Sitting in the carriage, Jehfrit flipped through the photos he'd just taken.
Laxus—the epitome of a rebellious, hot-headed youth—was simply begging to be teased. But not now.
Right now, Laxus was too volatile; poke him even slightly, and he'd explode.
How boring!
But...
Once Natsu straightened out Laxus' rebellious streak and turned him into a tsundere with delusions of grandeur, *then* teasing him would become far more entertaining.
For instance...
Jehfrit held up a photo. In it, Laxus was covering his face, laughing maniacally like an Uchiha from another world.
"Hehehe."
Unable to hold back, Jehfrit chuckled at the thought of showing this picture to Laxus years later—after he believed himself to have matured, maybe even after having kids of his own. What expression would cross his face?
He couldn't wait.
---
Laxus aside, Jehfrit had just returned from a trip and planned to rest.
But then Erza kicked open the door to his house.
"Let's go, Jehfrit!"
Erza's face was icy cold today, her tightly pressed lips betraying the storm brewing inside her.
"What's wrong?" Jehfrit asked, setting down his book.
"Natsu secretly took an S-Class mission and went to Galuna Island with Lucy. Gray tried to stop them, but it seems he ended up joining them instead," Erza explained curtly, her tone sharp as steel.
Jehfrit didn't say anything unnecessary. Right now, Erza was like a powder keg ready to explode at the slightest spark. He certainly didn't want a fight breaking out in his living room.
Still...
Galuna Island?
Jehfrit considered it for a moment.
There wasn't much danger for him personally—it'd just mean another short trip.
"Give me a moment," Jehfrit said calmly.
"Mm." Erza nodded.
After making some quick preparations, the two set off.
Erza moved with brisk steps. She wasn't just angry—she was worried about Natsu and the others. An S-Class mission left uncompleted by guilds for so long must carry significant risks. That's why she sought Jehfrit's help.
If things went south, Erza was confident in her abilities, but someone needed to ensure the safety of the others—especially Lucy. And Jehfrit's skills were perfect for evacuating people from dangerous situations.
They arrived at the riverbank and rented a boat. However, halfway across, they encountered pirates.
"Hahaha, what do we have here? A pretty little lady!"
"We came for treasure, but now I think we'll take you as well!"
"And that pale-faced weakling?"
"Throw him overboard to feed the fish!"
Pale-faced weakling...
Jehfrit adjusted his glasses, but before he could act—
'BOOM'
The small boat nearly sank under the force of the impact.
Already seething with anger, Erza wasted no time. Spotting their large vessel, she leaped onto it without hesitation. Within half a minute, every pirate lay defeated!
"Let's go," Erza called out, turning toward Jehfrit still on the smaller boat.
"I'm already here," came Jehfrit's voice from the bow of the pirate ship. He'd found a chair and sat comfortably, unfazed.
"Set sail!" Erza crossed her arms over her chest.
"To where?" the pirate captain asked nervously.
"Galuna Island," Jehfrit replied coolly.
"The cursed island?! We can't go there!" the pirate stammered.
"Not going means death," Jehfrit stated flatly.
The pirate glanced at Erza's menacing glare and reluctantly ordered his crew to move forward.
The pirate ship traveled much faster than their previous vessel. As they neared Galuna Island, Jehfrit put down his book, adjusted his glasses, and surveyed the island ahead.
From the cliffside, Lucy fell toward the beach below.
"Lucy!"
Erza's eyes widened in alarm. "Hurry!"
The pirates pushed the ship to its maximum speed.
Lucy landed safely on the sand, but her opponent—a fiery red-haired girl with twin tails—rode down on a massive stone golem over ten meters tall.
Lucy quickly summoned Aquarius, knowing full well how temperamental the spirit could be.
Sure enough...
Aquarius unleashed a devastating torrent of water, engulfing both friend and foe alike!
'ROAR'
A massive wave swept across the beach, tossing Lucy and her enemy around like ragdolls. Once the water receded, the two girls engaged in a literal hair-pulling brawl.
Ultimately, Lucy emerged victorious, thanks partly to her superior weight class—or perhaps because dealing with a certain fire-breathing dragon slayer had toughened her up.
However, her opponent still had one last trick—a giant rat lunged at Lucy, who was too exhausted to fight back.
"Jehfrit!" Erza shouted.
"Don't worry." Jehfrit smiled faintly from his seat and vanished.
On the beach, Lucy watched in despair as the enormous rat bore down on her.
"This is it..."
"Ara ara, looks like I've found a lovely blonde lass."
A reassuring voice came from behind. Lucy felt herself being yanked backward by the collar of her shirt, narrowly avoiding the rat's attack.
'THUD'
The rat crashed into the ground and immediately charged off in pursuit of something else.
"Jehfrit?!" Lucy turned, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Lucy, can you still stand?" Jehfrit asked.
"Barely..." Lucy nodded weakly.
"That's good. Erza's in a foul mood right now, and besides, only Natsu or Gray could survive being carried by her," Jehfrit remarked casually.
"What do you mean?" Lucy blinked.
'BOOM'
Before the pirate ship fully docked, Erza leapt onto the shore, landing directly in front of Lucy. Seeing Erza's dark, furious expression, Lucy's breath caught in her throat.
"Natsu must be acting alone. I'll go find him," Jehfrit announced before vanishing instantly.
Finding Natsu?
That was just a secondary objective.
If he stumbled upon Natsu, great. If not, no big deal. His real purpose was to meet *that* demon—a small promise he intended to keep.
"Huh?"
As he walked, Jehfrit noticed a small figure—a hunched-over individual wearing a red ogre mask, moving incredibly fast. Jehfrit followed silently until they reached an ancient temple.
The Moon Temple was dilapidated, its non-load-bearing columns collapsed, and crescent moon symbols carved in red adorned various parts of the structure.
This was the Moon Temple.
Jehfrit's memory of the original plotline was fuzzy. After all, he'd first watched the anime as a teenager in his past life. Now, decades later, details escaped him. He vaguely remembered that Gray's senior disciple was involved somehow...
Was it here, in the Moon Temple?
Might as well gather some intel while he was at it.
Jehfrit trailed the mysterious figure into the temple. Soon enough, he encountered a group of mages. Among them stood a striking white-haired man with piercing eyes. The diminutive figure reported recent developments and updated the group on their master plan.
"Tonight, when the moon's magic fully channels, Deliora will awaken."
"But the ritual must not be interrupted under any circumstances!"