Jehfrit went to the guild in the morning and returned at noon with a serious expression.
"Did something happen again, Master Jehfrit?" Ikuto asked anxiously.
"No," Jehfrit shook his head.
"Um..." Ikuto pointed to the box in the corner—it was the one Miss.1 had given to Jehfrit. "Are you going to open this box?"
She was curious about what was inside.
Not just her—everyone in the guild was extremely curious about this gossip involving Jehfrit.
An enemy woman had set her sights on Jehfrit and given him a box.
What could possibly be inside?
Jehfrit walked over. It was an ordinary iron box, locked with a simple lock.
He inspected it. There were no special magical fluctuations—it seemed like just an ordinary box a young girl might use to store personal items.
"Miko," he said.
A hand extended from the side—Miko's hand—and she gently pulled on the lock, breaking it open. The lid of the box creaked open.
The contents were unremarkable.
There was an old but intact, cheap little cat plushie.
A notebook with heart-shaped stickers on the cover.
A recording device and a piece of paper—a letter.
Jehfrit picked up the plushie and examined it. Finding nothing special, he set it aside.
Then he picked up the notebook.
Inside were slanted, unevenly written words that were quite messy, clearly showing that the writer hadn't practiced much.
[Today I turned three years old! Father gave me a gift—a beautiful bead. I really liked it, but Leopard told me it was burned out of a human body. Gross! I threw it far away.]
[It was so hot today, so I went to play by the river with friends in town. But then monsters appeared and ate several of my friends. I killed the monster, but now they won't play with me anymore. I'm so sad. Leopard told me the monster was a failed experiment created by Father. Why does Father always do such things?]
Jehfrit read through the diary entries.
Ikuto was reading along too, tears streaming down her face. She felt a mix of understanding and sympathy for Miss.1.
The diary chronicled how Miss.1 had become the ruthless killer she was today.
Once, she had been an innocent, kind-hearted girl who was doted on by Roya. But Roya's affection was... twisted.
His gifts and actions kept pushing the boundaries of what Miss.1 could endure.
Until Jehfrit came across a crumpled page with two or three drops of blood. Finally, he understood why Miss.1 had rebelled.
[Leopard is dead. Killed by the old monster...]
Just a few short words, followed by a few droplets of blood.
From that point on, the tone of the diary changed drastically.
[The old monster made me kill. Fine. I killed all his newly created monsters, and he was actually happy. Yes, he's the least human, most monstrous one of them all.]
[The old monster experimented on me to increase my magic power. Nine times out of ten, I should have died, but I survived, and he was thrilled. I wonder when I'll become strong enough to kill him.]
[I want to go on missions. I don't want to see the old monster anymore. My killing intent can't be hidden anymore, but I'm still not strong enough.]
Miss.1 had written over a dozen such entries, each filled with hatred for Roya.
Then, at some point, the tone shifted again.
[I got another younger brother, One. He's the old monster's hope. I planned to kill him, so I took him out of the base under false pretenses. But One was too strong—I couldn't beat him. Surprisingly, the old monster used his body to block the attack and save me. Why? He said, "Because I'm your father." What am I supposed to do with the old monster?]
[The old monster almost died. He resisted the Gates of Hell for me while saving me from One. These days, I've been conflicted. Should I kill him or not?]
[Sorry, Leopard.]
[Sorry, Leopard.]
Every entry after that, on the same day each year, contained only the words, "Sorry, Leopard." This was the anniversary of "Leopard's" death.
Until the most recent entries.
[Jehfrit! Such a handsome man! He's my dream lover!]
"...," Jehfrit looked at the date of the diary entry and did the math.
"Miss.1 is only twenty-one!" Ikuto exclaimed in surprise. "She looks older, maybe twenty-seven or twenty-eight."
"...,"
[He's coming! He's coming to kill the old monster!]
[I've found it! I've found the best way!]
[I can't kill the old monster, but he can!]
[Jehfrit, if you kill the old monster, I'll follow you!]
The diary abruptly ended there.
"So she was actually sincere," Jehfrit said, somewhat surprised.
At first, he thought Miss.1 was plotting something, but conspiracies don't end with the leader being killed.
Now it seemed those outrageous things she said might have been true after all.
He set the diary aside and picked up the recording device.
There were three audio clips inside.
The first clip played a little girl's voice, trembling with tears: "Leopard is dead. The old monster killed her. This vengeance must be repaid. I recorded this message so that future me, if I ever forget the hatred I feel today, will listen to this and remember my anger."
The second clip was a slightly older voice: "Sorry, past me. I couldn't kill the old monster—he is... sorry... Leopard, I remember what you said before you died. As long as I live well, you wouldn't hate me... sniffle... sorry."
The third clip was the most recent voice, cheerful this time: "Haha, past me! I've found a man. He's better and stronger than the old monster. He can defeat him, and I want to become his!"
"...,"
Jehfrit then picked up the letter.
[To Master Jehfrit:
I wrote this letter while you were sleeping. I have a feeling you won't accept me, but I couldn't help myself—I threw myself at you anyway.
I know you can't understand me, and I don't know how to prove my sincerity. We are enemies, and you're a confident person, so it's hard for us to truly understand each other.
But I want to tell you—I'm someone who doesn't even have the courage to avenge my own companions. It was your appearance that gave me hope.
I'm useless, a cowardly woman who clings to the strong. After meeting you, I placed all my hopes on you.
But I know you probably won't accept me.
So I'm writing this letter. If you ultimately refuse me, I'll show you the real me and then go see the world.
Maybe it'll be a few years, maybe over a decade—I'll wait for your call. Like a slave, like a dog. Just a wave of your hand, and I'll come back.
—A person without a master, home, surname, or name]
"Is Master Jehfrit... going to look for her?" Ikuto couldn't help but ask.
She finally understood the twisted nature of Miss.1's personality.
And she couldn't help but sympathize.
Even she was like that.
She didn't have much courage either.
At the brink of life and death, all she wanted was to become a maid in Master Jehfrit's household—that was the happiest thing she could imagine.
And Miss.1, who seemed so proud, had placed herself on the same level as a dog in Master Jehfrit's house.
A top-tier powerhouse of a powerful organization—this was her "life's ambition." It was...
Truly laughable.
Jehfrit put everything back into the box, found a new lock, and secured it. Then he smiled: "Put it in the warehouse. My family doesn't have a tradition of keeping slaves, and besides, we already have one dog."
With that, Jehfrit went upstairs.
"Master Jehfrit..." Ikuto froze, unable to comprehend him.
Miko crossed her arms and looked down at Ikuto, shaking her head.
Jehfrit was incredibly proud. Otherwise, how could it be that after all these years, he hadn't recruited a single mage assistant?
Over the years, countless women had thrown themselves at Jehfrit, but very few stood by his side.
Ikuto...
You have qualities you haven't even realized.
That woman isn't on your level.
"But..." Ikuto picked up the box, lost in thought. "Master Jehfrit said to put the box in the warehouse instead of throwing it away. Does that mean he's leaving it there? A sign of... observation?"
Miko cracked a small smile: You're not completely dumb after all.
---
Jehfrit stood in the bathroom, pulling something out.
"Jehfrit," Miko asked, "But weren't you planning to study Miss.1?"
Miss.1 was Roya's perfect experimental subject.
Although Jehfrit now knew many of Roya's foundational theories and had inherited his lifelong research materials, a perfect experimental sample would save him a lot of trouble.
And the concept of Release Mode...
It was rather interesting.
After finishing, Jehfrit shook himself off and said, "Not in a hurry. There are more pressing matters to attend to right now."
"What matters?" Miko asked curiously.
"Aza," Jehfrit said as he exited the bathroom.
"Master," a head popped out of the nearby mirror—it was Mirror Demon Azazel.
"Run a simulation. If I suddenly disappeared for a few years, what would you do?" Jehfrit said.
Without another word, he sat at the table and pulled out a book to read.
"I'll go peel some fruit for you," Miko went to cut fruit.
By the time Miko returned, Aza had already calculated the results.
"Master, if you disappear, I will follow your will, continue striving to grow stronger, and protect everyone you care about."
"Within one year, I will fully become a complete demon."
"Within three years, I will establish a merchant guild."
"Within five years, I will sell mirrors throughout the entire country."
"Within seven years, I will expand the Mirror World to overlap with Fiore Kingdom."
"Within ten years..."
"Stop, that's enough for now," Jehfrit waved his hand. "There's one more important matter."
"Yes," Aza listened obediently.
"Try simulating my Deception Magic."
"Master, that might be difficult. While I excel in calculation, I lack creativity for breakthroughs," Aza replied.
Aza's computational abilities far surpassed humans, but his capacity for innovation was lacking.
Simulating the next level of Deception Magic would be extremely challenging for him.
"Just do it. Or... you could help Emily simulate it instead," Jehfrit said.
"Yes, Master," Aza nodded.
"You may leave," Jehfrit said.
Aza retreated.
Miko arrived with a tray of fruit. "Jehfrit, are you going to fight Acnologia?"
"Why would you say that?" Jehfrit chuckled at her words.
"You seem like you're giving last words."
"Not at all," Jehfrit laughed. "But some things need to be arranged ahead of time. I don't want to return after a long absence and find no progress. I won't stand for that."
The Tenrou Island incident.
Jehfrit already had multiple plans.
At worst, it would be like the original story—he'd be sealed for seven years.
If that happened, Aza couldn't afford to slack off.
He even found himself looking forward to waking up one day.
To find his little pets invincible, kicking Zeref's ass and punching Acnologia.
Like *Seven Years Later: My Pokemons Are Now Unstoppable*.
Though that was unlikely...
"Ugh,"
Miko crouched down, looking at Jehfrit's legs. "Do you regret letting Miss.1 go?"
"Do you think I'm short on women?"
"Well, no, but when do you plan to use that thing?"
"What vulgar words," Jehfrit tapped her head. "I'm a traditional person. I'll use it at the right time—I can't just use it whenever!"
"When is the right time?"
"After marriage."
"And who are you marrying?"
"..."
"Damn," Miko slapped her forehead. "I'll never see that thing get used in my lifetime."
"You make it sound like I'm going to die alone!" Jehfrit was exasperated.
"Jehfrit's personality is too tsundere. Getting married will be hard."
"Not at all!" Jehfrit sighed. Why did Miko have so little faith in him?
"By the way..."
He suddenly remembered. "Why are you suddenly so obsessed with this topic?"
"Because I heard some people questioning whether you'll ever get to that day... I'm curious too."
"No need to question it. I'll definitely get there," Jehfrit said confidently. "It will have its use someday!"
"Then I'm reassured," Miko said. "If it's me..."
"Shut up," Jehfrit flicked a card, gagging Miko.
"Mmph..." Miko looked utterly pitiful but didn't tear the card off.
---
Early morning.
Everyone gathered in the guild.
"What's happening?" Lucy asked Cana next to her, puzzled.
"It's time," Cana's expression was complex.
"What?"
"Cough cough..."
Before Lucy could ask further, a cough echoed from the stage.
It was the Master's voice.
Everyone fell silent.
Lucy looked ahead—it seemed the mystery was about to be revealed.
"Ah, it's that time again..." Makarov said with a sigh.
"Master, announce it already!"
"I can't wait anymore!"
"This year has to be mine!"
"Don't kid yourself. Didn't you mess up last time? It's definitely Natsu, Gray, and the others!"
"Damn it!"
The veteran members began discussing animatedly—they clearly knew what was happening.
The newer members, however, were confused.
"According to Fairy Tail's rules—" Makarov announced solemnly, "I will now reveal the list of participants for the S-Class Mage Selection."
"Huh?!!" Lucy gasped in shock.
"Finally!" Natsu cheered. He was certain he'd be on the list this time. Becoming an S-Class Mage had been his dream for so long!