Regarding the Saint System's warning about "avoiding excessive interaction," Marco wasn't particularly worried.
Rather than worrying about this, it's more concerning to think about the consequences of not sending them back—likely far more terrifying.
"Exactly. As expected, I couldn't hide it from you, Marco. We are indeed from the future—specifically, X784. What year is it now?"
After Marco completely exposed their identities, Erza accepted the truth openly.
She was no longer as tense as before and began to regain some of her composure as the "Fairy Queen."
The older Erza from X784 carried more authority than her current self.
However, dressed in a white catgirl outfit, it was hard for her to appear dignified no matter how imposing she tried to be.
"X784? It's currently X778." Marco didn't look particularly surprised.
His earlier estimate hadn't exceeded ten years, after all.
This older Erza still looked quite young, brimming with youthful energy and vitality.
"X778? Feels like such a long time ago. So, Happy hasn't joined the guild yet, right?"
Erza reminisced about the past and quickly realized—in X778, Happy hadn't arrived at the guild yet.
Wait, wasn't Happy born around this year?
"Happy? Who's that? A future guild member?" Marco took the opportunity to ask.
Among the two unfamiliar newcomers who had traveled through time, he'd already met Lucy—only Happy remained.
It sounded like a male name, given how he'd likely be fooling around with Gray and Natsu.
"I can't say it! But you'll probably meet him soon enough." Erza covered her mouth, shaking her head repeatedly in refusal.
She didn't dare to say more and confirmed to herself that Happy hadn't been born yet.
The "Fairy Queen" inwardly lamented.
Even in front of Marco—especially a younger Marco—she found it hard to stay guarded.
It felt like she'd end up revealing too much if this continued.
'No! We have to go back quickly!' Erza steeled her resolve.
"Marco, can you understand the contents of this magic book? This is what brought us to this time."
She handed the book to Marco.
Since their cover was blown, there was no harm in asking for his help.
Though Marco wasn't as research-obsessed as Levy, Erza remembered him as well-read and knowledgeable.
Maybe he could decipher the book.
Marco took the book and flipped through it.
The tattered tome was indeed obscure, filled with convoluted, rambling content—like a padded academic paper, with only a few substantial lines buried within.
"So? Can you do it?" Lucy watched Marco expectantly.
Even if they found Natsu, Gray, and Happy, they couldn't return without unlocking the book's secrets.
"I can, but I'll need time." Marco's expression was serious, but he remained confident.
Once he filtered out the book's, he could uncover the secret of time travel!
"That's great! As long as there's a way!" Lucy jumped for joy, bouncing like a rabbit.
Her boobs jiggling vigorously with each movement.
This blonde girl indeed had an incredibly hot body, though Erza standing beside her was no slouch either—both were young, beautiful, and stunningly attractive.
Unfortunately, Marco's attention was entirely focused on the magic book in his hands, leaving no time to appreciate such sights.
At this moment, Marco's interest in this magic book surpassed everything else.
This was time magic capable of returning to the past!
Hearing this, Erza let out a sigh of relief.
With Marco here to help, she felt much more at ease, her confidence instantly maxed out.
But she couldn't leave Marco alone here.
They had inexplicably traveled back in time—who knew if this book might cause more unexpected changes?
What if Marco got sent away to the future for no reason? That would only complicate things further.
So, Erza decided to stay with Marco to decipher the magic book together, while sending Lucy to find those three troublemakers.
"Lucy, you go ahead and look for Natsu, Gray, and Happy. Marco and I will figure out how to decode this magic book," Erza said seriously to Lucy.
"Got it! I'll head out right away!" Lucy agreed without hesitation.
Though she would have loved to chat more with the younger version of Marco, the situation simply didn't permit it.
Bunny-girl Lucy jogged off, heading out of Magnolia City.
She had already quickly scoured the city—it was time to check outside.
She planned to visit that little river first; perhaps Natsu and Gray were also there.
To prepare, she even asked about the river's location.
Six years later, that river had actually disappeared—she had no memory of such a stream existing.
"Has Magnolia changed that much in six years?" Marco asked Erza curiously after Lucy left.
"Hmm, the changes are quite significant. Many old shops gradually vanished," Erza replied vaguely after a slight hesitation.
Facing the slightly naive young Marco, she found it hard to outright refuse or deceive him.
"Shops disappearing... Does Magnolia face economic downturns?" Marco's expression turned odd, his face full of confusion.
Thanks to Fairy Tail's presence, Magnolia's industries were all thriving, driven by the guild's influence.
The city had a considerable strong economy.
Many old shops were even as ancient as Fairy Tail itself—some had been frequented by Makarov since his childhood.
For a city like Magnolia, which had always been in an upward trajectory—even expanding its borders—to have many old shops slowly disappear...
This made no sense to Marco.
Had some major catastrophe occurred?
Otherwise, how could those century-old establishments, deeply woven into the lives of citizens, just fade away?
"Maybe you could—never mind, I shouldn't say more." Erza opened her mouth, hesitated, then held back.
She had considered telling Marco to keep an eye on Natsu and Gray—perhaps then the shops those two destroyed or damaged might survive.
But she wasn't sure of the consequences.
"Erza, you've already entrusted me with this magic book. What else are you worried about?" Marco held the magic book and smiled helplessly.
He could only say that the matter of time travel had indeed affected Erza greatly.
The girl kept making one blunder after another in front of him.
"Ah!"
Only after Marco pointed it out did Erza suddenly realize her mistake, her face filled with regret.
She had only thought that since Marco had already seen through them, there was no harm in asking for his help.
But she had forgotten that letting Marco obtain this time magic book and master this time magic at this moment might lead to more unpredictable dangers!
Her unconditional trust in Marco had betrayed her.
"Don't worry, Erza. Do you really think I'd do something like that? Change the past?"
Marco spoke with a smile, reaching out to pat Erza head who was lying beside him.
The two had been lying together reading the magic book.
"No, you wouldn't do that." Erza paused for a moment before answering firmly.
She didn't pull away, allowing young Marco to continue stroking her hair.
"Exactly. Why change the past? That would be denying who we are now.
It's because of our past memories that we are who we are today. Every little thing from the past connects and forms our present selves. If we change the past, would we... still be us?"
Marco's words left Erza momentarily dazed, but they truly resonated with her, causing some of her thoughts to fade away.
After all, who doesn't have some past they'd like to change?
But would altering those past events necessarily lead to better outcomes?
Hard to say.
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