To Lucy's surprise, the most normal-looking room of all belonging to Juvia.
Aside from some Gray-themed decorations, it was generally quite neat and tidy.
Juvia, dressed in casual clothes, served tea to the two visitors, calling it "Divine Gray." Erza took a sip and said it tasted quite good. Lucy took a sip and immediately spat out a Fire Dragon's Roar.
"I am so sorry. I think I must have confused the tea with the extra-spicy soup," Juvia said, covering her mouth with a smirk.
Having always seen Lucy as her number one love rival, she was hardly going to pass up such a perfect opportunity to tease her.
Lucy's eye twitched. She suddenly realized: The most abnormal thing in this room is the person in it!
Time passed leisurely. Soon, it was noon.
On Erza's suggestion, the girls decided to go to the beach behind the dormitory to relax. They played some beach volleyball, had a little chat, and talked about girly things.
Though mages needed to focus on work, proper rest was equally important. So they regularly did activities like this.
Lucy would have loved to join in. But she still had the caretaker's request to complete. So, with great regret, she declined Erza's invitation. She searched the dormitory alone, looking for the so-called "glowing treasure."
And so, the girls changed into their swimsuits. They grabbed their floaties and various sunscreen products and headed off to enjoy some well-deserved relaxation.
Meanwhile, on the highest platform of Nirvana, floating in the middle of the lake.
"How stubborn can you be? All that fuss just to register a magical weapon."
Makarov shook the folder in his hand vigorously. He glared at Chase. "You little brat! Do you have any idea how much saliva I wasted to get this?!"
"Yes, yes. The master worked very hard~" Chase said with a grin.
He thought to himself that sending the old man had definitely been the right choice. Judging from how worked up he was, the councilors must have given him quite a hard time.
"Honestly. It is about time you learned how to deal with the higher-ups," Makarov said meaningfully.
"Aren't you afraid I might just tear the whole Council building down?" Chase countered.
Fighting, he excelled at. But dealing with people was another matter. Especially with those powerless old men who always acted so high and mighty.
Makarov imagined himself in Chase's position. Immediately, a vivid picture formed in his mind.
Sigh. The dream of a peaceful retirement seemed farther away than ever.
The old master sighed heavily. The disappointment on his face grew deeper.
Knowing that training Chase to be the next guild master was a long and difficult road, he decided to stop thinking about such headache-inducing problems. He turned his attention to the magical weapon remodeling team nearby.
"They may be from a legitimate company, but we need to make sure security measures are tight," Makarov said seriously.
After all, this was something even Oración Seis had wanted. Even though the most dangerous function, the conversion of good and evil, had been removed, Nirvana's magical core remained unchanged. Its danger went without saying.
If someone with ill intent could replicate it, it would be a disaster for the current magical world. Fairy Tail would be held responsible.
That was precisely the Council's greatest concern. If not for Chase's performance on Demon Ruins Island and the Tower of Heaven, they never would have agreed.
"Relax, old master. Dark Magician is watching them the whole time. They will not have a chance to try anything. And..."
Chase flipped his hand, revealing the Magic Card between his fingers. "Once they finish improving the mechanisms, I will alter their memories."
These magical weapon engineers were more like "technical experts." Their magic power was generally low. Altering their memories would be quite easy.
As for whether this was against the rules or considered immoral... You want to talk about rules and morals with Fairy Tail?
Seeing this, Makarov nodded, reassured. He felt even more strongly that Chase, with his combination of carefree boldness and thoughtful consideration, was the perfect candidate for the next guild master.
After perfecting the activation mechanism of the detection magic, the work of remodeling Nirvana would still need to be completed.
After all, as Fairy Tail's magical weapon, it would eventually need to be as presentable as Blue Pegasus's Christina. It could not stay in its current battle-damaged, ugly state.
But that was a minor problem. Judging by how fast the new guild hall had been built, it would probably be as good as new in a few days.
Funding, too, would be generously provided by the Heartfilia Konzern.
Jude: What kind of monster have I gotten involved with?
"By the way, Chase. I also heard some news at the Council. Not particularly good news for us."
As if remembering something important, Makarov's expression turned serious. "Ultear has disappeared."
According to Belno, the Council had not been able to contact Ultear for two days. She had vanished into thin air. No one could find her, not at her workplace, not at her home.
For safety reasons and due to the potential negative fallout, the Council had not yet publicly announced this.
The reason Belno had told Makarov was partly to repay a favor for his help in getting Gajeel back on the right path. But also, she hoped that Fairy Tail, which had a good relationship with Ultear, could help look for her.
"When we met during the SS-Class quest, she mentioned wanting to settle things with her past. But she did not say exactly what," Chase said.
Chase had known Ultear would make this decision. So when he heard the news, he was not particularly surprised.
He had, of course, reported everything about the Demon Village quest to the old master. Including Éclair's identity as the Phoenix Priestess and Ultear's help in stealing the Evil-Crushing Arrow.
"I see."
Makarov looked into the distance. A flicker of concern appeared in his eyes. "I hope that girl makes it back safely..."
He vaguely guessed that Ultear might be involved in some greater darkness or conspiracy. But whether it was because of all the help she had given Fairy Tail or simply because he admired young mages with a sense of justice, he wanted her to overcome her troubles and return to the light.
"I am sure she will. She is strong. And she has one of my cards with her."
Chase thought for a moment. Ultimately, he decided not to tell the old master about Grimoire Heart. The immediate problem that needed solving was the large-scale Anima about to appear over Magnolia.
"You did well," Makarov said, pleased.
Ending the somewhat serious topic, the old master watched the girls playing on the beach in the distance. He quickly slipped into his perverted old man mode.
"Say, Chase. What do you think about installing a telescope here? The view is great. We could keep an eye out for any suspicious activity!"
Chase immediately saw right through the perverted old man's intentions. "You just want to peek at the girls in their swimsuits, do you not?"
"Ahem, ahem! Of course not! Do not think so poorly of me!" Makarov coughed lightly, looking away guiltily.
"Is that so? Then who was it that hid those adult gravure magazines in the guild bar counter?"
"No way. After Mirajane found them last time, I moved them to the second floor..."
Mid-sentence, catching the mischievous grin on Chase's face, the old master immediately shut his mouth. That was close. He almost fell for it.
"Ahem! Anyway, I am going to go check on the pool and see how Natsu and Gray are doing with the cleaning~"
When he had returned from the Council earlier, Natsu and the others had damaged some public property while fighting. As punishment, he had ordered them to clean the pool in the backyard.
Watching Makarov hop and skip away like a sneaky old fox, Chase could not help but shake his head. He could already imagine what was about to happen.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Jude's reimbursement forms were about to get a little thicker.
"Strange. Where did those brats all go?"
Arriving at the pool, Makarov did not see Natsu or the others.
"Oh well. I might as well enjoy this nice, clean pool. I worked up quite a sweat this morning~"
Having been running around all morning, the old man did not think much of it. He stripped off his clothes and dove in in a graceful arc.
At the same time, in a corner at the bottom of the pool, a small periscope moved.
Inside the "peeping room" below.
"Who is the shameless bastard who secretly installed this thing in the pool?!" the righteous Elfman declared indignantly.
"Hehe. Is this not great? You can clearly see the girls in their swimsuits~" Wakaba said, nudging Alzack with his elbow.
Just imagining the scene made the innocent Alzack's nose uncontrollably spout two streams of blood.
They had discovered this room by accident while cleaning the pool.
"The old master is in the water. Hey! Old master!" Natsu, who was at the periscope, saw Makarov just getting in.
The shout made Makarov notice the rotating periscope.
Feeling guilty, he panicked. His swimming trunks slipped off. He hurriedly covered his private parts.
"AAAAH!! MY EYES!!"
Having witnessed the entire thing with his own eyes, Natsu let out a terrible scream. Flames uncontrollably shot from his mouth.
"Hey! Do not breathe fire in such a small space!" Bickslow shouted.
"What is the big deal? It is just the master. No need to get so excited."
Gray pushed past the panicking Natsu and peered into the periscope.
The next second, a head of flowing curly hair appeared in his field of vision.
"BLEH! I am blind! My eyes!" He too went into magic overload, ice bursting from his body.
"What did you two see?!" Gajeel snatched the periscope.
What came into view was a blushing water sprite, legs pressed together in embarrassment.
"M... my... e... yes..."
Even he, who dared anything, activated his body's passive defense. Two iron curtains covered his now blinded eyes.
BOOM!!
An explosion echoed. The delicate room could not take it anymore. It, along with the pool, was blown to bits by the chaotic magic.
Mirajane, who had been teaching Éclair magical theory and fundamentals in the guild hall, was drawn by the commotion.
Thinking something had happened, she quickly grabbed Éclair and Momon and ran over. There, she found everyone collapsed in the rubble and the destroyed peeping room.
"Not acceptable, Master. I am angry," Mirajane said, putting her hands on her hips and chastising Makarov.
"I am sorry. I was wrong~" the old master said apologetically, still covering his private parts.
"Reckless members and an indecent master. What kind of guild have I joined..." Éclair said, holding her forehead.
"It seems like Mirajane has more authority than the master," Momon observed.
On the other side, at the Fairy Tail girls' dormitory.
Lucy searched from day to night. She even called out Virgo to dig up the grounds around the dormitory, but still found nothing.
Finally, at the caretaker's suggestion, she found the glowing treasure in a hole in a large tree in the backyard.
It was an intricately crafted box.
Opening it, the jewels inside sparkled brilliantly in the moonlight.
"Wow! So pretty!"
Lucy could not help but gasp. She held the box high and shouted into the darkness, "Grandma! Grandma! I found it! The glowing treasure!"
Her cries went unanswered. Instead, they drew Erza, whose girls' event had just ended.
"What is it, Lucy?" Erza asked.
"Erza, have you seen the caretaker? I think her name is Hilda. I have something to give her."
"Hilda? What are you talking about?!"
Hearing Lucy's words, Erza's emotions suddenly became agitated. Her eyes filled with endless sadness and pain. "She passed away... six years ago."
"Th-that is impossible! I saw her! And this request!" Lucy's pupils dilated in disbelief.
Now, she could no longer keep her client's secret. She told Erza everything, how she had taken the request at the guild and encountered Hilda.
Erza kept her composure at first. But when she saw the box of jewels in Lucy's hands, her emotions finally broke. Tears streamed down her cheeks, falling onto the sparkling gems.
Then she told Lucy the whole story.
As the girls' dormitory caretaker, Hilda was not only stubborn, she was also incredibly naggy. She always said annoying things. But she cared more about the girls' safety than anyone else. Every time they went on a mission, she would be too worried to sleep.
"Maybe you should just quit being a mage." That was her catchphrase. Perhaps it also reflected how she truly felt.
One day, Hilda brought out some toy jewels to give to the girls. But she was short one gem, which made things awkward.
Erza, the big sister, gracefully deferred. But she really wanted to receive a gift from her beloved caretaker.
Hilda saw how Erza felt. So that night, she came to Erza alone. Smiling, she called her a good girl. She made a promise. When Erza grew up, a cute, pretty cat princess would bring her real jewels.
"A cat princess? There is no such thing. That silly caretaker, always treating me like a child."
Even though she did not receive a gift, Erza was happy that night.
What she never expected was that the next day, she would receive the news that Hilda had died in an accident when her carriage fell off a cliff.
"The six years since then... you have always been watching over us, have you not?"
Erza wiped her tears and stood up. "Lucy, let us share these jewels with the others. Including the new members, Éclair and Wendy."
"Yes!" Lucy nodded.
A person's thoughts can travel. They can transcend time and space and reach the ones they love.
Even the request slip, now gradually turning into specks of light, or more accurately, the letter from heaven, had clearly stated there was no reward.
Yet Lucy was very happy. She had felt those thoughts.
***
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