Mest truly was a member of Fairy Tail. However, to infiltrate the Magic Council seamlessly, he had sealed away those memories. Makarov, the guild master, should be aware of this situation. Of course, Nate knew it as well, but he hadn’t revealed it since he couldn’t easily expin how he had obtained such information.

  As for Mest being sent by the Council to investigate [Celestial Pokémon], Nate let him carry on. It was just a game, after all; they could investigate as much as they wanted. The Council’s responsibility was to maintain order in the magic world. But as the developer, Nate had to consider other things, like how engaging the game was, how much magic he could harvest, and if he could make a profit.

  …

  “I should go pick up Wendy and the others,” Nate thought.

  While Mest was busy diving into the gacha draws, Nate had already arrived in Edos. Wendy had messaged him the previous night, but he had been on a date with Cana and hadn’t immediately brought them back.

  …

  Edos Kingdom, Royal Pace, Amusement Park

  It was hard to imagine a luxurious amusement park built right within a pace.

  “Hahaha, Wendy, aren’t you joining in? This is awesome!” Natsu was riding on a magically-powered carousel, spinning so fast he was just a blur.

  Wendy, feeling a bit nervous, warned, “Natsu, your Troia magic is about to wear off!”

  “Isn’t Nate here yet?” asked Car, crossing her arms.

  “Aye, he’s probably caught up with something important,” Happy guessed.

  Just then, a fsh of golden light appeared in front of them.

  Nate waved in greeting. “Hey there! Ready to head back?”

  “Nate!” Wendy’s face lit up with joy.

  At that moment, Natsu was flung off the carousel from the high speed.

  With quick reflexes, Nate caught him by the colr. “Natsu, looks like you had fun.”

  Natsu, dizzy and with spiraled eyes, mumbled, “Ayeee…”

  Imitating Nate, Happy spread his arms and shook his head, pretending to be mature. “Seems like Troia wore off.”

  “Well, can’t be helped. Let me help you rex a bit.” Nate chuckled, then delivered a punch to Natsu.

  'Bam!'

  Immediately, Natsu’s face took on the peaceful expression of a sleeping baby.

  Wendy and Car watched with a bit of sweat on their brows, whispering to each other.

  Wendy: “Is Natsu alright?”

  Car: “He’s a Dragon Syer. His body’s tough... probably.”

  Nate hoisted Natsu onto his shoulder and asked the others, “Ready to go? Anything else you need to do here?”

  “No, Nate, we’re all set to go,” Wendy quickly replied.

  Just then, a voice called from outside the amusement park.

  “Wait a moment.”

  Nate gnced toward the entrance, where Queen Edos Erza was approaching, accompanied by a bck cat.

  “We meet again, Erza,” Nate greeted.

  Queen Erza was dressed in a long purple gown that swept along the ground. Her deep red hair was styled in an elegant updo, crowned with a delicate tiara. She looked even more graceful and regal than before.

  “It hasn’t been long since your st visit,” she said with a slight smile. “I have a favor to ask.”

  Nate raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue.

  “I’d like you to bring Panther Lily to Earth Land.”

  A bck cat? Nate looked at the rge bck cat curiously.

  Panther Lily quickly expined, “After Magic Net’s 0.8 update yesterday, Her Majesty called an emergency meeting. We realized the importance of ‘Magic Net Coins’!”

  With Magic Net Coins, there’d be no need to purchase Earth Land’s crimas. However, to buy Magic Net Coins, they’d need access to the [Magic Net Marketpce], where private exchanges weren’t allowed. Therefore, they’d need to set up bank accounts in Nate’s world and deposit enough J-Coins to purchase MagicNet Coins in rge quantities.

  "Her Majesty has appointed me as the ambassador of Edos Kingdom to Earth Land, and I’ll be stationed in your world from now on," Panther Lily said respectfully. "Please, Nate-san, could you bring me along? I'm also curious to see the prince’s beloved world."

  "You really want to go?" Nate's expression turned slightly skeptical. He understood Lily’s motivations but couldn’t shake a strange feeling about it.

  Natsu had Happy, Wendy had Car, but Gajeel was still on his own. Seeing Lily might shake things up.

  "Yes!" Panther Lily replied, looking a bit puzzled. "Is there a problem? We can negotiate if you have conditions."

  "No problem at all, we’re happy to have you," Nate said, amused.

  Just bringing along one… well, one cat—no big deal. Nate snapped his fingers, and with a quick fsh, a teleportation magic circle appeared at the feet of Wendy, Car, Happy, and Lily.

  Queen Erza smiled and waved them off. "Thanks again, Nate."

  As Nate activated the teleportation circle, he asked, "How’s the ring production coming along?"

  "We’ve made a few samples. The first batch will be ready next month, and then we’ll need you to integrate the Magic Net systems."

  "Alright, see you next month." Nate chuckled and said goodbye.

  “Goodbye, Erza-san,” Wendy said politely.

  “Your Majesty, I’ll complete my mission,” Panther Lily promised earnestly.

  Then, a fsh of golden light enveloped them, and when it faded, they had vanished from the amusement park.

  Watching them go, Queen Erza softly brushed a strand of hair back and murmured, "I owe him so much now."

  Though the people of the capital hailed Nate as a hero, the title alone seemed inadequate for the help he’d given. Queen Erza pondered, wondering how best to repay her debt to him.

  …

  Magnolia, South Gate Park

  Nate and the others returned to the world of Earth Land.

  "We’re here," Nate announced, introducing the bck cat ambassador. "Welcome to Earth Land, the Eastern Continent of Ishgar, at the southernmost neutral kingdom of Fiore, in the town of Magnolia—home of the Fairy Tail Guild."

  Then, with a smile, he added, "So, Ambassador, do you want to visit Fairy Tail first, the Fiore capital to meet the King, or perhaps the Magic Council, the organization that oversees the magic world?"

  Before Panther Lily could respond, his body suddenly shrank, transforming from a rge bck cat into a smaller form, just like Happy’s. Staring at his tiny paws in shock, he said, “It seems my original size doesn’t align with this world’s properties…”

  “Are you alright?” Car asked in surprise.

  "I seem to be fine," Lily replied, adjusting to his new form. He looked up at Nate. “If it’s alright, I’d like to see the guild where the prince is. That would be Fairy Tail, correct?”

  Nate nodded and handed the still-sleeping Natsu over to Happy. “You guys take him back to the guild.”

  “Aye, thank you, Nate!” Happy, wings appearing, lifted Natsu up, and Nate marveled at his strength, as he always did.

  As they headed off, Nate immediately sent Gajeel a private message.

  Sigma Male: "Guess what I just saw?"

  Iron Dragon: "Nate? What’s up?"

  Sigma Male: "Natsu and Happy.jpg, Wendy and Car.jpg."

  Sigma Male: "Feel like something’s missing?"

  Sigma Male: "Bck Cat Lily.jpg."

  Iron Dragon: "A… a cat?! A wild one? ?."

  A wild one? Nate couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

  Sigma Male: "This bck cat seems to have joined the guild. Just a little tip… from me to you, with a ?."

  Iron Dragon: "Thanks for the info! I owe you one!!"

  And with that, Gajeel was offline.

  Nate considered whether he should follow along to see the excitement but decided against it—he had more Pokémon to create. He began walking back toward his apartment when his Magic Net rang with a message from Cana.

  Cana: "Daddy~.”

  Bleam