Chelsea's life continued like that until she was thirteen — and then she met him.
At first, she only intended to rob him. But she miscalculated and was caught. Instead of being punished, she was released… and even paid to show him around the city. That small incident changed everything.
She quickly realized that he was simply trying to help her. She didn't understand why, but free money was always welcome.
At first, she planned to take advantage of him to gain some benefits. But the more time she spent with him, the more intrigued she became.
His demeanor, the way he spoke, his calmness, and his innocence — all of it captivated her attention. It was the first time she had ever seen such a pure and alluring aura surrounding someone.
In just a week, the walls around her heart began to crumble. Initially, she was merely curious about him, wanting to see what kind of person he was. But she soon found that he was kind, attentive, and truly enjoyable to talk to.
Then came the incident that changed her perspective completely — when he saved her from that desperate situation, her heart trembled.
Her mother had always told her that she would one day find her true love — someone who would share her burdens. Chelsea had scoffed at the idea.
Why would anyone do anything for her without expecting something in return? She didn't believe such a person existed in this world.
But she was wrong. And when she thought she was going to lose her mother, he was there, standing by her side, sharing the weight of her pain. For someone as intelligent and rational as Chelsea, that caused a storm within her heart.
She knew she was falling in love.
For three days, she waited for Zeref to return. She spent that time worrying about him. She tried to control herself, but she couldn't — her anxiety only grew stronger with each passing hour.
And the moment she saw him injured, her heart almost shattered from sorrow. Then she saw the bottle in his hand, radiating an aura so extraordinary that both her thoughts and her heart trembled.
He was willing to risk death for her. He asked for nothing in return. He did all of it just for her.
How could her heart possibly remain calm after seeing that?
On that day, Chelsea realized what she truly wanted — and with whom she wanted to spend her life. She vowed to keep him safe, to stay by his side for a long time… perhaps even forever.
The next morning, inside the inn room, a handsome boy covered in bandages was sleeping on the bed. Beside him, a feminine-looking boy was also asleep.
Slowly, Zeref opened his eyes and looked around.
"Hmm, my sacrifice wasn't in vain."
When he saw Chelsea sleeping on the chair next to him, he activated the reading function of his system.
Name: Chelsea
Love: 100%
Upon seeing Chelsea's love level, I sighed. The tension in my body quickly eased. Normally, love levels never reached that point this fast — but that was only for normal species.
For dragons, once they decide who their partner is, they make that decision early and set their hearts on it. Chelsea may still be human now, but she already possessed the loyalty inherent to all dragons — a woman who would never betray the one she loves.
"Ouch…"
I could feel pain coursing through my body.
As I shifted slightly, Chelsea woke up too. She sat up straight the moment she saw me awake — then leaped into my arms.
"Zeref!"
+35,000 Affection
I hugged her tightly in return. A few minutes later, we released each other. She stood before me, sadness written on her face.
"Why did you go that far for me?"
"I just did what I had to do. And I survived, didn't I?"
I gave her a weak, childish smile that made her pout.
"Geez, you look so sweet — like a girl."
I pointed at her and laughed. Hearing me call her cute made her blush. But when she realized I still saw her as a boy, she almost shouted at me.
She had given Zeref so many hints, yet he still acted oblivious! Chelsea was genuinely baffled and had no idea how to make the dense man in front of her wake up.
While we were joking around, a beautiful green-haired woman entered the room. I smiled softly upon seeing her.
"Aunt Tera, you're looking better."
Hearing my words, Tera smiled, approached me, and bowed slightly in gratitude.
"Zeref, thank you for saving my life."
I was momentarily surprised but quickly stopped her from bowing.
"Aunt Tera, there's no need for that. I promised Anji I'd save your life — and besides, Anji is a good friend of mine."
Hearing my response, Tera smiled and spoke playfully.
"Oh my, what a shame I don't have a daughter. If I did, I would have married her off to you."
"Such a shame indeed." (Zeref)
Chelsea turned crimson.
"Both of you, stop it!!"
The three of us spent time talking together. At one point, Tera asked a serious question.
"Zeref, what are you planning to do next?"
Unlike her daughter, Tera could see that Zeref was no ordinary noble. His strength at such a young age was not normal — he must have had a reason for coming here.
"I did come here for a reason… but I postponed my goal because I wanted to spend time with Anji."
Hearing that made Chelsea a bit tense. She feared that I might leave her. Lowering my voice, I spoke seriously.
"I came here because I discovered a World of Chaos hidden nearby."
My words shocked both Chelsea and Tera. Even they knew the value of a World of Chaos — such worlds were remnants of the gods, fought over by countless powerful factions across the world.
Seeing that I was openly sharing such crucial information with them warmed Chelsea's heart. And just as they finished processing it, I said something that shocked them even more.
"Anji, how about you come with me?"
"Can I? Are you sure?"
"Yes. I can see that you currently don't possess any power. Maybe we can find something useful in there."
After I spoke, Chelsea looked at her mother for permission, and Tera nodded gladly. Chelsea knew she still had many shortcomings if she wanted to be worthy of Zeref — and perhaps this journey could change her destiny.
"Damn it… at least we managed to escape…"
The words came from a blue-haired, blue-eyed man. His body was covered in wounds, both his arms gone. Beside him was a silver-haired, black-eyed man, his condition no less miserable.
The silver-haired man's right leg was missing, the wound bearing the unmistakable mark of a sword's cut.
These two pitiful figures were none other than Limbo and Mark.