Chapter 447: A Quiet Jealousy

"Eh? Finn-sama isn’t here?"

Minerva stood in the doorway, utterly dumbfounded. Her shock stemmed partly from the sight before her: Ultear, Sorano, Meredy, and Flare lounging in scandalously sheer, expensive sleepwear that barely covered their underwear, effortlessly enhancing their lethal charms and lewd bodies. But more heavily, this also confirms that these four women shared a deeply intimate relationship with Finn. It left her feeling a complex mix of helplessness and quiet jealousy, especially when she saw the deeply blessed, utterly satisfied expressions they wore.

And yet, she couldn’t help but wonder why Sorano was completely passed out on the bed.

"Don’t worry about her. She’s just tired," Flare said calmly, popping a slice of fresh fruit into her mouth while blinking away her own sleepiness.

"..." Minerva bit her tongue, swallowing the obvious question of why Sorano was sleeping so soundly.

"What’s wrong? Scared Finn is going to be angry at you because your guild lost?" Meredy asked, flashing a teasing, knowing smile.

"Haha..." Minerva laughed awkwardly, but Meredy had hit the nail on the head. She was nervous that Finn would be disappointed in Sabertooth’s defeat.

"Don’t worry. It was practically guaranteed that Fairy Tail would win that match anyway," Ultear said casually, carefully painting her toenails.

"...Is he really going to be okay with it?"

"Yup." Ultear looked up, her gaze calm and steady. "Unless... you wanted to win?"

"If possible. But I know that’s impossible with all of you here." Minerva was acutely aware that claiming the Grand Magic Games championship was a pipe dream with Heavenly Blue standing at the summit.

"Don’t be like that. We’re just his followers, too. The only real difference between us is that we arrived a little earlier than you did." Ultear knew it was only a matter of time before Minerva joined them in Finn’s bed; there was no need for false formalities.

"Even so, order and hierarchy are necessary..." Minerva murmured. She knew they had followed him first, but they were already his women. Where did she fit in? She had absolute confidence in her own beauty, but his current lovers were all undeniably gorgeous. Would he even look her way? So far, he hadn’t shown a shred of explicit interest in her!

"But... where is he right now?" Minerva finally asked, unable to contain her nerves.

The girls collectively sighed.

"Well, he should be with his lover right now."

"Lover?" Minerva raised a sharp eyebrow.

"Over at Fairy Tail."

"Hmm?"

"He has quite a few lovers over there."

"....."

Minerva fell silent, a fierce new resolve burning in her chest. I really need to defeat Fairy Tail.

Yet, defeating Fairy Tail was going to be an insurmountable task.

With how the story of Fairy Tail went, Erza Scarlet was a force of nature—and the taste of holding her was entirely unique. When she gave herself over to him, surrendering her knightly discipline to raw, lewd desire, the contrast was intoxicating. Letting out sweet, desperate cries, she gave him absolute freedom to claim every inch of her. The sight of her fiercely determined expression melting into pure, unabashed bliss was simply irresistible. With their long scarlet hair tied into a high ponytail, swaying wildly with their every movement, they surrendered to their primal instincts, mating with a fierce, animalistic hunger.

In the heat of that hotel room, they weren’t Finn, the Chief of the Magic Council, or Erza, the legendary Knight of Fairy Tail. They were just a man and a woman drowning in each other, forgetting the rest of the world in a sea of blinding pleasure.

"Hmnh~!"

Feeling the intense, searing warmth flood her insides, Erza gripped the bedsheets, burying her face into the pillow to muffle her final, soaring cry. Her back arched beautifully as the aftershocks washed over her, leaving both of them panting heavily in the quiet room.

"Let’s take a break for a bit," Finn breathed as he pulled out, causing her to shiver, as she was just so sensitive currently.

"Oh? Are you tired?" Erza teased, her voice still trembling slightly as she caught her breath.

"Should I keep going, then?" Finn shot her a deadpan look as she immediately buried her blushing face back into the pillow. "Bully."

As he lay back against the mattress, she shifted closer, resting her head against his bare chest. She listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, her eyes tracing the handsome features of the face no longer hidden behind a mask.

"I honestly thought you’d try to keep the mask on for this."

"Pervert," Finn muttered, unable to hold back the quip.

"You’re the pervert here!"

Annoyed, she lightly slapped his chest. Finn just chuckled helplessly, gently stroking her scarlet hair to soothe her. "Have you thought about what you’re going to do if you can’t pay off your debt?"

"There’s nothing to think about. I’ll just move in with you and pay it off with my body."

"..." Finn blinked. There wasn’t a single ounce of hesitation in her voice. She was fully prepared to hand herself over to him entirely after the Grand Magic Games concluded.

"But," Erza continued, narrowing her beautiful eyes fiercely, "I won’t let you win so easily." She was absolutely determined to make Finn work for it, forcing him to give his all in the arena.

"Try it."

As he issued the challenge, Finn’s mind began to wander. Was it possible for him to trigger his own evolution by using Fairy Tail? It might seem like a strange thought, but the fastest way to grow stronger is to clash with overwhelming opponents. In this world, fueled by the "Power of Nakama," wasn’t Fairy Tail the strongest force in existence?

Instead of waiting around for the villains to show up and challenge him, wouldn’t it be far more efficient to use the Fairy Tail guild as his own personal whetstone? After all, the villains were nowhere to be seen, but the ultimate protagonists were right next door.

"What are you thinking about?" Erza asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she studied his face.

"Nothing."

"Liar. I know that look. You’re thinking about how to bully my guild, aren’t you?" Erza pouted, clearly annoyed by his evil schemes.

"I’m not. I’m not that petty. It’s your guild that holds a grudge against me."

"Ugh..." Erza winced awkwardly before her expression hardened with resolve. "Don’t worry. I will make them accept you! All of them!"

"No, don’t. There’s no need for that," Finn said softly. "If you like me, that’s more than enough."

"...You care about my feelings for you?" Erza looked up, genuinely stunned.

"Do you think I’m just some heartless bastard who only wanted to sleep with you?" Finn sighed, thoroughly speechless.

"..." Erza paused. "...Should I act like you are?"

"Don’t." Erza quickly wrapped her arms tighter around him. "This is nice."

"Yeah."

"You’re so awkward," Erza laughed softly, finding his subtle affection incredibly endearing.

"..." Finn remained silent. He probably should have been annoyed by the teasing, but instead, he simply pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. This really wasn’t bad at all.

Why couldn’t he feel this exact way with the others? Finn wasn’t entirely sure. Perhaps because Erza’s presence was simply special? It wasn’t fair to treat Erza differently from the rest of his women, but then again, the heart was rarely a fair thing. If he viewed Erza as someone truly irreplaceable, wasn’t that just a natural part of falling in love? In life, some people simply carve out a deeper place in your soul than others.

"Still..." Erza murmured, tracing a light pattern across his chest. "Can you finally tell me why you’ve been wearing that mask and joining the tournament in a fake guild?"

Now that his identity was laid bare in the quiet intimacy of the room, she couldn’t hold back the question any longer.