
…
Thanks to his flight magic, Nate bypassed the thick forest and easily reached the temple. He ignored the ongoing Moon Drip ritual at the top and descended toward the cave underneath.
"If I remember correctly, Deliora should be sealed at the bottom of the temple, inside a cave..."
Guided by his Six Eyes, Nate swiftly found the cave's entrance.
Inside the massive cave, his footsteps echoed as he walked deeper and deeper. At the very end, he found what he was looking for—a gigantic demon frozen in ice. Above the ice, a magic circle on the ceiling glowed as it channeled purple moonlight, gradually melting the ice. A pool of water had already gathered at the base of the ice block.
But that was only from the perspective of a normal person. From Nate's perspective, both the ice and the water contained fragments of a soul—the soul of the Ice Mage, Ur.
"So many fragments... It'll take some effort to collect them all," Nate thought as he approached the ice. Gently placing his hand on the surface, he used his Six Eyes to locate one of the soul fragments and tried to pull it out. However, the 'Iced Shell' magic, being a forbidden magic, resisted his efforts.
It was clear he would need to melt the ice first.
As he pondered what to do, Nate suddenly sensed a presence behind him.
"Why bother hiding if you're already here?" Nate said, not turning around.
"Hoho... I thought I hid my presence well enough. How did you notice me?" A short, masked man emerged from behind a rock.
"Fairy Tail mage, Nate. This is our first meeting, and my name is—"
"Ultear."
Nate interrupted him, turning around and immediately revealing the masked man's true identity.
Behind the mask, the man's eyes widened in shock.
"What are you talking about?"
"Or should I call you the 'Witch of Pain'?" Nate teased, a playful smirk on his face. "You're quite flirtatious online, aren't you, 'sister'?"
~~~
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