"Huh? You're inviting me to Ankh's place for dinner tonight?"
Lucy looked at Erza in surprise while pointing at herself.
Erza smiled and nodded, then turned to Gray and Natsu nearby.
"You two are coming as well."
Gray sat opposite the two girls and asked curiously, "Why the sudden invitation? Is there something important going on?"
Ankh leaned against the table and said.
"Nothing much. You've all been through quite a lot on Galuna Island, so I'm treating you to a meal to help you relax. Are you all free tonight?"
Lucy clasped her hands together, delighted. "Great, I'm free tonight!"
Natsu grinned widely. "I'm in! Ankh's place is super fun!"
"Aye!"
Everyone expressed their agreement, except for Gray, who was frowning.
Ankh noticed his expression and asked, "What's wrong, Gray? Do you have something on tonight?"
Gray ruffled his messy hair and said, "It's nothing, but my injuries haven't healed yet. I'm afraid I might dampen the mood..."
Gray had been the most severely injured during the battle on Galuna Island.
Lyon really hadn't held back at all.
If Gray hadn't been tough, they probably would've had to carry him away on a stretcher right then and there.
Ankh waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, it's just a meal. Besides, I have plenty of potions bought from the black market at home."
In this world, when Mages get injured, their main recourse is healing potions brewed by apothecaries like Porlyusica.
Those ultra-rare Mages who can use healing-type Magic are practically like pandas in this world - you couldn't find many even if you had the money.
That's why Wendy later became the guild's new beloved little angel in the shortest time possible - aside from being adorably cute, her healing Magic definitely played a part.
After reassuring Gray, the group finalized their plans to gather for dinner.
...
As evening fell, five humans and one cat left the guild together, heading toward Ankh's home.
When they reached the entrance to Ankh's estate, several servants immediately came out to greet them.
Happy, sitting on Natsu's shoulder, gazed enviously at the surroundings.
"When will we ever earn enough to buy an estate like Ankh's?"
Natsu, with his hands behind his head, laughed carefreely.
"Soon! Probably in ten years or so!"
"Natsu, you're really optimistic..."
As they walked along the path leading to the central villa of the estate, Lucy asked with admiration.
"Did Ankh buy this place with his own savings?"
Ankh nodded while explaining.
"I became an S-Class Mage very young and could take on S-class missions. Plus, I'm not big on spending money, so I accumulated quite some savings and bought this place."
There was a hint of envy in Lucy's eyes. "That's really nice..."
Erza nodded with shared pride. "Brother was the youngest S-Class Mage in the guild back then. His mission rewards were much higher than ours."
As for Erza's praise and Lucy's admiration, Ankh didn't feel even a ripple of pride in his heart, much less let it get to his head.
Mainly because he knew Lucy's background - the only daughter of the Heartfilia family, whose reputation in business circles was like that of the Wizard Saints in the magic world.
He'd never dared forget how Lucy described her home in the original story.
The size of his estate was probably comparable to just the backyard where her family took strolls.
You could literally count mountain peaks to measure the area, and need a map to find the bathroom...
The first time Natsu went there, he thought it was a town.
When Erza came out, she was dazed looking at the sunset.
Ankh didn't even dare imagine how much that place must have cost.
Ankh understood clearly that when Lucy expressed envy earlier, she wasn't admiring his wealth - she was just admiring his strong independent living skills.
Due to family circumstances, Lucy had never been interested in money since childhood—she'd never even touched it.
Compared to wealth, her father's meticulously arranged marriage plans, and the life path he'd laid out for her, Lucy preferred to follow in the footsteps of her beloved mother and become a skilled Celestial Spirit Mage.
Of course, from the perspective of us ordinary folks struggling to make ends meet, this attitude seemed a bit pretentious and affected...
But as fate would have it, look at young lady Lucy now—isn't she hustling every day to earn rent money?
Amid the laughter and chatter, Ankh led the group into the banquet hall.
After everyone took their seats, several maids began serving dishes from the kitchen.
The most eye-catching dish was the strawberry chocolate cake Ankh had promised Erza earlier.
The cake was so loaded with sugar that Lucy, who was desperately trying to lose weight, didn't dare to touch it.
So Erza ended up enjoying the entire cake by herself.
At one point, Natsu and Happy tried to snag a piece, but they were immediately and "kindly" deterred by Erza's three-meter-long cake knife.
Trying to take cake from Erza's mouth was about as difficult as rescuing furniture from the jaws of a mischievous husky.
Having failed, Natsu turned his attention to the other dishes, devouring the roasted meats with gusto.
Happy made himself at home too, sitting cross-legged on the table and chomping down on the sashimi specially prepared for him.
In contrast to Natsu, Gray preferred the chilled drinks and shaved ice Ankh had specially ordered.
He got so carried away that he ended up stripping off his clothes...
The wild and unpredictable behavior of the Fairy Tail guild members at the dinner table left Lucy utterly bewildered.
Ankh raised his glass with a cheerful smile and said.
"We've all grown up together, so everyone feels comfortable letting loose. How about you? Are you settling in well at the guild?"
Though Lucy had no desire to act like a noble lady, she hadn't forgotten the etiquette ingrained in her upbringing.
She raised her glass, clinked it lightly with his, took a modest sip of wine, and replied with a warm, confident smile.
"Of course! Everyone at the guild has been so kind to me, and I really love the atmosphere there!"
Ankh smiled in relief.
Of course—she was the same Lucy from the original story.
Humble, sincere, and kind-hearted, Lucy was well-loved in the Fairy Tail guild.
Her sense of belonging was no less than that of the members who'd grown up there since childhood.
If nothing else, if Laxus had even a third of Lucy's cheerfulness, he'd surely be a reliable and warm-hearted presence in the guild.
But of course, that was nothing but a pipe dream...
Lucy set down her wine glass, rested her chin in her hands, and smiled as she watched everyone around her eagerly digging into the food.
Bathed in the warm candlelight, the young people in the room looked harmonious and joyful—more like a cozy family gathering than a formal banquet.
Compared to this place, that so-called "home" and that man...
A flicker of loss and confusion, subtle and almost imperceptible, passed through Lucy's starry eyes.
Noticing this, Ankh knew Lucy was thinking about her father again and quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, Lucy—here's to every day you spend at the guild being happy and fulfilling."
Lucy quickly composed herself and smiled.
"Yes! I'll do my best."
In the guild, surrounded by these companions, Lucy found herself preferring Fairy Tail over the cold and impersonal Heartfilia family.
Even if she'd gone from a noble young lady to a rookie Mage, Lucy felt not a single shred of regret in her heart.