What exactly was Jellal trying to accomplish?
Finn knew that even Jellal himself likely didn't have a concrete answer. In Jellal's mind, running around in a disguise was his way of atoning for his mountain of sins. He treated his guilt like a mathematical equation, naively believing that if he accumulated enough good deeds, they would eventually cancel out the atrocities he committed while brainwashed by Ultear.
But the world doesn't work like a transaction.
How could hatred simply be erased while the source of that hatred was still breathing?
"Are you okay?"
Finn decided to drop the subject entirely. Jellal's suicidal guilt complex had absolutely nothing to do with him. Even the core protagonists, Natsu and Lucy, rarely cared about Jellal's existence. The only person tethered to him was Erza, and frankly, while Erza was perfectly capable of living a full life without him, Jellal was entirely incapable of living without her.
Did Finn feel sorry for him? Not in the slightest. There were millions of people in Earthland with far worse fates than Jellal Fernandes. Finn had started from absolute zero himself. To rise to his current position of absolute power, he had been forced to harden his heart and ignore the bleeding-heart idealism that made people weak.
"Are you okay?" Finn repeated, looking down at the pale swordswoman.
"Ah... yes. Thank you," Kagura replied, snapping out of her daze and looking up at Finn and the Heavenly Blue mages.
"If you aren't feeling well, we can postpone our outing," Finn offered reasonably.
The corridor where Jellal had just narrowly escaped the Rune Knights was the exact same corridor where Kagura and Millianna were currently standing. The irony was almost suffocating. Millianna and Kagura had instantly recognized him, their blood boiling with the desire to tear him apart. Yet Jellal had run right past them without a second glance. In his mind, the only victim that mattered was Erza. He was entirely oblivious to the two women whose lives he had completely destroyed.
"Er..."
Kagura hesitated. She was notoriously bad at dealing with men, but Finn was an anomaly. He was a peerless swordsman, commanded an overwhelming presence, and unlike most men—especially the flamboyant playboys of Blue Pegasus—he hadn't made a single attempt to flirt with her.
"Take your time," Finn said, turning to leave with his women. He knew that waiting for Kagura and Millianna to process the traumatic shock of seeing their abuser would take a while. The sheer volume of their hatred was staggering, but perfectly justified.
Millianna had her childhood stolen, forced into brutal slave labor to build the Tower of Heaven until she was a young woman. Kagura had her beloved older brother, Simon, murdered.
If the two of them could just instantly forgive Jellal, they would be either absolute saints or completely stupid. If Finn were in their shoes, he would have slaughtered Jellal without a second thought. Some might call that extreme, arguing that revenge is hollow.
But there was one thing a person gained from revenge.
"Wait," Kagura suddenly called out, stopping him in his tracks. "Can I ask you something?"
"Yes?" Finn looked back, raising an eyebrow.
"If you finally corner your mortal enemy... besides killing them, is there another way?"
It wasn't that Kagura's desire for revenge had faded. But she was paralyzed by a deeply complex dilemma. The person she cared about most in this tournament—Erza Scarlet—held deep, complicated feelings for the man Kagura wanted to tear apart.
What was the correct path? Making the woman she respected cry by murdering the man she loved? Or abandoning the vengeance that had fueled her entire life?
"What else would you do?" Finn answered without hesitation. "I would kill them."
"...."
The blunt, absolute certainty of his answer left Kagura, Millianna, and the rest of his own team completely speechless.
"You're right," Kagura murmured, her eyes hardening as her grip tightened on her sheathed katana.
"Wait! Wait!" Ultear panicked, stepping forward quickly. "Are you sure about saying that, Finn?! There is nothing to be gained after you kill your enemy, right? Isn't it better to find it in your heart to forgive?!"
Ultear was sweating bullets. She was the one who had brainwashed Jellal. She was the true mastermind of Kagura and Millianna's suffering. Finn's encouragement for them to embrace murder and revenge was just too extreme!
"That's wrong," Finn countered calmly, looking at Ultear. "There is one thing you gain when you kill your enemy."
"What is it?" Ultear asked, her voice tight.
"Peace of mind," Finn answered smoothly. "Knowing your enemy is dead, buried, and currently rotting in hell—isn't that the ultimate peace of mind?"
"..."
Ultear was completely speechless. "...Is there really no other way?" She practically pleaded.
"Of course, there are other ways."
"..." Ultear exhaled softly.
"Life isn't governed by absolutes," Finn explained, shifting his gaze back to Kagura. "While it is impossible to forgive someone who has shattered your life, why should you even try? Instead of killing them, forcing them to live the rest of their pathetic life in the suffocating torment of their own intense regret... isn't that a far worse punishment?"
Kagura, Millianna, and the others blinked, processing the dark answer.
"Then... what if your decision to exact revenge will deeply hurt someone you care about?" Kagura asked softly, her mind on Erza.
"Hmm..." Finn tilted his head. "You believe that avenging your brother will make someone else you care about sad?"
"...Yes."
"If that's the case, then your priority should simply be to become happy."
"Happy?"
Kagura was stunned. It was the absolute last thing she expected to hear from Finn.
"When you are happy, the past loses its grip on you," Finn explained, his voice taking on a surprisingly gentle tone. "And the people who genuinely care about you will be happy simply knowing that you are living well. If you are happy, they are happy."
"Then... what about him?!" Kagura demanded, her voice cracking with years of repressed pain. "The person who caused so much suffering?! What if he just gets to live his life without any real remorse for what he did to us?!"
"Does that person actually matter?" Finn asked simply.
"Eh?" Kagura froze.
"What do you think is the absolute strongest negative emotion you can direct toward another human being?" Finn asked.
"...Hatred?" Kagura guessed.
"No. It's apathy."
"Apathy?"
"When you hate someone, you are actively giving them your energy. You are still letting them live rent-free in your mind," Finn explained smoothly. "But when you feel pure apathy, you truly do not care. They cease to exist in your world. Whether they are dying in a ditch, crying in pain, or begging for forgiveness—who cares? They are irrelevant."
Finn stepped slightly closer, his presence commanding yet grounding. "What is important is your own happiness, and the people who have stayed by your side and love you today. Becoming the happiest, most successful woman alive while treating your abuser like an irrelevant speck of dust... isn't that the greatest, best revenge of all?"
"...."
Kagura stared at Finn in silence. It felt as though he had just casually reached out and unlocked a heavy, suffocating iron door that she hadn't even realized she was trapped behind.
"Is that all?" Finn asked.
"Ah... yes," Kagura breathed, loosening her white-knuckled grip on her sword.
"Then we will take our leave for now. See you tonight."
"Thank you." Kagura bowed deeply, a gesture immediately mirrored by Millianna and the rest of Mermaid Heel.
As they walked away, Meredy bumped her shoulder against Finn's. "'Becoming the happiest woman alive,' huh? You sure say some corny things when you want to."
"Do you want me to spank you when we get back to the hotel?" Finn warned dryly.
"...Actually, that sounds really nice," Meredy smiled, a distinct blush rushing to her cheeks.
"..." Finn rubbed his temples.
"But you're right," Ultear murmured softly, linking her arm through his. "Being happy and looking forward to the future instead of being chained to the past... that really is the best."
"Yeah," Sorano and Flare agreed in unison.
The four women looked at him with gentle, deeply affectionate smiles. Hearing his answer only reinforced their absolute certainty that following him was the best decision they had ever made. He didn't offer empty platitudes about forgiveness; he offered them a path to reclaim their own lives.
The rest of the evening passed smoothly. They met up with the Mermaid Heel girls for tea, enjoying a surprisingly normal, relaxing slice of life amidst the chaos of the tournament.
It wasn't until much later that night, after the lights in the penthouse suite had finally been turned off, that a sharp, mental ping echoed in Finn's mind.
"Finn-san... are you awake?"
It was Yukino's telepathic magic. The infiltration mission had begun.