Flush with success, Shun produced a few more strawberry shortcakes for Mavis. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately began devouring them.
"Yummy!!" she squealed between mouthfuls.
Her reactions were delightfully exaggerated, though thankfully not to the reality-warping extremes of the Food Wars universe.
After setting a new personal record—three whole cakes in under five minutes—Mavis seemed to remember her dignity. She let out a delicate, fake cough. "Ahem. Now that you are an S-Class mage of Fairy Tail, I should give you a present. As your mother," she declared, puffing out her chest with a smug look.
'After three cakes, she's officially adopting me?' Shun barely managed to suppress a laugh.
"Oh? A present?" he said, not expecting much from a spectral being.
"Yes! Follow me!" She trotted back toward the stone monument. "Bring out your hand," she instructed, her expression now serene and unreadable.
"Sure," Shun replied, a flicker of suspicion in his mind. 'She wouldn't... she couldn't be giving me that just for some cake... right?'
To his utter astonishment, she did.
"I shall bestow upon you… the 'Fairy Glitter'!" Mavis announced, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
"!!!"
"What?!" Shun's usual composure shattered. "You're giving away one of the Three Great Fairy Magics for a few cakes?!"
"Cough! It is a gift to strengthen the guild itself! And I told you, it's from me, as a mother! It is definitely not for the cake!" she insisted, her cheeks flushing a bright red.
'Jokes aside... she's giving me this.' A strange warmth bloomed in Shun's chest. In both of his lives, this was the first time he had ever received a truly meaningful gift.
"Thank you…" he said softly, stepping forward to hug her. But his arms passed straight through her form, and he stumbled forward, landing on the ground.
"…"
"You can eat, but I can't touch you? How does that even work?" he asked, utterly bewildered.
"I actually don't know," Mavis admitted with a sheepish smile. "Perhaps it works according to my will? I want to eat the cake, but I don't wish to be touched by people."
Shun sighed and got to his feet, checking his right arm. A new tattoo had appeared, incorporating the Fairy Tail guild emblem styled within a more intricate, magical design.
---
After a little more conversation and a promise to bring more food, Shun returned to the main camp. As he approached, Sorano suddenly jumped up, a brilliant smile on her face that confused the surrounding guild members.
"Shun! Congratulations on becoming an S-Class mage!" she called out, waving enthusiastically.
"Huh? How did you know I passed?" Shun asked, curious.
"If Laxus passed the exam, there's no way you would fail!" she explained cheerfully.
This logic did not sit well with a certain blonde. "What do you mean by that?!" Laxus demanded, a cross-shaped vein throbbing on his forehead.
"Don't stress over the small things!" Makarov boomed, holding a frothy mug of beer aloft. "Let's celebrate the birth of two new S-Class mages!"
"OHHH!!" The guild erupted in cheers, and the party began in earnest.
---
Ultear's POV - A Tavern in Crocus
"Hey, did you hear the big news?!" one drunkard slurred to his companion.
"What big news? Did someone die?"
"No, the opposite! Fairy Tail just produced two new S-Class mages!"
"Two? You can't just hand out the S-Class title to anyone! What is their Guild Master thinking?"
"Hey, don't you know Fairy Tail's exam is the hardest in Ishgar! They only had Gildarts until now. If that strict Makarov approved two, it means they're monsters! They're the strongest guild now!"
In a shadowy corner of the tavern, a girl of about twelve listened intently to the fresh gossip. Over the past month, Ultear had not been idle. Persuading Master Hades to lend her two Lost Magic books had been a monumental task. They were the rarest of the rare in Grimoire Heart's library, not to be given out lightly. To secure them, she had… embellished Shun's offer, suggesting that in exchange for the books, the powerful boy would join their guild.
All that mattered was saving her mother. The consequences were a problem for later.
Hearing that the Fairy Tail members were returning to Magnolia, Ultear made her decision. She would go to him, carrying the two precious tomes.
'Just wait a little longer, Mother,' she thought, her resolve hardening. 'I will save you this time.'
---
Jose Porla's POV - Phantom Lord Base
"Master! Big news! Those rats from Fairy Tail just got two new S-Class mages!" a Phantom Lord mage screamed hysterically.
"Be quiet! I've already heard!" Jose Porla snapped, his eyes cold with fury.
'That damn Makarov and his wretched guild!' he seethed internally. The rivalry between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail was ancient, dating back to the era of the first guild masters. At every council meeting, Jose took pleasure in needling Makarov. But recently, the old fool had done nothing but boast about his guild's "next generation."
'And now two of those brats are S-Class?!'
SLAM!
"UNACCEPTABLE!" Jose brought his fist down, shattering the table in front of him. The entire guild fell silent.
"As much as I despise that old fool Makarov," Jose growled, "I must admit his strategy of recruiting young talent is… effective." His voice rose to a shout. "Listen! Scatter throughout the city and the neighboring regions! Gather information on any and all children with high magical potential!"
"YES, MASTER!" The guild members scrambled to obey.
'I will build my own force of S-Class mages to crush them in the future,' Jose thought, a sinister smile twisting his lips. 'If they have two, I will recruit double! They will be my… 'Element Four'!'
The plan solidified in his mind. "We will prepare double their number and crush them when we are ready! Hahaha!"
---
Shun's POV
After the celebrations and ensuring Mavis was well-stocked with new dishes, the Fairy Tail members prepared to return to Magnolia. Shun, now afflicted with the Dragon Slayer's infamous motion sickness, opted to fly back alone, having memorized the route.
The flight took him about two hours. 'My control over the repel and recoil is definitely getting better,' he noted with satisfaction.
He arrived at his Magnolia apartment, a place he hadn't visited in weeks. The moment he stepped inside, his enhanced senses alerted him—someone was in his bedroom. And it was the very person he had been waiting for.
He made sure his footsteps were audible as he entered.
"Took you long enough," said Ultear, who was calmly sipping tea while sitting on his bed.
"…"
"That could be said about you, too. I've been waiting for quite a while," Shun responded, a calm smile on his face that belied his inner excitement. He could finally awaken his Devil Fruit!
"Do you think borrowing not one, but two Lost Magic books from Master Hades is easy?!" Ultear retorted with feigned anger.
After a minute of this charade, she could hold back no longer. "Let's proceed with the trade!"
'I'm just as excited about this as you are!' Shun thought.
"Sure. Give me the books. Once I verify them, I will fulfill the first of the two conditions: the information," Shun said, feigning a calm he didn't feel.
Ultear produced two thick, ancient-looking volumes: Arc of Embodiment and Fire God Slayer Magic. Shun took them and quickly skimmed through, confirming their authenticity.
"Thanks, they're genuine. I'll tell you the information now."
"Of course they're real. Now hurry up! If it's not as important as you claimed, I'll fight you, even if I can't win!" Ultear threatened, her fierceness reminding Shun of a young Mirajane.
"Yes, yes. The extremely valuable information is…" Shun drew out the moment, building unnecessary suspense.
Ultear's patience was at its limit.
"Ur is alive."
"Wha—?!" Ultear's voice caught in her throat, afraid she had misheard.
"I said, Ur is alive. She is currently in the form of ice, using her body to seal the demon Deliora."
[Congratulations on completing the mission! Rewards issued!] [Memory Fragment: 50%. Devil Fruit Proficiency: +]
'The rewards are here already, and I've only completed the first part! This makes everything easier.' Shun's heart soared. 'Another Memory Fragment… with the 25% from becoming S-Class, that's 75% total. Only 25% left.'
But his main focus was the other reward. 'My Devil Fruit Proficiency! It should have reached S-Tier now. It must be awakened!'
"I'm going to train my new magic. Care to join?" Shun asked the frozen Ultear, who was still reeling from the revelation.
"By the way," he added casually, "don't think about melting her out with some low-class fire magic. It would be no different from boiling her alive."
"!!" His words shattered her stupor, replacing it with horror. That had been her exact plan—to ask Hades for a powerful flame magic.
"T-Then what do I do?! How do I save her?!" Ultear cried, tears finally streaming down her face, all pretense of the villainess gone.
"Did you forget our trade? I've only completed the first half," Shun said softly, patting her head. "Just sit tight and watch. You will be able to meet your mother within a week."
"!"
Hearing his confident, kind words, a warmth Ultear had long forgotten stirred in her heart. She began to sob, the weight of her mission and newfound hope crashing over her.
At that moment…
Ding!
[The title 'Predator' is triggered. Another heart has been stolen. Health and Magic Regeneration rate increased by 5%. Total: 10%.]
'Shut up!' Shun mentally scolded the system.
`[Note: Once regeneration rate exceeds 90%, the host will be able to regenerate lost limbs.]*
"…"
'Okay,' Shun reconsidered. 'Maybe this title isn't a complete joke after all.'
As he pondered this, Ultear wiped her tears and asked, "Where are we going?"
"I need to train. It's still too dangerous to save Ur in my current state," Shun explained seriously. "My magic is called the 'Nikyu Nikyu no Mi,' a Lost Magic like yours. It sounds simple, but its power isn't. It can repel anything—even concepts."
Ultear's eyes widened as she grasped his implication.
"That's right," Shun confirmed with a smile. "I will repel Ur out of the Iced Shell. But until now, my proficiency wasn't high enough to manipulate something so abstract. I believe I've finally passed that bottleneck. I need a few days to train, and then we will go to your hometown together."
"Yes!" Ultear exclaimed. She had trusted him before, but now, that trust had deepened into something unshakable.