Wise Encouragement and Warning of War
Merlin and Melinda are enjoying some peace and quiet together in the house while waiting for Shin to come home, but just as Melinda was about to start a conversation about something on her mind, a Gate opened up.
"Oh, Shin." Melinda surprised as she and Merlin also saw that their grandson also brought in his friends along with Erza.
"Hey, Granny." Shin greeted.
"Whoa! It's really the Wise Man!" Alice amazed upon see her idol.
"And the Guru's with him!" Lynn added.
"This is so cool!" Yuri smiled, hardly controlling her blushing face. All three of their cheeks are blushing with excitement to meet the most famous mages of all time.
"Please, control yourselves. We are in the presence of the people who saved this kingdom and has close friendship with my mother." Erza scolded with a firm look in her eyes.
"Now, now, Erza. No need to get workup over it." Juvia tried to calm Erza down.
"You've brought many friends. They're welcome, of course, but might I ask why?" Merlin asked, curious to hear this from his adopted grandson.
"We were trying to leave school for the day, but there was this huge crowed gathered outside." Shin explained, remembering how that crowd reacted when they saw him and his classmates about to leave the school. All excited and trying to rush at him.
"Tame sure is inconvenient." Shin commented which got Merlin laughing while Melinda drank her tea.
"It'll die down before too long." Merlin said, but there is still the matter of the group being here and what Shin has plans for them.
Everyone sat down on the couches and chairs and Shin gave the entire explanation about the training he's gonna have the Ultimate Lost Magic Study Group do, and it seems the two elders can understand this.
"Ah. So, most of you have begun to learn magic under Shi's direction." Merlin said.
"Yes, he, along with Prince August and Juvia have been pushing us rather hard from the get-go." Thor stated.
"Juvia apologizes for any broken bones or any injuries we might have caused during the training." Juvia apologized.
"You're making it sound like we're trying to murder them." Shin raised an eyebrow at his water dragon girlfriend.
"With the pace we're going, it might look like that." August teased; Shin rolls his eyes from that.
"So, I was thinking, if it's the Wise Man who taught magic to Shin, then we're pretty much his second-generation students, right?" Alice asked.
"And we're also first-generation students of his grandson." Julius added.
"Ya figured that out on your own?" Lynn chuckled, she already knew that but decided to let Julius have this.
"Well, I taught Shin the basics, but he's accomplished much on his own. And those were during the days before he had his Dragon Slayer Magic ten years ago." Merlin mentioned, shocking everyone.
"He has his own way of visualizing magic, you see." Merlin said.
"What do you mean by that?" Lynn asked curiously.
"He thinks not just of outcomes, but of the processes by which they're achieved. Even if Shin didn't have his dragon magic now, he would still be a powerful young man in his own rights." Merlin explained.
"Now you're just making me blush." Shin blushed.
"Say, do any of you know what causes fire to burn?" Merlin asked.
"Yeah, um. You know… It burns 'cause ya light it?" Alice tried to think of a good answer to the Wise Man.
"I don't think that's quite what he was getting at." Olivia said, understanding that Merlin was thinking about the more difficult way of understanding how fire is burned.
"Erza, didn't we learn how to make fire by rubbing two sticks together during that camping trip with father years ago?" Juvia asked his older twin sister, trying to remember that time from long ago.
"I think it was something about heat, but I don't remember much of that time." Erza crossed her arms.
"It's okay if you don't know because neither do I." Merlin shrugged, and everyone suddenly fell from their seats upon hearing that.
"But that's exactly the type of question Shin raises. What might fire be? What causes it to burn? By considering these seemingly abstract matters, he's able to look past a spell's outcome. He views the mechanisms of this world and uses them to come up with spells both powerful and utilitarian." Merlin explained about Shin's wide mind.
"You sure like to think big, do you?" Erza commented, making Shin blush.
"But they're kind of hard to follow up." Romeo said.
"Yes, they are, but that doesn't mean you should give up on discovering those things for yourself." Merlin said as he stood up.
"Take this for example." Merlin held out his hand and performed one of the first original magic spells that Shin created.
"Grandpa, is that…?" Shin surprised to see this with his own eyes.
"It surely wasn't easy. But thanks to your description with the paper, I finally figured." Merlin chuckled with the Gate portal right next to him.
"Shin's not the only one who can use the spells he creates, like Irene being able to do this herself as well." Merlin mentioned. Juvia and Eriza smiled proudly at their mother.
"If you understand and visualize their mechanisms, then you need but apply the correct amount of magic power. Shin is certainly unconventional, but he's not impossible to follow." Merlin stated.
"Then that means we can make our own Gate, and other powerful spells!" Sizilien smiled.
"Maybe we can find a way to create our own spells too." Romeo added as the others started seeing that way too.
"(Grandpa, thank you.)" Shin thought smiled at his adopted grandfather, feeling grateful to him that now his friends wouldn't have to see this as something only one in a million can do.
"It looks like your group is gonna be doing some hard work on their magic power." Erza smiled.
"Yes, Juvia is very excited!" Juvia nodded.
(Afternoon)
Now Merlin and Melinda are alone in their home again with the kids having gone back to their homes and Shin going up to his room, Melinda decided to break the ice about a certain topic.
"You know, every once in a while, you do have your moments, Merlin." Melinda commented.
"What do you mean, "once in a while"?" Merlin asked, feeling a little offended from that.
"I know why you learned that Gate spell. It was for Shin's sake." Melinda said.
"What makes you so sure?" Merlin asked, pretending not to know something even though he does.
"It seems like every time Shin uses magic, people start talking about him like he's some kind of freakish oddity." Melinda pointed out.
"Yes, I had notice that." Merlin agreed.
"But if you at least can use Shin's magic, not his Dragon Slayer, then people might stop seeing him as such an utter outlier. This will be a good thing for his classmates too, I think. Did you see how their eyes lit p at the thought of being able to use magic in the same way he does?" Melinda mentioned the other young ones.
Melinda couldn't help but smile at her ex-husband.
"You learned that spell so that Shin wouldn't have to feel alone." Melinda concluded.
"Is that what you think?" Merlin smiled.
"It is." Melinda said.
Merlin chuckles knowing this woman can see through him like glass or read him like an open book, nothing gets by this woman when it matters most to her.
(The Next Day)
Lynn just entered the S-Class classroom of the Ultimate Lost Magic Study Group though her hair is pulled back by a hairband and has a couple of bandages on her face too.
"Lynn, are you okay? You look like you got into a fight!" Sherria asked shock as the others see this as well.
"I was practicing magic control, and it got out of hand." Lynn explained.
"Seriously? You're not hurt, are you?" Shin asked concern for his friend.
"It happens all the time, so don't worry." Lynn said.
"All the time… So, she's a magic klutz." Romeo stated.
"But there must have been damage to the stuff around you, right?" Shin asked, imagining how many times Lynn has to damage her own home every time she practices her magic.
"He's right, there are the bandages, and your hair does appear to be scorched. Oh, and your glasses are cracked too." Juvia pointed out those traits.
"My father works as a court magician. We have a practice room at room, so it's fine if I lose control." Lynn revealed.
"Oh dear!" Juvia surprised.
"It kind of sounds like this happens to you a lot. You're quite the unbridled magical girl." Shin commented.
"I like that! From ow on, I'm the Unbridled Magical Girl!" Lynn instantly took in the name as her new title, even though Shin only meant that as a joke.
"Good morning, Lynn." Alice greeted.
"Lynn is gone! I'm the Unbridled Magical Girl!" Lynn declared, much to Alice's confusion.
"You can thank Shin for that." Juvia said.
(Later, Beans' Work)
Shin and the others walk into the workshop to see Harold and surprisingly Erza working on a sword together.
"Erza?" Shin surprised, getting his red hair girlfriend's attention.
"Shin! You're here!" Erza smiled.
"And just in time. We finished your prototype." Harold informed and showed Shin the sword.
"Leave it to a professional, and the blade itself looks like sharper than the rest. I figured you two together would knock this out of the park." Shin impressed of what he is seeing.
"Thank you, I thought about giving the man some extra help with finishing this sword." Erza handed the prototype sword to Shin.
"Kay, go ahead and push the trigger on the hilt." Harold said.
Shin does so and to his surprise, the sword pops out of the hilt as the blade pierces onto the ground like it was shot of a gun or something close to that. This is exactly the kind of weapon Shin was hoping for and now one is in his hands.
"This is incredible! To think I get to see the first prototype of Bean Work's newest invention." Tony amazed.
"What are you talking about? This was your idea from the start." Shin said, making the pretty boy blush from the compliment.
"If you think that's something, wait until you see the new features, we're gonna add into the new invention." Erza said with a confident smirk.
"New features? You guys have already thought of something for the new sword?" Shin asked.
"Erza suggested of finding a way to make the sword look like that it was broken off from the hilt like what you just did, and the hilt would call the sword back into the hilt." Harold explained.
"Whoa! That sounds crazy, and you're really going to try doing something like that!" Shin shocked.
"I'm definitely going to try, it's something that has been on my mind for a long while now and with Harold's help, I know the path to that goal will be reach!" Erza nodded.
"Man, I'm glad to have you in my life." Shin smiled.
"We were thinking about using some lightning magic for the attraction, though it's gonna be hard to get some magic materials to contain the magic." Harold mentioned.
Meanwhile, August is looking at the new sword closely and having something deep in his mind about what his father told him this morning and what's about to happen to this kingdom soon.
The boys and Erza left the workshop meeting up with the rest of the girls who were waiting outside for them, and Maria was the first to speak up.
"You get your weird new sword?" Maria asked.
"Yes, and I got gifts for you all waiting for us." Shin said.
"Oh Shin, you didn't have to do that." Juvia giggled and kissed him on the cheek.
"I couldn't decide what accessory suit the other girls best, so I got a few ones each to see which one they'd like best." Shin explained.
"What about the boys? Did you get gifts for them to show how much you love having your guy friends?" Sherria asked.
"Well, Romeo did suggest something that would suit the boys better than the accessories I got. But I'll do that later." Shin answered.
"I'm also working on a project within the detachable blade project. It's going to be marvelous that it'll be told for generations to come!" Erza believed with stars twinkling in her eyes and imagining her face inside the history book.
"Shin, about that sword of yours. Mind if I suggest that the army adopt something similar?" August asked, which caught Shin a little off guard.
"Um, I wouldn't really mind, but I think Granny might." Shin imagined how Granny Melinda would be if she knew that Shin let the military use the sword and the vibration for their combat and all.
"Wait, I don't plan to use your vibration spell. I'd rather focus on the detachable blade. We'll have to make adjustment, but if we mass product them, I think we can improve quality and keep costs down." August stated.
"I guess it'll help for any knight in the military, and if they choose to do the vibration spell then they can learn it." Erza said.
"Well, the detachable blade was Tony's idea. So, if he's okay with it, I am too." Shin said.
"Plus, it'll be a good field test to see how the detachable blades will work in actual combat." Erza added.
"But there is more to what you're actually, is there, your highness?" Erza asked, showing from her eyes that she can see August has something he wants to say.
"You're right." August nodded; he closes his eyes for a second.
"Honestly, it's because war is at hand." August revealed and everyone looked shocked upon hearing this right now.
"I knew it. Customers warned us of an upcoming war at the restaurant." Olivia mentioned.
"I think my dad mention something like that too. He's been hearing this from the customers he drove for, and they all sound worry to him." Romeo said.
"Wait, war? Against who?" Shin asked.
"The Blusfia Empire." August answered.
"The Empire? But why?" Shin wondered why would the Blusfia Empire to wage war against the Earlshide Kingdom now when they haven't done so in the past before.
"You would have to ask them to find that out. Apparently, they've been amassing countless troops at our border." August explained.
"Hopefully the war won't be dragged out for too long." Thor hoped.
"But there is a chance the Blusfia Kingdom will bring out their best warriors to fight, meaning it's likely the military may enlist students." Erza said shocking the others and making them feel worried.
"Hey, no need to get worked up, the war hasn't started yet. So, we got time to prepare." August said.
"Shin, you don't have to be part of it at all. We should never drag you into war." August said.
"Sure, you might not drag me. But I will definitely fight." Shin said.
"I consider this kingdom my home with all of my friends here, and my beloves are here too." Shin said, grabbing Sizilien's hands.
"I'll protect you all with my strength and blow away any enemies that would dare to bring harm to you." Shin promised, making Sizilien and his other girlfriends blush happily from this.
"Well then, in that case, you can come over to the castle to meet a special guest who has gladly give us the info about the Blusfia's might." August grinned.
(Earlshide Royal Castle)
Levy is seen staring out the window seeing the Earlshide Kingdom looking so bright and peaceful, much more so than her own kingdom that is mostly gray and ruled harshly under her father's rule.
"Princess Levy, you have a visitor." Coordinator announced as she comes into the room with none other than Shin Wolford who looks confused and surprise to meet this princess.
"Greetings, Shin Wolford. I am Princess Levy von Bluesphere, and I hope I can count on your help in stopping my father from committing even more sins than he already had." Levy greeted with a kind smile and a bow at the boy.
"When August said I was gonna be in for a surprise, he was not kidding around." Shin commented.
KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!
Next chapter is gonne be the war against the Blusfia Empire, the one battle we never get to see in the anime, and I promise to do my best to make this arc worth your while as Shin will be going into war along with his study group and may get to see the Five Sacred Guardians in action too.
KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!
