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"Hehe~"
"I can get all Golden Keys soon~"
On the return ship, Lucy giggled foolishly at the eleven gleaming Celestial Spirit Keys in her key pouch, so happy that she didn't even care about her share of the gold.
Lucy counted the zodiac patterns on the Golden Keys—only one, Capricorn, was missing to complete the Zodiac.
She originally had only three Golden Keys. In just over a year since joining Fairy Tail, that number had surged to eleven, and she'd also obtained the Ophiuchus Celestial Spirit, which existed outside the Zodiac.
I won't keep this joy to myself!
However, Lucy looked around and found that none of her companions cared about her nearly complete set of Golden Keys. After various shocks, everyone's resilience had greatly increased.
Natsu, as usual, "died" the moment he got on any mode of transport.
Happy had been overly attentive to Carla recently, completely transforming into a lovesick cat who'd abandoned his dignity, even offering up his favorite fish to the beautiful feline.
Gray was staring blankly at the sky. Having parted ways with his fellow disciple again, he was perhaps worried about Lyon, who had left to "find his own future."
The two young girls were chattering together. Minerva wanted to get a cute pet, and Wendy was helping her brainstorm ideas, while Cheese and Shirayuki watched the entire process from the sidelines.
As for the white-haired boy and girl who were stuck together like glue... tsk tsk, they clearly had something going on~
Can showing off when no one cares still be called showing off?
Lucy, deeply struck, instantly deflated, but still wanted to share her joy with someone. So, Lucy turned her attention to her Celestial Spirit Keys, locking onto Aquarius, who had been with her since childhood.
"Open! Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!"
Noah, who was cuddling with Mira, noticed Lucy's actions.
After Lucy got her new key, she'd summoned the Sagittarius Celestial Spirit to show everyone, and that human-like creature in a horse suit was truly indescribable.
So Noah was curious about what the Aquarius Celestial Spirit would be like. Could it be like that weird Sagittarius—a Celestial Spirit with a fish head and human legs?
With a chiming sound, the gate bearing Aquarius's pattern appeared.
A beautiful mermaid leaped out of the Gate. It was the Aquarius Celestial Spirit, Aquarius.
She had long blue hair, a seductive upper body covered only by a bikini, and held a two-handled urn in her hands. However, the Celestial Spirit's pure and beautiful face carried a hint of anger.
Unexpectedly, the Aquarius Celestial Spirit wasn't as friendly as Lucy's other Celestial Spirits.
The moment Aquarius appeared, she grabbed Lucy by the collar, furiously lifting her up like a kitten. "You brat! How many times have I told you not to call me when I'm on a date?!"
At this roar, Lucy instantly remembered Aquarius's warning from a few days ago, and her face immediately paled.
It's over. I got too carried away and forgot that Aquarius was dating Scorpio. This is bad...
It's the fierce big sister!
Watching Lucy tremble under the scolding, Noah couldn't help but think about what he knew.
Noah had once heard Jude mention that when he and his daughter were still estranged, Jude put all his energy into making money and working, paying too little attention to Lucy.
Lucy's childhood was almost entirely spent with Aquarius helping to raise her.
Lucy's feelings for Aquarius were like Natsu's for Erza—she was both a gentle and caring older sister and a stern, unyielding guardian.
Just as everyone was watching the drama unfold, another Gate suddenly opened, and Loke, the Lion, arrived uninvited.
"Aquarius, don't scare Lucy."
Loke, of course, came to help Lucy out.
Seeing Aquarius—who had been flirting with Scorpio in the Celestial Spirit World—get summoned away, Loke knew Lucy was about to get scolded, so he used his own power to open his Gate and enter the human world.
"You mangy lion, are you telling me what to do?"
Aquarius glared fiercely at Loke, but she still released Lucy. It wasn't out of fear of Loke, but simply because she'd finished scolding Lucy.
Seeing this, Loke also breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he was nominally the leader of the Zodiac Celestial Spirits, he really couldn't beat Aquarius at sea. If Aquarius turned her anger on him, Loke would only be able to run away.
"Yo, Noah. I haven't seen you in a few days and you're already this bold—you even managed to win over Mira."
Loke walked straight to Noah, wiggled his eyebrows at him, and whispered, "Why don't you go for Erza too? Then the guild's Red and White Demon Duo will serve you alone, and your death will surely be spectacular."
Is that how you talk?
Noah unhappily slapped away Loke's hand on his shoulder.
But Loke's words had some truth. If someone dated both Mira and Erza at the same time, it would be no different from seeking death. One would indeed have to consider how to die gracefully.
But what does that have to do with me, Noah?
Could Erza possibly secretly like me, just like Mira?
That's Erza—someone who dares to love and hate. How could she be so indecisive in matters of the heart?
On Lucy's side, although she'd just been thoroughly scolded by Aquarius, in the blink of an eye, the human and Celestial Spirit were sitting together, incredibly harmonious.
"Aquarius, look! I now have eleven Golden Keys!"
Like a child showing off to a parent, Lucy held up her keyring. "I'm only missing Capricorn, and I'll be the only Celestial Spirit Mage in centuries to possess all the Golden Keys!"
Looking at the blonde girl's dreams for the future, Aquarius's smile—which had been happy for her—gradually faded, eventually leaving only a solemn expression.
"Lucy, don't try to collect the Capricorn Key."
It was the first time Lucy had seen Aquarius with such a serious expression, and she was completely bewildered, practically writing "I don't understand" on her face.
Aquarius explained, "Loke stayed in the human world for three years, but Capricorn hasn't returned to the Celestial Spirit World for seventeen years."
The Capricorn Celestial Spirit, Capricorn—a powerful Celestial Spirit whose strength was on par with Loke's—had been missing for seventeen years.
No new Capricorn Celestial Spirit had been born in those seventeen years.
There must be something suspicious behind this, but this explanation couldn't convince Lucy to give up searching for the Capricorn Key. She also knew that Aquarius's reason for telling her to give up definitely wasn't just this.
"I want to know the real reason."
Looking at Lucy's resolute gaze, Aquarius was momentarily lost in thought, as if she saw one of her former contractors—an exact likeness.
Aquarius sighed. "Lucy, do you know about the four-hundred-year mission of the Heartfilia lineage?"
"Although Layla never mentioned the specific details of the mission, I can confirm that the Zodiac Golden Keys are necessary tools to complete it, and..."
"Your mother—Layla's death—is related to this mission."