A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

No!

! ! ! !

"Erza??!!!" ×N

Why is Erza here?

When did you get back?

"Wait, did she hear everything we just said?!"

The group of people turned green with fright and panicked, scrambling around in a chaotic mess.

"Er...Er...Erza...you...you...why..." Natsu and the others stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence.

Erza, unusually, didn't get angry. Instead, she looked at everyone gently and said, "Natsu! Do you have a problem with me?"

Yes, a very gentle tone, a very kind face, a very sincere inquiry, but...

Everyone: This is even scarier! This is nothing like the Erza we know. She must have heard everything! And she even saw us fighting! We're doomed!

"No...no...no!"

Erza asked again, "Really not?"

Natsu's face was covered in sweat, and his legs trembled as he said, "Absolutely not!"

Seeing Natsu being so obedient, Erza turned her attention to someone else: "Hmm... if you don't, then... Gray, do you have a problem with me?"

Grey was in an even worse state than Natsu, his face and body covered in cold sweat: "No! No! Erza is the kindest person in our guild!"

"Put your clothes on!"

"Yes...yes..." Gray frantically searched for his clothes, taking the opportunity to hide in a corner.

Where is Kana?

Cana's hand trembled as she held the bottle of wine: "Gray is right! Erza is the strongest and most reliable!"

"Loki?"

Rocky curled up, his green coat covering half his face: "Erza is as warm as the sun, she's my goddess!"

"Elfman?"

"Erza is a man!"

One by one, the group retracted their previous statements after Erza called their names.

Erza nodded: "So you have no complaints about me?"

The group unanimously shook their heads: "Absolutely not!!!" ×N

"But I think I just heard someone say I'm scary. Who said that?" Erza's smile didn't fade. "Hmm... since none of you said it, it must be you? The newcomer... your name is Lucy, right?"

Lucy: "Huh???!!!"

Why is it me again? This is exhausting. What's wrong with the people in this guild? Did I forget to check my horoscope before going out today? First, I got caught up in a brawl, and now I'm being targeted by a woman who's suspected to be the guild's big boss.

One second I was happily watching the drama unfold, and the next second misfortune befell me. Did I do something wrong today? Why does it seem like the whole guild is targeting me?

Erza looked at the silent Lucy with a faint gaze, not uttering a word, but it seemed as if she was saying, "If you dare say a bad word about me, I'll kill you." To Lucy, this was pure torture.

Lucy trembled slightly. As a newcomer, facing Erza, whom even Natsu and his gang of lawless individuals feared, she felt an immense pressure beyond her years: "I...I didn't..."

Mira felt a pang of pity; after all, Lucy hadn't done anything wrong. So she stepped forward and pulled Erza aside, saying, "Erza, Miss Lucy was just... huh??"

To her surprise, her hand passed right through Erza's body!

"Ah!!! Erza is dead!!" Natsu and Happy, who are usually the most oblivious, shouted.

"What's going on?" Lucy was also confused. Could this be the reason why Erza was called the Demon King?

But unlike those two, Mira, who was close by and experienced, immediately saw the problem: "This is not Erza, it's a thought entity... no, it's a magical illusion."

"An illusion... does that mean Erza isn't here?"

"This illusion is so realistic!"

"Exactly! I was so scared I broke out in a cold sweat!"

"Tch! Coward!"

"Aren't you the same!"

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, "It was just an illusion, but who was it...?"

The Thought Form is an extremely profound form of magic, not something ordinary people can learn. This illusion, according to what Mira just said, is almost comparable to the Thought Form. Such magic is not something that can be used casually.

But I couldn't sense any magical fluctuations at all, that's terrifying! To be able to cast such powerful magic without making a sound, this person must be very strong. How many people here could do that?

Lucy couldn't help but turn to look at Kira, who was expressionless and pretending to be nonchalant.

Just now, he was the first to call out Erza's name, and he also seems to be the strongest person here.

Unlike Lucy, who reacted quickly, Natsu had no idea who was playing a trick on him and could only rage, shouting, "Damn it! Who was it that would play such a joke!"

Well... Natsu was probably the only one present who didn't realize what was happening. Even Happy knew it must be Kira, the guild's favorite to play tricks on everyone.

A classic case of humans being inferior to cats!

"Kira, you bastard! You must have done this!"

Gray, Cana, and Loki were much more experienced and reacted instantly. After all, the three of them had witnessed Kira's illusion of Deliora just two days ago, and they knew his ability all too well.

Then they heard Kira mimic Happy's cry: "Hey!"

"Stop pretending, you bastard!!!" ×N

"Tch, we were found out after all. What a pity!" Kira muttered under his breath.

"What? 'So you were found out after all'?! Only you would do something like this!"

"Heh heh heh... Since I've been discovered, there's nothing I can do. That's right! It was me!" Kira gave himself a thumbs up. "How about that? Pretty realistic illusion, huh? Wahahahaha..."

"You bastard, do you want to fight?!"

"Oh ho ho... Now you all dare to declare war on me? Fine, come at me all at once! Let me see if you've gotten any stronger lately!"

Chapter 26 Natsu: The same tricks don't work on me.

The group fell silent. They all knew Kira's strength; he had become an S-class mage a long time ago and was incredibly powerful, even stronger than Erza. In the guild, only Guild Master Makarov and Gildarts could reliably defeat him; the rest of the guild combined wouldn't be a match for him.

But I was still eager to try it!

In the hearts of these young people in the guild, Kira and Erza are like the eldest brother and sister in a family. Although they are both S-class mages, their styles of doing things are completely different.

Erza is usually strict with everyone and herself, and she doesn't like seeing the guild in a noisy state. Every time they fight in a group, they have to do it behind her back. If they are discovered, they will be scolded severely. However, they can't beat Erza, so they can only obediently obey.

Kira, on the other hand, is rather unserious and often plays pranks on people. Yet, he always manages to do it with a straight face and sound reasoning, leaving everyone unable to beat him or argue with him, and in the end, they can only obediently let him play their tricks.

However, Kira and Erza are like the two pillars of the guild. They can handle everything well, big or small, and are more reliable than anyone else when it matters.

Although Kira only visits the guild occasionally, he never refuses challenges or group fights. Every time, he uses the excuse of sparring or teaching to repeatedly beat them to a pulp. Natsu, Gray, and others have all been "dedicated" to being taught by him, and they actually enjoy it.

"No need for anyone else! I'm going to challenge you alone!" Natsu was the first to step forward, rubbing his fists together, full of arrogance, which drew cheers from the guys around him.

"Hmm, that's courageous! It seems you've really gotten stronger lately, Natsu! Maybe you can shake off Gray and the others and successfully advance to S-rank in this year's guild assessment!"

This guy's got a bit too cocky. Let's flatter him for now, then we'll teach him a lesson later.

Happy said to Lucy beside him, "Kira is playing tricks again. Natsu is being completely fooled."

Although Lucy wasn't quite sure why Happy said that, she felt he was right.

Fortunately, she found out the next moment.

"Dump me? I can't pretend I didn't hear that!"

"With Natsu as a guy?"

"Kira, you better explain to me what you mean by 'Gray and the others'!"

"If you're a real man, settle things with your fists!"

Kira's casual remark immediately reignited the tension within the guild.

Just then, with a loud bang, the door was pushed open again, and a female figure with flamboyant red hair, bright armor, and a flowing short skirt walked in, holding a huge monster horn in her hand. It was Erza, who had returned from completing her mission.

Everyone stared blankly at Erza as she entered. Her fist, which she had just thrown out, froze in mid-air, as if time had been paused. Their expressions and movements were frozen, their lips trembled slightly, and their minds were racing.

This must really be Erza, right? What's that huge horn in her hand? Did she not notice what we're doing?

Kira thought differently from everyone else: Is this the forging material you brought back for me?

Erza gently placed the monster horn in her hand on the ground. Although it was clear that she had stopped exerting force, the action still made a loud noise on the ground.

"Erza, you're back!"

Where is the president?

Mira replied, "The president went to the regular meeting."

The regular meetings are the periodic exchange meetings of the presidents of the magic guilds in each region, mainly for the transmission and exchange of information.

Nodding to indicate that she understood, Erza then looked over, her long, bright red hair flicking slightly as she turned her head. Her eyes were sharp: "Were you two fighting just now?"

!!!

They still found out!

"No..."

Before anyone could explain, Natsu charged forward, yelling, "Hahaha! The same trick won't work on me again!"

Bang! ! !

Natsu punched Erza, who had her back to him, sending her flying and crashing into the wall.

"Nani!!!!!" ×N

Everyone present was completely petrified.

"Heh, Natsu is finished."