Chapter 113: Interested in Being My Cat?
As soon as Makarov finished speaking, a mage wearing a mask and hood, carrying five magic staffs, pushed open the guild door and walked in.
This world also had magic staffs, but unlike George's wand, the staffs here were more like magical tools. Each staff could correspond to one or two specific spells, and they were generally used by mages who specialized in holding-type magic.
George's wand, on the other hand, couldn't cast any specific spells but could amplify all the magic he used and speed up his spellcasting.
In the future, as long as he became proficient enough and waved his wand fast enough, he could even fire spells like a machine gun.
Mystogan entered the guild without saying a word, walked straight to the second floor, selected a mission, and then silently left the guild.
"This guy's social anxiety is definitely at an advanced stage."
Seeing Mystogan disappear through the door, everyone gradually woke up, and George couldn't help but sigh.
This kind of personality was quite rare in the Fairy Tail guild.
"I'm off to read some books."
Having already learned about the Dragon Slayer Crystal from the master and finished lunch, George bid everyone farewell and headed to the library to continue studying magic.
"Hey, the cat down there, you're pretty good. Interested in being my cat?"
Just as George spread his wings, a somewhat arrogant voice came from the second floor.
George looked up and saw a mage with golden hair, wearing a coat, and a lightning-shaped scar on his face standing on the second floor.
"I heard you can use repair magic and even resisted Mystogan's sleep spell. Not bad. You're qualified to be my cat."
"Laxus!"
Everyone exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Laxus appear on the second floor.
George now knew the identity of this mage—Laxus Dreyar, the grandson of the guild master, a Lightning Dragon Slayer who had fused with a Dragon Slayer Crystal, and an S-class mage.
"This guy's pretty arrogant."
Hearing Laxus's words, George twitched his whiskers and flatly refused:
"Not interested!"
His current focus was on studying magic and improving his strength. Following Laxus around didn't seem meaningful. If he were to team up with anyone, he'd prefer Erza, Lucy, or Levy—at least the missions would be more visually appealing.
"Feisty. I like that."
Laxus wasn't angered by George's refusal. Instead, he looked amused.
"You'll have to go on missions eventually. Instead of teaming up with these losers down here, why not join me? You'll grow stronger much faster.
Aren't you studying magic in the library every day to improve your strength?"
Laxus wanted to replace his grandfather as the guild master, and a cat like George, who could use repair magic, was important to the guild.
If he could win George over early, it would be a great advantage.
"Laxus, who are you calling a loser? I'll take you on!"
Natsu, hearing Laxus's words, immediately flared up, but Laxus just sneered.
"You can't even handle someone like Erza, and you want to challenge me?"
"What did you say!"
Erza frowned, and a magic sword instantly appeared in her hand.
Even though they hadn't fought before, she didn't think Laxus was stronger than her.
"Don't get worked up, Erza. Laxus is always like this. Don't take it to heart."
Seeing the queen's anger, Gray, Levy, and others quickly stepped in to calm her down, worried that a fight might break out.
Fortunately, Erza always prioritized the guild's harmony and eventually put away her magic sword.
However, Laxus remained as arrogant as ever:
"Don't you get it? I'm the strongest in the guild!"
"What? I won't accept that! Let's settle this!"
Natsu jumped onto a table, trying to leap to the second floor and challenge Laxus, but halfway up, he was slapped down by the guild master's giant hand.
"You're not S-class. You're not allowed on the second floor."
"Hahaha, got scolded by the old man, huh?"
Laxus laughed triumphantly as Natsu struggled to get up from the floor.
"The title of Fairy Tail's strongest belongs to me. Whether it's Erza or Mystogan, I'm the strongest!"
"Enough, Laxus. You need to tone it down."
Makarov scolded him helplessly.
Laxus snorted and jumped down from the second floor, leaving the guild.
But before he left, he left a message for George.
"Your color matches mine. You'll definitely be my cat in the future."
"Maybe if you bring me a Dragon Slayer Crystal, I'll consider it."
That was George's response.
If Laxus could actually find a Dragon Slayer Crystal or provide relevant information, teaming up with him might not be such a bad idea.
The next day, something big happened in the guild.
The previous night, Natsu, wanting to prove his strength, had Happy sneak up to the second floor and take an S-class mission request. He then convinced Lucy to join him on the S-class mission.
Makarov was furious and sent Gray to retrieve the two of them and Happy.
George didn't get involved in this matter. It wasn't something he needed to waste time on. His main task was still to study magic and improve his strength.
Meanwhile, in the Marvel world.
Nick Fury handed an analysis report to Coulson and Black Widow, who were standing in front of him. After they finished reading, he asked:
"What do you think?"
"Our memories must have been tampered with."
Coulson and Black Widow's answers were surprisingly consistent.
As top agents, trained in various specialized fields, they could clearly see that many details in the report didn't match their memories.
Since they hadn't lied, it meant their memories had been altered.
This wasn't hard to understand.
Not to mention mental-based superpowers, even some organizations could achieve similar effects using advanced technology for hypnosis and brainwashing.
"Any suspects?"
Nick Fury leaned back in his chair and asked.
Coulson thought for a moment:
"Yes, that George guy."
During the battle, only Tony's assistant, Pepper Potts, and her bodyguard, George, were present. Combined with George's mysterious demeanor and unidentifiable background, Coulson had reason to suspect that George was the one who tampered with their memories.
"And you?"
Nick Fury wasn't surprised and turned to Black Widow.
Black Widow frowned:
"I don't have any suspects. Everyone I came into contact with is already dead."
Before heading to the A.I.M. base, her memories should have been intact, as various surveillance records and her colleagues' memories could confirm.
However, after entering the base, everyone she encountered—Dr. Rice and all the guards—had been reduced to charred corpses, so they couldn't have been the ones who altered her memories.
"Are you suspecting that the same person or organization tampered with both our memories?"
The fact that the director had called both her and Coulson in for questioning, with the same symptoms, clearly indicated that he had noticed something.
(End of Chapter)