"Minerva?" Rhodes thought for a moment. "I remember leaving her there. I haven't seen her since."
"I see…" Sting said, visibly disappointed.
Mira offered a suggestion. "Why not contact the organizers? I remember there were surveillance magic crystals placed all over the capital for the final battle broadcast."
"Right! Surveillance magic crystals!" Sting suddenly realized. "Thanks for the reminder! Then I'll..."
"Wait."
Rhodes stopped him before he could leave and asked, "I haven't seen Jieman these past few days. Was something urgent going on?"
"This…" Sting hesitated, then clenched his teeth. "Jieman is… already dead."
"Dead?"
Rhodes was startled. His first instinct was to suspect the mysterious future individual. "Who did it?"
Sting lowered his head. "I did."
Mira gasped. "How could that be?"
Murder was no small matter, especially the killing of a legitimate guild master.
"That day," Sting continued, "Jieman harshly reprimanded Minerva for losing her match and insulted all of us contestants.
"Then, because Lector spoke up for me, Jieman… tried to kill him. I thought Lector had already been murdered, so in my grief and rage, I acted without thinking."
Rhodes frowned deeply. Jieman was even more unstable than he had imagined. Killing someone over a lost match?
And Sting, his bond with Lector was probably no different from Natsu's bond with Happy.
Sting recounted the events of that night. After Jieman's death, no one in Sabertooth blamed him.
Not even Jieman's own daughter, Minerva.
On the contrary, she smiled as if she had been waiting for this outcome and immediately nominated Sting as the next guild master, intending for him to officially take office after the Games.
"Seriously?"
Mira found it hard to believe.
Did Minerva truly feel nothing for her father? Otherwise, her reaction made no sense.
Moreover, Lector had been alive the entire time, secretly hidden by Minerva using magic. It was as though she had deliberately arranged everything so Sting would be pushed into action.
Rhodes had reached the same conclusion.
And Minerva's match against Cana, she hadn't fought seriously at all.
Was she provoking Jieman on purpose?
If so, her schemes ran frighteningly deep.
Seeing their expressions, Sting spoke plainly. "If you want to report me..."
"No need."
Rhodes waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not interested. This is your guild's internal affair."
Jieman's fate was likely the result of his own extreme policies.
His authority was absolute, feared by all, but Sabertooth's long-standing title as the 'number one guild' had silenced dissent.
After all, his methods had led them to the top.
But this year, reality had finally caught up with them.
The Grand Magic Games were meant to be a festival-like competition, yet in past years, many guilds probably hadn't fought with true desperation.
Sabertooth had grown complacent, like champions resting on exhibition victories.
As Sting left the pub, he let out a deep breath.
Not only his own guildmates, but even members of other guilds could understand his actions.
His next goal was clear:
Find Minerva, and together, rebuild Sabertooth into a guild that truly valued its comrades.
Not long after Sting left, Mavis approached.
"Rhodes, come with me."
"Alright."
Rhodes nodded and glanced at Mira.
She smiled knowingly. "I'll keep an eye on them. Otherwise, they'll tear the pub down."
'You just want to watch them tear it down,' Rhodes muttered silently as he followed the First Master.
Mavis gathered Lucy and Laxus, and the group headed upstairs to a room the guild had rented in advance.
Inside, four small round tables were arranged in a grid, with chairs placed neatly around them.
Makarov and Future Lucy were already waiting.
Opposite them sat another figure.
After the door was closed, the man removed his hood, revealing white hair, a white beard, and a single visible eye.
Laxus's eyes widened.
"Second Generation Master?"
Rhodes was surprised, but he already had a good idea why this man had come.
"Who?" Lucy didn't recognize him and exclaimed, "Our Second Generation Master is from Grimoire Heart...huh?
Wait… is this old man Hades? Why..."
"Hahaha, we meet again, you little brats." Precht laughed heartily. "Someone once told this old fellow that I've changed quite a bit over the years."
Makarov shook his head gently. "This is your true appearance, isn't it?"
Mavis smiled. "We can begin."
Precht, in his current state, could neither see nor hear Mavis, so Makarov relayed her words.
Precht nodded, took out a small booklet, and said to Rhodes and Laxus,
"Your plan is feasible. The magic known as Eclipse can indeed send this little girl back."
The "little girl" referred to Future Lucy.
Rhodes and Laxus had spent considerable time studying Eclipse magic along with multiple books on space-time theory in the guild, eventually formulating a plan to use Eclipse in reverse.
Concerned that the plan might still be flawed, Rhodes had submitted it to the two Masters for review.
He hadn't expected the Third Master to appear, and for that Master to immediately confirm it.
Precht, a supreme authority on magic whose primary research focus in recent decades had been Zeref's black magic, carried enormous weight in his judgment.
"However," Precht continued, "I made several modifications.
"The Eclipse Gate that originally sent her back was damaged, and its magic reserves were insufficient.
"But the gate here is intact. If we activate it at the correct moment, we can ensure that enough magic power remains.
"So, in theory, not only can she return to her original timeline, but she can also arrive at an earlier point, giving them more time to prepare."
"Can that really work?" Lucy tightened her grip on Future Lucy's hand.
"We still don't have a way to face ten thousand dragons directly."
"It's alright," Future Lucy said firmly, meeting Lucy's eyes.
"As long as we confirm tonight that the dragons truly emerged from the Eclipse Gate, then after I return, I can ask my comrades to stop the gate from opening."
"And even if we can't confirm it," she added softly, "I'll still stand with my comrades."
How could Lucy not understand what her future self was thinking?
No matter what happened, one should always rely on their comrades.
And Future Lucy's comrades were on the other side of time.
Lucy nodded vigorously. "Mm! There will definitely be a way."
"Don't be so pessimistic," Rhodes said calmly.
"Even if you can't confirm the dragons' origin, once you've mastered the Eclipse Gate, your options expand greatly.
"You could use the July 7th activation to travel further into the past and prepare in advance, or even move slightly forward in time to investigate the true cause and find a solution."
Future Lucy froze.
That was true.
Once she understood the Eclipse Gate, she was no longer trapped in a single timeline.
Lucy suddenly noticed something.
"Wait, doesn't that mean we don't have to fear failure at all? Because there could be multiple chances?"
Mavis shook her head gently.
"No. That's a last resort. It should never be used unless absolutely necessary."
Precht nodded in agreement.
"Time magic is not something that can be abused. Recklessly altering space-time carries uncontrollable risks.
"You could create space-time rifts, distort causality, or even destabilize entire timelines. The caster themselves must also bear tremendous danger."
Everyone nodded solemnly.
With that, they officially began discussing the details of the night's operation.
Future Lucy was carefully instructed throughout, and fortunately, her learning ability was exceptional.
Despite Eclipse being a large-scale spell comparable to super magic, she grasped the essentials almost immediately.
After a long discussion, the group finally dispersed.
As soon as they returned downstairs, Mira approached Rhodes.
"The palace has sent someone," she said.
"They're inviting you over to discuss tonight's… special event."