Robaul turned, fishing out a yellowed sheet of paper and a bronze key from under a cushion.
He grabbed a nearby pen, paused for a few seconds, then sketched a rough map on the paper before handing both items to Roger.
"The paper marks Nirvana's location and details how to activate and destroy it."
"This key opens the library, hidden near Nirvana's control room. Only I know its exact location. There are many lost magics inside—use them wisely."
"Got it," Roger said, tucking the key and map into his pocket. He waved casually. "I'll take care of Nirvana first. Once you see it's gone, I'll come back to adjust Wendy's memories."
Robaul paused, chuckling softly at Roger's confident stride. "Alright, I'll leave it to you. But when you destroy Nirvana, keep an eye on the walls around you."
"Walls?" Roger started to turn back, but a gentle force pushed him forward, nudging him out of the building.
As he stepped outside, two striking figures blocked his path.
Erza and Mirajane stood side by side, both wearing matching blue-purple crop tops, gold necklaces gleaming at their throats, their slim waists dazzling in the sunlight.
"Roger! Who looks better in this?!" they asked in unison, their eyes locked on him with intensity.
"Hmm." Roger rubbed his chin, studying them thoughtfully before giving his verdict. "Both look great, but if we're talking fit, Erza pulls it off a bit better. Mirajane, some parts of you… stand out a bit too much."
His answer sparked triumphant smiles from both.
Erza crossed her arms smugly. "See? I told you this outfit suits me better."
"Oh, really~?" Mirajane teased, deliberately accentuating her curves by crossing her arms under her chest. "Guess my assets do outshine Erza's."
"This kind of outfit is probably better suited for someone a bit… smaller, like Erza~."
"What?!" Erza's forehead vein twitched. "Who're you calling small?! Mine are clearly bigger!!"
Mirajane shook her head with a playful, indulgent smile. "Sure, sure, yours are the biggest, Erza. You're just so adorable~ in every way."
"You—!" Erza gritted her teeth. Even though Mirajane conceded, the teasing undertone felt more provoking than if she hadn't!
"Um…" Roger noticed Wendy nearby, staring at her feet, her face scrunched up in a pout.
"Wendy, you okay? You don't seem happy."
"Oh, that~," Mirajane said with a mischievous grin. "Earlier, Erza tried on Wendy's dress out of curiosity, and—"
"Ahh! Mirajane, please!" Wendy's face turned beet red, and she hopped up like a startled rabbit. "D-Don't tell anyone about that!"
Her voice grew quieter, her head practically steaming. "It's… it's too embarrassing…"
Mirajane giggled, patting Wendy's head. "Alright, since Wendy's so adorable, I'll keep it a secret~."
Wendy's head drooped even lower, her body practically whistling like a boiling kettle.
Why does the same outfit look so different on them? She glanced at her own flat figure, silently crying inside. QAQ When will I ever be as… developed as Erza or Mirajane?!
Watching this bizarre scene unfold, Roger, though confused, shifted the topic. "Where are Natsu and Lucy? I've got something to tell you all."
"And, Mirajane," he coughed lightly, "could you change back to your usual clothes?"
"Oh my~," Mirajane said, stepping closer with a teasing smile, hands behind her back. "Is Roger worried someone else might see me like this?"
"Are you… jealous~?"
Noticing the tiniest nod from Roger, her smile widened. She leaned in on her tiptoes, her lips nearly brushing his ear, her warm breath tickling. "Don't worry~ We took a back path—no one saw."
Her voice was soft as a feather, like an intimate whisper between lovers, audible only to them. "After all, I only let Roger get a good look at me~."
Her playful tone, with a hint of seductive charm, sent a flush across Roger's cheeks.
The next second, Erza yanked Mirajane back. "What did you just whisper to Roger?!"
"Hm~," Mirajane tapped her chin, feigning innocence. "Just a little something Erza would never think of~."
"But if Erza wants to whisper something too, I won't stop her~."
She winked at Roger playfully. "Aren't I so generous, darling~?"
"You—!" Erza's forehead pulsed with veins. "Are you saying I'm stingy?!"
"Oh, not at all~," Mirajane replied, her imaginary fox ears practically twitching. She slid a finger along Erza's neck, gently lifting her chin to face Roger. "Why not share some sweet nothings with Roger right now~?"
"N-Now?!" Erza froze, her eyes meeting Roger's. Her face went scarlet in an instant.
"S-Sweet nothings?! I-I…" Her mind blanked, all the romantic lines she'd memorized vanishing. In a panic, she blurted, "I-I love you, Roger!"
Roger smiled softly, stepping forward to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you too, Erza."
"Eep!" Erza's head steamed, and she buried her face in his shoulder, overwhelmed with shyness.
"Oh my, Erza's so innocent~," Mirajane teased. "Why not use those lines from your 'romance guide'? Did you forget them all?"
"Romance guide?" Roger raised an eyebrow.
"N-Nothing!" Erza snapped, lifting her head and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
The soft warmth of her embrace made Roger forget his question entirely.
Meanwhile, Wendy's eyes were spinning, her cheeks flushed, her head steaming like a broken machine. What's going on with these three? Erza and Mirajane both love Roger? Snow White loves her dad?! No, wait, that's the movie… QAQ I'm so confused, Carla, help!
In Wendy's dizzy state, the group returned to the meeting point. After Mirajane changed back, they said goodbye to Wendy and set off to find Lucy and Natsu.
At the village restaurant, Roger used telepathy to fill everyone in on Wendy's situation. After a brief silence, everyone—except the clueless Natsu—nodded in understanding.
Lucy stayed to explain things to Natsu, while Erza and Mirajane followed Roger to Nirvana's hiding place.
Following the map, they ventured deep into Worth Woodsea. Roger formed several hand signs, and the ground shook violently as a white pillar of light, laced with black patterns, shot into the sky!
Boom!
With a deafening roar, a colossal creature with eight mechanical legs burst from the earth.
As the dust settled, the trio was stunned to find themselves in the heart of a dilapidated town, surrounded by dusty buildings and abandoned streets.
Mirajane, partially transformed into her Satan Soul, sprouted black bat wings and flew to the town's edge. Looking down, she gasped. The entire city was built on the back of this massive machine, the forest below looking like mere grass!
"This whole city is on top of it?!"
"Exactly," Roger said, joining her. "The Nirvit tribe has always lived here. What we're standing on is Nirvana's body."
"Let's go. We need to get to the control room and find the magic books."
Mirajane nodded, and together with Erza, they headed for the tall tower at the town's center.
Inside, they climbed a spiral staircase to the second platform. Roger kicked lightly at the bottom-right corner, revealing a hidden stone door.
Using the key, they opened it, and the sight inside took their breath away. The library was massive—nearly a fifth the size of their guild hall!
Erza grabbed a book from a nearby shelf and opened it to the first page: "Legacy Scales of the Dragon King, Imbued with Dragon Scale Marks."
"The pages of this book are made from the scales of various extinct ancient dragons. Through a complex ritual, it allows the user to 'imprint' a dragon scale's power onto themselves, temporarily gaining a specific dragon ability."
Erza's eyes widened. "This book is entirely made of dragon scales?!"
She flipped to the next page—a fiery red one: Crimson Scale Page: Grants fire resistance and the ability to breathe dragon flames.
The next was a yellow page: Thunder Scale Page: Grants temporary lightning speed boost.
Erza flipped through, stunned. The book had at least 40 pages—40 different dragon scales.
"This is incredible! Two hundred years ago, dragons were nearly extinct. To make a book like this under those conditions?!"
"This is the work of the tribe that created Nirvana."
At the last page, she read a warning: Note: Only one dragon scale power can be imprinted at a time, and its duration is short. Attempting to imprint a second power will cause a magic conflict, severely injuring the body.
"Short duration, but enough to make an average mage powerful," Erza said.
Mirajane, browsing the shelves, picked up a book with ancient text. "Chronicles of Life: Replica Edition." "This is written in script from a century ago. I learned a bit from Levy."
She opened it: "A forbidden book based on Zeref's scattered notes. It can partially reshape and reconstruct living tissue, accelerating wound healing, but it drains the user's stamina heavily."
"Interesting. It can modify the body?"
The next page listed a spell with a note: Chant to temporarily enhance arm muscles or grant night vision, but it causes weakness or temporary blindness afterward.
She flipped through more, each page detailing a different biological modification, even a method to create a small, mindless flesh construct.
The back cover had a warning: All modifications are temporary and cause intense pain. Attempting permanent changes will trigger a horrific 'flesh backlash,' randomly mutating parts of the caster's body.
Mirajane smiled lightly, setting the book back. "Very Zeref-like~."
Roger scanned the room thoughtfully. The combat magic was likely created by the Nirvit tribe, but these forbidden spells with side effects were probably seized from dark guilds when Nirvana was used to convert them. In the original story, these were destroyed with Nirvana.
After storing all the books in his system inventory, Roger headed to Nirvana's power room. He glanced at the massive magic crystal above, but his attention was drawn to the walls, covered in intricate carvings.
"Is this… Nirvana's creation blueprint?!" Roger touched the engravings in shock. "Why would they just carve it on the walls?!"
"Creation blueprint?" Erza and Mirajane exchanged puzzled looks, studying the walls. Mirajane pointed. "All I see are weird patterns."
"Patterns?" Erza frowned. "Aren't those some kind of unfamiliar script?"
"They do look a bit like patterns," she added.
"You can't read them?" Roger asked, confused. He suddenly recalled Robaul's gentle push and the system prompt that followed. Did Robaul use magic to let me read the Nirvit tribe's unique script?
He handed a few books to the girls, then dove into studying the wall's text. The deeper he went, the more shocked he was—Nirvana fused multiple top-tier magics!
At its core was Inversion Magic, forcibly flipping a person's sense of good and evil.
Next was Magic Fusion, where six elemental magic crystals interlocked like gears in a precise machine, forming a stable, self-sustaining magic core.
Similar to the crystals used in the Magic Bomber, but far more precise and massive, they could endlessly absorb ambient magic to power Nirvana.
There was also advanced Modeling Magic to construct the castle and control its movement.
Autonomous Control Magic enabled Nirvana to execute basic commands like "move," "attack," or "defend."
And Perception Magic, which sensed the "good" or "evil" alignment of living beings, allowing Nirvana to target and fire its inversion beams with precision.
Roger soaked up the knowledge like a sponge, cross-referencing it with his own magic.
His eyes glowed silver-white, the carved texts swirling in his pupils.
An hour later, he blinked his tired eyes, the glow fading.
Standing, a spark of fiery flame ignited in his palm.
A gray-white magic circle spun above it, cooling the flame's heat. The red hue faded, replaced by icy blue.
The flickering flame solidified into a crystalline ice block, hovering in his hand.
"It worked! Conversion Magic!!" Roger's eyes lit up. "I can't invert personalities yet, but I can already alter magic's form and properties."
"The greater the conversion, the more magic it consumes. In the future, I might even be able to change someone's personality alone."
"Though it's not wide-scale, it has fewer side effects than Nirvana and can be isolated with supplementary magic."
He stared at the ice block as it floated, shifting forms: rough wood, gleaming iron, swirling wind, crackling lightning. The transformations sped up, becoming more complex.
After about fifteen minutes, he could switch elements in a single breath, finally letting them dissolve into nothingness.
Staring at his empty palm, Roger's mind replayed every detail of the conversions.
Suddenly, a massive golden magic circle bloomed beneath him, its surging magic whipping his clothes in a gust of wind.
As the circle faded, he knelt, pressing his palm to the ground.
Golden light rippled outward, and the hard floor softened. With a pop, the ground within a hundred meters transformed into countless vibrant butterflies, fluttering through the control room.
Roger's face lit up with satisfaction. "The advanced form of Conversion Magic—Matter Reconstruction Magic."