"Magic infusion complete! The Requip Magic card is finished!" Blanc excitedly raised the card in his hand. His first practical card was complete.
"Erza, thank you for agreeing to imprint your magic on the card."
Erza was slightly out of breath. Still young, she had limited magic power. Even though she had only helped make the card, with Blanc doing most of the work, it had still taken a considerable toll on her.
"No need to thank me. We're guildmates."
After catching her breath, Erza asked another question:
"But Blanc, why imprint my Requip Magic? It doesn't do much to increase combat strength. It wouldn't be much use to you, would it?"
"You can't judge magic's value by combat strength alone." Blanc put away the card and explained with a smile, "The separate storage space that comes with Requip Magic is incredibly convenient in its own right."
Besides, Blanc also wanted to find some powerful armor to compensate for his weakness in close combat.
Blanc's advantage was the unlimited firepower his infinite magic power provided. He had no particular talent when it came to physical ability, so he intended to focus on studying different kinds of magic to make the most of his enormous reserves.
He would find external equipment to cover his weaknesses. Even the immensely powerful Erza of the future had plenty of armor that could strengthen her, which showed that this world's magic items could be quite potent.
Even if he found no suitable armor, using it as spatial magic for storage would still be worthwhile.
"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you go all out, Blanc." Erza suddenly stood up, eagerness in her eyes. "Want to have a match?"
"Uh... no, no. I'm nowhere near as strong as you guys." Blanc shook his head repeatedly. Erza never knew when to pull her punches. Winning would be fine, but if he lost, he would be in for a world of pain.
After all, guildmates couldn't exactly bombard each other with wide-area magic during a spar.
Another year had passed since Erza joined. Early in that year, Gray had still maintained his fighting spirit and kept challenging her.
But one time, Erza became so fed up that she beat Gray half to death. Everyone rushed him to Granny Porlyusica, and only then was he saved.
Ever since, even Gray had become a little afraid of being beaten up. Blanc doubted his small frame could take it.
"Really? But everyone in the guild says you're strong!" Erza looked puzzled.
"I just have more magic power and can cast some wide-area spells. If those can't solve the problem, I'm not much use."
"And I can't use anything too powerful when sparring with guildmates. If I tone down my spells, my fighting skills are only enough to deal with ordinary Wizards. I can't compare to you guys."
"I see. Then never mind. You're right, you can't use wide-area magic. It would damage the guild."
"Exactly! Anyway, I'm heading out on a job. Let's leave it here for today. Bye, Erza!" Blanc hurried out of the guild.
Only after stepping through the doors did he quietly breathe a sigh of relief. Watching Erza beat Natsu and Gray senseless in the anime had been funny, but if those fists landed on him, it wouldn't be funny at all.
As he strolled through the town's streets, Blanc's gaze gradually grew thoughtful. Before he knew it, the year had reached X777. This was the year the gears of fate would begin to turn.
Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, and the other two Dragon Slayers would travel here from four hundred years in the past. Lucy's mother, Layla, would fulfill the duty passed down by her ancestor Anna four hundred years ago, opening the Eclipse Gate to bring them into the present.
However, because Aquarius's Celestial Spirit Key failed to arrive in time, Layla had to spend her own life force to make up for the missing magic power and force the gate open, ultimately leading to her untimely death.
That had also indirectly caused the family tragedy Lucy later endured.
Had Layla not died young, Lucy's father, Jude, would not have become obsessive, neglected his daughter, and driven her away. After the Tenrou Island incident, father and daughter were separated forever by death, without even getting to see each other one last time.
Before coming to this world, Blanc had only watched as far as the Tartaros arc. For various reasons, he hadn't continued. He remembered some of these plot points from discussions he had read online.
Now that he had a chance to avert those regrets, he might as well do what he could. As for how-
Although he knew Aquarius's key was on the Western Continent, he had no idea where exactly it was. Retrieving it was out of the question.
But if Layla died because she lacked magic power, then for Blanc, who possessed infinite magic power, that was no problem at all.
He planned to lend a hand when the time came to open the Eclipse Gate. That way, Lucy's mother wouldn't have to make up for the missing magic power with her life.
Still, he would need to plan carefully before getting involved. After all, this was a four-hundred-year undertaking involving the Royal Palace and the Heartfilia Family. He couldn't afford to get himself caught up in it by accident.
Judging by Layla's personality in the original story, she probably wouldn't do anything to a child like Blanc. Most likely, she would dismiss him as a kid who didn't know any better, but that would be rather awkward and embarrassing.
First, he needed to bluff. His vast, inexhaustible magic power was the perfect disguise. Normally, people could only sense that he had a lot of it.
But once he unleashed it, the support of Infinite Magic would let him release magic power without end, creating enough pressure to make people's knees buckle.
When it came to demonstrating strength, that would work better than any explanation. Once he intimidated them, everything else would be easier.
Unfortunately, magical pressure couldn't knock ordinary people unconscious the way Haki could. Otherwise, Blanc really wanted to try that imposing scene of several people collapsing with every step he took.
Second, even if he ran into someone stubborn enough to attack without listening, the current Blanc was no pushover.
Being weak in close combat only meant he had a weakness, not that Blanc was actually weak. As long as he didn't encounter some absurdly overpowered character, he had nothing to fear.
Fiore Palace wasn't the palace of Alvarez. Its Wizards were all within normal bounds, with no monsters among them.
Still, fighting would inevitably reveal his magic, so avoiding it would be best.
Finally, he needed to prepare to conceal his identity. Blanc sorted through some of the magic cards he usually kept ready: illusions, soundproofing, presence concealment, and so on.
When the time came, he would also use magic to change his build and voice. He was confident that as long as he didn't reveal himself, no one would recognize his true appearance.
As for the powerful figures currently in the Royal Palace and the Heartfilia Family, the palace Wizards had a few tricks, but their strength probably topped out around S-Class. Layla, meanwhile, had the formidable ability to open three gates at once, but she was not bloodthirsty by nature.
At worst, it'll be a wasted trip. At best, Layla survives. As long as I disguise myself properly, I should have no trouble getting away unscathed even if something unexpected happens. It's worth a try, Blanc calculated.
As for whether Lucy will still join Fairy Tail after I save Layla, I'll leave that to fate.
Blanc casually gave the guild an excuse about going away to train, then officially set off.
July 1, 777. Crocus, the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore.
Blanc arrived in the bustling city ahead of time, planning to lie in wait over the coming days. Before taking action, however, he found somewhere to complete his disguise.
First came his height. A child's stature was far too conspicuous, so he used Nature Magic to give himself an adult build. Just like that, a handsome young man appeared on the streets of Fiore's capital.
Next, Blanc bought an outfit identical to the one he had worn back in Grimoire Heart.
Black clothes, black pants, black gloves, a hooded coat, and a black mask. Nothing showed but his eyes. Even if Layla happened to run into him later, she presumably wouldn't recognize him.
Less than two days later, one evening, Blanc spotted Layla's party while staking out the area near the Royal Palace. It was quite a large group: servants, a butler, Layla, and even Jude.
Blanc hardly knew what to say about their choice of personnel. After all, this was a major undertaking connecting them to the age of dragons four hundred years ago. If something went wrong, it could lead to a catastrophe in which ten thousand dragons crossed time and space to destroy the world.
With just these ordinary people and a few Celestial Spirit Mages, they could do nothing if disaster struck.
As for the Royal Palace's Wizards, they weren't even as capable as the Magic Council's Wizards. They couldn't be counted on in a crisis either.
On top of that, they had waited until the deadline was approaching to gather the keys, leaving one unable to arrive in time. It was just... terribly amateurish, especially for a major family with four hundred years of history.
Blanc followed them a little farther from the street corner, confirming that they were indeed heading toward a side entrance to the Royal Palace.
The party maintained a solemn air. The butler remained constantly alert, while Jude stayed close beside Layla, his expression tense.
Blanc realized that once they entered the Royal Palace, getting involved would become difficult. Negotiating with Layla would be easier than negotiating with the royal family.
It was time to make his entrance.
Blanc took a deep breath and slowly emerged from the shadows at the mouth of the alley.
The instant he stepped forward, he abruptly released the surging magic power within him, deliberately controlling how far it spread.
He didn't unleash it fully. Instead, he kept it just strong enough for those nearby to sense his strength, without causing enough of a disturbance to alert the Royal Palace's Wizards.
Yet even deliberately suppressed, the densely concentrated magic power surrounding Blanc exerted tangible pressure. The air and light around him visibly distorted, as though under the blazing midsummer sun.
Those inside the Royal Palace couldn't sense it, but for Layla's party nearby, it felt as though they had suddenly been dragged from dry land into the deep sea.
The crushing pressure left everyone in the group struggling to breathe. Only Layla, a powerful Celestial Spirit Mage, could still move freely.
"Who's there?!"
Alarm flashed across Layla's face. She hurriedly took out a key and readied herself, her eyes fixed on the figure ahead.
A mysterious person stood silently in the middle of the street, dressed in a black coat and mask, his hood pulled low.
After appearing, the mysterious figure withdrew the suffocating magical pressure. The air began to flow again, and the others in the party felt their bodies suddenly relax. They hurriedly gulped down air.
Still shaken, they watched the terrifying stranger ahead. Every one of them was on guard, but none dared make a reckless move.
"Members of the Heartfilia Family," Blanc began slowly. He altered his voice through vibrations of magic power, making it not only deep and raspy, but layered with a heavy echo. It sounded like the standard voice of some formidable figure.
"I have come to help you open the Eclipse Gate successfully. You may call me-Night."
At those words, the group, who had only just caught their breath, fell into panic again. The purpose of this journey was absolutely confidential, known only to those they trusted most.
Gritting his teeth, Jude forced himself upright and pulled his wife behind him.
"Who exactly are you?!" Jude demanded in a low voice, trying to sound fierce despite his fear, but his voice trembled. "We're barely a hundred meters from the Royal Palace. If I shout, the palace guards will surround you immediately! Get out of our way if you know what's good for you!"
Seeing Jude so panicked that he hadn't even listened to what he said, Blanc couldn't be bothered to respond.
"Jude!" Layla, however, displayed the composure of the family's mistress. She gently patted her husband's arm, passed him, and slowly stepped to the front of the party. Her expression was solemn, her grave gaze trying to see through the black cloth covering the stranger's face.
"Sir, whoever you may be, 'the Eclipse Gate' is not a term to be mentioned lightly. May I ask where you learned this secret? And what do you mean by 'help'?"
Blanc shrugged and spoke in an inscrutable tone:
"I belong to the faction that commissioned your Heartfilia ancestor to open the Eclipse Gate four hundred years ago."
"Your family carries out the task openly, while I am the watcher who ensures from the shadows that this undertaking proceeds flawlessly."
Blanc spoke as though it were all perfectly true. It wasn't exactly a lie, was it? After all, Zeref was the one who had arranged with Anna to open the gate, and his relationship with Fairy Tail was complicated.
And as a Fairy Tail Wizard, Blanc was practically a relative of Zeref's, if he stretched things a little.
"If you could carry out the plan smoothly, I would not have appeared. The only reason I have shown myself so abruptly today is that you have made a mistake you should never have made."
Layla's expression darkened slightly as she asked tentatively:
"What do you mean by that?"
"Opening the Eclipse Gate requires all twelve Zodiac keys, and you are currently missing one, aren't you?"
Blanc's startling words seemed to make the air around them suddenly grow thinner.
Jude's face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat beaded across his forehead. "You... you even know about the Celestial Spirit Keys?!"
This should have been known only within the family. Hearing an outsider expose it so plainly made him wonder whether there was a traitor in their household.
"I have my own sources. Otherwise, how could I claim to ensure this undertaking proceeds flawlessly?" Blanc cut off Jude's suspicions decisively. "It is precisely because I confirmed that the plan could not proceed smoothly that I came here."
Layla's expression fell. This truly was her fatal mistake.
She hadn't expected Grammi to have moved to the distant Western Continent. By the time Grammi received the summons, there was little time left before the Eclipse Gate had to open-nowhere near enough for her to return.
And so they were now missing a key.
Yet the Eclipse Gate had to open on the day of a particular celestial alignment. This was the duty the Heartfilia Family had passed down for four hundred years, and it had to be brought to an end in this generation.
But the mysterious masked man before her possessed unfathomable strength and had abruptly blocked their path outside the Royal Palace. Though he had exposed her worries, he also presented an enormous, unknown risk.
"Why... have the ancestral instructions passed down through the Heartfilia Family never mentioned the existence of a third party?"
Layla took a deep breath, striving to remain calm and discerning:
"The records our ancestor left behind mention only our family's mission and the Fiore royal family's responsibility for guarding the gate. Beyond that, they make no mention of you."
"How can I trust your claims without proof?"
"Because this is something that must not be mentioned." It was fortunate Anna hadn't mentioned it, too. Given Zeref's influence, the entire Heartfilia Family might otherwise have become his followers.
Layla's brow furrowed deeply:
"If you want me to believe your identity, surely you must provide convincing evidence?"
Blanc considered it. It seemed he would have to reveal something she didn't know to lend credibility to his assumed identity. He then said:
"I imagine the information your ancestor left behind never mentioned who asked her to pass down this mission to open the gate, or why it had to be opened?"
Layla's expression froze. The mysterious man was right. Her ancestor had passed down the mission of opening the Eclipse Gate from generation to generation, but her descendants knew only that they had to open it in an age rich in magic power. They knew nothing of the reason.
Blanc stirred his magic power and established telepathic contact with Layla, ensuring that only she could hear what came next:
"Open the Eclipse Gate in an age abundant in magic power, at the moment when the sun and moon align."
"Bring the five Dragon Slayers from four hundred years ago into the present. They are the trump card against the world-destroying black dragon Acnologia, the hope of saving the world."
"That is the true purpose behind the duty your Heartfilia Family has passed down for four hundred years."