"Lucy, Lucy?!"
Macao looked at Lucy, whose expression was absent-minded and whose spirit was trembling, as if she had suffered an enormous blow, and could not help but softly call out Lucy's name in concern.
"Uh…"
Hearing Macao's call, Lucy finally regained some clarity, and her mind once again returned to reality.
"Lucy, what's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?"
Macao walked in front of Lucy and asked her with concern.
"No, it's nothing…"
"I have something I need to take care of. Farewell!"
Lucy looked at Macao, who was showing concern for her, and hesitated for a moment.
Lucy was naturally gifted, intelligent, and quick-witted. She had already guessed that she might not have simply traveled through time and returned to the past, but had instead arrived in another space-time that was extremely similar to the world she came from.
This place was extremely similar to her world, yet completely different…
After figuring this out, Lucy suddenly became somewhat hesitant. She could feel that Macao's concern for her was genuine.
However, precisely because Lucy knew that Macao's concern for her was sincere, she became increasingly hesitant, because Lucy knew very well that the person Macao truly cared about was not her, but Lucy of this world…
And, strictly speaking, the Macao in front of her was not the Macao she knew.
After figuring this out, Lucy's feelings became extremely complicated. She showed Macao an apologetic expression before turning around and leaving…
"Hm?!"
Macao looked at Lucy's thin back, his brows tightly furrowed. He scratched his scalp hard, yet did not know what he should do.
"Obviously, Lucy has encountered something that she cannot handle herself…"
"But what can I do for Lucy right now?!"
"Forget it. In any case, I should first ask Evan what exactly Lucy experienced in Northern Continent, Guiltina, right?!"
Thinking this, Macao made up his mind.
Macao did not blindly chase after Lucy. He allowed Lucy's figure to disappear into the guild before taking out the long-distance communication Magic Crystal he carried with him.
"Buzz~"
As Macao moved his thoughts and injected magic power into the Magic Crystal, the Magic Crystal immediately lit up with waves of fluorescent light.
After a while, the long-distance communication Magic Crystal in Macao's hand reflected the image of a young man with short brownish-red hair. Because the Magic Crystal was like a mirror and displayed a mirrored image, the young man in the picture still looked somewhat different from the young man himself.
"Evan…"
Macao looked at the young man and immediately called out his name.
Yes, the young man with short brownish-red hair in the image was none other than Evan Belserion.
"Macao, what happened again?!"
Evan rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked Macao inside the long-distance communication crystal.
"Actually, Lucy returned to our guild in Magnolia Town today. As soon as she returned to the guild, she said a bunch of strange things that I could not understand at all. Then, after chatting with me for a few moments and confirming some information, Lucy seemed to have lost her soul and stood there blankly!"
"I don't know what Lucy was thinking, but I could also tell that she seemed to have experienced something and suffered a tremendous blow! Seeing her absent-minded appearance, I really couldn't help wanting to do my best to help her, but I didn't know how I could help her, so I wanted to ask you, Evan…"
"Lucy, and you, Evan, what exactly did you experience in Northern Continent, Guiltina?! What kind of blow did Lucy suffer that ultimately made her reveal such a sorrowful expression…"
Macao told Evan his thoughts.
"You said Lucy returned to Magnolia Town?!"
After hearing Macao's words, Evan narrowed his eyes slightly. He thought of many things at once.
"What's wrong, Evan!"
"Was there something wrong with what I said?"
Seeing Evan's strange expression, Macao was slightly stunned. His heart suddenly trembled, and he secretly thought that something was wrong!
"The problem is right here…"
"In fact, what if I told you that Lucy has not returned to the continent of Ishgar and is currently in the labyrinth of Northern Continent, Guiltina? Macao, would you believe me?"
Evan held the long-distance communication Magic Crystal in one hand and softly spoke to Macao in the image.
"How is that possible!"
Macao revealed an expression of disbelief upon hearing this.
"If Lucy is currently in Northern Continent, Guiltina, then who was the Lucy I saw just now?!"
Macao continued.
"Hahaha, it couldn't possibly be a fake, right? I still remember exactly what the guild members look like and what their auras are like!"
Then, Macao laughed loudly and continued speaking.
"Pa~"
After hearing Macao's words, Evan did not answer. He merely snapped his fingers lightly.
Immediately, the image on the Magic Crystal in Macao's hand changed…
Northern Continent, Guiltina, Earth-land's largest labyrinth, the Dracula Mag Labyrinth…
"Open! Gate of the Taurus, Taurus!"
"Open! Gate of the Leo, Loke!"
"Open! Gate of the Capricorn, Capricorn!"
Inside the labyrinth, facing the constant pursuit of her pursuers, Lucy finally stopped and turned around, preparing to fight. With a wave of her hand, three Magic Circles formed in front of her. The next second, three Celestial Spirits belonging to the Twelve Zodiac, and who could be considered the highest-ranking Celestial Spirits that could be summoned under normal circumstances, appeared in front of Lucy just like that.
"Lucy, you really have an excellent figure today too~"
The Celestial Spirit of Taurus, Taurus, had black and white patches covering his entire body, resembling a bipedal two-headed cow. He was a genuine NTR minotaur warrior, and the moment he appeared, he began praising Lucy's voluptuous figure.
"Miss, leave this place to this old man!"
The Celestial Spirit of Capricorn, Capricorn, wore a tuxedo and had black sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He looked like an extremely elegant butler and the personal bodyguard of a young lady. He spoke with seriousness and confidence.
"Lucy, oh! My Lucy! My princess, we meet again~"
Finally, there was Loke, who seemed like a playboy. He came to Lucy's side and gently wrapped an arm around her slender waist, while a rose was still held in his mouth. He looked as greasy as could possibly be. If Lucy did not know that this guy was one of the Celestial Spirits of the Twelve Zodiac, as well as the leader of the Celestial Spirits, she would have thought Loke was a gigolo from Blue Pegasus.
"Forget it! You go back first!"
After thinking for a while, Lucy activated Forced Closure on Loke.
"Hm?!"
Loke's expression changed slightly, and then his figure disappeared from the spot.
"Hehe, Loke, I'm not the me from before anymore!"
"Now, I can completely force you to go back…"
Lucy looked at Loke, whom she had forcibly sent back, and the corners of her mouth slightly rose. During these days in the Great Labyrinth, her magic power had indeed increased. This was a fact.
"Next is this! Open! Gate of the Virgo, Virgo!"
After thinking for a while, Lucy opened the Gate of the Celestial Spirit of Virgo.
"Princess~"
"Just now, I saw that pervert Loke go back, so I knew the princess was going to summon me~"
"So, Princess, are you planning to train me here? I'm so happy~"
Virgo wore a neat maid outfit and held a leather whip in her hand. She spoke to Lucy expressionlessly.
"No, you don't have the qualifications to call Loke a pervert, right? Although he really is a pervert…"
"In any case, I'm not going to train you!"
"Virgo, help me defeat all these guys in front of me…"
After hearing Virgo's words, Lucy was speechless and could not help complaining.
"Understood, Princess!"
"You plan to let me defeat all these enemies first, and then come play games with me?!"
After hearing Virgo's words, a hint of amusement appeared in Lucy's eyes.
"Of course not…"
At this, Lucy roared.
"Lucy, you finally stopped running! Looks like you have realized your fate!"
On the other side, as one member after another of the Mage Guild, Diabolos, blocked Lucy's path, a voice that made Lucy's entire body go numb came from among the crowd.
The next second, a man with short cherry-pink hair and a tattered coat walked toward Lucy!
"It's Guild Master Natsu!"
"The great King of Dragon Eaters, Lord Fire Dragon King!"
"The strongest Guild Master in Diabolos's history! Lord Natsu!"
As that figure that seemed almost like a demon god arrived, one member after another of the Mage Guild Diabolos knelt on one knee and spoke toward that figure with incomparable reverence.
"Natsu, it really is you…"
Lucy looked at the newcomer with a helpless expression. She knew that the person who had been relentlessly pursuing her all these days had to be Natsu.
"Hehehe!"
"Lucy, you finally stopped running?!"
"Then now it's time for you to fight me to the death!"
"If I win, you have to join my 'guild.' After all, we're members of the same team!"
After hearing Lucy's words, Natsu laughed loudly and announced that he was going to bring Lucy into his guild.
"It's not that I don't want to run!"
"It's because…"
"I accidentally ran into a dead end!"
After hearing Natsu's words, a strange glint flashed through Lucy's determined eyes, and she shouted in despair.
As for behind Lucy, there was clearly an extremely sturdy wall…
Yes, the reason Lucy was standing there and summoning three Celestial Spirits of the Twelve Zodiac to fight the Mages of Diabolos was not because Lucy had become brave. It was because Lucy had nowhere left to retreat…
"Guild Master Natsu, that won't do. The woman in front of us is not a Dragon Slayer Mage. She does not have the qualifications to join us Dragon Eaters!"
As Natsu finished speaking, the Mages of Diabolos immediately objected.
"Shut up! I'm the Guild Master. What I say goes here!"
"Take this, Fire Dragon's Crushing Fist!"
However, Natsu did not listen to their words at all. He shouted loudly and sent the person who had spoken flying with a single punch.
"Boom!!"
Accompanied by a roar, several Mages of Diabolos were knocked unconscious by Natsu's punch.
"As expected of Lord Natsu, truly heroic and dashing!"
At the same time, the Mages of Diabolos looked at Natsu, who had sent countless 'allies' flying with a single punch, and one after another transformed into mystery fangirls, speaking with admiration.
Yes, at this moment, the Mages of Diabolos had also begun advancing in the direction of becoming inhuman. They had nearly all become Fairy Tail-ified. No, more accurately speaking, they had all become Natsu-ified! This was even more terrifying than all of them becoming Fairy Tail-ified…
"Could it be that Natsu still thinks he's playing a game even now?!"
"No, sure enough, this guy has mistaken the war between Diabolos and Fairy Tail for an internal guild fighting tournament held in the guild on a normal day…"
At the same time, Lucy finally understood why Natsu had been fooling around with Diabolos.
Perhaps Natsu still did not know that Diabolos had clashed with Fairy Tail. Even now, he was still treating the battle between Diabolos and Fairy Tail as a game…
"Ah, this is troublesome! How did things become like this?!"
At this, Lucy helplessly knocked on her head. She did not even know how she should deal with the situation before her.
"Boom!!"
Just as Lucy was forcefully knocking on her own head with both hands and thinking about what she should do, the wall behind Lucy suddenly let out a roar.
The next second, the wall behind Lucy immediately shattered into countless pieces…
"Hm!? Where is this place? Damn, I've already been moving forward for so long today, yet I still haven't found the correct route! And these walls in the labyrinth that I destroyed can actually repair themselves. That's really cheating…"
Just as Lucy was despairing, accompanied by a hoarse voice, a middle-aged man with short orange-red hair walked to Lucy's side.
"Gildarts?!"
Lucy turned around and looked at the middle-aged man in front of her, who was nearly two meters tall and radiated an endless aura. She was excited and could not help calling out his name.
"Hm? Lucy? What are you doing here?!"
"And you guys are…"
Gildarts raised his head and looked at the Mages of Diabolos in front of him, instinctively raising his arm.
"Hm? Wait, wait, please wait a moment…"
Seeing Gildarts suddenly raise his arm, Lucy seemed to think of something, and a hint of terror appeared on her face.
"Ah! It's Gildarts! Great!"
"Let's have a showdown!"
As for the other side, when Natsu saw Gildarts, he immediately became eager to try, then leaped up from the ground and fiercely struck toward Gildarts.
"Sorry about that!"
"I don't want to fight with you guys. I just want to find the center of the labyrinth and take the heart…"
"So, I'm begging you, please be a little quieter!"
Gildarts looked at Natsu charging toward him and the Mages of Diabolos, his expression turning cold before he directly activated his magic.
"Boom!!"
For a moment, white light directly swallowed everything!
Of course, it also swallowed Lucy, who was standing in front of Gildarts…
"Rumble!"
As Gildarts activated his magic, the labyrinth walls, which could not be damaged no matter whether they were slashed with swords or struck with Dragon Slayer Magic, and which were simply harder than iron and more indestructible than diamonds, all shattered at this moment. In a short instant, they turned into countless fragments and fell to the ground…
"Sorry! I'm really not very good at holding back…"
Gildarts looked at the labyrinth wall that he had directly destroyed with one punch and spoke helplessly.
As for the Mages of Diabolos, including Natsu, who had attacked Gildarts, they were all buried beneath the labyrinth that had been turned into ruins at this moment…
"Ah…"
As for Lucy, who had been enveloped by Gildarts's white light, she was now trembling in place, her eyes wide open as she stared at everything before her.
"Although, Gildarts, you really did save me, but no matter how you look at it, isn't this a little too much?!"
Lucy looked at Gildarts before complaining.
"But Gildarts, your control over magic has become even stronger. Clearly, that white shattering light enveloped me, yet it did not cause me the slightest bit of harm!"
Lucy first complained to Gildarts before praising his control over magic.
At the same time, Lucy knew very well just how difficult the move Gildarts had displayed just now was!
After all, the magic Gildarts used was the Super Upper-Level Destruction Magic, Crush. Under normal circumstances, ordinary people could not casually use this magic like Gildarts, and they would even have difficulty controlling the range in which this magic was cast!
Yet Gildarts could shatter whatever he wanted to shatter within a designated range. How terrifying was this?!
"Um, Lucy…"
"Sorry! Actually, I still accidentally affected you…"
As Gildarts spoke, he looked somewhat embarrassed. He lightly scratched his sideburn before giving Lucy his back.
"In any case, farewell!"
Gildarts said this as he quickly walked along the route he had come from.
"I was affected? How come I didn't feel it?"
On the other side, after hearing Gildarts's words, Lucy looked somewhat confused. She could confirm that there was not the slightest bit of pain in her body.
"Pff~"
Just as Lucy was confused, a crisp popping sound suddenly rang beside Lucy's ear, and immediately afterward, Lucy felt a chill run through her delicate body.
"…"
For a moment, the expression on Lucy's face stiffened. Feeling the coolness on her body, she slowly lowered her head.
"Gildarts!!!"
"I'm going to tell Cana what you did today!!"
Immediately afterward, the enormous labyrinth echoed with Lucy's sharp, furious roar, which sounded like an evil spirit.
"This is terrifying!"
"I knew it would end up like this!"
"As expected, Lucy definitely won't let me off easily!"
"I'd better hurry and run away while Lucy is looking for clothes to wear…"
On the other side, hearing the voice behind him, Gildarts hurriedly shrank his neck, then quickened his pace, his figure gradually disappearing into the depths of the labyrinth.
At the same time…
Inside the enormous Fairy Tail guild, Macao was gently wiping the nosebleed from his nose. Although the scene at the time had only flashed by and he had not been able to clearly see the exact situation, merely imagining it made his nosebleed start flowing uncontrollably…
"Ahem, don't think nonsense, don't think nonsense…"
Then, Macao consciously shook his head, indicating that he could not wildly fantasize. He was already a man with a wife and child, not the despicable scumbag he used to be!
It was fine to make some lewd jokes in his daily life, but he could not actually do something that would betray his wife. Otherwise, how would he be any different from that scumbag Makarov?!
"In any case, do you understand now?!"
Just as Macao continuously recited a mantra to clear the distracting thoughts in his heart, the image on the Magic Crystal in front of Macao changed, revealing Evan's appearance.
"I understand…"
After hearing Evan's words, Macao lightly nodded.
At this moment, after Evan had played a recording of the live broadcast from the Dracula Mag Labyrinth for Macao, Macao had already confirmed that Lucy was indeed in Northern Continent, Guiltina, and had not returned to the continent of Ishgar.
"It's good that you understand…"
At this, Evan lightly nodded.
"Then, Evan, here comes my question!"
"Since Lucy is currently in Northern Continent, Guiltina, then Evan, can you tell me who that Lucy I saw in the guild just now was? Could she be a spy disguised as Lucy, sent to our Fairy Tail by some guild or Mage faction?!"
"No, I absolutely cannot tolerate anyone acting against our Fairy Tail guild! I'm going to capture that guy who just left the Fairy Tail guild and interrogate her!"
After Macao confirmed that the real Lucy was currently in Northern Continent, Guiltina, he finally could not sit still. He wanted to immediately find the Lucy who had just left the Fairy Tail guild and get to the bottom of the matter.
"Haha, perhaps this matter isn't as complicated as you think…"
After hearing Macao's words, Evan smiled lightly. In fact, Evan had already basically guessed who the Lucy that had returned to the Fairy Tail guild was.
"Oh?!" After hearing Evan's words, Macao looked somewhat confused, so he asked, "Evan, do you have a different opinion?"
"Whether it's a different opinion, that's actually hard to say…"
"In any case, that Lucy just now may not necessarily be a fake!"
"Macao, do you know about parallel universes?!"
"That is, universes that are extremely similar to our universe, yet completely different."
"Perhaps there is a world in this universe that is exactly the same as ours. There is also a Fairy Tail there, and there is also a Lucy. And the Lucy who just came to the Fairy Tail guild may very well be Lucy from another world…"
Evan smiled as he spoke to Macao.
"Parallel universes? Similar worlds? The Lucy who came just now is Lucy from another universe?!"
"Isn't this even more complicated?!"
"It would be simpler if she were a spy disguised as Lucy!"
When Macao heard Evan's words, he softly muttered about what Evan had said before loudly complaining.
"In any case, leave this matter to us to handle!"
Evan looked at Macao, who was constantly grabbing at his already receding hairline, and smiled.
"Alright! In any case, I'll leave this matter to you, Evan…"
"After all, even if we wanted to do something, we couldn't anyway."
After hearing Evan's words, Macao helplessly sighed. Some things were not something he could accomplish merely because he wanted to do them.
"Alright, then I'm hanging up~"
Evan said this before directly ending his call with Macao.
On the other side…
When Lucy, wearing a black cloak, left the Fairy Tail guild, she boarded a train and left Magnolia Town…
The town's train was very fast!
When Lucy woke up from her thoughts, she was already standing in front of the ancestral home of the Heartfilia family.
"How did I end up here?!"
Lucy looked at the ancestral home and stood there blankly. In fact, Lucy herself did not know how she had come here. At the time, she had only been thinking continuously, and by the time she realized it, she had already arrived in front of the enormous manor!
However, Lucy did not knock on the manor's iron gate. She simply stood there, standing in front of the iron gate several hundred meters away from the manor, quietly admiring the enormous manor that was comparable to a castle.
"You are, Miss?!"
However, just as Lucy stared at the manor and gradually became lost in thought, a voice suddenly sounded beside Lucy's ear, interrupting her thoughts.
A little maid wearing a standard black-and-white maid outfit was looking at Lucy through the iron gate in astonishment. It seemed that this little maid could not believe that Lucy would return to this manor.
"I'm sorry, you've mistaken me for someone else!"
Future Lucy heard what the maid in front of her said and hurriedly put on her black hood, then prepared to turn around and leave.
Then Future Lucy suddenly felt her body sink. She had actually been hugged tightly from behind!
"Since Miss has returned! Even if I have to stake my life, I won't let Miss leave like this…"
Just as Future Lucy stared blankly at the slender, snow-white arms wrapped around her waist, a clear voice sounded behind Lucy.
Then, without waiting for Lucy to respond, that clear voice shouted toward the back on its own: "Master, Madam! Miss Michelle! Miss Lucy is back! Hurry and come capture her and bring her back!"
"Uh…"
Listening to the voice continuously echoing beside her ears, Lucy felt her ears buzzing. She could not understand how this little girl who did not look very tall could produce such a sharp, piercing, and loud voice.
"Sound-type magic?!"
At this, Lucy guessed inwardly.
At the same time, Lucy was somewhat at a loss. She did not know what kind of expression she would show after meeting this world's family, nor did she know what kind of expression she should use to face this world's family…
"Lucy…"
Just as Lucy was at a loss, a voice that sounded somewhat familiar to Lucy suddenly came from behind her.
"Hm?!"
Lucy was slightly stunned, feeling her heart tremble.
"Heave-ho!"
Just as Lucy's body and mind trembled, the little maid who was forcefully hugging Lucy suddenly lifted Lucy up, then adjusted her direction in midair, making Lucy face the person who had spoken behind her.
"Hm?!"
For a moment, Lucy suddenly thought that something was wrong.
"Lucy, long time no see!"
Just as Lucy thought something was wrong, the owner of the voice greeting Lucy immediately ran toward Lucy with a 'tap tap tap' sound.
At the same time, Lucy finally saw the appearance of the newcomer clearly. The newcomer had a melon-seed-shaped face, delicate features that looked as though they had been finely carved, and slightly curly, long brown wavy hair casually falling behind her. She wore a sun hat on her head and a dress, looking as cute as an exquisite doll.
"Mi…"
Lucy looked at the newcomer, her expression trembling as she instinctively uttered that name.
However, before Lucy could finish speaking, the doll-like girl suddenly slipped beneath her feet…
Then, taking advantage of this inertia, her entire body charged toward Lucy.
"Wait!"
Lucy instinctively spoke as she looked at the newcomer.
"Puff…"
However, before Lucy could finish speaking, the person had already thrown herself into Lucy's arms.
Because the maid behind her was holding her tightly, Lucy had no way to dodge and could only endure the other party's earth-shattering strike, comparable to Lucy's flying kick.
For a moment, Lucy suddenly felt somewhat dazed, and her world gradually sank into darkness…
"Lucy, Lucy! Lucy, are you alright?!"
"This is…"
After an unknown amount of time had passed, cries for help reached Lucy's ears. When Lucy opened her eyes, she discovered that she had already come from outside the manor to inside the manor.
At this moment, Lucy was sitting on a sofa. Beside the sofa were Michelle, whose expression was full of anxiety, and the little maid who had previously blocked her escape route.
"This is the manor, isn't it?! Lucy, don't you remember?"
When Michelle saw Lucy wake up, she immediately answered.
"Oh!"
Lucy nodded lightly upon hearing this. Of course she knew that this was inside the manor. Although in her own world, it had already been many years since she had returned to this manor, this place had ultimately carried all of her childhood memories. Occasionally, when she entered dreams, Lucy would still often dream of it, and she would also dream of that figure whom Lucy had admired the most when she was young.
That was Lucy's mother, the model eldest daughter in the mouths of countless servants and nobles, Layla Heartfilia, who could make people feel endless kindness and nobility simply by standing there.
At this moment, Lucy was reminded of the person by the sight before her. Looking at the sofa, the tea table, the chandelier, and everything in the manor before her, she once again thought of her mother…
"In the past, Mother would often stand at the staircase on the second floor and quietly watch me playing by myself on the first floor. Whenever I became tired and looked up, the sunlight would shine in through the window, like a thin golden veil, resting upon Mother and making her look so beautiful…"
Lucy raised her head and gazed at the familiar second floor, unable to help softly muttering.
"Lucy, you're back…"
Just as Lucy was reminiscing about the past, a voice that made Lucy's soul tremble violently softly sounded behind her.
"M-Mother…"
Lucy stood up and looked back. Counting the seven years she had once spent asleep, after fourteen years, Lucy finally saw her mother once again. The instant she saw Layla's face, Lucy's eyes became moist, her eyes reddened, and tears flowed one after another from the corners of Lucy's eyes.
"Lucy?!"
Layla looked at Lucy's unusual appearance and could not help tilting her head slightly, asking with a puzzled expression.
"I was just a little too excited…"
Lucy knew she had lost her composure and hurriedly explained herself to Layla.
"Hmph! You finally know to come back!"
"Did you finally suffer outside and realize how difficult the outside world is?!"
"Hmph, I'd like to see whether you'll still go out after suffering such a huge loss outside!"
Just as Lucy wiped away her tears, an extremely stern voice sounded from inside the hall. A middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes walked toward Lucy with a slightly anxious expression.
"Father~"
Hearing this, Lucy looked toward the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man was still as stern as he was in Lucy's memories. However, from the mud-stained trouser legs, damp soles, and slightly disheveled hair of the middle-aged man, Lucy could tell just how excited and anxious the middle-aged man had been after hearing that she had returned.
"Hmph~"
The middle-aged man was naturally Jude. Jude had originally thought that after returning, he would have another argument with Lucy, but today's Lucy was exceptionally mature. This made Jude slightly stunned, while his heart also ached…
Although Jude had always scolded Lucy for being immature and not sensible enough, in reality, Jude would rather Lucy never mature, forever argue with him, and forever bicker with him. Jude would rather argue with Lucy for the rest of his life than have Lucy become this obedient and sensible, because Jude knew that when a person matured, it meant that person must have experienced many hardships.
Jude had always believed that his daughter, Jude's daughter, did not need to experience any hardships and could still live happily.
"Tell me."
"Who bullied you…"
Jude put away his stern expression and sat on the sofa, asking Lucy in a commanding tone.
"No one bullied me…"
Lucy smiled and shook her head upon hearing this.
"I told you to speak, so speak. Where did all these useless words come from!"
"Could it be that you think our Heartfilia family cannot handle your affairs?!"
"Or are you afraid of causing trouble for the Heartfilia family?"
"If you were afraid of causing trouble for the family, you shouldn't have gone out from the very beginning! When you, as the heir of the Heartfilia family, ran away from the family without permission, why didn't you think about how much trouble you would cause the family?! Now that someone has bullied you, you're instead starting to worry?! Alright, tell me, what exactly happened? Tell me immediately!"
Jude looked at Lucy and immediately felt displeased, giving Lucy another round of scolding.
"Really, it's nothing…"
Lucy sighed. The problems she had were probably truly beyond what the Heartfilia family could settle.
"You…"
Seeing that Lucy did not intend to tell him the truth, Jude immediately felt a pang in his heart.
His daughter had little secrets now and no longer trusted even her father…
"Alright, Jude, Lucy just came back today. Say a few less words!"
Just as Jude was about to say something else, Layla could no longer bear watching and spoke to Jude.
"Sigh…"
Jude was ultimately no match for Layla. Seeing Layla speak, he helplessly sighed before getting up and leaving.
Jude planned to use his connections to investigate Lucy's recent life. Since Lucy would not tell him, he would investigate it himself!
"Lucy, you've had a hard time all these years. You must have carried a lot all by yourself, right?!"
After seeing Jude leave, Layla stood up, walked to Lucy's side, and pulled Lucy into her arms.
Perhaps because Layla's talent was too astonishing and her magic power was so incredible, Layla had maintained her appearance from when she was young all these years. At this moment, with Layla holding Lucy in her arms, if they did not know that these two were mother and daughter, they might have thought they were sisters~
Future Lucy was the older sister, and Layla was the younger sister~
Ahem.
"I'm really fine. I've always been in Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail is so powerful, what could possibly happen to me?"
Future Lucy sighed after hearing Layla's words and shook her head.
"I'm not talking about Lucy from this space-time! I'm talking about how hard you've had it all these years, Lucy from another space-time! I imagine that carrying everything by yourself and using the Eclipse Gate must have been very painful."
Just as Lucy was about to explain, Layla held Lucy in her arms and spoke.
"Hm?!"
For a moment, Future Lucy's heart was startled. She had been seen through?!