Charles soon rejoined the main group as they escorted the wounded Makarov back to Magnolia. Everyone gathered around his bedside, watching in concern as he grimaced in pain despite the initial treatment.
Makarov had taken the brunt of Jupiter's blast to protect them all. Beneath the rage directed at Phantom was a deeper guilt—for being powerless to shield his children.
Charles let out a sigh. He couldn't help but wonder if Natsu's protagonist aura came with some hidden debuff that forced their strongest allies to be sidelined.
In the original timeline, Makarov had been distracted when Lucy was captured, which gave Aria the opportunity to ambush him. While that disaster had been averted this time, Makarov had still gone down after blocking Jupiter's blast.
But regardless, there was no reason for them to lose this battle!
Just then, Erza suddenly spoke. "All of you, raise your heads. Even if Master is down, we can't afford to sit here in despair. If he wakes up and sees us like this, he'll be disappointed."
As expected of the one Makarov had chosen as a candidate for his successor—Erza's words immediately reignited everyone's resolve.
Charles added, "She's right. We haven't lost yet. Phantom's mobile fortress is closing in on Magnolia. Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we should be thinking about how to send them flying!"
Fire burst from Natsu's mouth as he shouted, "Perfect! We'll take this chance to get revenge for the Master too!"
Elfman followed up. "The Master's a real man, so we can't back down either!"
Everyone was now filled with righteous fury, determined to crush Phantom Lord once and for all.
Sensing their burning spirit, Charles spoke again. "Phantom will definitely use Jupiter to attack Magnolia. This time, we need to strike first!"
This war had been started by Phantom. And in the first round, they had definitely gained the upper hand. If Fairy Tail kept retreating, they'd lose all credibility.
Charles continued, "To prevent unnecessary casualties, we need to finish them before Jupiter fires again!
Their fortress is approaching by sea. We'll launch a preemptive strike along the way! I don't know Jupiter's internal structure, but there has to be a core—most likely, it's guarded by the Element 4 and Master Jose himself.
Once we infiltrate Phantom's base, we'll split up to handle the Element 4. As for Jose... he's mine."
Natsu protested, "The strongest should be my opponent! Let me take down their Master!"
Charles punched Natsu into submission and said, "Jose may be a piece of trash, but he's still one of the Ten Wizard Saints. You just worry about beating the guy in front of you."
Erza looked at Charles and said, "I don't doubt your strength, but we'll beat our opponents quickly and come help you."
Charles smiled. "Don't be too sure. I might finish mine first—you'd better not let me steal your targets."
Erza chuckled. "Then it's a race—let's see who finishes first!"
Seeing everyone so energized, Charles no longer had any concerns about the upcoming battle. The only thing on his mind was...
He glanced at Lucy. "Lucy, there's something I need to tell you."
Lucy blinked and pointed at herself. "Me?"
Charles nodded. "I got some information from one of Phantom's mages. Phantom accepted a request—to retrieve the runaway daughter of the Heartfilia family. In other words, to bring Lucy Heartfilia back home."
Lucy's expression turned from shock to deep sadness.
She wasn't stupid. She quickly realized that this mission was likely the reason Phantom had declared war on Fairy Tail.
Not only had the guild been destroyed, but the Master was also gravely injured because of her. She was immediately overwhelmed by guilt.
Charles understood the potential of these main characters. That's why he didn't want to interfere too much with their growth.
As long as he could prevent tragedies, he wouldn't overly protect them.
And this was a turning point for Lucy—a chance to change her mindset and truly embrace her freedom.
But since she was Anna's descendant, Charles couldn't let her stay stuck in self-blame too long.
He asked, "You're not thinking that this war happened because of you, are you?"
Lucy stared at him, confused and dazed.
Charles said, "Yes, this job led Phantom to us. But from our perspective, the reason for this war isn't that they want to bring back the Heartfilia heiress. It's that they tried to take Fairy Tail's Lucy.
As long as you've chosen Fairy Tail, you're one of us. We share our family's pain. That's what Fairy Tail is all about."
Erza went one step further—she pulled Lucy into a tight hug.
"Ow! That's hard!"
Lucy smacked her forehead against Erza's armored chest and momentarily forgot her guilt.
"Exactly! Families don't argue over things like this!"
Natsu raised a fist. "Yeah! Lucy's not some heiress—she's just Lucy, our comrade in Fairy Tail!"
Lucy smiled at his words—but she also had the sudden urge to punch him.
Charles added with a grin, "Also, don't flatter yourself too much. Our conflict with Phantom goes way back. Even without you, war was bound to happen eventually."
Happy chimed in, "Aye! Don't get cocky, Lucy!"
Lucy's spirits lifted. "Shut up, you dumb cat!"
Charles laughed. "Still can't let it go? Want me to let you take my opponent?"
Lucy broke into a cold sweat. "No need—better leave it to you."
Seeing that Lucy was still able to joke around, Charles knew she was back to her usual self.
Just then, the crystal ball in front of Mirajane lit up—Laxus' face appeared inside it.
"Laxus, where are you right now?" Mirajane quickly asked.
Laxus answered, "Obviously on a job."
Mirajane explained, "This is urgent. Phantom declared war on us! Master's been injured protecting everyone. Can you stop what you're doing and come back?"
Laxus' response made everyone frown.
"What are you talking about? No. That old man got what he deserved. Why should I abandon my mission just because you're too weak?"
Mirajane bit her lip—Laxus' words nearly made her lose control from anger.
Just then, Charles patted her on the shoulder, signaling that he would take it from here.
"Laxus, could you stop being so stubborn for once? Let me guess—you're not doing your mission at all. You're attacking Phantom's branch guilds around the kingdom, aren't you?"
Laxus frowned at the sight of Charles. When he heard those words, he completely lost his temper. "You're as annoying as ever, dammit!"
Charles continued, "Why not just say it? 'I may not make it back in time, but I believe in everyone. I know you'll beat Phantom.' That's what you really want to say, isn't it?"
"Quit spouting nonsense!"
Afraid Charles might say something even more embarrassing, Laxus abruptly cut the transmission.
Charles turned and saw Mirajane frozen in place. Honestly, she looked a little cute like that.
"Just like Laxus said—he believes we can win. So let's make sure he has nothing to mock when he gets back!"
"No, no, that was you who said that!" everyone shouted in unison.
Still, Laxus' reaction… well, who would've thought he was that kind of guy?
Charles smiled. When it came to dealing with tsunderes, he was an expert.
With everything in place, it was finally time for the decisive battle against Phantom Lord!
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