Chapter 188

Chapter 188: Chapter 188

For the next few days, Marshall remained completely occupied with preparations for the Tower of Heaven.

He had no time to continue working with Lucy, and he even turned down every attempt Levy and Juvia made to sneak off and kiss him.

Instead, he shut himself inside Cake Tower and worked mysteriously on something nobody else knew about.

Several days later, Erza suddenly received a strange letter.

[Erza-nee, if you don’t want anything to happen to your guildmates, come alone to this location before five o’clock this afternoon. —Sho]

The instant she read it, Erza believed everything Marshall had told her.

His intelligence had been accurate.

Jellal really intended to use her childhood companions to lure her to the Tower of Heaven and make her the sacrifice for Zeref’s resurrection.

Erza’s hand tightened around the letter.

’Jellal...’

’How many unforgivable things have you done?’

She took a deep breath and slowly forced her emotions back under control.

The nightmare that had haunted her for so many years...

It was finally time to bring it to an end.

Erza went straight to Cake Tower and found Marshall.

At the moment, he was standing over one of his magical workbenches, tinkering with what appeared to be... a pair of glasses.

The Magic Item itself seemed to be finished already. Marshall was merely adjusting the appearance of the frame.

"Marshall."

He looked up.

"I received a letter from my old companions. They want me to come alone to a location outside the city before five this afternoon."

Erza held up the letter.

"Jellal has started moving."

"Finally."

Marshall set down his tools.

"Then it’s time for us to meet them."

He picked up the pair of crimson-framed sunglasses from the table.

"Oh, right. Erza, you can help me test my newest invention while we’re at it."

Marshall handed them to her.

"Here. A present for you."

He smiled.

"Do they look good?"

Erza accepted the glasses and examined them curiously.

"What are they?"

"Mind-Reading Glasses."

Erza immediately looked up.

"Most of the things a Magic Terminal can do, these glasses can do too. On top of that, I added a little of my proprietary Telepathy Magic."

Marshall grinned mysteriously.

"So, basically, they can read a person’s surface thoughts."

He tapped the frame.

"With these, Erza will be able to see through other people’s lies."

"Really?"

"Try them."

Erza put on the crimson sunglasses and looked toward Marshall.

A line of text immediately slid across the inside of the lens.

[Erza is really pretty today too!]

Erza instantly ripped the glasses off as her cheeks flushed red.

She glared at Marshall.

"Do these glasses actually work?"

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Or did you make them just to tease me?"

Marshall blinked innocently.

"Of course they work. I never lie."

Erza gave him a look.

Marshall continued as though he hadn’t noticed.

"The glasses collect the active information being emitted from the surface layer of the human brain, organize it, and translate it into readable text."

He pointed toward the lenses.

"Even if two people don’t speak the same language, there’s still a high probability the glasses can translate the underlying thought correctly."

Marshall sounded rather proud.

"It’s an extremely advanced Magic Item. Among everything I’ve made, I’d rank it in my top three."

"All right."

Erza looked at the glasses again.

"I believe you."

She put them away.

"I’ll go test them properly."

There was still some time before the appointed hour, so she wasn’t in any hurry.

Marshall really hadn’t lied.

That was exactly what the glasses were designed to do.

They were essentially a downgraded version of Information Magic, granting their wearer a limited ability to peer into another person’s thoughts.

There were restrictions, of course.

They could only pick up the "voice" of someone’s shallow, surface-level consciousness.

And more importantly... they were almost completely useless against Marshall himself.

His Information Magic was too advanced.

Ever since Marshall learned to consciously switch Telepathy on and off, he had also become capable of controlling the information waves his brain released into the surrounding environment.

When the glasses were used on ordinary people, the results were generally reliable.

When someone used them on Marshall... they saw only what Marshall deliberately allowed them to see.

That flattering line Erza had just read had been information he intentionally transmitted.

It was a little unfair.

Marshall believed that was simply one of the privileges of being stronger.

Besides, the Mind-Reading Glasses weren’t truly unstoppable.

If someone realized what the glasses were doing, they could repeatedly agitate the Magic Power around their brain and disrupt the outward transmission of information.

That method could even interfere with Marshall’s own Telepathy.

Of course, the target first had to understand how the glasses—or Information Magic itself—worked before they could consciously defend against it.

And as far as Marshall knew, his particular branch of Information Magic was absurdly difficult to anticipate.

Very few Mages ever developed Telepathy to a high level in the first place.

After all, most people regarded it as nothing more than a convenient Magic for sending messages.

In this muscle-loving magical world, almost nobody considered it worth serious study.

...

Marshall’s intense interest in the Tower of Heaven wasn’t really because of Erza’s old companions.

Helping them was simply something he could do along the way.

His primary objective was still Jellal.

More specifically—getting rid of the bastard who looked suspiciously like a romantic rival.

’Hmph.’

’Erza is mine.’

’I’m not giving anyone else a chance!’

’Jellal?’

’Just some random bastard from the roadside!’

’Kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him kill him!’

Fortunately, Erza had already left.

If she had still been wearing the Mind-Reading Glasses while looking at Marshall, the screen full of murderous thoughts might have frightened her half to death.

...

Erza spent some time walking around the guild and testing the glasses on different people.

Once she understood how they worked, she simply kept them on.

Being able to see the thoughts floating through other people’s minds was unexpectedly interesting.

More importantly... with these glasses, she should finally be able to see through Jellal’s true nature.

Marshall really had put a great deal of thought into preparing for her sake.

Erza’s expression softened.

Ever since escaping that hell, Marshall had been the person who remained beside her.

And now...

she would go with him to finally settle things with her past.

...

That afternoon, at the appointed time, Erza left Magnolia alone.

She wore her armor and the crimson sunglasses Marshall had given her as she traveled to the wilderness south of the city.

She didn’t have to wait long.

Soon, the people she had expected appeared.

"Erza-nee."

A young man with dark skin and blond hair walked out first, swaggering toward her.

"It’s been a long time."

He smiled.

"Do you still remember me?"

For a moment, Erza’s eyes became distant.

Then recognition returned.

"Sho..."

At the same time, text flashed across the inside of her glasses.

[Erza Erza Erza! The Erza who abandoned us! Hahahaha! The time for revenge is finally here! Erza!]

Erza’s expression barely changed.

Another figure emerged.

"You’ve grown into quite the beauty, Erza."

A broad, square-built man wearing a suit and scarf stepped forward, his voice carrying a strangely world-weary tone.

"It’s a shame we can never return to the way things were."

"Wally..."

Another thought appeared before Erza’s eyes.

[Let’s settle this, Erza. You have to pay for betraying us back then.]

Then came a much brighter voice.

"Looking energetic, little Erza!"

A strange cat-like girl appeared, complete with magical cat ears and a tail.

She was the only girl among them.

"Millianna..."

The glasses immediately translated her surface thoughts.

[Sorry, Erza. But you’re the one who became our enemy first...]

Finally, a large man wearing a metal helmet stepped out from behind the others.

"Erza."

His gaze toward her was noticeably more complicated.

"You probably have some idea why we’ve come."

"Simon..."

Erza looked at him.

Text began appearing across her lenses.

[Erza... she’s still so beautiful.]

Erza froze slightly.

[She wouldn’t betray us. I absolutely refuse to believe that.]

Simon’s thoughts continued.

[Back then, she was already such a kind girl, always willing to help everyone without asking for anything in return. There’s no way all these years could have changed that.]

A final thought began forming.

[Just like I never stopped liking—]

"THAT’S ENOUGH!!!"

A thunderous voice suddenly exploded through both the air and everyone’s minds.

BOOM!

A violent sonic blast shook the clearing.

All four of Erza’s former companions snapped their heads upward as a dazzling streak of light came crashing down from the sky.

The impact shattered the ground.

Dust and broken earth erupted outward as Marshall landed hard enough to crater the field beneath him.

Everyone’s attention immediately shifted toward the spectacular entrance.

Marshall slowly raised his head.

His expression was terrible.

"What the hell are you people muttering about inside your heads?"

He glared at them.

"Haven’t you said enough already?!"

Marshall stepped forward, murderous irritation written plainly across his face.

"My Erza..."

His eyes sharpened.

"...isn’t someone you bastards get to criticize whenever you feel like it!"