"Thank you so much for your understanding."
Hearing Chase's words, the anxious Princess Hisui let out a heavy sigh of relief before continuing: "Through seven Grand Magic Games, we've already gathered enough magical power."
"In five days—on July 7th—there will be a rare celestial phenomenon where the sun and moon overlap."
"Aside from a Celestial Spirit Mage and the Twelve Golden Keys, that's the final necessary factor for opening the Eclipse Gate."
Already aware of this information, Chase agreed without hesitation: "Sure. I'll bring Lucy to help when the time comes."
With that settled, Princess Hisui's serious expression didn't relax—in fact, it grew more intense.
"Though it's rude to say this, to ensure the Eclipse Project proceeds without a hitch—"
After a moment's pause, she looked up sharply, her emerald eyes fixed on Chase. "Mr. Chase, how can I trust you?"
The idea of traveling back in time through the Eclipse Gate to eliminate Zeref and Acnologia was unimaginable to anyone—even the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar would be shocked and terrified.
Yet throughout their entire conversation, Chase's reaction had been eerily calm, and he had agreed without the slightest hesitation!
The Eclipse Project was far too important. Missing the July 7th window would mean waiting another full year. Princess Hisui couldn't afford any mistakes.
Now she chooses to be cautious, of all times.
Chase thought to himself as he met Princess Hisui's gaze and spoke slowly: "Believe it or not."
Princess Hisui: "..."
If she could beat him up, she really would love to teach this arrogant man a lesson!
"If I'm not mistaken, the person you mentioned—the one who came from the past—"
In the end, Chase decided to be patient and said, "It should be Anna Heartfilia, right?"
He was genuinely worried that this stubborn princess might, in a moment of impulse, try to kidnap Lucy again.
"Wait—you know Miss Anna?!" Princess Hisui's pupils contracted.
"I met her once during my training on the Guiltina continent in northern Ishgar," Chase said, once again invoking the convenient alibi of Guiltina.
"I see." Princess Hisui was enlightened.
No wonder he had been so calm about the Eclipse Gate. No wonder such an absurdly powerful Card Mage had suddenly appeared within the Fiore Kingdom!
All her doubts instantly found a very reasonable explanation.
"Everything's fine now, right?" Chase smiled.
"Yes!" Princess Hisui nodded emphatically.
"Keep this card with you. Just channel some magic into it and you'll be able to contact me," Chase said, pulling a card from thin air and handing it to her. "During this time, if any unusual situations arise, I hope you won't keep them from me."
That was just the surface-level reason. Even if Princess Hisui held back information, he could still monitor the situation through the card at any time.
His real purpose, naturally, was to use this to determine which timeline they were in.
If Future Rogue appeared and found Princess Hisui, that would be the original timeline. If not, it would be Future Lucy's timeline—the one where ten thousand dragons destroyed the world.
As for the timeline where Gray killed Frosch and caused Rogue to fall to darkness, it had already ceased to exist the moment they arrived here.
All he needed to do was destroy the Eclipse Gate later and warn Future Gray in advance.
That would save him the trouble of hunting down Future Rogue on the third day of the Grand Magic Games.
"Of course!" Princess Hisui reached out with both hands to receive the card.
The innocent princess had ultimately fallen into the Card Nerd's well-laid "trap."
With all preparations complete, Chase saw no reason to linger. He said his goodbyes and took his leave.
At that moment, the holographic screen erupted in thunderous cheers:
Elfman had pulled off an upset victory over Future Bacchus, and Mermaid Heel was immediately renamed "Four Little Puppies" on the spot!
Not long after Chase left, the flustered Arcadios hurried back.
Princess Hisui motioned for her loyal knight to sit down and began recounting everything that had just happened.
Back at the Grand Magic Games arena.
Under Chapati's excited commentary, the third battle round of the day had already begun.
Fairy Tail Team B's (Future) Mirajane versus Lamia Scale's Jenny Realite!
As both were top gravure models for Weekly Sorcerer Magazine, the moment they stepped onto the field, they launched a fashion and charm showdown that made every male spectator's eyes pop with hearts.
By the time Chase returned to the arena, the scene had descended into chaos: mages from Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, and even other guilds had all jumped in to cheer.
Looking out, the entire arena was filled with beautiful women in various uniforms and handsome men striking flirty poses.
Cheers rose and fell, the atmosphere blazing hot!
At Fairy Tail Team A's area.
The empty stands held only Erza. Future Natsu, Future Lucy, and the others had all rushed out to join the fun.
Seeing Chase approaching from the tunnel, Erza asked instinctively: "Chase, where did you go just now?"
"Handled a few things. I'll explain when we get back to the inn after the matches," Chase said, coming to stand beside her and resting his hands on the stone railing. "More importantly—why didn't you go down and join in?"
"There's already Lucy, Evergreen, and the others cheering for Mira—that's more than enough," Erza said, shaking her head. She glanced at the increasingly steamy fashion show unfolding on the arena floor.
Before becoming Chase's girlfriend, she would have certainly gone down to show off the Fairy Queen's style. But not now!
All revealing, sexy outfits were for Chase and Chase alone.
Likewise, this was precisely why Mira had given Future Mirajane the chance to fight Jenny—she had anticipated things would play out this way.
"Haha! That's the right attitude—truly worthy of being my girlfriend!" Chase laughed heartily.
As usual, Erza's face flushed at his words. But this time, her gaze flickered strangely, and her hands, hanging at her sides, unconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt.
After a moment's hesitation, the Fairy Queen parted her crimson lips, her voice tinged with a hint of reproach: "Mira told me... you two went on a date the night before last..."
Chase was briefly confused, but quickly caught on.
He hadn't intentionally overlooked Erza's feelings. They were on different teams, and last night he'd been busy studying the new card he'd gotten from Future Jura, dealing with Future Bacchus's intrusion, and gathering intel on the timeline and the Eclipse Gate.
"So, my dear Erza—would you have time for a cup of coffee with me tonight?"
Watching Chase extend his right hand toward her in a stiff, practiced gesture, Erza froze on the spot.
Not because she had finally received the date invitation she'd been waiting for, but because everything about his forced gentlemanly act—the awkward movements, the unnatural tone—reeked of pure incongruity.
I'd rather go to a dessert shop or a clothing store than drink coffee...
Should I play along with his act, or accept seriously and earnestly?
But his ridiculous expression right now is making it so hard not to laugh—what do I do...
Tens of thousands of thoughts erupted in Erza's racing mind.
While she was still torn, Chase, having gone through the motions, grabbed her hand firmly in his: "Alright! Consider it happily decided!"
The familiar domineering vibe was finally back. And Erza's face instantly turned bright red.
"Wh-What do you mean 'consider it happily decided'?! I-I-I-I haven't even agreed yet!!"
***
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