"OOOOH! Beautiful punch! Get him, Elfman!"
High in the arena's best seats, Toma E. Fiore waved his arms excitedly like any other spectator, shouting at the top of his lungs.
The guards beside him stood frozen, never having imagined that their noble, exalted king could act like this. Even Arcadios, who knew Toma's personality well, couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.
"Haha! What a thrilling battle—well worth taking a day off for!"
During a brief lull as Elfman and Future Bacchus broke apart, a thoroughly entertained Toma turned to Arcadios and praised him: "Arcadios, you really do understand my heart, putting these two true men together!"
"...I'm honored to have your approval," Arcadios said, placing his right hand over his left chest and bowing slightly.
Internally, however, he was grumbling: Weren't you just complaining that this match was too boring? That's a pretty quick change of heart!
But the next moment, his pupils contracted sharply, and his expression shifted.
His bowed head had accidentally caught sight of Future Lucy in the stands below, cheering for Elfman!
He had just received word that his men had successfully completed the mission—so why...
Was Lucy Heartfilia still here?
Had those idiots grabbed the wrong person?!
Arcadios tried to contact his operatives through his portable magic communication device, but received no response.
Thinking of Princess Hisui back at Mercurius Palace, a sense of unease crept into his heart. After excusing himself to the King on urgent business, he hastily left the arena.
Meanwhile.
At Mercurius Palace, high above.
The sound of a boiling magic kettle echoed through the lavishly decorated room. The faint aroma of tea drifted through the steam, wafting out toward the balcony overlooking the Grand Magic Games arena.
A high-definition holographic screen floated in the air, broadcasting the intense battle between Elfman and Future Bacchus in real-time.
On the sofa by the coffee table, Chase and Princess Hisui E. Fiore sat facing each other.
Princess Hisui wore a simple white dress, her long emerald hair loosely draped, the ruby necklace on her forehead clearly priceless.
"Mr. Chase, please."
Princess Hisui handed the brewed tea to Chase, her movements exuding the poise and elegance befitting a kingdom's princess.
Chase didn't stand on ceremony. He took the cup, blew on it gently, and downed it in one go.
A fresh, unique fragrance spread through his body, carrying a vaguely familiar taste—similar to the tea Jude had served him before.
He had initially planned to pretend to be captured and wait for Arcadios or Princess Hisui to reveal themselves. But after the red-robed men locked him in a secret room, nothing happened.
Helpless, he had simply put the guards to sleep, quietly infiltrated the palace, and quickly found Princess Hisui—which, for him, was no trouble at all.
"Mr. Chase, can you tell me—"
Princess Hisui shifted her gaze from the holographic screen to Chase, her expression serious, "How did you discover my existence?"
When Chase had suddenly "barged in," she had been genuinely startled. Upon learning he had come because of Lucy, she had immediately switched into actress mode, playing dumb and claiming ignorance, vowing to arrest the culprits who had attacked a guild mage.
Chase had simply smiled, grabbed a passing unlucky guard, and demonstrated his Magic Card — Brain Control.
The stunned Princess Hisui had confessed on the spot and voluntarily invited him to this room for a detailed discussion.
"I can't tell you that," Chase said, setting down his teacup.
"...Well," Princess Hisui's lips twitched slightly.
She had seen Future Jura get put in an awkward spot by this man who knew nothing of tact yesterday, and now it was her turn!
Coming from high society and a refined environment, she was clearly unaccustomed to this style of conversation, momentarily at a loss.
"To be honest, the reason we need Miss Lucy—as a Celestial Spirit Mage—is to activate the Eclipse Project."
After a light sigh, knowing there was no point in hiding anything, Princess Hisui truthfully revealed the "top national secret."
As Chase had expected, during this period before Future Rogue's appearance, Princess Hisui simply wanted to open the Eclipse Gate to travel back four hundred years, eliminate the still-weakened Dark Mage Zeref and Black Dragon Acnologia, and thereby protect the current magical world's peace and stability.
That was the so-called "Eclipse Project 1" from the original story.
"I see. That's quite a bold idea," Chase said, feigning shock before changing the subject: "So your royal family's way of asking for help is to knock people out and kidnap them?"
"About that—"
A glimmer of apology flickered in Princess Hisui's eyes as she bowed slightly toward Chase. "I apologize. Arcadios must have misunderstood my intentions. He's always been rather aggressive in his methods."
"Of course, I also bear some responsibility for not making myself clear enough."
She had indeed instructed Arcadios to bring Lucy to see her, but she hadn't expected such brute force.
Knowing this princess's personality well, Chase didn't dwell on it. He continued the conversation: "And how do you know that the Eclipse Gate can definitely take you back four hundred years?"
"My father once witnessed people from the past walk out of that gate," Princess Hisui said gravely.
"That's not quite enough information. If I remember correctly, the Eclipse Gate was originally Zeref's magical creation, wasn't it?" Chase pressed.
"Precisely why it's the only way to eliminate him," Princess Hisui said, her expression resolute. "Even if it means taking risks, even if I have to bear the stigma of dabbling in forbidden black magic—I'm willing!"
She was just that stubborn, or perhaps too dedicated to her kingdom. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easily manipulated by Future Rogue's words.
Her resolve was admirable, but she was still too young, lacking the necessary caution and prudence—which ultimately led to disaster and complete loss of control.
At least, that was the case in Future Lucy's timeline, where ten thousand dragons destroyed the world.
With that thought, Chase unceremoniously picked up the teapot and poured himself another cup.
Princess Hisui didn't mind his minor breach of etiquette. She asked nervously, "So... what do you think?"
Yesterday's battle with Ten Wizard Saint Jura had already proven Chase's terrifying, otherworldly power.
Especially that massive deep-blue figure—it still sent shivers down her spine just thinking about it.
If this man were firmly opposed to the plan, it would undoubtedly create unimaginable resistance to the Eclipse Project's smooth implementation!
"Since it's for the sake of preserving the magical world's stability, as a mage, I suppose I have to contribute my share," Chase said after finishing his tea, meeting her gaze. "Don't worry. I'll inform Lucy and have her cooperate with the Eclipse Project."
On his way to Mercurius—being carried along—he had been pondering Carla's vision of the future. And he had thought of a possibility.
A possibility that would allow him to fight giant dragons from four hundred years ago at full force and earn new cards, without bringing catastrophic destruction upon the Fiore Kingdom.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!