Inside the Fairy Tail guild.
Laxus, Natsu, and the others listened to everyone's descriptions of Jehfrit, utterly dumbfounded.
Born into a minor noble family, facing the crisis of dwindling magic in a world gripped by panic and despair, he called on people to face the situation with positivity.
Magic may be gone, but that doesn't mean people are dead.
If magic can no longer be used, then rely on the strength and willpower forged through physical training—these things will never betray you!
Leading by example, he began running around the capital every day.
At first, he could only manage two city gates. Eventually, he could circle the entire capital multiple times. Now, he even crawls around upside-down using just his arms.
Over time, his constant running carved deep grooves into the ground, forming something akin to a moat around the city.
His actions inspired countless people.
He went on to establish the Muscle Supremacy Church, which became the largest church in the world.
His optimistic spirit earned him immense admiration, even reverence akin to worship. Yet, he always said: "There are no gods—or rather, your will is god. Your muscles are the divine gift you earn through hard work."
This philosophy earned widespread respect. If the day ever came when magic disappeared entirely, the future Jehfrit described—a world where floating islands crash and monsters run rampant—would become reality. In such a scenario, strengthening one's body would indeed be invaluable!
The king deeply appreciated his teachings and promoted him step by step until he became a duke of the kingdom!
Jehfrit, now of marriageable age, had countless women pursuing him. He was the biggest celebrity in this world—even the princess proposed to him.
But he said: "I have great ambitions. Until I resolve this crisis, I won't marry. Otherwise, I'll end up disappointing someone—either my wife or everyone else. I don't want to make such a difficult choice."
Countless girls, including the princess, vowed to wait for the day he'd be ready to marry, even if it meant growing old.
"..."
Natsu, Wendy, Happy, and Carla stared wide-eyed, mouths agape.
Even Laxus was momentarily stunned.
"By the way," Natsu snapped out of it, curious. "You're part of a mage guild. Why do you admire him so much?"
True.
Jehfrit championed muscle power, an idea even the king supported.
Fairy Tail, on the other hand, was a group of rule-breaking mages who constantly faced arrest. Yet, they revered Jehfrit.
"In our world, magic is bound to run out—it's just a matter of time," Lucy explained. "No matter how much we struggle, it won't change anything."
"When that day comes, what Jehfrit says really is the best solution."
Believe in yourself; stop relying on magic.
If magic abandons us...
Then we must resolve to forge our own future without it!
Jehfrit's philosophy resonated widely, even among mage guilds like Fairy Tail, despite their opposing stances.
After all, what's coming is inevitable.
The era of magic is almost over.
In the end, Lucy and Emily decided not to meet this version of Jehfrit.
After all, he wasn't the same person, and given his close ties with official powers, their presence might expose them.
They reasoned that this Jehfrit being so famous meant one thing—no matter the world, Jehfrit was always a clever man.
After eating their fill, the two decided to leave the city and search for the Jehfrit they trusted.
But not long after they left—
"ROAR—"
A monstrous roar echoed, followed by tremors shaking the earth as something approached them.
"What is that?" Lucy and Emily were startled.
Lucy immediately reached for her keys, while Emily placed her hand on the hilt of a long sword.
She usually practiced with a wooden sword, but Jehfrit had crafted her a real one.
It was a true blade now—its pink hilt and scabbard matched her style, and the blade was exceptionally long. When she stood it upright, the tip reached her eyebrows.
Its name—Sakura Fall.
Because the blade was so long, longer than Ikuto's katana, Emily tied ropes to both sides of the scabbard and hung it over her shoulder, employing a unique iaijutsu technique.
[TN: iaijutsu = quick-draw sword technique]
It was close!
A claw emerged from the forest, followed by the head of a feline magical beast.
"Run!"
Feeling the overwhelming power of the creature, Lucy immediately lost any thought of fighting. Emily didn't hesitate either, turning tail and running.
Her magic wasn't as refined as Jehfrit's yet—she couldn't deceive instantly and would need extra time. By then, this tiger would've swallowed her whole and digested her!
"Run faster!"
The giant tiger pursued them relentlessly.
And its target?
Laxus!
"Pant... pant..."
To their surprise, Laxus's stamina was worse than the two girls'. He panted heavily, slowing down more and more.
"Lucy-nee, what should we do?" Emily glanced at Lucy, though her eyes revealed she'd already made up her mind.
"Save him!" Lucy declared decisively.
"Moon Style—"
"Garuda Flame!"
Emily spun around, unleashing a torrent of flames toward the tiger.
Lucy pulled out a key. "Open, Gate of Bull!"
"Moo—" Taurus appeared.
"Save him, Taurus! I'll cover you!" Lucy finally felt confident enough to issue such bold commands—this confidence stemmed from Jehfrit simplifying the Celestial Spirit contracts for her!
"To the farthest heavens, I borrow the light of the stars."
Five orbs of light materialized around Lucy, crashing into the tiger.
'BOOM'
The combined explosion of flames and light momentarily stunned the beast.
Taurus grabbed Laxus and started retreating, but just then, the tiger's claw shot out of the smoke—it had endured the attack!
With one swipe, it pinned Taurus and Laxus under its massive paw.
"This is bad!"
Lucy and Emily were shocked.
At that moment!
'WHOOSH'
A deafening roar accompanied a gust of wind as a figure arrived from behind.
"Jehfrit!" Lucy instinctively shouted.
The Edolas version of Jehfrit clenched his fists and let out a mighty shout.
"HAH!"
'RIP'
His suit tore apart, revealing a muscular physique clad only in tight shorts!
Who ARE you?!
Lucy and Emily gawked, unable to close their mouths.
"Lift your paw!"
The muscular Jehfrit delivered a punch that sent the tiger flying dozens of meters away.
Then, exhaling sharply, his muscles miraculously vanished.
"Hidden depths, huh..." Lucy muttered, flabbergasted.
"This master... is strange," Emily twirled her blade and slowly sheathed it.
"Are you alright?" Jehfrit extended a hand. "Laxus, sorry I'm late."
"No, it's my fault for insisting on this route. But luckily, those two ladies bought us some time," Laxus said gratefully, glancing at Lucy and Emily.
"Fairy Tail's Lucy," Jehfrit looked her over before shaking his head. "No, you're not her."
Lucy tensed, instinctively pulling Emily back a step.
"Don't worry, I mean no harm." Jehfrit reassured them. "King Faust has been trying to extract magic from another world. Are you from that other world?"
"Yes," Lucy replied. "We're here to rescue our comrades. We're not your enemies. Anima took our entire town. If you're a good person, even if you can't help us, please don't stand in our way."
"I think you misunderstand me," Jehfrit said. "I don't see anyone as an enemy unless they're truly evil—criminals who deserve punishment."
Lucy pondered.
It seemed the two versions of Jehfrit shared similarities beyond just their appearance.
For now, this one didn't seem like an enemy.
But caution was still necessary.
After all, Jehfrit was a master liar!
"Jehfrit-nii, what do you think about deception?" Emily asked suddenly.
"Deception?" Jehfrit frowned, speaking seriously. "Young lady, that's not a good word or quality. From the start, children should learn to treat others with honesty and act with sincerity."
"Completely different!" Emily exclaimed.
"That's right," Lucy nodded.
"Why?" Jehfrit looked puzzled.
"Emily, should we..." Lucy exchanged a glance with her.
Since they deemed this one trustworthy, perhaps they could try recruiting him?
"Jehfrit-nii," Emily spoke up. "You're an admirable person and likely know more about this country."
"Not just that, little girl—the man standing before you is a duke of the kingdom!" Laxus chimed in, pride and admiration evident on his face.
"It's nothing special," Jehfrit waved dismissively. "You're gathering intelligence about this world."
Lucy tensed.
Then he added, "You, especially this young lady, keep staring into my eyes. It seems you're hoping to trust me."
Lucy swallowed nervously. This guy was too perceptive—his observation skills were terrifying!
Or was it that Jehfrit was always this observant but rarely vocalized it?
After all, one liked to deceive, while this one seemed honest.
Jehfrit continued, "You look exactly like the Lucy I know. If this isn't a coincidence, based on parallel universe theory, there's likely another Jehfrit in your world—one who's your friend and whom you deeply trust."
"... As expected of someone named Jehfrit," Lucy muttered, clenching her fists.
Jehfrit smiled faintly. "So, you want my help."
"... " Lucy remained silent.
Emily stepped forward, fearless as she locked eyes with Jehfrit. "Jehfrit is my master. He's my guiding light. He saved me during the darkest, most desperate moments of my life. He taught me magic and showered me with love."
Though you two are completely different—your views, your demeanor, your actions...
"But—"
"You have the same face as my master, and you're both smart and kind."
"My master and I got separated. Now it's just me and Lucy-nee in this strange world, and I'm scared."
"Jehfrit-nii, can you help us?"
"Emily..." Lucy looked at her in astonishment.
The Emily who was usually playful and innocent, acting like a carefree child, had just delivered such a logical and courageous speech.
Even in handling crises, she maintained composure and spoke clearly—a feat Lucy herself wouldn't have done better!
Emily wasn't naive.
She grew up in the slums, suffering from illness and experiments. Her mind wasn't childish.
But when showered with affection, who wouldn't want to act innocent, to enjoy being protected and cared for?
"It seems he's raised you well. That puts my mind at ease—he must be a trustworthy person," Jehfrit smiled. "However, I don't fully understand the situation, so I won't make hasty decisions. But I will protect you. If you trust me, follow me. I have a place in the next city."
"Alright," Lucy nodded.
After all, Emily had Jehfrit's emergency ace up her sleeve. Even if they couldn't win, they could still escape.
---
On the street:
Jehfrit leaned against an alleyway, sighing. "I never imagined that my counterpart here would be such a big celebrity. What was he thinking?"
Jehfrit disliked fame—it brought trouble. His counterpart here was the complete opposite.
"The Jehfrit of this world is also quite charming," Miko commented.
"Miko, tell me—am I better or is he?" Jehfrit asked.
"To me, you're special," Miko replied without hesitation. "Even if you weren't named Jehfrit or didn't look like this, no one could compare to you. You're my sole meaning."
"That's too much! Your confession is making me blush. Pity you're not human—I might've fallen for you," Jehfrit chuckled.
Miko tilted her head slightly. "It's not a confession—it's the truth. Besides, I'm not without human anatomy."
"Ah, just joking," Jehfrit laughed.
"If you wish to use it, I won't refuse."
"Let's keep things pure," Jehfrit shook his head.
"I'll do as you say," Miko nodded.
Jehfrit didn't dwell further.
He was like a sandwich—excellent on the outside, rotten within, but not entirely bad. Few of his principles were broken—though, in truth, he didn't have many principles to begin with.
In matters of relationships and intimacy, he was cautious and conservative.
Whether in his past life or this one, he believed that physical acts required responsibility.
Though this mindset often put him at a disadvantage.
In his previous life, a friend struggled when pursued by a girl. After finally deciding to date her, they only held hands. He restrained himself, thinking he needed to "be responsible," only for her to cheat on him three months into a long-distance relationship.
Despite this lesson, Jehfrit stayed true to himself—not because rules constrained him, but because it felt right. Being true to himself brought peace of mind.
Peace of mind felt better than fleeting pleasure. For him, the former meant lifelong integrity and pride, while the latter was momentary satisfaction.
Back to the topic.
Miko truly liked him, but it stemmed from dependence, not love.
Because of this dependence, Miko willingly fulfilled all his requests.
If he took advantage of her, it would betray her trust!
He already relied heavily on her care and didn't want her to feel obligated to please him further.
"..."
Miko glanced sideways at the silent Jehfrit.
Jehfrit, are you overthinking again?
All I want is for you to be happy. Whatever happens, whether out of desire or duty, it wouldn't hurt me.
Because I don't care.
Such acts are as mundane to me as washing your back.
But Miko didn't voice these thoughts.
Whatever Jehfrit wanted, she complied.
Whether he sought closeness or distance, she followed his lead without making decisions for him.
"He's certainly caused me some trouble," Jehfrit murmured.
He had to continuously use Deception Magic, which drained his mental energy.
Otherwise, if recognized, he'd be mobbed by fans of this world's Jehfrit.
He'd already experienced it once—it wasn't pleasant.
"Muscle Supremacy, huh? Imagining you saying such things with my face is hard to picture," Miko remarked.
"I wonder if this world's version knows Deception Magic," Jehfrit mused.
"Their use of magic differs from ours," Miko noted.
"Hmm."