The treatment Lucy received indeed made people very envious, but Moen did not need to explain anything, nor did anyone dare to question him. Even if they asked, it would be useless, Moen would only smile and not answer.
Under Moen's highly efficient work, the signing event quickly came to a successful end.
His ever-present professional smile, along with his steel-like arm used for signing, rapidly pushed the process forward, finishing the event more than two hours earlier than originally planned.
Fortunately, the next segment had already been arranged. The concert could seamlessly follow up, so no one had to wait idly.
The fans who had just attended the signing gathered again in the theater's audience seating. The signed books in their hands served as both concert tickets and seat numbers, and the order had already been filled in for them earlier.
Lucy, of course, had already taken her seat, except she had been invited to the VIP section. There, she saw a familiar figure.
"Dad!"
Seeing Jude Heartfilia, Lucy cried out in surprise and immediately ran over. She hadn't seen her father for quite some time, so naturally she was very excited to suddenly see him here.
Hearing his daughter's voice and seeing her run toward him, Jude was first stunned, clearly not expecting to encounter Lucy here.
"Lucy? Why are you here?"
Looking at Lucy who had come to his side, Jude frowned and asked.
"I came to attend Mr. Moen's signing event…"
Seeing her father frown with a stern, questioning expression, Lucy's previously high spirits immediately dropped. She spoke softly. She knew her father didn't like her running around, and seeing her here unexpectedly, he would certainly be unhappy.
"…"
Looking at the stubborn Lucy, Jude's expression became somewhat complicated.
Although he knew Lucy was a fan of Moen's books, he hadn't expected his daughter to like them so much that she would sneak out alone just to attend Moen's signing event.
In the past, when Lucy disobediently ran out from home, it was only to find him. Now, there was someone else worth her doing this for.
Having known Moen for so long, Jude had never arranged for Lucy to meet him. One reason was that he was indeed busy, so busy that his feet barely touched the ground.
The second reason was his own selfishness. After truly getting to know Moen and the power of "Fairy Tail," Jude instead began to feel that he didn't want Lucy to be too deeply involved with them.
The death of his wife, Layla, had always been a thorn in his heart.
Although Layla had not told Jude the exact reason, he was not foolish. He knew it must have been related to matters of mages that caused his wife's condition to suddenly go from healthy to near death.
Since then, Jude had become even more aware of the dangers of the mage world. The more outstanding and famous one was, the more dangerous it became.
Being just an ordinary mage, taking on trivial commissions, actually involved very little danger.
But someone like Layla, as an excellent Celestial Spirit Mage, had considerable fame across the continent, yet she died just like that. That was because the matters she dealt with were extremely dangerous.
Moen and the powerful strength and trouble-attracting nature of "Fairy Tail" had touched that sensitive nerve in Jude's heart.
This caused a change in Jude's attitude—from initially hoping Lucy could establish a master-disciple relationship with Moen, to now hoping Lucy could stay further away from Moen and "Fairy Tail." It could be said that he had swung to the opposite extreme.
As for Lucy insisting on learning Celestial Spirit Magic, Jude had no way to stop her, because it had been passed down to Lucy by Layla.
Layla had said that as long as Lucy wanted to learn, she would support her, and she would have the Celestial Spirits she had contracted with take care of and protect Lucy.
But Jude thought that if Lucy only learned it casually and did not get involved in the troublesome matters of the mage world, it should be possible to avoid the tragedy that had happened to Layla from repeating itself.
"Lucy, what do you think of Moen as a person?"
Looking at Lucy, Jude suddenly asked.
"Mr. Moen? Of course, he's an extremely amazing person! Not only is he an incredibly powerful Celestial Spirit Mage! His books and music are also great! He's the kind of person I want to become!"
Facing her father's question, Lucy answered seriously. The kind of person she wanted to become was someone like Moen.
She was also a Celestial Spirit Mage, possessing a very strong inheritance. Her mother had left her quite a lot of "legacy," even including two of the Zodiac Spirits, and she herself also liked writing. She had already begun organizing the stories her mother used to tell her, preparing to turn them into a collection.
In Lucy's view, Moen was her best idol and goal.
"…"
Jude was momentarily speechless. He hadn't known that his daughter had always thought this way, nor that she had taken Moen as her goal. Was that really possible? Wasn't her ambition a bit too lofty?
Although Jude also knew that his wife Layla had left Lucy quite a bit of legacy, even his rather famous wife Layla could only stand aside in front of the current Moen, right?
Lucy placing herself alongside Moen for comparison, and even taking him as a goal to chase, made Jude begin to compare the two as well.
And after making that comparison, Jude felt that he might have been overthinking things before.
"Maybe I've been overthinking? Even if Lucy becomes a mage, she probably won't encounter anything dangerous? Compared to geniuses like Moen and the others, her talent… should only be considered average, right?"
Whether Lucy could reach the professional height of her mother Layla was still unknown, let alone be compared to Moen.
Jude began to think that perhaps letting Lucy join "Fairy Tail" wouldn't be a bad thing. After all, if the sky fell, there were still those taller ones like Moen to hold it up. No matter what, it wouldn't fall on Lucy.
The reason Layla ended up like that might have been because she had no organization, no guild, and no one stronger standing in front to shield her.
Looking at her father's constantly changing expression, Lucy's face showed some concern. She worried that her words had made her father angry, and the little girl carefully observed his expression.
However, Jude, whose mind was filled with clashing thoughts at the moment, did not notice Lucy's concern. He frowned as he continuously weighed the pros and cons.
"Lucy, answer me seriously—if I let you join the Fairy Tail guild, and have you take Moen as your master, would you be willing?"
Just as Lucy was feeling uneasy, Jude suddenly spoke.
And these words directly made little Lucy widen her eyes. She stared blankly at her father, a little doubtful whether she had heard correctly.
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