Upon learning that King Faust not only refused to abandon the Anima project but also sought control of the Magic Net, Nate merely chuckled.

  It felt almost comical—like a tiger being stalked by a kitten. The Magic Net was something Nate himself hadn’t fully mastered, so anyone else attempting to seize it was ughable. He felt he’d already given Faust a fair chance by sparing him during his intrusion into the royal pace—mainly out of consideration for Mystogan.

  “Perhaps it’s time to consider a different king,” Nate thought, opening a private message to Mystogan. He briefly summarized the situation with King Faust.

  At the end, he wrote:

  Sigma Male: "So, are you interested in becoming king?"

  Mystogan: "!?"

  Mystogan: "Even with a way to obtain magic power, he still won’t abandon the Anima project?"

  ‘How should I know? Ask your father...’ Nate thought, amused. In the original storyline, King Faust came across as extremely extreme, driven by a greedy, insatiable ambition. So, this behavior didn’t surprise him.

  Sigma Male: "I pn to deal with him—make him abdicate. Since you’re originally the prince of Edos, taking the throne would be straightforward."

  Mystogan: "I’d like to join you in taking action! But I’m unfit to be king. I haven’t contributed anything to that country."

  Mystogan: "Besides, I genuinely love Fairy Tail, and I don’t want to leave the guild."

  But someone had to take the throne. To expand the Magic Net throughout Edos, Nate needed the support of a new king. Becoming king himself was unappealing; with his power, ruling a parallel world’s kingdom seemed redundant and uninspiring.

  After thinking it over, Nate decided Erza Knightwalker might be the ideal choice. As a parallel version of Erza, she had both strength and authority, and the people respected her. And most importantly, she bore an uncanny resembnce to Erza Scarlet.

  With this idea in mind, Nate immediately messaged her.

  Sigma Male: "I understand the situation. I’ll come to your world tomorrow."

  Sigma Male: "But there’s something I want to ask you."

  Fairy Hunter: "What is it?"

  Sigma Male: "You mentioned you’d help me spread the Magic Net across Edos?"

  Fairy Hunter: "Yes, it’s partly for personal reasons. Edos is running out of magic, and we need crimas from your world."

  Fairy Hunter: "Your Magic Net could be crucial for us."

  Fairy Hunter: "To be honest, I should be thanking you..."

  ‘As expected from Erza—even in this world, she has the same responsible and sincere personality,’ Nate thought, so he decided to be direct.

  Sigma Male: "King Faust intends to start a war between our worlds. I pn to stop him."

  Sigma Male: "Erza, are you interested in becoming queen?"

  Fairy Hunter: "What? Queen?"

  Meanwhile, in Edos, Erza Knightwalker stared, stunned, at her chat screen. Nate’s message was clear—he pnned to eliminate King Faust and dismantle the Anima project at its source. Naturally, the throne would need a new successor.

  But… her?

  Erza Knightwalker sat there, bewildered. Why would Nate consider her for the throne? Was it because she resembled his Erza? Because his Erza was his girlfriend, maybe he felt some natural trust or affection for her as well?

  She typed out a question, about to ask if that was the reason. But she hesitated, feeling it might be presumptuous, and deleted it.

  Fairy Hunter: "Why me?"

  Fairy Hunter: "Half a month ago, I was still your enemy."

  Sigma Male: "Enemy is a bit strong—I was the one who barged into the pace with Mirajane and took you by force."

  Sigma Male: "In short, as queen, you’d be in the best position to help me expand the Magic Net across Edos."

  Erza Knightwalker fell silent for a moment, contempting the proposal. If she worked with Nate, the issue of Edos's magic depletion would be solved once and for all. Becoming queen... why not? She was not one to back down in the face of a challenge.

  Fairy Hunter: "Understood!"

  Fairy Hunter: "I will become the Queen of Edos!"

  Sigma Male: "Then best of luck to you; being Queen is no small task."

  Sigma Male: "I'll head to your world tomorrow. Good night."

  Erza’s lips lifted into a faint smile.

  Fairy Hunter: "Good night."

  ...

  The Next Day

  A little past 9 a.m., at South Park.

  The night before, Nate had messaged a few people, asking them to meet him at the Sky Tree in South Park. The first to arrive were Natsu and Happy. Nate was genuinely surprised that Natsu hadn’t slept in.

  “Morning, Natsu, Happy!”

  “Morning, Nate! What’s up?” Natsu’s eyes sparkled with excitement, his fists clenched. “Do you have a mission for us?”

  Happy chimed in, “Natsu, it’s Nate we’re talking about! He never does missions himself!”

  Realizing that Happy was probably right, Natsu scratched his head. “So, what is it, then?”

  “It’s a little trip to a parallel world,” Nate said with a smile. “Are you interested?”

  “Oh, that sounds cool!” Natsu’s eyes lit up. “Wait, Happy, did you hear that?”

  Happy blinked, confused. “Huh? A parallel world? But I’m from an egg; I don’t really have a pce like that, do I?”

  “Well, technically, you do,” Nate replied, rolling his eyes slightly but deciding to expin ter when everyone was there.

  Soon after, Wendy and Car arrived. The two exchanged surprised gnces with Natsu and Happy before joining them. Happy immediately tried to cozy up to Car, who only responded with mild disdain. Wendy gently chastised Car, whispering, “Car, maybe you’re a bit too harsh on him sometimes.”

  “Fine, fine,” Car muttered, rolling her eyes.

  Finally, Miraj and Edos Elfman arrived.

  “Good morning, Nate!” Miraj greeted warmly.

  “Morning, Miraj,” Nate replied. “Today, I’ll be sending you both back to Edos, but feel free to come visit anytime.”

  Miraj’s warm smile was just as comforting as always. “Thank you for looking after us while we were here.”

  Just then, Mystogan arrived, looking slightly surprised to see so many people gathered. His gaze settled on Wendy, and he gave a slight nod. “Wendy... I apologize for causing trouble during the guild’s ranking competition st time.”

  Wendy smiled, returning a small bow. “It’s fine, Mister Mystogan. Grandeeney can be a bit much.”

  Mystogan nodded, gncing over at Nate with a hint of uncertainty. Should he reveal his true identity?

  Nate then cpped his hands, gathering everyone’s attention. “Alright, everyone, we’re ready to go. Stand still, and keep calm. If the coordinates shift, things could get a little... interesting.”

  “An adventure to another world? This is gonna be awesome!” Natsu’s shout of excitement was the st thing anyone heard before a golden light surrounded them. The intense glow spread across the entire park, attracting curious gnces from nearby passersby. As it faded, the group was gone.

  ...

  Edos: Fairy Tail’s Guild

  The group reappeared before the Fairy Tail guild in Edos, right where a giant mushroom forest covered the nd. Outside the guild’s entrance, a group of members led by “Big Sis” Lucy waited to greet their visitors.

  “They’re here.”

  Before them, a golden portal formed, and eight figures emerged.

  “Good morning, Boss Lucy,” Nate said with a grin.

  “Don’t call me Boss!” she huffed, but she couldn’t help smiling. She looked over everyone with a warm grin. “Welcome to Edos! I’m Lucy, Lucy Ashley!”

  Bleam