After the members of the Review Council finished handling everything, dusk was already approaching.
The last magitech train back to Magnoelia had long since departed.
Having missed the train, Makalov had planned to let his juniors rest a night in Clover City, but a ship that descended from the sky and President Bob's invitation changed his mind... As night fell, a flying warship streaked across the sky.
This vessel, named "Christina," is a magitech bombardment cruiser, a bespoke transport crafted by the "Blue Pegasus" with a great deal of time and money.
Its hull is sturdy and durable, equipped with a powerful magitech cannon; the magi of the Blue Pegasus often travel aboard the Christina to conduct magical surveys in remote regions.
"Ah~ the night breeze feels so nice~"
Lucy, experiencing her first flight on a warship, leans against the deck railing, blissfully enjoying the evening wind.
Beside her, Nazz also leans on the railing, but his expression is the opposite of Lucy's—he looks half‑dead from motion sickness.
Suddenly, Nazz's body jerks, collapsing onto Lucy; his gaunt face startles her. "Nazz! Hold on, we're going to find the president and the others."
"No... you don't have to, Lucy. I... I don't think I can hold on much longer..."
Grasping Lucy's hand, Nazz speaks as if delivering his last words: "Lucy, after I die, please look after Habi. Treat it like our child..."
What child!
I'm only seventeen!!
Lucy panics internally, but seeing Nazz's near‑death expression, she can only nod silently. "Don't worry, Nazz. I won't mistreat Habi. I'll buy the finest fish snacks and even find a beautiful female cat for it to marry."
Hearing that, the deathly look on Nazz's face vanishes instantly; he turns and looks another way. "Did you hear that, Habi? Lucy said she'll get you the most expensive fish snacks and find you a wife."
"Aie!"
A blue kitten flutters its wings and swoops in; while Lucy stares in shock, the excited kitten high‑fives Nazz.
"Hahaha, Lucy, you're so dumb, falling for us again."
"I was only playing dead a little; she actually believed me."
"Getting motion sick can't possibly kill you~"
"Lucy is so clueless."
"Yeah, yeah."
"..."
Lost in their smugness, Nazz and Habi pay no attention to Lucy, whose face has turned a sickly shade as she forces a twisted grin.
"Open it, Gate of Cancer, Kaisha!"
Instantly, a male star spirit with a crab‑leg hairstyle, holding two scissors and wearing glasses, answers Lucy's summons, emerging from the star gate.
Seeing the Cancer star spirit Lucy just summoned, Nazz and Habi are still unaware of any danger.
"Lucy, did you summon Kaisha just to get a haircut?"
"No way, cutting hair up in the sky would send clippings everywhere."
Hearing Nazz and Habi banter, Lucy replies calmly, "I called Kaisha not for a haircut, but for you, Habi."
"Huh? Me?" Habi scratches his face.
Lucy nods, doesn't elaborate, and gently helps Nazz up. "Nazz, are you hungry?"
Nazz looks puzzled but answers, "Yeah, a bit. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, just wondering if you're hungry. If you are..." Lucy's expression turns fierce, and she punches Nazz hard in the stomach. "Then have a bite of my fist!"
The already queasy Nazz finally quiets down.
Watching the cherry‑haired boy collapse motionless on the deck, Lucy claps her hands in satisfaction.
As long as you knock someone out, they won't get motion sickness.
I learned that trick from Erusha.
Habi, startled by Lucy's actions, tries to sneak away, but Lucy grabs him. "Habi, how dare you team up with Nazz to mess with me and still want a female cat? Today I'm going to make sure you have no descendants!"
"Hehe, say goodbye to your happy life!"
"Kaisha! Castrate it!"
Facing Lucy's sudden frenzy, Habi looks terrified as Kaisha's icy‑glinting scissors draw nearer, making his fur stand on end.
Seeking help from the already‑knocked‑out Nazz is useless; Habi turns to another companion lounging on the deck.
"Ribbit! Hop, save me!"
Hop, who has been watching Nazz and Habi's prank the whole time, thinks: "...to protect his lower half's happiness, he even croaks like a frog?"
Hakimi, you really... hesitated, but when faced with murderous Lucy and that nonsensical scoundrel cat, Hop decisively chooses to play the bystander and flee.
After all, he's the protagonist's cat; as long as he lives, any trouble is fine... I guess.
Hop heads straight back into the warship's interior.
Inside the warship is a spacious area where Makalov, Kana, and the members of the Blue Pegasus are resting.
Hearing the chaos outside, Erusha and Gray originally wanted to go out and stop it, since this is someone else's ship and damaging anything would be rude.
But when Hop mentions that Lucy is on the deck tidying up Nazz and Habi, they immediately sit back down.
The one getting beaten is Nazz? Then it's fine.
President Bob can't help but smile, "Makalov, your new girl really brings energy."
Makalov feels a bit embarrassed; looking at Lucy—a proper, serious girl—he wonders how she could become so abnormal just two days after joining the guild.
Must've been Nazz's influence.
It has to be that.
Blaming it on others in his mind, Makalov's mood lifts. "Speaking of which, they remind me of us when we were young. Back then, when Boruska got angry, we wouldn't even dare speak a word."
Bob nods nostalgically, "Indeed, back then the teacher hadn't left yet, you hadn't taken over Fairy Tail, and I and Godeman hadn't left the guild..."
Hop, who just sat down, looks surprised and interjects, "President Bob, were you and President Godeman once members of our guild too?"
Bob nods.
Makalov continues, "We were just a small squad back then. Since I took over as president, everyone has gone their separate ways to chase their dreams."
"Take Bob, that arrogant guy who wanted to form a guild of only handsome men and beautiful women, so he left Fairy Tail and founded the 'Blue Pegasus', recruiting only good‑looking mages."
Hearing Makalov's story, Hop glances at Bob's plump, over‑the‑top attire.
It's hard to imagine someone like that would create a guild exclusively for pretty guys and gals.
Makalov reads Hop's thoughts, "Show some respect, kid. When Bob was young, he was the most handsome in our generation; the women chasing him could fill ten streets."
Hop understands; Bob and Makalov are of similar age, and an eighty‑something elder looking so different from his youth is perfectly normal.
Perhaps the mood is right; Makalov and Bob start chatting away, sharing many adventure tales from their youth with the younger members, who become engrossed.
Before they know it, two hours have slipped by.
Just as the two elders grow hoarse from talking, Magnoelia arrives.
After saying goodbye to the Blue Pegasus magi, everyone disembarks outside the city; night is deep, and even the usually bustling Fairy Tail should be closed now, so everyone heads home.
Only Hop, who is currently staying at the guild, returns to the guild.
He locks the main door, feels his way through the quiet hall, reaches his room, and as he tries to open the door he notices a bag hanging from the knob.
Turning on the magi lamp in the room, Hop finally sees the bag contains a letter addressed "To Hop."
The letter was probably collected by Mira on his behalf.
But who could have sent it?
Could it be Doronbart? But didn't they just meet during the day?
He closes the door, tears open the envelope, and when his fingers touch the paper, the writing begins to move, forming a tiny magical circle.
A big‑headed, mustached man wearing a single‑lens eyeglass projects his image onto the wall through the circle's light.
"Hop, I am your Lord Sol."
"Using amnesia as a pretext to infiltrate Fairy Tail, you truly are a genius. Do well, we won't shortchange any deserving merit."
"Once you defeat Fairy Tail, you can officially become a member of the great 'Specter Lord of the Underground'."
As the mustached man's words finish, the letter and envelope instantly ignite, turning into harmless ash.
Hop fell silent.
This is the same nonsense he blurted to Doronbart earlier today, right?
How did it become real at night, turning him into an undercover agent for the Specter Lord…? Talk about a lucky strike, but not that precise!
And why is the original owner also a temporary worker for the Specter Lord!!