Most of the guild members had been busy with jobs recently, so I asked three of the veterans to help watch over things.
Mira told Chase to get back to work while she began preparing the new house.
Time flew by as I ran back and forth between Fairy Tail's new home. Before I knew it, a week had quietly slipped away.
Early in the morning, Chase and the Dark Magician Girl arrived at the guild's construction site.
"Sister Mira, long time no see!"
The Dark Magician Girl leapt at Mira like a hungry tiger, burying her face against her and greedily inhaling the faint fragrance of her body.
Chase had been staying in Magnolia for the past few days. With no battles breaking out, she had been pulled by the Dark Magician Girl into the domain of her new partner, the Black Luster Soldier, to train and comprehend the power of chaos.
Only today had she been specially allowed to come out for a walk.
And the excuse was a good one today was the day Natsu, Lucy, and the others were performing their play, and she wanted to help her master's companions.
"Long time no see, Dark Magician Girl. How have you been these past few days?"
Mira hugged her warmly and gently rubbed her head.
"Oh, don't mention it."
The Dark Magician Girl pouted, lifting her gaze from Mira's chest with a huff before breaking into excitement. "More importantly, when are we going to see Natsu and the others?"
"Well, we'll have to wait just a little. There's someone else coming with us, and the master went to pick him up."
Mira smoothed out the girl's tangled golden hair, blinking thoughtfully. "It should be soon."
"You haven't had breakfast yet, right? I made some for you."
The Dark Magician Girl didn't dwell on it. After a short complaint, she obediently ran over to the bar and sat down.
Chase froze for a moment. Who needs the master himself to pick them up?
If she remembered right, Lucy and the others were already at the theater, and the audience included Cyan Pegasus's Master Bob, Blue Pegasus's Goldman, and Master Yajima.
But even if these old acquaintances wanted to watch the play, none of them would need Makarov to escort them all the way to Magnolia.
Could it be him…?
A figure absent from the original story appeared in Chase's mind. Only that person could warrant such attention from the guild master.
The answer soon arrived.
Not long after Chase and the Dark Magician Girl finished breakfast, Makarov returned.
Following behind him was a man draped in a large black cloak.
He wore sunglasses and a mask, his hood pulled low to hide his features. As he walked through the construction site's corridors, he kept glancing around suspiciously.
If Makarov hadn't been leading him, the man would have been mobbed the instant he stepped onto guild grounds beaten half to death by Fairy Tail's rowdy crowd just to "welcome" him.
"Hey, Chase, you're here?" Makarov greeted, then turned to Mira. "Sorry, Mira. I was held up on the way."
"No problem. There's still an hour until the train I booked," Mira answered with a smile.
The station was only a half-hour walk from here, and Lucy and the others' performance wasn't until three in the afternoon. There was plenty of time.
"It doesn't matter even if we miss it. One phone call will do," Chase said calmly. She rose, brushed the crumbs from her mouth, and fixed her eyes on the stealthy man. "Isn't that Mr. Jude the biggest investor in Fiore's railway system?"
That's right. The man traveling with them was Lucy's father: Jude Heartfilia.
Jude flinched, startled that his disguise had been seen through so quickly. He looked around in panic.
He had wronged Fairy Tail and Lucy herself more than once, and it was impossible to deny his role in the downfall of his former guild.
Guilt gnawed at him. He feared someone might leap out at any moment to pin him down and thrash him.
That fear was exactly why he had chosen to come in disguise. After all, Fairy Tail's reputation was infamous.
Even Makarov was surprised; he pressed a finger to his lips, frantically shushing Chase.
He didn't know that Chase had already sought Jude out once before back during the Phantom Lord incident.
The reason Fairy Tail was willing to accept this man who had once hurt both the guild and its children was not only because Natsu had once declared, "Lucy's father is a good man," nor because of his one-billion-Jewel investment. It was also due to something Makarov had heard from his old friend Yajima.
When Makarov first received Jude's request to meet, he had been wary. He wanted to see for himself what the richest man in Fiore was planning. But after a brief conversation, he sensed the man's genuine regret and his deep love for Lucy. Only then did Makarov agree to bring him back to the guild and let the past remain in the past.
That was the "delay" he had mentioned earlier.
"Jude? Ah! So you're Lucy's dad!"
The Dark Magician Girl shouted it out without hesitation. Makarov nearly coughed up blood on the spot, shooting Chase a murderous glare. How could I forget this air-headed girl with such a blunt tongue!
"What?! Lucy's dad? The bastard who hired Phantom Lord to attack us?!"
"Alright! You dare to show your face here? I finally caught you!"
"One billion Jewels can't buy back Lucy's tears, you bastard!"
As expected, Macao and the others, who had been chatting nearby, came storming over when they heard the words.
Even Nab, who had been idling in front of the request board as usual, clenched his fists in anger.
Jude, who was used to elegant banquets and quiet parlors, had never experienced such a scene. He immediately shrank back in fear, hiding behind Makarov.
He wasn't truly afraid of "mere" wizards. But these weren't just anyone they were Lucy's companions, people she treasured deeply. And Jude already carried guilt toward them. Naturally, his imposing aura was nowhere to be found.
"Ah-lah-ha." Mira laughed openly, standing off to the side to enjoy the show.
With the master present, there was no chance of a real fight, but frightening Jude a little was more than enough. Though Mira's personality was usually gentle and non-competitive, she could hold a grudge. Helping Lucy get a bit of symbolic payback was only fair.
Even Makarov, though he pretended to cover Jude's identity with great effort, clearly had similar feelings. Otherwise, why would he have stood frozen for several seconds before finally shouting to stop Macao and the others?
It was all part of the plan.
In the end, Jude didn't receive anything resembling a warm Fairy Tail welcome. Under the resentful glares of the guild members, he followed Makarov and the others onto the train bound for the commercial city of Onibas.
The ride itself, however, was surprisingly harmonious.
The two fathers chatted cheerfully about Lucy's childhood and her life after joining the guild. Makarov, of course, couldn't resist making a lewd remark about Lucy's figure, which left the serious Jude red-faced with embarrassment.
When the train arrived, they met Yajima as arranged and also ran into Master Bob of Blue Pegasus and Master Goldman, who happened to be traveling together.
At Chase's suggestion, the group shared a simple lunch at Onibas's most famous luxury hotel.
The food wasn't particularly good, but the price was extravagant. Still, it didn't matter fine service had its own value. And Jude, playing the role of magnanimous host, declared that he would cover all expenses for the day.
After their meal and a few rounds of drinks, they headed to the theater where the strongest team would perform.
Thanks to the promotion Lucy and the others had done in the past few days, the entire area around the venue was already packed with visitors.
Their group's seats were on the VIP platform, offering the best view in the house. Each ticket had cost 10,000 Jewels.
After a few minutes of waiting, the lights in the theater dimmed and the performance officially began.
"This is a story from the distant past…"
"A prince from a western kingdom falls in love with a princess of an enemy nation. To rescue her after she is captured, the prince sets out on a perilous journey to Death Mountain."
Amid the soothing song of Lyra, the Celestial Spirit Lyra, the spotlight pierced the darkness and illuminated Erza, dressed in a prince's uniform with a sword at her waist.
"My name is Frederick "
"Princess… I… I I'm here to rescue you "
So nervous she could barely breathe, Erza stumbled over her very first lines. Her voice cracked, her delivery awkward.
The audience shifted uncomfortably, groans rippling through the hall. Even Lucy playing the princess, tied up and dangling onstage looked at her with open disappointment.
No one had expected Erza, who was normally so terrifying in battle, to freeze up with stage fright!
"Oh, a prince-and-princess setup? This could be fun," Mira said with a smile, watching intently.
"Erza's blowing it," the Dark Magician Girl critiqued sharply. "When you have a rare chance on stage, you've got to be confident show off your charm!"
If it had been her, she thought smugly, she would have struck the cutest pose imaginable and conquered the crowd the moment she appeared.
"Lucy! Lucy! Lucy!"
In the VIP seats, Jude Heartfilia was on his feet, waving a glow stick like a man possessed. Every inch of him radiated doting father energy.
Thankfully, he still had his mask on otherwise tomorrow's papers would be splashed with headlines about Lucy's father embarrassing himself in public.
Before the murmurs died down, Gray made his entrance as the villain, his movements sharp and stylish.
"Gray-samaaa!" came a shrill cheer from the stands. Of course Juvia had joined the audience too.
But before Gray could even finish his first line, Erza, still trembling with nerves, lunged forward and "defeated" him with a single swing of her sword.
Skipping entire scenes, she dropped to one knee beside Lucy. "Princess… will you bear many children with me?"
The theater exploded.
"So weak! That Demon King just went down like nothing!"
"Right after saving her, and you're already talking babies? What kind of perverted hero is this?!"
"Dammit, I can't even complain fast enough to keep up with this plot!"
"And who's that random tramp drooling on stage?!"
Despite the chaos, the play pressed on. Gray apparently not dead after all summoned his servant, the Fire Dragon Natsu.
Because the dragon's power was overwhelming, the hero and the Demon King clasped hands and decided to fight side by side against this new threat.
Lucy, still bound as the princess, called out that she too could help. But the "hero" merely left her with, "I leave it to you," before happily turning his back, holding hands with the devil, and striding off without a glance behind him!
The audience roared with outrage.
Meanwhile, backstage disaster struck. The prop ropes carrying Natsu through the air slipped from Happy's grasp.
"Uwahhh!"
Natsu plummeted, flames bursting from his mouth as he landed and Lucy's skirt immediately caught fire.
Pandemonium.
Gray scrambled forward, using Ice-Make magic to douse the flames. Erza reacted faster, her blades flashing in rapid arcs.
She cut Lucy's burning costume to ribbons.
"Woooooo!"
The theater erupted again, this time with cheers from the lecherous old men in the crowd.
But there was no time to mourn the shredded dress. Natsu, still spitting fire in panic, scorched the stage uncontrollably. The walls shook, the floor cracked
And with a deafening boom, the entire theater collapsed into ruins.
....
Keep supporting me with you comments and reviews if you like the story please drop a power stone and your support is very much appreciated.
Want to read 40+ chapters ahead , share your fandom thoughts, or just fuel my translation caffeine habit? or if you want to support me please Join me on Patreon here! :
patreon.com/Keep_ItUp