Chapter 141: The Nesting Doll Seal
"George, give me the nesting doll!"
Seeing George immobilize the fleeing Horvath with magic, Balthazar quickly called out.
George took out the nesting doll and tossed it to Balthazar, who caught it with his left hand and began chanting the sealing spell.
As the spell took effect, the female sorcerer—who looked eighteen but was actually centuries old—turned into fine sand that gradually coated the surface of the nesting doll, forming a new layer with her likeness.
After sealing the female sorcerer, Balthazar approached the frozen Horvath and chanted the spell again. Horvath also turned into fine sand, forming the outermost layer of the nesting doll.
"I *have* to learn this Merlin-style sealing magic!"
George watched as Balthazar sealed both sorcerers away, his mind racing.
The Book of Morgana didn't contain any sealing spells, so this was clearly a unique creation of Merlin's—and its sealing power was formidable.
If he could master it, he could use it to trap enemies he couldn't yet kill, then release and finish them off once he was stronger.
"Thank you, George. Without you, I wouldn't have retrieved the nesting doll so smoothly, nor sealed them away so easily."
After putting the nesting doll away, Balthazar solemnly expressed his gratitude to George.
Though they'd only known each other for a few hours, the battle had left Balthazar with a very favorable impression of George—and a deep respect for his strength.
"Now's not the time for thanks. We need to leave!"
Hearing the approaching sirens, George grabbed Balthazar and took to the air, flying back toward Chinatown.
After picking up David from the rooftop, they returned to the skyscraper.
"David, there are more sorcerers in this world than just these few. Many of them want Morgana freed so sorcerers can rule the world.
We won this time, but if we don't deal with Morgana, there's no guarantee we'll win next time.
So I hope you'll think carefully about whether you want to join us and become a true sorcerer."
Balthazar held up the dragon ring, his expression hopeful as he addressed David.
George added telepathically:
"David, magic is an incredible power. I'm sure you'll love it.
And I think it's important to have some strength of your own—so when your family or friends are in trouble, you won't be helpless.
Plus, girls tend to like capable guys."
Balthazar appealed to David with grand ideals—saving the world—while George focused on the personal benefits of learning magic.
Between the two arguments and his own lingering fascination with magic, David hesitated only briefly before taking the dragon ring back.
"Alright, I'll do it. I did promise to help you regain your human form."
"Excellent. Let's find a place where I can teach you all the Merlin-style magic and help you become the true Prime Sorcerer."
Balthazar smiled as David agreed.
George's panda face also broke into a grin. From now on, as long as he stuck with Balthazar and David in this world, he could freely learn Merlin-style magic.
Given the threat of Morgana and the camaraderie forged in battle, he doubted Balthazar would refuse to teach him.
The stronger he became, the more help he could offer when it came time to face Morgana.
From now on, his panda body in this world would focus on two things:
First, spending long hours meditating to increase his magic level.
Since all his clones shared physical traits and abilities, if this one reached level 500 and gained immortality, his main body and other clones would too.
Raising his magic level would also increase his mana reserves, amplifying the power of all his spells.
Second, wholeheartedly learning all the magic of this world—both Merlin-style and Morgana-style. He wouldn't let a single spell slip by.
Even after mastering this world's magic, he could keep meditating and practicing spells from other worlds, turning this clone into a dedicated training and research vessel.
After all, aside from Morgana, this world was relatively safe and uneventful.
"I know a place—a professor told me about it.
It used to be a subway turnaround but was abandoned later.
It's spacious, hidden, and I often use it for physics experiments."
After committing to learning magic, David took Balthazar and George to his secret hideout, where they began their magical studies in earnest.
Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tail world, George's clone was diligently studying basic transformation magic in the library.
To boost his learning efficiency, he'd carved a Ring of Morgana into the library floor and shared it with the guild's mages.
Unfortunately, aside from Levy, almost no one had the patience to sit inside the ring and read magic books.
"George, this magic circle is amazing! It speeds up my comprehension of spells. Combined with Fried's glasses, my learning efficiency has doubled!"
At 11 p.m., Levy finished her studies and stood up from the Ring of Morgana.
Fried's glasses allowed for rapid reading, but understanding the content still required time and effort.
The magic circle George had inscribed in the library, however, cleared her mind the moment she stepped inside, making everything—thinking, learning—far more efficient.
"It's getting late. We should head back."
George checked the time and stood up as well.
Lately, the Fairy Tail world had been peaceful. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy's unauthorized S-class mission had ended well—partly because Gray and Erza had joined them later.
The mission was completed without a hitch.
Reportedly, they'd faced a demon even stronger than the one from the cursed flute incident and even met Gray's senior brother, who also practiced Ice-Make magic.
"Let's go. I bet Mirajane and the others have already left."
Levy nodded, and the two exited the library.
In the guild hall, Jet and Droy were sprawled across a table, fast asleep.
The two couldn't stand studying in the library for long, but they waited for Levy every night so they could walk her back to the dorm.
After waking them up, the trio—plus Happy—locked the guild doors and headed toward the city center.
But shortly after they left, a man with long black hair and a dozen earrings appeared at the guild entrance, grinning.
"Iron Dragon's Roar: Iron Dragon Club!"
(End of Chapter)