Chapter 140: The Matryoshka Seal Technique

"George, hand me the matryoshka doll!"

Seeing George immobilize the escaping Horvath with magic, Balthazar urgently called out.

George retrieved the matryoshka doll and tossed it to Balthazar, who caught it in his left hand and began chanting a sealing spell.

As the spell took effect, the seemingly youthful female mage—who was, in fact, hundreds of years old—transformed into fine sand that gradually enveloped the matryoshka doll, forming a new layer engraved with her likeness.

After sealing the female mage, Balthazar turned to the immobilized Horvath and repeated the spell. Similarly, Horvath dissolved into fine sand, forming the doll's outermost layer.

"I must learn this Merlinian sealing magic!"

Watching Balthazar seal both the female mage and Horvath, George couldn't help but marvel.

The Book of Morgana contained no sealing magic. Clearly, this was a unique invention of Merlin—a highly potent technique.

If George mastered it, he could use the method to imprison temporarily undefeatable enemies and deal with them later when he grew stronger.

"Thank you, George. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to recover the matryoshka so smoothly or seal them so easily," Balthazar said earnestly, expressing his gratitude.

Although they had only known each other for a few hours, the recent battle had left Balthazar with a favorable impression of George and a deep respect for his abilities.

"Now's not the time for thanks—we need to get out of here!"

Hearing the approaching sirens, George grabbed Balthazar and flew toward Chinatown.

After picking up David, who had been waiting on the rooftop, they all returned to the building's top floor.

"David, this world isn't just about a few mages. Many mages wish to unseal Morgana and let magic dominate the world.

We won this time, but as long as Morgana isn't dealt with, there's no guarantee we'll win next time.

I hope you'll consider joining us and becoming a true sorcerer," Balthazar said, holding the dragon ring in his hand and looking at David expectantly.

George also chimed in telepathically:

"David, magic is an amazing power. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Plus, having personal power is invaluable. When your family or friends face trouble, you'll be able to help instead of feeling helpless.

Oh, and many girls love capable men."

While Balthazar spoke about saving the world, George highlighted the personal benefits of learning magic.

Between these arguments and his own budding interest in magic, David hesitated briefly before taking back the dragon ring.

"Alright, I'll do it. I promised to help you regain your human form."

"Excellent! Let's find a place to start. From now on, I'll teach you all the magic of the Merlinian tradition so you can become a true master sorcerer," Balthazar said, his face lighting up with a smile.

George's panda face mirrored his grin. By staying close to Balthazar and David, he could learn Merlinian magic for free.

The bond forged during the battle and Morgana's looming threat meant Balthazar was unlikely to refuse teaching him.

George decided his panda form would focus on two priorities in this world:

1. Meditating to Raise Magic Levels:

Magic abilities and physical attributes were shared across all his forms. If this form reached Level 500 and achieved longevity, it would benefit his main body and all other forms.
Increasing magic levels also raised his mana cap, enhancing all his spells.

2. Learning All Local Magic:

He intended to master every spell in both Merlinian and Morgana traditions.
Even after mastering the magic of this world, he could use this safe environment to practice magic from other worlds.

With these goals, George saw this world as an ideal place for cultivation and experimentation.

"I have a location—a place my professor introduced me to. It used to be a turnaround area for the subway but was later abandoned.

It's spacious and hidden; I often use it for physics experiments," David said.

With that, he led Balthazar and George to his secret base, marking the beginning of their magical journey together.

Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tail World:

George's counterpart there was busy studying basic transformation magic in the library.

To speed up his learning, he had drawn a Morgana Circle on the library floor and shared it with all Fairy Tail mages.

Unfortunately, aside from Levy, few had the patience to sit within the circle and study.

"George, this magic circle is amazing! It's doubled my learning speed when combined with my glasses!" Levy exclaimed late one evening.

Her enchanted glasses helped with speed reading, but understanding magic still required effort. The circle made her mind sharper, enhancing her efficiency.

"Time to wrap up for today," George said, checking the clock and stepping out of the circle.

The Fairy Tail world was relatively peaceful. Even Natsu, Lucy, and Happy's misadventure taking on an S-rank mission had been resolved perfectly, thanks to Gray and Erza's intervention.

As a result, the mission was completed without a hitch.

Rumor had it they faced a demon stronger than the cursed flute they encountered before and even ran into Gray's senior apprentice from his ice magic training days.

"Let's head back. Mira probably returned already," Levy said, walking out of the library with George.

In the guild hall, Jet and Droy were fast asleep at a table.

Though they lacked the patience to study in the library, they waited every night to escort Levy back to the dorm.

After waking the pair, the group of four—including George in his cat form—locked up the guild and headed toward the city center.

Not long after they left, a man with long black hair and numerous piercings appeared at the guild entrance, grinning wickedly.

"Iron Dragon Slayer Magic: Iron Dragon Staff!"