After confirming the details of the request, Shane thought it over briefly.
Erza happened to be away from the guild these past few days, which saved him the trouble of informing her. And since he always traveled light, there was nothing he needed to prepare in particular.
With everything ready, there was no reason to delay.
"Master, I'm heading out," he said, turning toward the front doors.
"Oh! Be careful on the road!" Makarov stood on the bar and watched him go, his face full of satisfaction.
Honestly, over the past few months, Shane had been the model member—either meditating and reading, or handling simple errands around town.
So well-behaved and law-abiding that Makarov had long since forgotten Shane's earlier "unauthorized visit" to Duke Everlue, and naturally didn't connect this commission to that incident at all.
Seeing Shane finally take a job that required leaving town, Makarov stroked his beard with approval. "Good—finally willing to get out and see the world. Young people should broaden their horizons."
Shane smiled. That reaction was exactly what he wanted. It saved him the hassle of explaining anything.
On the way to the Town, Shane reread the commission slip carefully.
He found that Duke Everlue not only complied with the "request" by sending the commission, but also paid a very generous reward—600,000J.
That was far above the usual escort-job pay. It was less "generous" and more like a cautious pay-to-avoid-disaster offering—clearly terrified of doing anything that might displease Shane.
The almost fawning attitude made Shane laugh helplessly.
He only wanted to complete the trial; he had no intention of extorting anyone. All he could do was marvel at how deeply his last "visit" had scarred the duke.
When Shane arrived at Duke Everlue's estate again, a well-dressed servant was already waiting respectfully.
Spotting Shane from afar, the servant jogged over at once, wearing a humble—almost fearful—smile.
"Shane-san, you've arrived!" the attendant bowed. "His Grace has been feeling unwell lately and is unable to receive guests, so he ordered me to wait here. The item you're escorting is already prepared."
He offered a beautifully decorated rosewood case with both hands, the wood giving off a faint fragrance.
Shane understood immediately. "Unwell" was just an excuse—Everlue was too scared to face him.
Shane didn't mind. He didn't want to see the duke's chubby face either.
He accepted the case without comment and opened it casually.
Inside, set against black velvet, lay a golden key carved with intricate patterns and radiating the pure magic of a Celestial Spirit.
It was the Virgo Zodiac key.
After confirming everything was correct, Shane snapped the lid shut.
"The item checks out. In that case, I'll be on my way to complete the duke's commission!"
…
Within the Kingdom of Fiore—
Deep inside a vast, beautiful estate, the Heartfilia family manor sat under an invisible pressure, as if the air itself were heavy.
In an exquisitely furnished sitting room, the atmosphere had practically frozen solid.
Layla Heartfilia—
The current head of the Heartfilia family—was born with dazzling blonde hair and graceful features. Yet now she looked worn and haggard, her brow weighed down by deep worry.
"Jude… has there still been no word about the Virgo key Duke Everlue promised to lend us?" Layla's voice was soaked with anxiety that wouldn't lift.
As she spoke, her eyes never left the luxurious Celestial Spirit key case on the table.
The case had twelve carefully fitted slots. Ten were already filled with different golden keys, each faintly glowing with magical light.
Only two empty slots remained—white silk lining exposed, painfully conspicuous amid all that gold.
Her husband, Jude Heartfilia, wore a perfectly tailored black suit. His face carried the steady seriousness of a man used to the battlefield of commerce.
He was the one who had multiplied the Heartfilia fortune many times over, making their name echo across the business world.
But now, facing his wife's unease, even his usually unshakable expression softened with helplessness.
Jude stepped forward and gently patted the back of Layla's cold hand. "Try to relax, Layla. According to our last correspondence, Duke Everlue's key should arrive within the next few days."
"I hope so…" Layla sighed. The shadow between her brows didn't lift—if anything, it deepened.
"The day our ancestors set is drawing close. And now it's not only Virgo… Even the Aquarius key I entrusted to an old friend still hasn't shown up. I can't reach them at all…"
Carrying four hundred years of expectation on her shoulders meant that even if she wanted to relax, she simply couldn't.
The Heartfilia family, beyond their inherited Celestial Spirit magic, bore an even heavier legacy—a mission passed down for four centuries:
On X777, July 7, they must open the legendary Eclipse Gate.
And the key to opening it was to gather all twelve Zodiac golden keys—every single one, without exception.
Just as the room's tension grew thicker, the door cracked open and a small head peeked inside.
It was a delicate, doll-like blonde little girl. She looked at her parents timidly and asked, "Daddy… Mommy… are you angry?"
In a child's simple worldview, furrowed brows and heavy silence meant "being angry."
Layla forced a gentle smile almost instantly and turned. "Lucy, we're not angry. Daddy and Mommy just have something important to discuss right now."
She waved her daughter closer—but then turned toward the maid outside and gave a small nod. "Aunt Spetto, could you take Lucy to the garden for a little while?"
"Yes, ma'am."
A kind-looking elderly woman entered, took Lucy's small hand, and spoke softly. "Come along, miss. Your mother and father have important matters. Let's go see the flowers you like in the garden, all right?"
Lucy kept looking back over her shoulder, her clear eyes still full of confusion, as she was led away.
Once her daughter's small figure disappeared, Layla's smile collapsed, replaced by deep self-reproach. "We even made our daughter worry… We really are… immature parents."
Jude watched his wife's forced composure crumble, and his chest tightened.
He squeezed her cold hand firmly, about to offer something stronger—when hurried, light knocking at the door cut him off.
After they gave permission—
A maid entered and bowed. "Pardon the interruption, Layla-sama, Jude-sama. There is a mage outside who claims to be from Fairy Tail. He says… he is here to deliver the key, as commissioned."