Chapter 9

Despite living with criminal masterminds and magical geniuses, I sometimes have to wonder if I'm actually surrounded by idiots.

"The council will have to take responsibility for their actions; I doubt they will be able to function normally for a while. Why, they may even be abolished entirely."

"Excellent, Ultear. And what became of Jellal?"

"Who knows? Perhaps he died."

Currently, I am eavesdropping. A pair of bat ears are resting on my head. I don't keep these there permanently like the hawk eyes because it can get annoying, but they are incredibly useful for collecting information when I want to.

Yesterday, the council embarrassed themselves by firing Etherion at the R-system. Ultear is currently reporting on the incident to Hades via communication lacrima, but even as they talk, I can't help but think of them as idiots.

"... and as a result, one of the keys to Zeref's seal is finally mine."

"Congratulations, Master Hades."

First of all, what seal? Hades, didn't you personally meet Zeref or something like that? Why would you all of a sudden believe he was sealed? Who could even do such a thing? If he had been sealed, don't you think there would be proper references to that in history? After all, if someone was sealed, that means someone had to have done the sealing.

I am aware that I would probably think differently if I didn't have the foreknowledge of my past life, but it just seems like a stupid thing to believe. This leader of a supremely powerful dark guild is wasting all his time and efforts chasing a rumor that doesn't have anything other than hearsay to back it up. Why not focus your efforts first on taking the Lumen Histoire, which you know exists, from Fairy Tail? One swift attack on the guildhall when all the strongest members are out and it would be an easy victory. Can you blame me for thinking he's a bit slow?

If that wasn't enough, how about this? They just completely abandoned Jellal. After grooming the perfect pawn for years, they just say "Who knows if he's alive or not. Whatever. Who cares?". Like, are you stupid? This is a member of the Ten Wizard Saints, stronger than any of the seven Kin of Purgatory, and we're just going to leave him for Brain to find.

I genuinely don't understand the logic behind that decision. Jellal would be a huge asset to Grimoire Heart, no matter how I look at it. The only thing I can think of to explain it is that Hades is afraid of him. If Hades thinks that he is weaker than Jellal, casting him aside would make sense. However, I don't think an arrogant prick like Hades would be able to objectively look at himself and say that he's weaker than anyone.

Either way, I have no intention of correcting his stupidity. If he wants to make things easier for me, I say let him.

I stand up from the bench, just down the hall from Hades' office, where I had been pretending to take a nap. Hades hasn't had many jobs for me lately as he has been increasingly consumed by his search for these keys. This has given me the chance to gather information and find out where I am in the canon storyline. I hadn't known how long after the Phantom Lord War it would take for the Tower of Heaven arc to begin, but I do know that right after that comes Laxus' rebellion.

Now that I know what's going on, I can act. What I have planned is definitely a gamble, all or nothing. Either it pays off and I save myself a lot of trouble, or it fails miserably and I get myself, and possibly the entirety of Fairy Tail, killed.

I don't want to play with my life like this, but I fundamentally don't believe that I should just blindly follow the original story. My presence here will likely cause changes, no matter how much I try to keep it the same. That means that nothing I know is guaranteed to happen and I would be a fool not to try to act to compensate for that as best I can. I need to make changes to account for my presence, while not derailing the story to the point where things might go badly.

As such, I'm heading to my main source of information. However much I don't want to.

Upon arriving at my destination, I take a moment to prepare myself and strengthen my conviction for what is to come. With a deep breath, I reach out and knock on the door three times. It's too late to escape now.

The door swings open and the next thing I know, my body is hurtling through the air. A petite white hand tugged me inside with the force of a Pain's Universal Pull. I'm released and slammed into a chair as the finisher.

"Whitey~! I've been sooo bored~!" And the pouting for pity begins. "With Miss Ultear gone, you're the only one who cares about poor Meredy. Boo-hoo~!"

Ultear has been gone for nearly a month now, and I've suffered greatly for it. Meredy is fundamentally the opposite type of person as I am. She cannot, under any circumstances, handle being alone. Three days after Ultear left, she marched into my room and demanded that I come to play with her every day.

When I ignored her, she hunted me down and whined my ear off.

"You see me every day. Must you do this every time?" I drawl, the same words are spoken every day.

"How can you say that to a crying lady?! Don't you have a heart, you beast?" As usual, she responds with nonsense.

"What crying lady? All I see is a sniveling brat. Same as every day."

"Geez, Whitey~. You really can't be honest with yourself, can you?" She drops the act and grins at me. "You're such a tsundere. After all," She flutters her eyelashes. "You come to see me every day."

I feel a vein popping out on my forehead. "That's because you chase me down if I don't, you shitty brat!"

"Quit calling me a brat. We're the same age, so if I'm a brat, you are too." Meredy whines.

Thus, the conversation goes absolutely nowhere for a while. The torture of having to go through this every single day has had me praying for that witch to return as soon as possible. I return to my room with as much mental fatigue as the 365 days of Brain's test combined. However, I can't help but smile into my pillow as I lie face down.

I got what I needed.

Trying to keep Meredy on track in a conversation is like navigating a labyrinth that is constantly shuffling itself around. It takes forever to get where you want, and when you finally do get there, everything can get derailed in an instant. However, after two hours in hell, I managed to get the information I needed to act out my plan.

I carefully replay the conversation in my head, making sure that I have everything memorized.

"Anyway, I heard from Hades that Ultear should be coming back sometime soon," I state, trying to turn the conversation into something meaningful.

"Really!" She perks up. "You better not be lying! If you're teasing me, I'll kill you, Whitey."

"I'm serious, but I heard that it depends a bit on the movements of the rest of the seven. Do you know what they're all doing?"

"Ummm~," She puts her pointer fingers on her temples as she thinks. "Zancrow, Kain, and Rusty are all on a mission to collect some type of key from some old village in Minstrel. They won't be back for a while still."

Good, getting them out of the way was something that I was concerned about. This works out perfectly.

"What about Caprico?" That slimy rat could potentially screw up my entire plan. He has a knack for finding information after all.

"I heard he's out doing his own thing. Something about taking a personal trip." Meredy shrugs. "Never mind that, tell me what they all have to do with Miss Ultear coming back!"

"I will, I will, I promise. Just one more thing," I finally get to what I want to know. "What's Azuma doing?"

"Huh? He's still here you know." Meredy states, confused about why I would ask something so obvious.

"I know, I was asking if he's going to be doing something soon. I overheard Hades say that he needs one of the seven to take a mission soon. If he gives it to you or Ultear instead of Azuma, you won't reunite with her for a while." I try to incite Meredy to give out a bit more information.

"Well, Master Hades said We're not supposed to tell you about our missions before they're already in motion, but since you're so worried about Miss Ultear, I guess I can tell you." Thankfully, Meredy is incredibly easy about anything involving Ultear. "Azuma was given a mission to attack a traveling merchant. I guess that merchant will be transporting one of those keys Hades wants so badly. So, that means Miss Ultear will be coming back soon, right?"

"Yep, good for you!" I smile at her, just one more push. "How's Azuma supposed to find that merchant anyway?"

"Well, I didn't pay much attention since it isn't my job, but I heard that on October 21st he will be stopping for supplies at some town called Oakridge."

I freeze up for a second at the name of my hometown but quickly shake it off. That place has nothing to do with me now. I have everything I need now, that's all that matters.

"Looks like Master Hades planned this out."

Our conversation fell back into nonsensical banter after that, but I was satisfied. I am now certain that I can carry out my plan. Whether or not I get found out is another thing, but the first phase should be doable at the very least.

An unfamiliar woman with a striking hourglass figure walks the streets of Magnolia.

She's wearing an erotic green outfit that looks like a match for an Egyptian belly dancer, exposing much of her ample chest. Her head is covered with a veil that stops just past her eyes, leaving her luscious red lips exposed. Her hair is covered by the veil, but a few white strands peek out. In her right hand is a long staff wrapped tightly in gauze, and in her left is a caramel apple.

Today, Magnolia is having a festival, and as such, the town is more crowded than usual. The mysterious woman struts barefoot down the middle of the crowded street, the people step aside and make a path for her approach. Her allure is such that both men and women stop in their tracks to stare when she passes. They can't help but wonder if she will be in the Miss Fairy Tail contest. Despite only seeing half of her face, they are already convinced that she would get their votes.

She continues until she is just opposite the Fairy Tail Guildhall, where she finds an outdoor cafe and sits down. She remains seated there, swirling her beverage, all the way through the Miss Fairy Tail Contest, much to the disappointment of many. She seems unconcerned with the goings-on of the festival around her, even as her admirers swarm around the cafe. She doesn't order anything more than refills for her beverage, but the cafe owner isn't bothered. She has already brought in more customers than he had gotten all week.

Even when the rowdy Fairy Tail mages begin to brawl on the streets and the civilians flee for the sake of keeping their bones intact, she remains unperturbed and unmoving.

"Um, Miss? You should probably get to a safer place. They don't mean any harm, but the mages here can be a bit destructive." The cafe owner works up the courage to warn the aloof beauty.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine where I am." Her voice is sensual and enchanting. For a moment the cafe owner is caught in a daze and wonders if the woman used some type of charm magic.

The cafe owner only regains the ability to move when the mage called Jet's unconscious body flies in his direction. Even as he retreats inside, he notes that the woman still hasn't moved.

The exotic woman remains still through the various battles in town, through the thunder palace in the sky and its destruction. Not even the lightning strikes from the Kardia Cathedral are enough to rouse her interest. She remained in her seat the entire time, forcing the poor cafe owner to bring her refills at her call. She only looked up in interest when the Fairy Tail mages began to drag themselves back into the guildhall. She looked especially shaken when the Strauss siblings limped back inside Fairy Tail's doors.

At some point during the night, when the cafe owner was readying himself for the Fantasia Parade, he noticed that her seat was empty.

Laxus Dreyar was filled with regret.

How could he not have seen what Fairy Tail truly meant to him, what it truly stood for?

If he had gotten his way, they would have been no better than a dark guild. No bonds, no loyalty, no love. It wouldn't be the family that he had grown up as a part of. He sees that now. Rather, that was beaten into him.

No amount of regrets or apologies could make up for what he did though. He forced his grandpa to excommunicate him from the guild. He forced his grandpa to kick out his family again. He doesn't deserve any sympathy or forgiveness.

He doesn't deserve it, but his family still gave it to him. Is it okay for him to still think of them as his family?

Laxus had stayed to watch the Fantasia Parade, mostly on a whim. He wanted to see the real Fairy Tail one last time before he left. He watched the parade and received their message loud and clear.

"I may not be able to see you, there may be hundreds of miles between us but I'll always be looking your way. I'll be watching over you forever, I promise."

It was far more than Laxus deserved. What did he ever give to his grandpa? His grandpa gave everything to him, even when he deserved nothing, but did he ever give anything back other than spite?

The tears wouldn't stop as Laxus walked out of Magnolia's gates, one hand holding his bag and the other covering his face.

"Laxus Dreyar, do you wish to protect Fairy Tail?" An alluring voice brushes his ears from the side.

Laxus wipes his tears away and turns to the source of the voice. A woman is leaning against the gate. She is wearing an exotic outfit that shows off her curves to the fullest. A veil covers her head, but Laxus can make out a hint of green and... red. Through the fabric.

"Who are you?" He growls out. No matter how he looks at it, she's suspicious. If she's planning to threaten Fairy Tail, he will get rid of her right here.

"Save the intimidation for times when you don't have fresh tears in your eyes. Who I am isn't important," She purrs. "What's important is what I know, and what you need to know."

"Hmph, spare me your riddles. If you think you can get away with threatening Fairy Tail to my face, you're a fool. So, tell me. What is it that I need to know?"

"I threaten nobody, I've merely come to inform you of somebody who does have designs upon your lovely little guild." The woman grabs her staff and turns her back to him. "I've found out that a member of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin of Purgatory, Azuma, has plans to attack Fairy Tail. Before he gets the chance to act and kill someone precious to you, I think it would be in your best interest to kill him first."

"...If what you say is true," Laxus starts after a long pause. "How do I even find him?"

"6 days from now, on October 21st, Azuma will attack a merchant caravan in Oakridge Town." The woman states with her back still turned to him. The gauze from her staff has fallen to the ground, but her body is blocking the staff so Laxus can't see it. "That will be your only chance to protect your family."

"And why should I believe you?" Laxus questions, hoping to gain more information.

"Because you have no other choice." She calmly answers. "If I'm lying and you act, you lose nothing. If I'm telling the truth and you don't act, you could lose everything."

Before Laxus can question her further, she disappears with a faint purple light and he is left alone. His mind was racing, she didn't seem trustworthy, but could he afford to ignore her?

Her scent also gave him reason to doubt her words. She had the scent of multiple different people, maybe five, but the main scent was oddly familiar. On top of that was a faint smell of blood, not from anything recent, but engrained on her person. As if bloodshed makes up a part of who she is.

Laxus walked out into the night with a lot on his mind.

I got carried away.

I buried my face in my hands as I huddled in the woods near Magnolia. God that was embarrassing. What in the world made me think this was a good idea?

I stand up and pull off my veil. Slowly, starting with my face, my body begins to morph back to my original shape. My lips deflate a bit and my facial structure becomes more masculine. Next, my shoulders broaden and my chest sinks in and reforms into pecs. My waistline grows out and my musculature returns, followed by my hips, posterior, and thighs all shrinking down a bit. I was too scared to mess with my jiggly bits, so they remained throughout. Finally, I change back into my usual attire.

What a terrifying power I have!

I fully admit to going overboard with this. I had the idea of disguising myself as a woman after Grimoire Heart falls and decided to test it out here. Before I knew it, I started having fun with it and ended up making myself into something crazy. I even went out shopping for that ridiculous outfit.

I thought it would be fun to mess with people, and at first, it was. Then, I began to realize that I was practically naked in the middle of a town. Even if I had altered my appearance and covered my face, it was still me. I froze up and just sat at a cafe all day, burying my embarrassment in iced coffee after iced coffee. At least, it looks like my sense of shame has returned since my days in training.

I originally wanted to enjoy my time in town to the fullest, maybe even go see Mira or Elfman. It's probably for the best that that didn't last for more than a passing glimpse, but it's still regrettable. Hopefully, at least Laxus will take my message seriously. Otherwise, this was all for nothing. I don't think anyone knows about my trip, so if he does act on it, it shouldn't get traced back to me.

All I know is that once I return to my room on the airship, this outfit will be sealed away. Hopefully, the time will never come when I need to use such a powerful weapon ever again. With great power comes great responsibility.

Truly, such a fearsome ability.