Where did Elfman go?
Evergreen waited all day but didn't see him show up.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, but worry began creeping in too—had she really pushed the honest guy too far?
Elfman wasn't someone who held grudges like this…
With a backpack slung over his shoulder, Elfman left the city.
"Elfman, where are you going?" Cana called out.
Elfman turned to look.
On the nearby open ground, there were signs of battle.
Ikuto sat on a fallen tree trunk, her sword resting in her hand, looking relaxed.
Cana was drenched in sweat, frantically replenishing her water supply.
"Going into the forest for a bit. What are you two doing?"
"Oh, training," Cana replied. "This time, I'm determined to make it to S-Class!"
"Hmm." Elfman nodded. Every year, Cana said the same thing, but with Natsu and the others growing stronger, objectively speaking, it would be tough for her in the next few years. Not to mention Gajeel, Juvia, and others… Even Wendy and Emily, who had grown significantly, couldn't be underestimated.
Perhaps… Elfman glanced at Ikuto. This might be Cana's closest shot yet.
After all, Ikuto was quite strong.
"Good luck to you both," Elfman said before walking away.
"So, you made Evergreen mad and aren't trying to patch things up? What are you leaving town for now?" Cana asked nosily.
"I have my own plans," Elfman replied, then departed.
"Phew…" Cana sighed deeply, looking at Ikuto. "Let's keep going, Ikuto. Before the exam, every bit of strength we can gain counts."
"Alright." Ikuto stood up.
"Natsu! Natsu! Come help me, I can't pull it—it's huge!" Lucy's voice echoed from the riverside.
"I'm coming!" Natsu quickly responded.
"Love—" Happy added as he strained.
Curious, Elfman walked over.
There, Lucy clutched her fishing rod, the line taut like a full moon. The river churned violently, water splashing several feet high—it was definitely something big!
Her body was being dragged toward the river. Happy, flying behind her, gripped the rod with all his might but still couldn't stop it.
Natsu hastily dropped his own rod, wrapping one arm around Lucy and grabbing the rod with the other, pulling with all his strength!
*Boom*
A monstrous fish, nearly as tall as a person, was yanked out of the water.
Elfman couldn't help but shake his head—Jehfrit could fish his whole life and the next one but he would never catch something this big.
*Thud*
Natsu slammed the fish onto the riverbank.
"Wow, it's huge!" Happy excitedly pounced on it.
"Hahaha—fishing isn't that hard after all!" Lucy laughed as she joined in. Judging by its size, the fish was about as tall as her, and its round body meant it was much heavier—Jehfrit could fish for a year, and all his catches combined wouldn't weigh as much as this one!
Speaking of which… should she take a detour to Jehfrit's house later?
No, better not.
Lucy shook her head—it was too easy to become a target for that guy.
At that moment…
The struggling fish whipped its tail, sending Happy flying and knocking Lucy flat on the ground.
What power!
"Hahahaha, you two idiots!" Natsu burst into laughter at the sight.
"Natsu!!!" Lucy scrambled up, too flustered to fix the grass and leaves stuck in her hair, and lunged at the guy laughing at her misfortune.
*Splash*
Lucy tackled Natsu, straddling him and delivering a flurry of professional punches.
Happy also charged in, kicking and punching.
"…"
Watching their laughter and joy…
Elfman turned and left.
There was a hint of envy in his eyes, but also a flicker of anticipation.
He longed to interact with Evergreen so freely, without any burden. But even though Natsu and Lucy hadn't confirmed their relationship yet, he and Evergreen were already boyfriend and girlfriend—but they hadn't reached that level of intimacy…
Elfman's gaze hardened.
The plan must proceed!
---
"Master~~~"
Emily tossed aside the dog leash and pounced into Jehfrit's arms, cooing.
"What is it?" Jehfrit asked.
"You're about to leave on a trip. Can't you play with me a little?" Emily pouted.
The S-Class Mage exam required participants—and support staff—to head to Tenrou Island.
As for the rest, including Emily, they wouldn't be going.
"Fine," Jehfrit put down his book.
"Let's go, Miralit!" Emily ran back to grab the leash.
But Miralit refused to budge, lying limp on the ground.
Though Emily was a little girl, she was a dedicated swordsman who trained her body alongside Ikuto. Early in the morning, she'd dragged Miralit all over town, exhausting the poor dog.
"Forget it," Jehfrit said. "Let Miralit rest."
"Okay."
Emily led Miralit back to her doghouse, gave her water and some food, then returned, excitedly grabbing Jehfrit's hand. "Let's go!"
The two headed into town.
After browsing for a while, they bought some snacks.
Emily was thrilled. Though she'd already explored Magnolia thoroughly, the real highlight was spending time with Jehfrit.
"Wow—Emily, such a giant candy apple! Won't eating that give you cavities?" Lisanna, passing by, teased.
"I rinse my mouth properly—it won't!" Emily opened her mouth wide, showing off her pearly whites.
"What are you two up to?" Jehfrit asked, looking at Lisanna and the shopping bags Laxus carried behind her.
"We're on a date—" Lisanna stated bluntly.
"Oh." Jehfrit nodded, glancing at Laxus, who looked indifferent. Turning back to Lisanna, he said, "Don't let Laxus skimp on spending. He earns so much money—it's better spent on his sister than on women at cabarets."
"…" Laxus instantly snapped, glaring daggers at Jehfrit. "I don't spend money on women at cabarets!"
*Snap*
Jehfrit clicked his fingers, producing a photo—but kept it face-down so Laxus and Lisanna couldn't see.
Laxus choked.
With a smug grin, Jehfrit flicked his finger, making the photo vanish.
"I need to correct something—" Lisanna interjected. "Jehfrit-nii, we *are* on a 'date'!"
"Oh, okay." Jehfrit lazily nodded. "Then keep enjoying your outing."
With that, he walked off, tugging Emily along.
Lisanna: "…."
Emily: "…." She glanced at Laxus, then up at Jehfrit. If she hadn't been holding her candy apple stick, she would've facepalmed.
Uncle Laxus was one thing…
But Master was just clueless.
"But," Lisanna turned to Laxus. "You should stay away from cabarets, okay? You can't be like bad old Gildarts. If you do, I'll never talk to you again!"
"I'll bet you anything," Laxus took a deep breath. "That photo didn't have anything in it."
"But you've still been there, haven't you?"
"…" Laxus was cornered. After a moment, he admitted, "Gildarts always comes to find me… but I only drink and listen to music. The band there is top-notch—they'll perform my favorite songs if I tip them."
"And besides," Lisanna added, "Jehfrit wants to go too—he just can't. When he goes, he gets drunk and causes trouble. You know how it is…"
"No need to explain so much," Lisanna smiled sweetly, hopping cutely in front of Laxus and staring into his eyes. "I trust you, which is why I'm not mad. But…"
"Aren't there more important girls for you to spend time with?"
"…" Laxus froze, realizing something.
---
Later, after walking for a while…
"Levy-nee!" Emily spotted a familiar figure in the distance and waved enthusiastically.
"Oh, Emily," Levy turned around, unsurprised to see Emily and Jehfrit—Magnolia was small enough that running into acquaintances on the street was inevitable.
"Are you two on a date?" Emily asked, looking at Levy and Gajeel beside her.
"Huh?" Levy was caught off guard, while Gajeel awkwardly turned his head away. Levy quickly blushed and explained, "No, no! I just needed help carrying some books, so Mr. Gajeel kindly offered to assist."
"Oh, okay." Emily grinned knowingly. "Then I won't interrupt your date. Me and Master are on a date too!"
"You little…" Levy sighed exasperatedly.
After the two groups parted ways, Emily said, "I heard Gajeel-nii once hurt Levy-nee, but I can't imagine…"
"He's been working hard to make amends," Jehfrit explained. "He's felt guilty about it ever since. He even fought Laxus over it and got badly injured. In later battles, he's always gone all out to protect Levy."
"Yeah…" Emily nodded. "Even though Gajeel-nii seems like the most straightforward guy, he's actually one of the fastest progressing."
"Stop talking about these things," Jehfrit interrupted, sensing her implication. "You'll understand when you're older."
"Hmph." Emily huffed. "Tsundere types always end up as losers!"
"…"
After a while…
"I'm hungry…" Emily clutched her stomach.
"You've been snacking nonstop this whole time," Jehfrit muttered.
"The sweets go into a second stomach!" Emily immediately retorted. "That's what Lucy-nee says!"
"Then why do you see Lucy pinching her waist and worrying about gaining weight every day?" Jehfrit countered.
"Master… you're so mean!" Emily let go of Jehfrit's hand and stormed into a nearby shop.
When Jehfrit followed her inside, he found her chatting with Gray and Juvia.
"Are you two on a date?" Emily asked innocently.
"Uh…" Gray hesitated, unsure how to respond.
"Eh? A date? Of course not!" Juvia quickly covered her face, blushing furiously. "Though Juvia wishes she could admit it, she knows she shouldn't be greedy. Just being invited out to eat by Gray-sama has already made Juvia so happy!"
"Eh? Invited by Gray-nii…" Emily looked at Gray in surprise, ready to say something, but ultimately fell silent.
Instead, she cupped her chin, adopting a mature expression with an enigmatic smile. She nodded approvingly and let out a long "Mmm—" sound.
"Let's go." Jehfrit passed by, grabbing her twin tails and dragging her away.
"Ahh, my hairstyle! My hair's all messy now!" Emily exclaimed, wresting her hair from Jehfrit's grip.
Emily ordered some food, mostly based on her appetite.
After eating, Gray and Juvia had already left.
The two continued their stroll.
By evening, as they passed through the park, they spotted two familiar figures—but this pair seemed unusual.
Wendy and Mest.
"Wendy-nee!" Emily ran over, eyeing Mest suspiciously. "If you try any tricks to deceive Wendy-nee, I won't forgive you!"
Thanks to Lam reminding her, Emily was immune to negative magic, so Mest's spells wouldn't work on her either.
She knew full well he was an outsider.
"Eh?" Wendy quickly pulled Emily aside. "Don't be rude, Emily. This is Mr. Mest, a disciple of Mystogan."
Emily opened her mouth to say something but closed it instead. Looking serious, she warned, "Don't try anything funny."
At that moment, Jehfrit walked up behind Emily, ruffling her hair. "Stop saying strange things. Mest is indeed one of our guild members."
Emily looked at Jehfrit in surprise. She herself was immune to his magic—so should have been Jehfrit.
Could there be a plan in motion?
In an instant, Emily realized. If her master knew the truth and hadn't exposed it, he clearly had his reasons.
So she closed her mouth and refrained from further involvement.
If her master knew about this, it was definitely under his control.
Mest glanced nervously at Jehfrit. He felt his magic should have worked—but why…? Thinking of Jehfrit's strange magic… had he truly succeeded?
Jehfrit smirked at him. Poor Mest, digging his own grave—he was one of the guild's biggest fools.
Mest grew even more uneasy. He had confidence against anyone except this man—a master manipulator of the mind. He couldn't help but feel afraid.
Mest wielded memory-altering and teleportation magic.
Setting teleportation aside, his memory magic could rewrite memories, but breaking it was simple—if someone suspected him or viewed him as an enemy, the spell would unravel.
This method was similar to how Jehfrit's Deception Magic worked.
But Jehfrit's Deception Magic could layer illusions upon each other, while Mest, once exposed, would struggle to recover in a short time.
Thinking of Jehfrit's penchant for pranks using Deception Magic, Mest doubted whether he himself had already fallen victim to it.
"Keep chatting. We're leaving," Jehfrit said, pulling Emily away.
"Wait, let's go together," Wendy chimed in, turning to Mest. "That's enough for today. Regarding the S-Class exam, since you invited me, I'll do my best!"
Though Mest claimed to be Mystogan's disciple, there wasn't much to discuss.
Mest barely knew Mystogan himself, fearing he'd slip up if he talked too much, so he played the "My master is mysterious, I don't know much about him" card.
And Wendy was no longer the girl desperate to find Mystogan—she'd met him and bid him farewell properly, free of lingering emotional baggage.
"Alright," Mest said nervously.
But Jehfrit remained calm, watching Wendy take Emily's hand. He nodded at Mest, and the group departed.