It was time to leave.
Byakuran breathed a sigh of relief.
Pretending to be mysterious every day for the past few days had been rather exhausting.
It felt almost like reliving his days in Grimoire Heart.
Now that everything had been resolved, Layla had survived, and Natsu and the others had successfully traveled through time to the present day, four hundred years into the future, all the regrets that needed to be mended had been mended.
Staying here even a second longer would only be a waste of time.
His body had originally been accelerated into an adult form using Nature Magic.
After maintaining the spell for several days, he was feeling mentally exhausted.
More importantly, his sudden burst of power just now had stunned everyone.
Once they recovered, a barrage of questions would inevitably flood their minds.
He wouldn’t be able to answer any of them, and every additional word he spoke would only expose more loopholes.
So, Byakuran immediately turned around and walked toward the stairs leading out.
“Mr. Ye.”
Noticing that Byakuran was about to leave, Layla grew anxious and immediately called out to him.
Byakuran stopped and turned to look at her.
Layla hurried over.
Her hair was somewhat disheveled, her clothes were covered in dust, and the tear stains on her face had not yet dried, making her look rather worn out.
Yet when she finally stood before him, this noble mistress of the Heartfilia family bowed deeply.
It was a humble gesture that the head of a great family with centuries of heritage would normally never show to a stranger.
“Thank you.”
“…”
“You didn’t just save me,” Layla said softly.
“You also saved those five children, as well as the hope that the people of four hundred years ago risked everything to preserve.”
Byakuran waved his hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Please tell me how I can repay you.”
Layla smiled gently.
“Please tell me your true name, or where you come from. Either one will do. The Heartfilia family never leaves a debt of gratitude unpaid.”
Here it comes.
“There is no need.”
Byakuran shook his head decisively.
“As I said, I only came here to fulfill my duty. Now that it is over, we have nothing more to do with each other.”
Byakuran had no intention of revealing himself to the public so soon.
Not to mention his identity as an undercover agent, becoming too conspicuous would only make it difficult for him to cause trouble in the future.
“But…”
“Lady Layla.”
Byakuran interrupted her.
“Once those who dwell in the shadows are remembered, they can no longer remain in the shadows.”
Layla fell silent for several seconds.
Those eyes, so similar to Lucy’s, stared at him for a long time, making Byakuran’s scalp tingle.
He had a vague feeling that this woman had already guessed something.
Yet from beginning to end, she chose not to ask.
“Then I will keep this debt of gratitude close to my heart,” she said at last.
“If there ever comes a day when you need the help of the Heartfilia family—no matter when or what it may be—we will not hesitate to assist you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Don’t worry.
Your daughter will repay this debt for you in the future, many times over.
Just don’t blame Fairy Tail for dragging your daughter, whom you only wished to live a peaceful life, into all sorts of bizarre incidents.
Byakuran silently added those words in his heart before turning to leave.
“Please wait.”
Before he could take more than a few steps, Jude blocked his path once again.
Byakuran felt somewhat helpless.
Can’t this married couple just finish saying everything they want to say at once?
The great merchant’s face remained solemn, as though he still harbored some suspicion toward Byakuran.
He stood straight, his chest rising and falling twice.
Then, this man who had never bowed his head lowered his proud head and spoke solemnly.
“…Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Byakuran replied indifferently.
Then, remembering that he had yet to get back at Zudil, the petty side of Byakuran suddenly emerged.
“By the way…”
Jude looked at him.
“Please be careful of that afro-haired servant of yours. There’s something wrong with him. With his twisted sense of loyalty, keeping him around might cause trouble in the future.”
Giving this warning to Layla would be useless.
After all, Zudil was indeed loyal to her. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
And with Layla’s personality, she probably wouldn’t suspect a servant simply because someone claimed his loyalty was questionable.
Jude, however, was different.
He was a calculating man.
If someone spoke ill of one of his servants, he would remain cautious even if the accusation were a lie—let alone when there really was something wrong with Zudil.
Jude’s eyebrow twitched.
“Zudil’s loyalty is beyond doubt.”
Byakuran didn’t care.
“I’m only giving you a warning. He hasn’t actually done anything yet, so believe it or not—that’s up to you.”
After all, Byakuran didn’t know what Zudil would do now that Layla had survived.
However, given the man’s personality, he was difficult to trust.
Giving Jude a warning and telling him to keep an eye on Zudil was enough.
Jude fell silent for a moment.
“…I won’t blindly believe the words of a stranger,” he said at last.
“But I will keep an eye on him.”
“Good.”
Byakuran turned and continued walking up the stairs.
“By the way, don’t tell Lady Layla about this.”
“…I understand.”
Jude remained standing on the landing, watching the black silhouette walk higher and higher until it finally disappeared from view.
It was as though he wanted to engrave the figure of this mysterious benefactor into his memory.
Then, he slowly turned his head toward the hall below.
The afro-haired servant was still kneeling where he had been.
His head was lowered, and his shoulders were trembling violently and unnaturally.
Jude stared at him for a long time.
“Mr. Ye! It is my duty. Please allow me to escort you to the palace gates!”
Arcadios caught up with Byakuran, panting heavily.
Although he had not yet recovered from what had happened earlier and was running somewhat awkwardly, he still maintained his proper manners.
Byakuran glanced at him and gave a noncommittal nod.
Outside the palace gates, morning light was already spilling in from the east.
The sun in the sky, which had been partially consumed, was slowly returning to its original shape.
A cold wind swept across the empty stone road.
The young knight escorted Byakuran out through the palace gates and stopped there, watching the black figure gradually fade into the distance until he disappeared at the end of the street.
It was as though that person had never existed.
Arcadios stood on the long street for a long time.
Finally, he pulled out his notebook filled with “suspicious points.”
He flipped to the last page and wrote down the day’s entry.
[July 7th. The Eclipse Gate opened.]
[“Ye” — unable to record.]
…
Afterward, Dordon secretly checked the national guild registry, the Council’s confidential archives, and the immigration records from the past several years.
He was convinced that a Mage of such terrifying strength could not possibly remain unknown.
Yet the result was shocking.
There was not a single record of such a person.
It was as though he had simply appeared out of thin air.
The report was eventually sealed within the royal family’s top-secret archives.
At the end of the report, there was only a single line of conclusion, written with a mixture of helplessness and relief.
[—Fortunately, this person is on our side.]
As for King Toma, he sat on the steps of the underground hall for a long time, staring blankly at the closed black doors.
A mission that had lasted for four hundred years.
From his ancestors, to his great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and finally himself…
Generation after generation had maintained their vigilance.
Now, it had finally come to an end in his generation.
Not only had he witnessed a miracle that crossed time and space with his own eyes, but he had also met a Mage unlike anyone he had ever seen before.
The Pumpkin King’s feelings at this moment simply could not be expressed in words.
“Pass down the order!”
The short king abruptly stood up, the mustache above his lips twitching.
“Tonight’s royal dinner will consist entirely of pumpkin dishes! Everyone in the Knights gets a share!”
After a brief pause, excitement gleamed in his eyes as he muttered softly.
“…How wonderful. So this is what Mages are like.”
“In the future, I must hold a grand festival where all the Mages in the country can be invited.”
Inside the carriage on the way home, Layla flipped to the final page of Anna’s journal.
[Five—or perhaps six—travelers from four hundred years ago have successfully arrived in this world.]
[Although one of the Gold Keys was missing, fortunately, an anonymous mysterious powerhouse filled the gap with overwhelming magic power.]
[With this, the destiny passed down for four hundred years has finally come to an end.]
“Let’s go home, Jude.”
Layla closed the notebook, her face filled with tenderness and anticipation.
“Lucy is home alone. She must be getting anxious waiting for us.”
Outside the carriage, among the accompanying servants, Zudil tightly clutched the Celestial Spirit Key of Capricorn in his arms.
His head remained lowered, his eyes hidden in the shadows.
Yet within them burned an endless desire and fanaticism for the terrifying power Byakuran had displayed earlier.
At the outskirts of the royal capital, amid the ruined grassland, a blonde woman dressed in intricate, ancient clothing slowly fluttered her long eyelashes and opened her eyes.
“Where… am I?”
She struggled to push herself up from the ground.
Her long hair cascaded down her back, while her voice carried the hoarseness and confusion of someone who had only just awakened.
The last thing she remembered was the violent sensation of being torn apart while crossing through time and space.
“Where are the children?”
Ignoring her disheveled long skirt, the blonde woman frantically looked around.
There was nothing but weeds and strange rocks.
Not a single other person was in sight.
And, most importantly, there was no trace of the five figures she cherished like precious treasures.
“No…”
Anna’s fingers dug deeply into the soil.
“This isn’t where the Eclipse Gate was supposed to open…”
The unease in her heart spread like a rising tide.
“What happened?”
At the same moment, aboard the magic train bound for Magnolia.
A twelve-year-old boy sat huddled beside the window, clutching a bulging duffel bag in his arms.
Inside were local specialties he had bought in the royal capital.
It was a rare opportunity to visit the capital, so he had purchased a few things to bring back with him.
Now that his mind, which had been tense for several days, had finally relaxed, exhaustion surged over him.
But it was worth it.
Judging by the time, those five little ones should have already landed in various parts of Fiore.
Among them, the pink-haired one with the scarf around his neck would soon be found by the Master and brought back to the guild.
The guild was going to become very lively after that.
“—I hope I won’t be dragged into it when the time comes.”
Byakuran muttered as he pulled his hood down over his face.
He closed his eyes and leaned against the window, preparing to take a nap.
As for what that sixth sphere of light had been…
He couldn’t be bothered to think about it.
His mind was now completely focused on the system panel before him.
Coming into such close contact with the space-time channel had exposed him to an enormous amount of space-time energy.
That energy had caused the system, which had remained silent for years and had almost been forgotten by Byakuran, to react once again.
In the chaos earlier, he hadn’t noticed it immediately.
But now that he had calmed down and looked back, he realized something.
His cheat had finally come back online.
Byakuran opened the system panel and checked the system logs.
The first entry was from more than ten years ago, when he had just crossed over.
[New world crossing detected.
Randomly drawing a special ability from this world.
Congratulations, the ability has been drawn.
Congratulations on obtaining the ability [Infinite Magic Power].]
And just now, a new message had appeared on the system panel.
[New world crossing detected.
Randomly drawing a special ability from this world.
Congratulations, the ability has been drawn.
Congratulations on obtaining the ability [Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga].]
Byakuran couldn’t help but look around.
Everything still looked like the magical world of Fairy Tail.
There were no skyscrapers.
No bustling traffic.
Nothing seemed out of place.
I didn’t cross over again, did I?