The moment a stranger appeared, Jude's face drastically changed.
Without time to think about how the intruder had gotten in, he instinctively reached for the security button hidden under his desk.
As the residence of a super-wealthy Fiore family, the security measures were naturally quite strict. Numerous professional bodyguards stood ready around the perimeter.
The moment the red button was pressed, a sharp, piercing alarm blared throughout the mansion.
But seconds passed, and Jude never saw any security personnel. Not even a single servant entered. The silence was unnerving.
"If you're trying to summon those incompetent mages and servants nearby, you might as well give up. They're all fast asleep right now."
Chase casually grabbed a stool and strolled over to sit across from Jude, crossing his legs. "You're the only one awake in this entire mansion."
The bodyguards hired by the Heartfilia Konzern naturally weren't weak, but in front of him, they were still somewhat lacking.
"What business do you have with me?"
Jude accepted the reality, forcing himself to remain calm as he sat back down. "Chase of Fairy Tail."
Seizing the opportunity, he recognized the young man before him and felt a chill run down his spine.
To be honest, despite it being his own daughter's guild, his knowledge of Fairy Tail was abysmal. Why would a high-and-mighty financial mogul care about a mere "hiring agency"?
The only reason he recognized Chase was because the Demon Ruins Island incident had been all over the news, and he'd happened to see his face in the paper.
"Mr. Jude, your memory must be failing you. Have you already forgotten that you hired Phantom Lord to attack Fairy Tail?" Chase raised his gaze to meet Jude's.
Jude was, after all, a man who had dominated Fiore's business world for years. His hair and attire were immaculate, and his brow naturally exuded the authority of a man in power.
"I merely hired Phantom Lord to bring my runaway, rebel daughter back home," Jude said, his composure growing now that he'd confirmed Chase's identity. "What, your guild was attacked, and now you're trying to blame the person who simply placed a legitimate request?"
He didn't believe that Chase, as a legal guild mage, would dare to do anything extreme here—in the Heartfilia mansion!
"The request itself doesn't matter. I've wanted to beat up those Phantom Lord bastards for a while anyway."
Chase's gaze sharpened. "But Mr. Jude, you indirectly hurt Lucy and my comrades. And for that, you'll have to pay a price."
"I see. Just name your price," Jude said with a cold sneer.
Based on his usual understanding of mages, he immediately assumed he knew why Chase had come: for money.
When it came to money, it wasn't an issue. He'd simply deal with Fairy Tail later—if Lucy still refused to see reason.
"As expected of the head of the Heartfilia Konzern. How generous!"
Chase smiled and slowly held up one finger. "I want one billion."
Hearing such a large sum, Jude's brow furrowed slightly.
Considering his current situation, he nodded and agreed: "Fine. I can write you a check right now."
"Take your money and go back where you came from. My time is far more valuable than the likes of you."
"No, no, no. I think you've misunderstood."
Chase shifted to an even more arrogant posture, raising a hand to cut him off. "One billion is just for the cost of the guild's destruction. There's also the price for harming my precious comrades."
"I won't make things too difficult for you. Just give me, say, one or two hundred trillion, and we'll call it even."
"You—!"
Jude's pen stopped mid-stroke. He looked up, glaring at Chase, his incredulous eyes filled with rage.
"What about me? Using money to solve all your problems—isn't that your favorite method, Mr. Jude?"
"Just a brat from some backwater guild. Don't get too full of yourself. That kind of attitude will only bring disaster down on your guild."
"How terrifying. The Heartfilia Konzern."
Chase slowly stood up, stepped forward, and met Jude's fierce gaze across the desk. "Don't forget. Your daughter Lucy is also in that 'backwater guild.'"
At those words, Jude's already frayed temper flared. He slammed his hands on the desk and stood up, his voice cold and emphatic: "Here! The Heartfilia family is Lucy's true home!"
"Oh, really? But Lucy is in Fairy Tail right now."
"That's nothing more than a ridiculous, childish game!"
"But Lucy is in Fairy Tail right now."
"From the moment she was born and given the noble name of Heartfilia, Lucy was destined to be nothing like you commoners who scramble for petty change!"
"But Lucy is in Fairy Tail right now."
Jude's chest heaved violently, enraged by the other man's illogical, shameless persistence.
And yet, he couldn't refute that fact!
"Just a brat trying to extort me, and you keep saying 'Lucy' this and 'Lucy' that—"
Veins bulged on Jude's forehead as he shouted, "As an outsider, how could you possibly understand the good fortune that has finally befallen her?!"
"Well said! Then let me ask you this, you who call yourself her father: Do you know what Lucy looks like when she's puffed up with anger after being pranked? Do you know what she looks like when she bursts into tears because protected her? Do you know what she looks like when she everyone laughs freely and speaks her mind without reservation?"
"I know! Everyone in Fairy Tail knows!"
Chase's voice rose, his presence intensifying with it. "Lucy calls me 'big brother,' but she calls you 'Father.' So who's really the outsider?!"
Under this barrage of soul-searing questions, the usually composed Jude finally cracked. His features twisted in anguish.
"Then you, of all people, should not stand in the way of Lucy's pursuit of happiness! Marrying the eldest son of the Jeluano family is her greatest fortune!!"
The man's frantic, furious roar echoed through the spacious room.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Immediately after, Chase bursts into loud, unrestrained laughter.
What was happening?
Had this guy lost his mind?
Under Jude's bewildered gaze, Chase—having finished laughing—sat back down. He spread his arms, gripping the chair's armrests, crossed his legs, and slowly spoke:
"To hell with your 'fortune.'"
Jude: "..."
As one of the richest men in the land, he'd spent years frequenting high-end, refined establishments, associating only with people of impeccable class. For a moment, the sudden, crude vulgarity left him utterly dumbfounded, frozen in place!
"Well, if Mr. Jude insists on forcing Lucy into an arranged marriage, I certainly won't stop you. That's the Heartfilia family's private matter."
Before Jude could recover, Chase suddenly shifted his tone. "But the groom-to-be? That's another story. The eldest son of the Jeluano family, was it?"
"Heh."
Hearing this, Jude actually calmed down, a cold sneer forming on his lips. "An insolent brat who doesn't know his place. You think you have the nerve to attack the Jeluano family?!"
***
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