— — — — — —
Lucy stared at her father. She clenched her fists, ready to snap back at him, but these words—hiswords—kept echoing in her mind.
After a long moment, she let out a quiet sigh.
"I'll go ask them. If they're willing, I'll bring them here. If they don't want to come… then we'll just leave."
She didn't wait for her father's response. She simply turned around and walked out.
The spacious study fell silent, leaving only Jude behind. He sat in his chair, staring out the window toward Kazuma and Erza in the distance, his expression drifting into something unreadable.
It didn't take long for Lucy to find them. After the two agreed, she brought them straight to the study.
"Lucy, this is my first time meeting your father. Should I change my outfit? Is it rude if I go dressed like this?"
Erza might look carefree most of the time, but when it came to clothing, she was meticulous. Her Requip space held everything—battle armor for work, normal clothes for everyday life, pajamas for sleeping…
She even had a full foreman's work uniform for part-time jobs. Different situation, different outfit.
"No need. Ms. Erza, you're beautiful. You'd look great no matter what you wear."
"…And you, Kazuma… maybe put on a suit or something?"
Lucy looked him up and down. Kazuma had bought a ridiculous number of identical outfits in one go and had been wearing the same thing all year. Style? Taste? As long as his clothes didn't fall apart, that was good enough for him.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"First you say Erza's pretty in anything, and now you want me in a suit. So basically, I'm ugly? Even a blind guy's vision is better than yours."
Kazuma sounded genuinely offended.
"Hehehe."
Lucy covered her mouth, trying not to giggle.
"Anyway... my father… how do I put it… he always talks down to people. Never cares how his words land. If he upsets you, Erza, just turn around and leave."
"As for you, Kazuma—please try to hold back a little, okay? He might be annoying, but he's still my father. Please don't shoot him or something."
When she warned Erza, Lucy wanted to avoid letting her friend endure her father's snide remarks out of politeness.
When she warned Kazuma… it was because she genuinely feared he might kill the man on impulse.
Kazuma was someone who didn't tolerate being provoked. Annoy him, and he would knock you into next week.
"Relax, Lucy. It'll be fine." Erza gave her a reassuring nod.
"Relax, Lucy. It'll be fine." Kazuma echoed her with a calm, confident smile.
Lucy stared at that smile and felt a sense of creeping doom.
"…Maybe I should go in with you. I have a really bad feeling about this. Something is definitely going to happen. What if the room explodes or something?!"
But soon, Kazuma and Erza stepped into the study, and Lucy was politely ushered out by her father.
This was a talk between them. She could only wait outside.
...
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Jude Heartfilia—Lucy's father, and the founder of the Heartfilia Konzern."
Jude sat upright, his earlier dazed look gone, replaced once again by strict formality.
"I'm Erza Scarlet. I'm Lucy's friend." Erza replied with equal seriousness.
"Kazuma."
Kazuma casually pulled out a chair in front of Jude and sat down, then gestured for Erza to take a seat as well.
"So you're the one who defeated Phantom Lord's master."
Jude frowned at Kazuma's lack of manners. 'How could Lucy possibly become friends with someone like this? Completely incomprehensible.'
"I called you both here because Lucy said you're the people most important to her. She also said she loves the Fairy Tail guild more than anything."
"I want to know: how did you two meet her?" Jude skipped the small talk entirely.
"Well, I actually haven't known Lucy for very long. We met during a job."
Erza began explaining their first encounter. Jude listened quietly until she finished.
"Has Lucy… ever talked to you about her family?"
"No," Erza answered simply.
"I see. Thank you, Miss Scarlet. You can go join Lucy for some afternoon tea and dessert."
Despite his stern face, Jude remained polite. He just clearly wanted Erza out of the room.
"Uh…"
Erza shot Kazuma a concerned look as she stood, hesitating to leave him alone.
"Miss Scarlet, don't worry. I'm not a barbarian. I only want to understand how my daughter lives outside. I won't do anything to your companion. You can relax."
Jude mistook her concern as fear for Kazuma, not of Kazuma.
"Right…"
Erza gave him a strange look. 'I'm not worried about him. I'm worried about you. He could punch you into dust at this range.'
Still, she stepped out.
Right outside, Lucy was pressed to the door, shamelessly eavesdropping.
"Erza?! Why did you come out alone?! Did my father get taken out?!" Lucy's eyes went wide the moment she saw Erza.
"No, not yet."
"Your father looks strict, but he's actually polite. He didn't say anything insulting. He asked how we met you and how your life has been, then told me to come out for tea and sweets." Erza explained.
"Hmph. That's just how he is. The more guests around, the more 'proper' he acts."
"He obviously has a problem with us, but he insists on playing the refined gentleman. 'A businessman must maintain dignity in all situations,' he says."
"It's just hypocrisy."
Lucy huffed angrily. She might act laid-back, but she'd been raised with strict noble etiquette—her father had hired the best tutors money could buy.
Erza watched her quietly. She didn't know what had happened between Lucy and her father, but it was painfully clear: Lucy truly couldn't stand her father.
---
Inside the study…
"Mr. Kazuma, please tell me how you first met my daughter."
Jude looked straight at Kazuma.
"It's nothing complicated. It started when I took a job tracking down a human-trafficking group."
"…And your daughter just happened to get kidnapped."
"WHAT?! Why have I never heard about this?!" Jude shot to his feet, completely shocked. He genuinely had no idea.
"Probably because you never cared enough to find out." Kazuma replied bluntly.
Jude opened his mouth to argue, but the words wouldn't come. He thought about what he did every day: business documents, negotiations, scouting markets, attending endless banquets. He really hadn't paid attention to Lucy. He'd always assumed she was fine.
"If you're done, I'll keep talking... After that, I ran into Lucy. She said she wanted to join our guild, so I introduced her. Then we did a few jobs… I beat Phantom Lord… she got your letter and came back."
"And now, here we are talking."
Kazuma didn't think much of it, but Jude's face had turned stormy.
"She faced monsters on snowy mountains, broke into other people's houses, fought vicious dark guilds. She never had to deal with any of that at home. No danger, no hassle."
"She had the best life here. No worries about money or food. I gave her everything. Why would she prefer Fairy Tail?!"
Hearing it all only made Jude more upset. Before, he'd disliked the idea of her being out there. Now that he knew the details, he hated it even more.
Lucy wasn't like them. She didn't need that life. She could choose comfort and safety.
"That's easy. You never cared about her. You've always cared more about your work. Never about the Lucy standing right beside you."
"Out there, yeah, it's dangerous and exhausting. She struggles to pay seventy thousand a month in rent. She risks her life for food money. But at least those are her own choices."
"People acknowledge her efforts. They see what she does. That alone makes it worth it."
Kazuma leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other.
"I didn't care about her?! All I did was work?!"
"Do you think I was born rich? I wasn't. I climbed up from nothing."
"When I fell in love with Lucy's mother, Layla, I had almost no money. I was just a member of the merchant guild. My savings didn't even reach a hundred million. Only a few tens of millions in startup capital…"
Jude was worked up, speaking faster.
"…Huh?"
Kazuma blinked. 'What do you mean 'not even a hundred million'?' He was rich himself, but this guy's definition of 'poor' was another level.
"When Layla got pregnant, I left the guild to give them a better life. I built my own company from scratch. I worked day after day so they wouldn't lack anything."
"In the end, I succeeded. With her help, I made the Heartfilia name known across the continent."
"From the moment Lucy was born, I gave her the best of everything. The best teachers in imperial studies, economics, magic. She loved books, so I had the latest editions shipped. She liked good food, so I hired the finest chef to cook just for her."
"I may not have been perfect, but I'm certain Lucy received more care than most children on this continent."
"When she ran away, I could've had her brought back immediately. But I didn't. I thought she'd grow if she went out on her own. That was me respecting her choice!"
Jude truly believed he had done what a father should. Who else could give their child more?
"When did things between you and Lucy start going bad? Let me guess… after her mother died?" Kazuma didn't argue. He simply asked.
Jude froze. When had things started falling apart? He didn't know. He hadn't even realized Lucy disliked him until she said it today.
"P… probably."
All the fire drained out of him. He sank into his chair, confusion replacing his earlier intensity.
"From Lucy's personality, I can probably guess what her mother was like."
"She must have been more mature than Lucy. Gentler. Someone who supported you quietly, comforted you when you struggled, encouraged you when you didn't know what to do." Kazuma spoke calmly.
"Yes… Layla was a wonderful woman. The only woman I ever loved."
Even after all these years, Jude had never remarried. He truly loved his wife.
"And because I loved her, I worked so hard. I'm old now. I'm not doing this for myself. I'm doing it for Lucy. For Layla."
"When we married, Layla begged me to keep the Heartfilia family alive. I didn't understand why, but I promised her."
"So I've worked to uphold that promise. And how many more years can I run all this? I don't have much time left. When I die, everything will go to Lucy. It's all for her."
He had never said those words to anyone. As father and head of the family, he'd carried it alone. Back when Layla was alive, he could share the burden with her. But after she passed… how could he say any of this to Lucy?
"I see. If everything is for Lucy, then start with a simple apology. I'm guessing… since she came back, you've never once said the words 'I'm sorry.' All you've done is plan her life and scold her."
"So go tell her. Apologize for ignoring her feelings and dragging her home. Apologize for all the years you didn't listen to her. Three simple words... Anyway, we're done here. My feast is almost ready. I'm gonna go eat."
Kazuma stood and headed for the door.
Jude sat there, stuck on those three words he couldn't say. After a moment, he called out: "I've heard your rule about jobs. Payment for results. You saved Lucy. What payment do you want?"
"I already took it from Lucy. One hundred million."
"Then, I'll give you ten times that. One billion. Just help me talk to her. Convince her to stay."
Kazuma stopped, looked back. "I want the payment Lucy gives me. She might take ten, twenty, thirty years to pay it off, maybe her entire life. But that's fine. She can take her time."
With that, he pushed the door open. Outside, Lucy and Erza, who had been eavesdropping, jumped in shock.
...
"Sigh~"
"Without realizing it… he ended up steering the whole conversation."
"And saying 'I'm sorry' is a lot harder than I thought."
"Layla… if you were still here, maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this."
Jude watched Lucy leave with Kazuma, smiling happily beside him. He reached out and picked up a photo frame from the desk.
In it were his younger self, Layla, and a small Lucy, smiling with the same bright, lively expression she wore today.
.
.
.