That night, the group gathered as usual at the tavern, starting another round of noisy chaos.
But Chase and the two Makarovs weren't there. Instead, they sat in the sitting room of Fairy Tail's inn, drinking tea.
"I never expected the Grand Magic Games to be hiding a plan like this," Makarov said, his expression grave.
"It seems the dark magic aura that Jellal and the others have been detecting every year is most likely from this Eclipse Gate," Future Makarov said, feeling a massive headache coming on. He let out a deep sigh. "With the Fiore royal family involved, this won't be easy to handle..."
Though it wouldn't make much difference whether he told them or not, out of respect for the old men, Chase had truthfully informed them of the Eclipse Project.
As for Lucy and the others, they could wait until after they'd focused on the Grand Magic Games.
"That's a secondary issue. But is it really that simple to go back in time and eliminate the Black Dragon and Zeref?"
Makarov, after all, wasn't some naive young girl like Princess Hisui. He quickly thought of the many potential complications.
Setting aside Acnologia, who had rarely shown himself over the years, Zeref—the "worst Dark Mage in history"—had an enormous influence on the current world.
Whether it was the Eclipse Gate, the R-System, the demon Deliora, Precht, and so on—all were connected to him.
If Zeref never existed in the "past," would those of them who truly existed disappear as well? Could the world even remain as it was? It was impossible to predict!
Or perhaps nothing would change at all, and it would only create a completely independent new world separate from the current one?
Having personally experienced traveling from Tenrou Island to a future world without Chase, Makarov felt the last possibility was most likely.
With that thought, Makarov looked up at Chase: "You little brat—come clean. What are you really plotting?!"
He knew Chase far too well. Though like Natsu, he was impulsive and reckless, his vision and judgment were far beyond that of a princess shut away in a royal palace.
If Princess Hisui couldn't see the potential consequences of the Eclipse Project, there was no way Chase didn't—and he had agreed far too readily!
"Haha. Can't hide anything from you, old man..." Chase laughed, then continued, "Think about it carefully—besides Zeref and Acnologia, what other powerful creatures existed four hundred years ago?"
Hearing this, the two Makarovs exchanged glances, took a sip of their tea, and simultaneously voiced the image that came to mind: "Dragons?!"
"Exactly. We're bound to encounter them again in the future—like the Fire God Dragon Ignia I ran into on the Guiltina continent."
"This is a perfect opportunity to gain battle experience. So—"
Chase took a deep breath, his smile fading into a serious expression: "I'm planning to use the Eclipse Gate to capture a dragon for fun!!"
"PFFFT!!!"
Both Makarovs sprayed out their tea simultaneously.
Future Makarov had already mentally prepared himself for Chase to say something shocking, but he hadn't expected it to be this shocking.
Makarov frowned, sensing there was more to it.
Using dragons as training partners for the guild's other members—especially the three Dragon Slayers—was a good idea.
But you yourself can summon Gandora the Dragon of Destruction!
Trusting Chase completely, Makarov sighed and didn't press further: "Are you confident?"
Chase nodded. "Yes."
"Then don't hold back. Go ahead and do it."
Ever since the Five Gods' descent on Tenrou Island, though Chase hadn't shown it in front of the others, Makarov could clearly sense that the brat's determination to become stronger had only intensified.
As the guild's patriarch, all he needed to do at times like this was offer unconditional support.
"And you're really okay with this?" Future Makarov asked, a bit surprised.
"Okay" didn't refer to Chase—it referred to the guild's current financial situation. Based on his own way of doing things, he should have laid down the law before giving approval!
"Well, since the Eclipse Project is being led by the Fiore royal family, any damage or losses incurred during the process should naturally be covered by them~" Makarov said, hands on his hips, grinning with satisfaction.
"I see! Wahaha—truly worthy of me!" Future Makarov joined in with a sly chuckle.
Chase didn't want to waste any more time with these two old codgers: "Then I'll be off. I've got a date with Erza tonight."
Watching his departing back, the grins on both old men's faces froze.
After a few seconds of silence, Makarov let out a heavy sigh: "Youth is a wonderful thing..."
Over at the tavern in Crocus, the night had entered its second half: the brawl phase.
Bottles, shoes, plates—everything was flying everywhere.
The trigger was Future Natsu and Future Gray having their usual "show of affection," with Future Gajeel mocking them for still thinking they could beat Team B.
Of course, even without a trigger, a fight was inevitable sooner or later.
The tavern owner and bartender seemed used to it by now, happily squatting in a corner to watch the show.
With the current trend in the Grand Magic Games, Fairy Tail had a high chance of taking the championship. When the time came, putting up a sign that said "Fiore's Strongest Guild's Preferred Tavern" would surely bring in booming business!
Compared to that, a few broken utensils and tables and chairs were nothing—yeah, right!
As magic circles began lighting up one after another, the tavern owner could no longer stay calm, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.
"No! Don't use magic! My shop will be destroyed!!"
As it turned out, he had severely underestimated the Fairy Tail atmosphere without Makarov and Erza around.
Makarov was still on his way, and Future Erza was busy suppressing Natsu and the others causing trouble inside the cards.
As for Erza herself—
She was currently sitting dazedly on a wooden bench in Locaster Garden, on the east side of Crocus, waiting for her first date with Chase.
This was where they'd agreed to meet—only Erza had arrived two hours early.
Tonight, she wore an elegant yet figure-hugging light white dress, her crimson hair pinned up with crystal hair accessories, with the little flower Chase had given her tucked in.
Two side bangs fell on either side, meticulously measured to near-identical heights.
Light makeup and pale lipstick, illuminated by the orange streetlight, made her already flawless face even more exquisite.
"Good evening, Chase. Have you decided which coffee shop we're going to? No, no—he definitely hasn't thought about it!"
"Today's Grand Magic Games were really exciting! Elfman did great—no, wait! Why would I bring up Elfman on a first date?!"
"Maybe we should go to that super popular Crocus dessert shop featured in Weekly Sorcerer Magazine? No, no—that's way too forward!"
While waiting, Erza stood alone under the streetlight, rehearsing their meeting dialogue with stiff movements.
But the ever-rigorous and serious Fairy Queen couldn't find a single opening line that satisfied her.
After fussing like an idiot for a while, she slumped back into her seat in defeat.
"You really did arrive early, Erza."
The sudden voice from behind sent Erza jumping to her feet. The moment she saw who it was, her face flushed bright red: "Ch-Ch-Chase?! Wh-When did you get here?!"
Chase walked up beside her, smiling: "Right when you started rehearsing."
"AH?!"
Erza's brain short-circuited instantly. She froze in place, steam billowing from her entire body.
"I haven't decided on a coffee shop yet. Talking about our comrades is perfectly normal. If you want dessert, we can go right now—"
Chase stepped forward, took Erza's sweaty hand in his, looked straight into her eyes, and answered every question she had rehearsed one by one.
"Of course, if you're too nervous, we could always get in a quick spar to relax—after all, we're in a public relationship now!"
Feeling the warmth of his slightly rough hand, Erza froze for a moment, her racing heart gradually calming.
That's right. She was—no, she had long been—Chase's girlfriend.
After a few seconds of silence, the Fairy Queen shyly turned her head away, quietly squeezing his hand in return. Her faint voice carried a hint of playful complaint:
"I don't want to fight you on our first date."
"...I couldn't win anyway."
***
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