Uru grabbed the lifeline like a drowning woman. "Roger, what you just said… does that mean you can actually get Tia into Fairy Tail?"
"Of course." Roger nodded without hesitation, turning his gaze to Ultearia.
"It's simple. Just stamp her with the Fairy Tail guild crest."
"Once the crest is on her, on a cognitive level she stops being 'wanted criminal Ultearia.' Even if someone holds the wanted poster right up to her face, their brain will refuse to connect the dots."
Ultearia frowned, half disbelief, half suspicion. "A cognition-altering spell… or magic item? From an official guild's crest? Fairy Tail's emblem can really do that?"
Roger shrugged. "Call it contingency planning. We modified the crest years ago in case something extreme ever happened—to give the guild and its members a back door."
He smirked. "Looks like the prep work is finally paying off."
Under that meaningful stare, Ultearia awkwardly cleared her throat and looked away. Then, as if remembering something, she sucked in a deep breath, steeled herself, and finally met his eyes again—only to drop her gaze to her shoes a second later.
"Um… Roger… thank you. For bringing Mom back."
A pause. Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper, thick with guilt.
"And… I'm sorry."
"I'm the one who destroyed your village… almost killed you all…"
Roger gave a calm nod. "Yeah. You should be sorry."
Her shoulders hunched; the light in her eyes dimmed like someone had snuffed a candle.
Of course he still hates me…
She opened her mouth to accept whatever punishment he wanted, but Roger continued, voice steady.
"So after you join the guild, spend the rest of your life making up for it. Not as 'Devil's Heart Ultearia'—as Fairy Tail's Ultearia. Atone. Save people. Protect them."
Ultearia's head snapped up, eyes wide and shimmering. "That's… it? You don't hate me? You're not going to demand more?"
Roger actually laughed. "What, you want me to throw a tantrum, cry about my village, then dramatically stab you a couple times for catharsis?"
(He definitely overheard way more than he let on earlier!!)
Ultearia inwardly screamed, rolling her eyes so hard it hurt while her cheeks went pink from a chaotic mix of shame and gratitude.
Roger changed the subject before she could die of embarrassment. "Anyway, there's something I need to confirm. Did Hades have anything on him that screamed 'pure malice'? An item, an aura—anything?"
Ultearia sobered instantly. "Yes. A key. The key to waking Zeref."
Uru's brows shot up. "Zeref? Didn't he die four hundred years ago? Is the key like the Tower of Heaven—some necromancy tool?"
Ultearia shook her head. "Zeref never truly died. He's just been asleep for centuries. That key was forged by sacrificing tens of thousands of lives, condensing every last drop of their resentment, hatred, and curses into one crystallized sin."
"If anything on Hades is tied to 'malice,' it's that key—no question."
She went on to explain the Tower of Heaven was partly a distraction for the Magic Council, partly a way to weaken them so Hades could gather materials in secret.
Uru's frown deepened. "If Zeref isn't dead, then what exactly would the R-System have revived?"
"A fake," Ultearia answered. "A version shaped by the caster's imagination—an evil, cruel, overwhelmingly powerful black mage. Strong, but nowhere near the real Zeref."
"Hades believed that once the real Zeref was awakened by that malice-forged key, Zeref would become king of the world and usher in the Great Magic World he dreamed of."
"A world where everyone without magic vanishes. Every incomplete magic system in existence becomes whole and perfect."
Her voice grew quieter, arms wrapping around herself. "I used to call this timeline my 'first life.' Hades told me that once the Great Magic World arrived, my Arc of Time would evolve into true space-time magic. Then I could rewind the entire world, go back to before I started hating Mom… and see her alive again."
Tears spilled. "That's why I did everything he asked. No matter how vile, no matter how many people I killed with my own hands. Because I believed the 'second life' would fix everything—give everyone happiness, give me redemption."
"But now…" She shook her head, voice breaking. "I'm scared. I don't want to find Zeref anymore. Because I already have Mom back. I'm terrified that if I reset everything something will go wrong again and I'll lose her a second time."
She looked up at Uru, face twisted with self-loathing. "I'm so selfish. I climbed over mountains of corpses to finally reach happiness, and now that I have it I just want to hog it all for myself."
Uru's heart shattered. She pulled her daughter into a fierce hug, gently stroking her back. "It's okay, Tia. It's okay. We'll carry those sins together and spend every single day from now on making it right. We have all the time in the world to protect this happiness."
Roger quietly stepped back, giving the mother and daughter space.
Leaning against a tree, arms folded, he stared into the forest and began piecing everything together.
(In the original story, Zeref said it was "malice" that drew Acnologia to Hades. That key is almost certainly the source.)
(The Moon God once said laws didn't vanish completely—they just went dormant and might reawaken under the right conditions.)
(The "Great Magic World" probably means a world where every magical law is fully manifested and complete.)
("People without magic will vanish"—everyone assumed that meant death. But what if it just means the concept of "being born without magic" ceases to exist? Like spiritual energy revival in cultivation novels—suddenly even mortals have a little qi.)
(And those worshipper voices in Zeref's head… probably echoes from the key itself, twisted believers' wills crystallized into it.)
(To become the one true "king" = to ascend to godhood. Conditions:
1. Defeat the current apex predator—Acnologia.
2. Amass a colossal amount of pure faith/believers.
3. Wield power on a divine level to complete the apotheosis.)
Roger exhaled slowly. (Looks like no matter what, I'll eventually step into divine territory. Gotta prepare.)
He walked back as the two women's tears finally slowed.
"Ultearia—one last thing. Where did Hades learn about the key and the Great Magic World?"
"He never told me the exact source," she answered, wiping her eyes. "Just that the key method came from ancient texts, and the description of the Great Magic World was carved on a broken stone tablet he found in some hidden ruin when he was young."
Another ruin. Looked like the real answers were still locked inside Hades himself.
A cheerful beep-beep-boop rang from Uru's pocket. She pulled out a glowing communication card.
Simon's voice came through.
『Uru, is the S-Class trial over yet?』
"It's on hold—some complications on the island."
『There was a document about hunting dark guild remnants I was supposed to give you… I can't find it on your desk.』
Uru's facepalm was audible. "Ah… I accidentally brought it with me to Tenrou Island. I'll bring it back now."
『Now? You're not waiting for the trial to resume?』
Uru glanced at her daughter and smiled softly. "No. I have something way more important to do first."
She squeezed Ultearia's hand. "Let's get you that guild crest."
After the contract was signed:
[Ding! Acquired Magic: Arc of Time]
[Arc of Time has mutated → Time Magic]
[Time Magic: Can rewind or fast-forward the time state of any target (living or inanimate).
Note: The stronger the target, the more mana required—exponentially. If target far exceeds user's limit, it will consume the user's lifespan instead. Use with extreme caution.]
Roger watched the mother-daughter duo hurry off into the trees, then turned toward the airship where Hades waited.
A few steps later, two more system alerts:
[Ding! +650,000 mana. Acquired Magic: Fire God Slayer Magic]
[God Slayer flames fused with Dragon Slayer flames → Flame of the Flame Dragon God]
[Ding! +540,000 mana. Acquired Magic: Arc of Manifestation]
Roger paused. "The other Purgatory Seven are down already? Fairy Tail's cleanup crew is scary efficient."
He raised his right hand and summoned a fistful of black-crimson fire. Light itself seemed to die around it—pure annihilation mixed with overwhelming destructive dominance.
"Similar vibe to Death Predation, but after fusing with dragon flames the 'death' part toned down and the 'burn everything' part went nuclear."
He dismissed the flames. "Now let's test this Arc of Manifestation."
He focused his magic and spoke clearly: "Excalibur."
…Nothing happened.
Roger frowned. "Missing something crucial."
The magic felt like a proud, aloof woman ignoring his texts.
Then a ridiculous thought hit him.
"That airplane-head guy (Rustyrose) was always super chuunibyou… Was that actually the hidden activation requirement?!"
Half cringing, Roger perfectly visualized every detail of the holy sword—golden blade, ornate guard, overwhelming light—then dropped his voice into maximum drama mode:
[O sword bestowed by the spirit of the lake, symbol of dominion and destruction—by the ancient covenant, reveal thy radiance!]
[Symbol of the hero's might—Excalibur, Promised Victory—unfurl here and now!]
VMMMMMM!
Golden light exploded from his palm. Countless particles of light swarmed like fireflies, weaving together in an instant.
A breathtakingly beautiful sword of pure golden radiance rested in his grip.
Roger stared at the weapon he'd summoned with the most embarrassing lines of his life, face a chaotic mix of triumph and existential pain.
"…So Arc of Manifestation really does require a full chuunibyou ritual chant plus self-hypnosis to activate smoothly."
"No wonder Rustyrose only had like five spells—he had to write new cringe dialogue on the spot every fight."
He shook his head, dismissed the sword with a wrist flick, and resumed walking toward the airship.
"Well… at least it looks cool as hell when it works."