People tend to cherish what they have regained after losing it.

  Future Lucy looked at her right hand, ughing and crying simultaneously.

  Just then, a knock came at the door.

  "Lucy-ojousama? Are you awake?"

  "Yes!"

  Future Lucy quickly wiped her tears and responded, "Come in."

  Click.

  A young maid entered, carrying a stack of fresh clothes.

  "Lucy-ojousama, your dirty clothes from yesterday have already been sent for cleaning. These are new clothes Nate-sama asked me to prepare for you."

  After a brief pause, she added, "They were delivered earlier this morning by Emma, the seamstress from the boutique."

  Did he specifically get her new clothes because she didn’t want to wear the Lucy of this world's things?

  Future Lucy was momentarily stunned, finding her "boyfriend" a little too considerate, which made her feel slightly embarrassed.

  "Thank you."

  "The master and Nate-sama are having breakfast in the main dining room downstairs," the maid said before bowing and leaving the room.

  Future Lucy got up and took a hot shower in the bathroom, changing out of her old underwear.

  Even the clothes the maid had delivered included fresh undergarments.

  After dressing, Future Lucy walked downstairs with practiced ease.

  …

  In the main dining room, Jude, dressed in a brown suit, smiled warmly upon seeing her.

  "Come, Lucy, have a seat. Spetto, bring some hot breakfast from the kitchen."

  Her father’s cheerful demeanor left Future Lucy momentarily dazed.

  In her timeline, her retionship with her father had been strained.

  The st time they saw each other was before the mission to defeat the Oración Seis.

  The Heartfilia family fortune had crumbled, and her once-powerful father came to Magnolia to borrow 100,000 J for travel expenses.

  At the time, she hadn’t lent him the money.

  After that, the only news she received was of his death seven years ter.

  Memories from the past fshed through her mind as she looked at her still-living father. Tears welled up again.

  "Dad!"

  "Why are you crying?" Jude asked in surprise. "Is the food not to your liking?"

  Nate ughed. "Maybe some sand got in her eye."

  Future Lucy, breaking into a smile amid her tears, retorted, "Where would sand come from in the dining room?"

  "Exactly," Nate said, nodding. "A Lucy who doesn’t tease back has no soul!"

  "Is my soul just about teasing you?" Future Lucy quipped, rolling her eyes.

  Nate gave her a thumbs-up. "Seeing you tease back, I feel relieved."

  "... You’re impossible."

  "Sit down and have breakfast already," Jude said, chuckling as he observed the pyful banter.

  Breakfast passed in a warm and cheerful atmosphere, with Future Lucy gradually shedding the weight of her past.

  Afterward, Jude left in his carriage, saying he had work to attend to.

  Meanwhile, Nate took Future Lucy’s right hand, rolling up her sleeve to inspect the pale, soft skin of her arm.

  "W-What are you doing?"

  "Just checking the regeneration," Nate said, gently pinching her arm, which was as smooth as a baby’s.

  Future Lucy blushed and pulled her hand back, stammering, "It feels just like before… Thank you, Nate."

  "Good to hear," Nate replied with a nod before suggesting, "Let’s go. I’ll take you to see the finals today."

  "The finals? The Pokémon Competition?"

  "That’s right. The championship match is today, starting at 10 a.m."

  Future Lucy was curious about Pokémon, creatures that seemed simir to Celestial Spirits but were clearly something else entirely.

  "Before that… I’d like to visit my mother’s grave."

  Thinking of her mother, Future Lucy remembered how her father had moved Lay’s grave after his death.

  But in this world, her mother’s resting pce should still be where it originally was.

  Nate saw no reason to object since it was still early.

  The two left together.

  …

  Lay Heartfilia’s grave was located on the estate grounds. After exiting the vil, they turned right, crossed a small staircase, and arrived at a statue of an angel.

  Below the statue y Lay’s tombstone.

  For Nate, it was his second time visiting this spot.

  "By the way, Nate," Future Lucy asked, "what year is it now?"

  "785."

  Future Lucy froze for a moment. "Tenrou Isnd..."

  "The Fairy Tail guild here wasn’t attacked by the Bck Dragon on Tenrou Isnd, was it?"

  Nate could guess what she wanted to ask.

  "Don’t overthink it. If you want to know, wait until this world’s Lucy is freed from the seal. You can ask her yourself."

  Future Lucy was intensely curious about the life this world’s Lucy had lived and how she had ended up dating someone like Nate.

  Though she had only been here for a day, she could already understand her counterpart’s feelings.

  If it was Nate, she, too, would undoubtedly fall for him.

  "Okay," Future Lucy said, smiling brightly.

  After paying their respects at Lay’s grave, the two returned to the vil.

  With a quick word to the butler, Nate activated his Flying Thunder God magic, whisking them both to the royal capital.

  …

  The Dark Web

  [Zeref’s Bck Magic Tavern]

  In this eternal twilight realm, there is no daylight. An isnd shrouded in mist is illuminated only by a blood-red moon in the sky.

  Within the eerie atmosphere of the ancient castle, the interior of the tavern is bustling.

  Over the past six months, through covert promotion, the pce had transformed into a gathering spot for dark mages.

  Inside the tavern, the fmes on the walls flickered, casting a dim yellow glow across the hall.

  Dark mages from various guilds were scattered in groups, sitting at different tables.

  Notable members included those from Naked Mummy, Bck Unicorn, Succubus Eye, Red Hood, Raven Tail, and others.

  Even Eisenwald was present!

  Though officially disbanded, the guild’s core members had never been apprehended. Following the fall of Oración Seis, Eisenwald’s "Reaper" Erigor and his subordinates had joined Grimoire Heart, now functioning as one of its subservient guilds.

  …

  Near the entrance of the tavern, at one table:

  Erigor sat with a disgruntled expression, staring at a [Magic Net Livestream].

  The stream dispyed the Pokémon Championship Finals, which would begin in just over ten minutes.

  “...Tch. If my identity weren’t such an issue, that championship would have been mine.”

  Erigor scoffed, grabbing a bottle and downing it in a single gulp.

  Beside him, Kageyama muttered, “Erigor-san, I’ve already infiltrated the capital. After the championship ends and the winner is alone, we can make our move.”

  50 million J in prize money!

  A sum that could tempt anyone.

  While they couldn’t participate in the tournament openly, robbing the champion afterward was perfectly in line with the dark guild’s ethos.

  Suddenly, the door creaked open.

  A young man with short bck hair and cd in a white robe stepped into the tavern.

  “So lively... Who would’ve thought something like this existed within the Magic Net?”

  An unfamiliar face.

  “Who is he?”

  Kageyama squinted suspiciously.

  After all, entry into this tavern was only possible by using a specific “image.”

  This image was only circuted among dark guild members.

  Erigor rose and approached the young man, towering over him.

  “Who are you?”

  “Me?”

  “This is [Zeref's Bck Magic Tavern]. Not just anyone is allowed in here.”

  Erigor sneered, “You’re not from a legal guild, are you?”

  Each time the image was shared, the recipient’s identity was carefully verified.

  A stranger showing up uninvited naturally raised suspicion.

  The young man lifted his gaze, a flicker of confusion in his dark eyes.

  “[Zeref’s Bck Magic Tavern]?”

  He didn’t recall ever creating such a pce.

  How interesting.

  The young man’s lips curved into a smile.

  “I am Zeref. What exactly is this pce?”

  “You’re Zeref?”

  Erigor froze for a moment, then burst into ughter.

  “If you’re Zeref, then I’m Ankhseram!”

  With that, he raised his scythe and pressed it against the young man’s neck.

  “Spill it—where did you get the ‘image’ from?”

  Zeref: “...”

  Bleam