Internet Magic in Fairy Tail (Re-upload)

Among the Ten Wizard Saints, the top four are known as the "Four Kings of Ishgar."

These four are said to possess magic power exceeding eight stars, with the first-ranked, God Serena, even reaching an astonishing 9.5 stars.

Nate recalled that Serena would later betray Ishgar and join the Alvarez Empire in the Western Continent, becoming one of the Twelve Spriggan.

The combined power of the second, third, and fourth-ranked members wouldn't be enough to defeat Serena.

Among the Saints present, the weakest in terms of magic power was Jura Neekis.

When Nate had last met him, Jura's magic power was at 6 stars, and it had only slightly improved since then, remaining at 6 stars.

"Long time no see, Nate," Jura greeted him politely.

"Long time indeed."

Nate nodded and took his seat alongside Ur.

At that moment, the elderly Fourth Seat, Warrod Sequen, spoke up with a serious expression.

"Makarov, has Fairy Tail's younger generation become so rude? Not even a proper greeting for their seniors?"

"Well, uh…" Makarov wiped sweat from his forehead nervously.

Nate turned to look at Warrod. Over 120 years old, Warrod's appearance barely resembled a human anymore. His visible knees were exceptionally long, his skin was wrinkled like tree bark, and a tuft of green plants grew atop his head.

Rather than a person, he looked more like... a treant.

"My apologies, Warrod Sequen. I am Nate, a mage of Fairy Tail," Nate said with a slight smile.

To be honest, the senior's appearance had a strange kind of charm.

"Ha-ha-ha! You're so serious! It was just a joke, just a joke!" Warrod chuckled heartily, crossing his arms.

"Actually, I've been keeping an eye on you for a while, Nate. Your internet magic is quite remarkable."

"As long as you like it, I'm glad," Nate replied politely. He recalled that Warrod's magic was plant-based, capable of manipulating flora, with much of his work focused on reforesting deserts.

As they chatted, Nate noticed that every Saint present wore a Magic Net ring on their fingers.

Ah, my loyal customers!

Ur seized the moment to ask, "So, what exactly is this meeting about?"

At that moment, the sound of footsteps echoed.

"It's about the most infamous Black Wizard in history—Zeref," said Gran Doma, the current Chairman of the Magic Council, as he entered the room.

Taking his seat at the head of the table, Gran Doma immediately opened the Magic Web.

"Let's save the reunions for later. For now, please look at this photograph."

The screen displayed a blown-up image, and everyone's attention turned to it.

The picture showed an island in the middle of the sea, dominated by a towering, spire-like structure.

"Isn't this the Tower of Heaven?" Jura asked in surprise. "The eighth tower near the waters of the Caelum Kingdom."

"Exactly."

Gran Doma nodded and began with a few words of praise for Nate and Jura:

"Nate, Jura, thanks to the two of you, we were able to thwart Jellal's scheme involving the Tower of Heaven."

"I wasn't Chairman at the time, but the Council hasn't forgotten your contributions."

Then his tone turned grim:

"After Jellal's arrest, the Council began dismantling the Tower of Heaven. The operation has been ongoing for over three months.

"Until last night—or, to be precise, the night before last.

"The Black Wizard Zeref appeared on that island, and everyone present there was killed.

"Upon receiving this news, we dispatched a Wizard Saint to investigate. However, we soon received word of his death.

"Before he died, he managed to send back one photograph."

As Gran Doma finished speaking, he switched to a new photograph.

The image was unmistakable—it was Zeref.

"Is it really Zeref?!" exclaimed Hyberion, the second-ranked Wizard Saint.

Hyberion, dressed like a vampire, had the demeanor of a refined gentleman.

"Zeref has been silent for so many years. Why has he appeared now?" muttered Wolfheim, the third-ranked Wizard Saint.

Wolfheim was a small, elderly man with white hair, much like Makarov.

Nate fell into thought.

The night before last... wasn't that the very day Fairy Tail was conducting its S-Class Promotion Exam?

After Nate had driven Zeref away from Tenrou Island, he'd apparently headed towards the waters near Caelum. While wandering, he must have stumbled upon the Tower of Heaven.

Knowing Zeref's connection to the R-System (a magic construct he himself had created), seeing the dismantling of the tower might have piqued his interest.

He could have gone ashore to investigate and perhaps unintentionally triggered his Death Predation, killing everyone on the island.

Of course, this was just Nate's speculation.

"We don't know what Zeref's goal is, but whatever it is, it could spell disaster for the entire magic world," Gran Doma said gravely.

"Is there a chance... he was just taking a stroll?" Nate couldn't help but suggest.

Gran Doma frowned. "This is no time for jokes, Nate."

Who's joking here? Nate thought irritably.

"Chairman-san, you don't expect me to go and kill Zeref, do you?"

"For the sake of order in the magic world and the peace of this world, I ask all of you to stop Zeref!" Gran Doma said with a solemn tone.

"I just remembered I have some code left to write."

Nate immediately stood up and smiled at everyone. "Please continue your meeting; I'll excuse myself."

With that, he left on the spot.

The others were momentarily stunned by his abrupt departure.

Ur, suppressing a smile, also stood up. "He might be in a bad mood. I'll go check on him."

Gran Doma's face darkened.

"Young people do like to joke around," said Warrod Sequen, chuckling.

Makarov stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Are we certain it's Zeref? Could it be someone impersonating him?"

"It's not a mistake," Gran Doma replied firmly. "The magic power detected by our satellite magic was steeped in malevolence."

Gran Doma chose not to pursue Nate and Ur for the moment and continued chairing the meeting.

"Even if it's an impersonation, the individual has the power to easily kill a Wizard Saint. We must investigate, no matter what!"

…

In the adjacent lounge, Nate sat on a couch and actually opened his Magic Net Programming Tool to write code.

He decided to fix the map bug that Irene had pointed out the night before.

"You're really writing code?" Ur chuckled as she walked over, handing him a cup of tea.

Nate took the tea, sipped it, and replied, "Whoever wants to deal with it can go. I'm not interested."

"You seem like you know something," Ur said, her curiosity piqued.

Nate shrugged. "With great power comes great responsibility. I don't have much power, so it's not my problem. Let someone else take the spotlight."

Maybe I'll convince the old man later.

Although Zeref was supposedly weak right now, even with all the Saints present in that meeting room combined, they wouldn't stand a chance against him.

Ur laughed heartily at Nate's nonchalant attitude.

Suddenly, a notification popped up in the lower-right corner of Nate's interface.

It was a friend request.

[User "I Want to Live and Die Naturally" has sent you a friend request. Do you accept?]

Message: "Nate, it's me, Zeref."

Nate: "..."

What the hell is he adding me for?!