Fairy Tail: I'm Not the Most Terrifying Mage

She didn't know what to say, or even how to speak; she felt as if a sour lemon was stuck in her throat.

Tears streamed down my face like a torrential downpour.

The noisy surroundings gradually quieted down.

People nearby have already noticed what's going on.

"Lucy, you eat first." Mirajane patted Lucy's shoulder and slowly walked over.

"How can I eat anything more!" Lucy quickly stuffed the small cake into her mouth, mumbling incoherently, before following Mirajane over.

Emily and Wendy walked over hand in hand, their faces now serious, despite their previous laughter and chatter.

Yefritte remained calm, showing almost no joy or sorrow about the matter, and didn't care that she had made a girl cry, especially a former princess—even if she was demoted to a commoner, anyone who thought that Emerald would really just be an ordinary commoner in the future would be too naive.

Jade gripped the rattle drum tightly, her small hands digging until her knuckles turned white, clearly indicating she was exerting considerable force.

Yefried reached out and "rescued" the rattle from Emerald's hands.

He looked at the broken rattle drum and said, "Actually, the rattle drum never meant anything; it had no significance."

As he spoke, he threw the rattle drum on the ground.

‘Wow’

The already dilapidated rattle drum was completely smashed to pieces, like jade tears falling, broken into pieces and scattered everywhere.

Emerald trembled violently, and the trembling was almost unstoppable; she was on the verge of collapse.

“Yeffrit,” Erza said, frowning as she approached, “Don’t be too…”

"Erza." Mirajane stopped her in time, covering her mouth. This made Erza look at Mirajane in confusion. She had just wanted to say "Don't go too far," but what did Mirajane mean by stopping her? Did he condone Yefrit's somewhat excessive behavior?

Some people were curious, while others glared angrily.

Yefried didn't care about those people at all.

He said, "Is the rattle drum really that important? What good would it do me if I repaired it? The capital is in ruins now, and we're standing on the ruins. You hand the rattle drum to me, and I return it to you in good condition. Are you happy, proud, and at peace with yourself?"

With each word he spoke, Emerald's body trembled.

Everyone couldn't help but worry. Looking at the petite girl with her head down, they were afraid she wouldn't be able to hold on and would collapse at any moment.

“When I was four years old,” Yefrit suddenly changed the subject, “I passed by a deli, and the aroma was so strong that I still remember how much I craved it back then.”

"But I didn't have enough money. Just then, the shopkeeper recognized me as Francis's son, so he gave me a duck leg and didn't charge me. I was so happy—"

"Wow, I'm actually quite popular in this town."

"When I got home, my father laughed and made me finish the duck leg, then he spanked me hard."

"He said--"

Things obtained through begging are worthless.

"Later, when I got older, I realized that what that duck leg wanted wasn't my money, but my and my father's dignity!"

"Later, I also learned that sometimes, necessity outweighs dignity."

"But was I forced to do it at that time?"

Silence fell over the surrounding area.

When forced into a corner, many things take precedence over dignity.

But is it really a last resort in many situations?

Just like that duck leg, even if Yefried was poor when she was a child, could she not afford a duck leg?

Some people looked bewildered, some were deep in thought, and some seemed thoughtful.

Yefrit said, "I remember the first time we met was at a party."

“My father told me: ‘You can see the princess at the banquet. The most beautiful and dazzling girl is His Majesty’s most beloved and proud Emerald Princess. In the future—I, who will inherit the title of Viscount and the glory of the Valiel family, may be loyal to this princess. As a nobleman who has enjoyed the honor of the Kingdom of Fiore for generations, whether I am given important positions when I grow up or not, as long as the kingdom does not abandon me, I will unconditionally offer my loyalty.’”

Yefried was a modern person in his previous life, and to be honest, he found this whole thing a bit hard to accept.

But he could not refute Francis, because Francis had given him everything since he came into this world.

Therefore, it was less about loyalty to the royal family and more about filial piety towards his father.

Yefrit laughed and joked, "Have you noticed that I'm just like the owner of that delicatessen?"

No one laughed.

Yefritte continued, "To avoid losing face that night, Father sold some furniture and bought us a custom-made suit, but for the nobles attending the banquet, it was still a cheap suit."

“But he showed no stage fright, standing tall and chatting happily even in front of the Duke—he was setting an example for me.”

"So, I took out the cards, and from a poor, lowly nobleman whom everyone looked down on when I first entered, I won over all the noble young masters who were richer and of higher status than me with my magic performance. Everyone—looked at me with admiration!"

As she spoke, Yefrit's eyes sparkled, and her smile became as sunny as Natsu's.

That's the magic!

What Yevlit enjoyed was never the process of performing magic, nor the superior magic techniques, nor the discovery and development of new magic tricks. To put it simply: what he enjoyed was the vanity of performing magic and receiving praise!

Everyone has their own opinion on magic.

Francis performs magic because he loves it. His childhood dream was to be a magician. Later, his family fell into poverty, and after experiencing the hardships of life, he realized that he didn't have any special skills, and this was the only one that could earn him enough money to support his children.

Yevlit, on the other hand, enjoyed the audience’s reaction during his magic performances—so his dream was always a huge venue and thousands of spectators, a grand magic show.

So—it has nothing to do with skill. There are many things that magic can't do, but deception magic can. So he would definitely choose deception magic just to get a little more of the children's shocked and adoring expressions.

Looking at Yefrit's radiant expression.

Everyone in the guild smiled.

This is Yefrit. Sometimes, she can be so adorable. Her face, which usually evokes images of cunning and evil, becomes quite charming at times.

And the girls who have feelings for Yefrit.

My heart melted.

It's so rare to see Yefried like this!

Ultear, Alice, and Melty all felt their legs go weak, thinking that Yefrit was practically a succubus at this moment. If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, they would have loved to pounce on him and bully him.

Even the most composed Mirajane smiled indulgently.

Erza smiled too, a smug and proud smile. She looked at Kagura, Minerva, and the others, slightly raising her chin, silently indicating: See? This is my proud little brother, Yefried!

Kagura remained silent, while Minerva turned her head away, so angry she was practically grinding her teeth to powder.

Some young nobles at the scene were lost in memories.

They had also attended that banquet, but to be honest, they couldn't quite remember it.

It wasn't until Yefried mentioned it that they remembered the incident and were immediately filled with nostalgia.

Yefrit continued, "Then, Her Highness the Princess came over."

"My name is Emerald. What's your name?" she asked me in a very natural and confident manner.

I bowed and replied: I am Yefried de la Vallière, and my father is Viscount Vallière.

She said, "Your magic show was really good, but I was standing over there, quite far away, so I couldn't see it clearly. Could you perform it again?"

I said: It is my honor, Your Highness.

“I could see that Her Highness was very happy at the time.”

"So I performed it again, very seriously."

"Then--"

The princess said happily, "Yeflit, you are amazing. You are different from others. I want you to be my friend."

Hear this.

Emerald took a deep breath; she still vividly remembered this beautiful childhood memory.

Yefried said, "I said, 'Okay, from now on we're friends.'"

"My father was very happy to become friends with the princess, and many nobles also congratulated us."

“But I don’t think this is a ‘pleading’ with either side. It’s equal and reciprocal. The princess showed courage and bestowed upon me the honor of being friends with her. In return, I offered the princess the happiness and satisfaction she needed.”

"Back then—"

"The situation is different now."

Yefried mimicked Emerald's tone and said, "Yefrit, it's broken again. Will you fix it for me?"

"So--"

Yefried asked, "Emerald—are you buying duck legs from me, or are you begging me to give you duck legs?"

Jade's trembling body froze.

She suddenly realized something, but couldn't quite put her finger on it; it was all in a daze.

Erza's smile widened. As expected of Yefrit, she could think so deeply.

Lucy breathed a huge sigh of relief.

“This guy.” Gray and the others laughed as well.

"Lord Grey, Juvia doesn't quite understand," Juvia asked, somewhat bewildered.

Grey whispered in her ear, “Friendship is based on equality, not something you can beg for. Emerald is feeling conflicted right now. She blames herself for the trouble she caused, is confused about the future, and hopes to regain Yefried’s friendship. Perhaps she feels that it’s the last thing she can hope to have. So she’s feeling humble. But she won’t get the friendship she wants this way, and Yefried is helping her get out of this psychological trauma.”

"Mr. Yefried actually..." Jubia covered his mouth in shock.

No wonder everyone feels that Yefrit is the backbone of the guild. Even though he's not the guild leader, everyone feels at ease when he's around. This isn't just because of his strength, but also because of the trust and even admiration they've built up over time!

Sting, Rogue, and Yukino exchanged a glance and couldn't help but think: It's so lucky to be able to join Fairy Tail!

"If it is—you want to reclaim this friendship," Yefrit said coldly, "what if I disagree? It seems you betrayed the friendship first, didn't you? What will you do then? Beg? Grieve? Blame yourself? Regret your actions?"

Jade pressed her lips tightly together.

"Fortunately... that was just your overthinking."

Upon hearing this, Emerald blinked, wiping away the tears that had been welling up in her eyes for a long time.

'Snapped'