Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guild.
After Erza hammered away a crowd of idlers, only the core members remained, circling Coco as she recounted the events in Edolas.
When she finished, Erza's expression turned grim. Her gaze at Coco carried a hint of hostility.
"So, you're saying Master has done… some questionable things in Edolas."
For someone as composed as Erza, this was restrained. Gray, on the other hand, exploded outright.
"Are you kidding me? There's no way Master would ever do something like that!"
Unconsciously, his jacket was already off, an aura of chilling frost bursting from his body.
If Coco hadn't come under Mystogan's lead, Gray would have thrown her out immediately.
You couldn't really blame Erza and Gray for reacting this way—it was simply too surreal.
It was like a stranger suddenly showing up to tell you that your own family member was a criminal, committing atrocities, and now you had to stop them—or better yet, kill them.
How would anyone react?
Emotionally, none of Fairy Tail's members could accept such an accusation, much less consider it seriously.
After all, Master—"Gramps"—really had done so much for them:
When Phantom Lord attacked and Fairy Tail was in crisis, it was Gramps who stepped in and saved them.
Lisanna's return from Edolas, Mirajane's reunion with her sister—it was thanks to him.
The connection and alliance between the Edolas and Earthland Fairy Tail guilds—his work.
The Council's increased funding cleared out Fairy Tail's debts and allowed them better-paying jobs, improving everyone's lives—his doing.
Even the Tower of Heaven disaster—it was Gramps who helped settle that mess.
He always seemed like he hadn't done much, and yet, somehow, he had done everything. His influence radiated throughout the guild, and everyone deeply respected this old man.
And now someone was here, trying to sow discord? What reaction could Fairy Tail possibly have?
Trust this stranger and run to Edolas to fight their Master?
Who said outsiders always told the truth? What if this person was lying?
"But it is the truth." Coco wasn't backing down. She came because she trusted her kingdom, trusted her prince. She had no attachment to Fairy Tail and couldn't understand the complicated bonds between a so-called "culprit" and their family.
"It's true."
A cold voice suddenly cut through the tension. Carla spoke.
"Carla…" Wendy called nervously, worried that her Exceed's bluntness would upset everyone further.
"I only speak the facts." Carla turned her head aside with her usual frosty grace. To her, Earthland humans were as foolish as pigs. What point was there in lying about something like this?
Once exposed, it would only backfire.
Edolas didn't come seeking allies only to antagonize them. They wouldn't do something so foolish.
Fairy Tail's members immediately turned their eyes on Carla, their expressions darkening. Not only because she was echoing Coco's words against Master, but because she was one of them—part of Fairy Tail.
As guildmates, as family, shouldn't she trust them, support them, not side with outsiders?
It was hard to tolerate, and yet, she was Wendy's lifelong partner and a guild member. No one could openly scold her, but their looks said enough—they were not pleased.
The atmosphere grew unbearably tense.
Even Ellis, who harbored his own hidden schemes, thought Carla's words were poorly timed.
"Just trust Mystogan. Master may have his reasons, but it does seem he really did those things."
At that moment, Natsu and Mystogan emerged from the library. But now, Natsu's aura had shifted—his reckless energy and sharpness tempered into steadiness and confidence. It was as if he had become a different person altogether.
He spoke up, breaking the tension in the room.
Fairy Tail's members still looked uneasy, but they began to think seriously.
"Mystogan already told me everything. I'm going to Edolas to ask Master directly. No matter what, he's part of Fairy Tail. If there's a problem, then Fairy Tail will face it together."
"Well said! Man, I didn't know you had this kind of backbone." Gray punched Natsu lightly in the chest, hooking an arm around his shoulder with a grin.
"Natsu's right. Whatever Master is planning over there, we need to see for ourselves." Erza stepped forward, and the others' spirits quickly rose.
Mystogan's expression softened with relief.
But suddenly, a portal of light tore open above.
Lucy tumbled out in a battered, scarred state, tear stains still on her cheeks.
The instant she saw her friends, the tears she'd been holding back broke free like a flood.
"Natsu, everyone—something's happened to the Edolas guild!"
…
Rewind the clock one hour earlier.
Edolas, Fairy Tail guild headquarters.
The Strauss siblings were busy chasing after children, while others either enjoyed daily life or worried about the future.
Since the kingdom, the rebels, and the Exceed had completely broken ties, war had only escalated. Now, at least two-thirds of the kingdom's land was consumed by flames.
But Fairy Tail had little to do with it—they were just a mage guild, and in fact, a dark guild at that. They hadn't been hired to fight in the war.
No matter how the world changed, they could always run. Worst case, they could flee to Earthland.
The world was vast—there was always somewhere to survive.
So overall, the Edolas Fairy Tail guild wasn't particularly sensitive to the crisis. The atmosphere wasn't tense.
Lucy, however, was in the library, researching history.
This world's Fairy Tail had been around nearly a hundred years, across several kings' reigns.
Among the collection, aside from magic texts, the largest portion was history books.
"Four hundred years ago, the genius mage Zeref appeared, leading the magical world into an even greater age of prosperity… huh? That's where it ends?"
Huff.
Digging in a dusty corner of the shelf, Lucy found a coverless, blank-looking book. It wasn't really a book—more like a diary. The handwriting inside was crooked, sloppy, and hard to read.
Blowing away the dust, she opened it—and froze.
The name Zeref. Black Wizard Zeref. Now that was huge news. Could the Zeref of Edolas be different from Earthland's?
Her curiosity burned, and she eagerly flipped ahead.
But suddenly, the record stopped—switching instead to mundane entries, daily life, and some magical theories.
No more mentions of Zeref.
Lucy checked carefully—there were no signs that the pages were torn. The seams were smooth.
Looking more closely… oh?
The handwriting was different.
It was a stitched-together fake, some patched mess.
"Unbelievable. Something this important, just cut off like that!" Lucy threw up her arms, venting her frustration, slumping across the desk like a flopping fish.
Just when she'd found a real lead—it was gone. She felt utterly deflated.
"No future… no hope!" she groaned dramatically.
"Damn it, if only I could use magic here!" she muttered. In Edolas, Earthland mages were powerless—unless they asked Master for help.
But Lucy had trauma where Master was concerned. No way was she going near him again.
"Yo, Aslu—Lucy. What're you studying?"
Edolas Lucy—short-haired, big-sister type—walked over, carrying fruit.
"History from four hundred years ago. Ugh, I finally found something valuable, but it turned out to be a fake. Who writes history like a diary, anyway?!"
Lucy sat up straighter, one hand propping her chin, the other waving the fake journal around, her face full of despair.
"Hmm, let me see that." Edolas Lucy flipped through and burst out laughing.
"Yeah, you got played. Look, the timeline doesn't even match. The first part says four hundred years ago, then suddenly it's four hundred years later. Actually, these last few pages were written only in recent years."
Lucy's expression collapsed further. She was going to find whoever did this and beat the crap out of them.
Her eyes blazed with righteous fury. The only thing fueling her now was revenge.
"These handwriting styles look familiar. Might've been one of our guildmates. Don't worry—I'll ask around. And when I find out who it was, I'll give 'em a good thrashing for you." Edolas Lucy smiled warmly as she flipped more pages.
"Thanks, Edolas Lucy," Lucy said, cheered up by her words.
"No problem. I've been meaning to knock some sense into them anyway." Edolas Lucy flexed an arm, muscles bulging as she grinned widely.
Woo!!!
Wooo!!!
A shrill alarm suddenly blared, shattering their moment of lightheartedness.
The two froze, tensing, then rushed out in a hurry.
By the time they reached the guild hall, chaos had already broken out.