Following the Christmas celebrations of X783, Lucy Heartfilia received permission from her mother, Layla, to leave home and travel throughout the Kingdom of Fiore.
Under the guidance of Capricorn, Lucy had achieved significant results in her Magic training.
She also possessed several Golden Celestial Spirit Keys, among which Aquarius, Taurus, and Capricorn were quite powerful.
As long as she didn't go actively looking for trouble, she had more than enough ability to protect herself.
Although Aquarius didn't listen to Lucy and often criticized her with a deep scowl, she would still protect Lucy when necessary—both Layla and Lucy knew this well.
After bidding farewell to her parents, Lucy took a train directly to the northern part of Fiore, planning to travel slowly from north to south.
With her beautiful blond hair tied in her signature twin tails, Lucy walked along the town roads.
At sixteen years old, she looked almost identical to Layla, a proof of the strong Heartfilia family genes.
She was seriously considering joining Fairy Tail.
Not only had Layla suggested that if she wanted to join a Guild, she should join Fairy Tail, but Lucy also fondly remembered Ultear and Erza.
Over the past two years, Erza and Ultear had visited the Heartfilia estate whenever they passed by on missions.
However, she didn't plan to join immediately. She wanted to explore various places first.
For years, her father Jude had confined her at home, forcing her to learn etiquette and all sorts of miscellaneous subjects until she was utterly bored.
By nature, she wasn't someone who could stay idle.
Now that she had finally managed to slip away, she intended to enjoy herself and explore at her own pace, while also collecting some nice Silver Keys.
As for the Golden Keys, she didn't hold out much hope anymore.
There were only twelve in total, and she already had five in her possession—something she considered herself incredibly lucky for, as Golden Keys were rare and hard to come by.
Previously, after Raizel obtained the Sagittarius Key, he had handed it over to Ultear and the others, asking them to pass it on to Lucy.
Lucy also possessed a "super special skill"—Lucy Kick.
One could say Lucy debuted at her peak... though there was still plenty of room for her to improve through Magic training and, perhaps in the future, Star Dresses.
As time passed, a new generation of Mages—such as the "Salamander" Natsu, the Ice Mage Gray, and the "Beast Arm" Elfman—rose to prominence with great force.
However, Natsu and Gray were famous for their destructive tendencies.
It wasn't as if they never did any good deeds, but as the saying goes: good deeds are often overlooked, while bad deeds travel far and wide.
News of Natsu destroying a church in the south yesterday had already reached the north by today.
[Fairy Tail's Salamander Destroys Church While on Mission!]
Looking at the bold headline in the newspaper, Lucy's lips twitched.
The newspaper even included a photo of the smoking ruins!
This wasn't the first time Lucy had seen or heard about the Salamander's exploits.
Whether it was destroying a street one day or a port the next, in the short time since she had been traveling, Lucy had already heard about the Salamander's reputation several times.
Lucy gazed at the photo and couldn't help muttering, "This destruction is so bad, isn't it? Ultear and Erza is much better than him—I've never heard of them causing any damage. How can there be such a big difference among members of the same guild?"
....
In early February of X784, Raizel and Ultear successfully completed their Ten-Year Quest—the Subjugation of the Snow Woman.
The mission itself wasn't particularly complex; it simply involved finding the Snow Woman on the mountain, defeating her, and retrieving the treasure she guarded.
The real challenge lay in the Snow Woman's ability to use Snow Concealment Magic.
Most Mages who took on this mission couldn't even locate her, and even if they did, defeating her was no easy feat, especially since the snowy mountain was her domain.
Raizel and the others spent nearly a month just searching for the Snow Woman, while the actual battle against her was over in the blink of an eye.
After all, they jump her without any regard for chivalry.
"Everyone, we're back!"
Raizel stood at the doorway, taking a deep breath of Magnolia's fresh air before pushing the guild doors open excitedly.
For him, it felt like a long-awaited return—this was the first time he had been away from Magnolia for so long.
However, everyone inside was busy with their own activities.
No one seemed to notice that Raizel and the others had returned...
Until Erza cleared her throat.
Loudly.
"This feeling... it's Erza!"
Gray was the first to react, snapping his head toward the door in panic.
"Erza and the others are back!!!"
"How did it go? Did you complete the Ten-Year Quest???"
"Was the mission fun?"
Finally, everyone began to pay attention to Raizel and the others, swarming them and bombarding them with questions.
"Gray, questions are fine, but your clothes..." Cana pointed out dryly.
She watched as Gray, who had squeezed to the front, realized he had instantly lost his clothes again.
"Of course, we completed it!" Raizel nodded with a hint of pride.
"Welcome back."
Mirajane clasped her hands in front of her and bowed slightly, smiling warmly at Raizel and Ultear.
"You're getting better and better at being the receptionist," Raizel replied with a grin.
"I'm a receptionist too, Raizel-san. Please try this—it's something I made." Lisanna approached Raizel with a tray carrying four glasses of drinks.
After thanking Lisanna, Raizel and Ultear picked up their glasses and took a sip.
"Sour and sweet—not bad at all." Raizel raised an eyebrow.
He couldn't quite figure out what was mixed in, but it was definitely tasty.
After catching up with everyone, Raizel took a seat at the bar counter.
Makarov sat cross-legged on the counter, leisurely enjoying a drink with Macao and Wakaba.
Makarov already knew about the mission's completion—Raizel had informed him earlier via a long-range Communication Lacrima, so everything that needed to be said had already been discussed.
"How's life as a receptionist?" Raizel asked Mirajane, who stood behind the bar wiping glasses.
Mirajane continued wiping the glass without pause, pondering for a moment before replying with a smile.
"It's quite enjoyable. Introducing the Guild to new members, mixing drinks and cocktails, preparing meals—it's the life I've always wanted. And I haven't neglected my Magic training, so don't worry."
"That's great. How about mixing me a cocktail? I'll take whatever you're best at." Raizel was surprised to learn that Mirajane had even learned to mix drinks in the time they'd been apart, and he happened to be in the mood for one.
"Sure." Mirajane paused for a moment, her hand stilling on the glass.
After all, Raizel rarely drank alcohol—even during Christmas celebrations, he usually opted for non-alcoholic beverages.
Raizel looked around the Guild hall.
The members hadn't changed much, and he didn't see Lucy yet.
He wasn't quite sure whether Lucy had joined yet or when exactly she would arrive at Fairy Tail.
After all, his butterfly effect on this world had been significant—it was possible Lucy had already joined earlier.
He hadn't asked the members, but he felt she wasn't here yet.
If Lucy were to join, it would probably still need to wait until she met Natsu in Hargeon.
If that were the case, it might take another month or two.
"Here, a Tequila Sunrise. Please enjoy."
The cocktail displayed vibrant colors, gradually shifting from yellow at the top to red at the bottom, mimicking a sunrise.
It was made with tequila and fresh orange juice, mixed with grenadine syrup.
"Delicious." Raizel gave a thumbs-up after taking a sip.