"This incomplete magic made it terrifying and creepy for everyone watching… I don't really care if it was just strangers. But there's Mavis, Erza, Mira, and Ultear…" Shun let out a deep, tired sigh.
"I guess I have to pull out that move."
He canceled The World.
Time snapped back to normal.
With a small, precise shockwave sent straight to God Serena's brain, the Wizard Saint crumpled to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut.
Then…
Shun started panting heavily, really selling it, then rushed toward Mavis and collapsed dramatically right into her arms.
Under the surprised eyes of everyone Shun mustered up his last bit of strength and said.
"I… overexerted my magic…"
Oscar-worthy performance…
He "fainted."
"…"
"Shun!" ×4
Everyone shouted his name, even the people who knew him well fell for the flawless acting.
…Well. Almost everyone.
Right before he "passed out," Shun had caught Ultear's expression.
She was smirking.
Even Mavis, who had been quietly terrified just moments earlier, snapped out of it instantly.
"Hurry and move him to a recovery room," Makarov barked, voice rough with leftover adrenaline.
"I-It makes sense… such terrifying magic can't come without consequences…" Gran Doma muttered, still visibly shaken. He could still feel it, that helpless sensation of being fully aware but unable to move even his lips.
"Erza…"
Siegrain wanted to say something to tease her, but the energy just wasn't there.
'Not being able to do anything… except watch. It's worse than not knowing what happened at all…' Jellal thought bitterly.
While Shun was the one who was "panting" and "fainting," it was the rest of the room that was left genuinely out of breath and nauseous.
——
An hour later, in one of the Magic Council's emergency recovery rooms, Shun finally "woke up" without any real lingering side effects.
He was currently being fed grapes by Mavis.
Mira, Makarov, and Erza were all sitting in the same room with him.
"Erza, did something happen? Your face has been pale since the meeting," Shun suddenly said, breaking the quiet.
"N-No, I'm fine."
Erza, still in her signature Heart Kreuz armor, shook her head quickly.
"Was there someone you didn't like? Should I go use that magic again?"
"!"
"Stop it, you brat!" Makarov cut in sharply. He clearly wanted to scold him more, but Mavis's pair of worried green eyes were holding him back.
"Shun's right. Did something happen?" Mirajane asked gently, tilting her head.
"It's really nothing."
Hearing their concern, and that teasing little joke from Shun, finally warmed Erza's expression a little. Her shoulders relaxed.
"Should we head back? I can teleport us all," Shun offered.
"Not yet. We should at least say our goodbyes properly," Makarov replied at once. (He knew damn well this brat would vanish in the blink of an eye if given half a chance.)
"Well then, rest on the bed, Erza. I'll get up."
Shun sat up, turned, and, before anyone could protest, scooped Erza up in a princess carry and gently laid her down on the bed, tucking her in like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"No… I'm really fine," Erza protested weakly.
Shun simply held a grape to her lips.
"I'll wait right here until you finish the whole bowl."
Seeing how stubborn he was being, Erza sighed softly and took the bite.
"…It's sweet," she murmured, a tiny smile finally breaking through.
'A comment that could totally be misunderstood… but it's Erza. There's no way there's a hidden meaning.' Shun thought to himself.
Watching the color slowly return to Erza's pale face, Makarov let out a relieved breath.
"This brat's entire personality flips the moment a fight starts… even I got nervous watching him earlier."
"Yeah… he was wild when he fought Deliora too," Mira added quietly. Among everyone, she had actually taken the outcome of that old battle the easiest.
"Shun…"
Mavis only whispered his name to herself. She couldn't shake the memory of his magic power during the movie night, how it had carried the faintest trace of something darker.
"You guys are exaggerating—" Shun started to brush it off, but the door slid open.
"Huh? When did the patient change places?"
A teasing voice floated in.
Ultear, the woman who had been seated on the high platform during the meeting, stepped inside with a sly smile.
"Ultear. Can you tell us about that blue-haired guy? Erza seems curious," Shun said immediately, smoothly changing the subject.
"!"
Erza's eyes widened, she hadn't expected him to read her so easily.
"It was obvious from your expression," Shun said with a small, knowing smile.
Ultear caught on instantly to what he was doing.
"He's Siegrain. He claims he has a twin brother named Jellal," she answered Erza calmly.
Ultear knew about Erza and Jellal's history. Guilt flickered in her chest… but she decided to trust Shun's plan.
"Twin brother?!"
Erza clearly struggled to believe it, but surely the Magic Council wouldn't be incompetent enough to promote a criminal… right?
"Should I go interrogate him?" Shun offered casually.
"Huh?! Of course not!" Makarov snapped before Erza could even respond. "I'll look into it through my own contacts once we're back. You just stay out of trouble, you hear me?!"
"Mm."
Erza wasn't fully convinced, but she nodded anyway. She wasn't the type to burden others.
'It's necessary for her character development,' Shun quietly justified to himself, then shifted topics again.
"Should we head back then? It's not like this was a tournament. No one's going to line up to congratulate us."
"About that…" Ultear smiled awkwardly.
"Congratulations on your victory, Mr. Shun!"
Several old men suddenly crowded in, all eager smiles and polite bows.
"…"
'The second they saw real strength, they wanted connections. Everyone's got their own way of surviving, I guess.'
——
After a bit more polite farewell-chatting, the Fairy Tail group finally decided to leave.
"Everyone's exhausted. I'll just teleport you all," Shun said.
"Mm, then I'll count on you—"
Before Makarov could finish, POP—! He was gone.
"…"
"Mira, thanks for being the bodyguard today."
Shun smiled warmly and pulled her into a gentle hug.
"B-Bodyguard? I never really thought of myself that way…" Mirajane mumbled, cheeks flushing pink.
POP—!
After sending the two back to the guild, Shun turned to Erza.
"If you ever need my help, just use that 'gift request' you still haven't cashed in yet."
"Gift request…"
Erza's eyes softened as she remembered what he'd said during movie night.
"Yes. I will."
She nodded firmly, the earlier paleness and fragility were gone.
Shun gave her a light hug (though the armor made it feel almost pointless) and sent her away with another soft POP—!
'Seriously, with that armor, hugs are meaningless…' he sighed internally.
Then he looked at Mavis.
She had been strangely quiet ever since the duel ended.
"Let's talk when we get home," he said gently.
"Yes…"
Mavis nodded obediently, eyes still downcast.
Shun leaned in, lowered his head, and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.
"!"
"W-What—"
Before the blushing Mavis could finish her sentence, POP—! She was gone too.
The once-lively street suddenly felt empty.
Shun turned toward Ultear, the only one left.
"Hm? You're not leaving?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"I'll stay here a bit. Until you finish work. I'm very thoughtful, aren't I?"
He flashed her a lazy smile.
"…"
"Yes," Ultear answered shortly, then pounced, kissing him deeply.
Half a minute of heated, entwined lips later
"Mmph~"
"Don't you still have work?" Shun asked, amused, when they finally parted.
"It's just cleanup. A high-ranking member like me doesn't need to bother with the small stuff," she replied smugly.
"Is it okay for a government official to abuse her authority like that?"
"I'll just say I'm making connections with Ishgar's strongest mage, official Magic Council business," Ultear shrugged with a sly grin.
"…"
'Impossible to win an argument with her.'
Shun gave up and decided to seal her mouth again.
"Mmph~"
——
Three hours of "discussion" later, Shun teleported himself and Ultear back to his house.
After quietly laying her in bed, he used Concept Repelling to erase any lingering scent from himself, then stepped into his own room.
As expected, Mavis was waiting there.
"Mavis. What's on your mind?"
Shun sat beside her on the bed.
"Shun… if something's troubling you, you have to tell me," she said, unusually serious.
"Huh? What makes you say that?"
'Did the spar really scare her that much?'
"Your magic power… it used to be pure white. Now there's a faint trace of darkness tainting it," Mavis confessed, worry etched into every word.
"Huh? My magic is turning dark?"
Shun genuinely hadn't noticed.
"Yes. That's how mages who've strayed from the right path begin to change… like Precht, the one you told me about," she explained, expression complicated.
"…"
After a long silence, Shun finally spoke.
"Mavis, you don't have to worry about things like that. I never really believed I was a good person anyway."
"Eh? You're a good child. You've helped so many people, that's why everyone follows you."
Mavis was absolutely certain.
"…"
Shun considered telling her the truth: that he only helped because it benefited him in the end…
But in the end, he stayed quiet.
Because he was a coward.
"Then stop worrying about pointless things and just stay with me. That way you can fix me if I ever go down the wrong path," he said, offering her a small, gentle smile.
"Mm. Of course!"
Mavis finally brightened again, her usual energy returning.
'You're wrong, Mavis. I was always a villain. In the end, I did what I always do, manipulated the conversation so you'd stay by my side…'