A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Chapter 369 Daily Life - How Santa Claus Was Laid Off His Job

With Christmas approaching, under Makarov's arrangement, everyone added many festive decorations to the guild tavern. The biggest change was the addition of several "Christmas Zones" in the tavern.

These "Christmas fields" are surrounded by wooden fences, and inside is a pine tree planted in the snow.

At the top of the tree is a golden five-pointed star or a giant bow; the middle is covered with colorful ribbons, bells, light bulbs, and dolls; and at the bottom are piles of gift boxes of various sizes.

It's fair to say the festive atmosphere is quite strong.

In the guild, there are several new leather sofas. In addition to cushions, there are various plush toys on the sofas. These toys include Santa Claus and reindeer, as well as the guild's own mages. Of course, they are all dressed in Christmas costumes.

Most of them are women, and you can basically tell how popular female mages are in the guild just by the number of them: Mira is the most popular woman, so there are naturally the most dolls based on her image. Erza and Lucy are next, and the other girls are fewer, but each one has one.

There are also male dolls, but the overall number is relatively small, and they are only available to mages who are handsome or famous, or those who possess both, like Kira. As for those like Marcao who don't have either... well, hehe.

The appearance of the "Fairy Tail Mage Plush Toys" dates back a few days. These items suddenly appeared in Magnolia and quickly became a trend, spreading to the guild in less than a day.

So everyone started following the trend. Then, to prove their popularity, some people bought dolls in their own image and sent them to the guild; others simply liked a certain mage, so they bought a bunch and put them in the tavern to enjoy—that's how the Mira dolls that are now everywhere in the guild came about.

Unsurprisingly, Juvia spent a fortune buying a large number of Gray dolls, making them her second most numerous collection. Not content with this, the obsessed woman then began hanging the dolls on herself, causing her considerable mobility issues.

Similar to Juvia, but not as crazy, were Jet and Dorelle. They naturally held Levy dolls in their hands, showing them off and shouting as if they were afraid others wouldn't know they liked Levy, making Levy herself very embarrassed.

The most reserved in the guild were Alzak and Bisca. They hid their dolls and dared not show them to the public, but everyone knew that the dolls they were holding were each other's likenesses.

In short, everyone had a great time because of the plush toys—Kira was even happier because he was the one who sold them.

At this moment, Kira sat on a leather sofa, holding seven or eight mission sheets, looking worried: "Designated missions... This is the kind of trouble that comes with being famous."

Lucy, who was standing nearby, was filled with envy after hearing this, her face practically screaming "Give me that kind of trouble!" Curious, she asked, "What task specifically asked you to do it? Is it very troublesome?"

"It's not troublesome, just a few small tasks, but there's a time limit, you see!"

Lucy took the stack of mission sheets Kira handed her and found that they were all missions like "pretend to be Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and deliver XX (gifts) to children".

Kira lay back on the sofa and muttered, "Honestly, Santa Claus only works one night a year, while I work a whole year! And now he wants me to work overtime and give him a day off? What's he thinking? -- This sofa is so comfortable!"

Lucy retorted speechlessly, "Well... but Santa Claus was fake from the beginning, right? It's just something parents tell children, isn't it?"

“That’s not true! They really exist!” Kira said firmly. “It’s just that people kept taking the jobs that originally belonged to Santa Claus, causing them to face unemployment and eventually being fired. That’s why almost no one sees the real Santa Claus now!!!”

Hearing Kira speak so confidently, in such detail, and with such logic, Natsu and Happy were immediately replaced by shock: "Eh?! Is that really how it is?!"

Gray and the others were even more shocked: "You actually believed that?! It's obviously fake!"

"Huh?! It was fake after all?!?!"

"...Two idiots!!"

Lucy put down the stack of task lists in her hand and asked, "These don't seem like difficult tasks at all, and even the gifts are reimbursed by the client. Why are you still so troubled?"

Kira replied irritably, "I'm asking you, what's the point of the client entrusting us with this task? Why don't we just deliver it ourselves after the kids go to sleep!"

Erza, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up: "Kira's words are not without reason, but there are always special circumstances, such as when parents don't have time, so I will still choose to accept it!"

In fact, she also received similar requests.

"I understand what you mean, but why is it a specific task? Any mage could do that, right?"

"Perhaps it's because you're too famous..."

Kira sighed helplessly, "Sigh... I was planning to deliver gifts to the children at the orphanage tonight..."

"Huh? You can actually be this kind sometimes?"

“Of course! I’m their Kira teacher! Hey... what kind of looks are those? Don’t believe me? Ask Cana!” Kira suddenly turned around and called out, “By the way, Cana, what gifts did you prepare for the children?”

Not far away, Kana's hand, which was holding a bottle, suddenly trembled: "Haha...haha...well..."

Kira understood: "I get it!"

This guy definitely didn't prepare anything!

……

It was night, and snow was falling heavily.

A magnificent reindeer sled races through the air, pulling a small seat. The figure on the seat has a long white beard, wears a red hat, a red cotton coat, and black boots, and carries a bulging pale yellow cloth bag in his hand.

This person was Kira dressed up in Christmas attire.

He still chose to accept the commission, and the task of delivering gifts to the children in the orphanage was left to Kana, who hadn't bought any gifts—she had to do something, whether it was contributing money or effort.

Perhaps starting tomorrow, the legend of "Santa Claus" will begin to circulate in Magnolia, and she will be a Santa Claus who loves to drink.

The sled landed on the roof with a 'thud,' and Kira picked up the cloth bag that looked like it was full of things but was actually empty, and walked toward the chimney.

The bag is just an ornament, of course. The gifts that the parents prepare for their children are all kept in Kira's personal space. With such convenient magic, who would honestly put the gifts in the bag?

To fit the character's image, Kira deliberately used cotton to slightly puff up his clothes, making him look somewhat like a big-bellied Santa Claus. However, he walked with light steps, exuding a carefree and unrestrained air, making him look more like a vigorous old man.

"Time to get to work!"

The chimney was dirty, dark, and narrow, but none of that bothered Kira. He wasn't actually fat. He took out his lighting crystal, cast a flight spell, and entered the house through the chimney in less than a minute.

Although it was a request, Kira, in the spirit of fulfilling his duty, could only carefully read through the child's wishes before delivering the gift.

"These parents are really something. Couldn't they have peeked at their children's wishes beforehand? What if I hadn't prepared the appropriate gifts? Wouldn't the mission have failed?"

Kira tiptoed to the child's bedroom. The child was fast asleep, making it the perfect time for him to carry out his mission.

Kira picked up the wish list hanging on the Christmas tree. It contained very few words, just a simple line. Slightly surprised, she then smiled with satisfaction: "So few wishes? Looks like a very honest child..."

I want to become a great mage.

Kira fell silent, his smile freezing on his face.

Can you please figure out Santa Claus's purpose before making a wish?!

Chapter 370 Daily Life - A Christmas Eve Gift

Santa Claus originates from Western folklore. He was a wealthy philanthropist and Christian named Saint Nicholas, who was kind, generous, and very good to children, often helping the poor.

The Santa Claus legend in the Fairy Tail world is similar to that of the previous one, but with some added magical elements—Santa Claus is a kind, generous, and powerful mage who conjures the gifts with magic.

Even with magical elements, he could only conjure tangible gifts!

It's impossible to turn a child into a mage directly, so Kira left behind a book called "Basic Theory of Magic" and wrote on a wish card:

A solid foundation is the first step to becoming strong, and also the last step to becoming the strongest!

Having dreams is good, but you should still read more! If you knew even a little about Santa Claus, you'd know that wishes like "becoming a powerful mage" shouldn't exist here!

Perhaps this is why parents entrust this matter to mages; there are simply some children's wishes that they don't know how to fulfill, or that are impossible to fulfill at all.

After leaving the child's bedroom, Kira delivered the bill to the parents. The cost of the magic book would be paid when the client settled their payment for the mission. He even gave them a rare discount, considering the child's love of magic.

Kira left to continue delivering gifts to the next customer.

……

This is a little girl's wish: that the boy she likes will also like her.

"At such a young age, he already likes to do all sorts of things... What exactly went wrong with Magnolia's education system these past two years? How could such a bad trend have taken hold!"

Kira decided to have a serious talk with the mayor about this issue after the New Year.

The client for the second mission was a wealthy man who lived in a six-story villa. The little girl had an entire floor to herself, which included a study, bedroom, music room, art studio, and dance studio, each of which was two or three times larger than Kira's house.

In order to find the location of the bedroom, Kira looked through every room on this floor and was immediately shocked by the lifestyle of the rich.

"Everyone says that rich people only think about romance because they don't have to worry about food and clothing. I didn't believe it before, but now I know it's true!"

In just five minutes of exploration, Kira discovers that this is an exceptionally talented girl (with a plethora of awards and trophies) but with an introverted and reserved personality. She has grown up under the strict upbringing of her parents and is practically the kind of rich, beautiful girl who only exists in storybooks or movies.

Given his habit of "gathering intelligence to better complete the mission," Kira eagerly opened the little girl's diary and found information related to that boy.

As Kira expected, the boy was a poor kid, but he was sunny, sincere, and warm-hearted. He always said things like "I want to become a great mage," which gave him the vibe of a hot-blooded shonen manga protagonist.

His frank, bold, and energetic spirit deeply attracted this rich girl who had never been free since childhood. She envied his attitude towards life and silently paid attention to him. After a while, feelings developed, but she never dared to express her feelings.

Kira closed the book, somewhat hesitant.

There is indeed magic in this world that can make people like you, and there are similar magical items, but such immoral things are against the law and are looked down upon by most people. I certainly can't give them out to corrupt children.

"Hmm... I wonder if the girl's parents know about this. If they really get together, will they take it out on me? How should I give her this gift?"

After pondering for a while, Kira left a bottle of "Potion of Courage" by his bedside, followed by another message:

Hesitation is useless; only by moving forward bravely can we see hope!

Be prepared, seize the opportunity, and your chances of success will be much greater!

A relationship can only develop if one party takes the initiative emotionally.

It is important to distinguish between "like" and "appreciation"!

While pursuing freedom, be careful not to harm your family and friends!

Drink this "potion of courage," and you'll become incredibly courageous for a day. Use this time to confess your feelings to "him"!

—It's bad to fall in love too early!

Kira was very satisfied with his masterpiece. Looking at the series of admonitions, a sense of pride welled up in his heart: "I am truly a master of emotions!"

……

Kira arrived at the third house according to the address on the commission, but this time, he was stunned on the roof and did not go straight into the chimney as he had done the previous two times, because this house did not have a chimney at all!

"No chimney... how am I, Santa Claus, supposed to get in?"

After circling the house three times, Kira realized one thing: this house not only had no chimney, but all the windows were also tightly shut, leaving Santa Claus no gap whatsoever!

The wind and snow were cold in the dead of night, but Kira felt that people's hearts were even colder.

"At least the anti-theft measures are indeed quite good and deserve praise—what a load of rubbish!!! I'm here to do a mission! Not to steal anything!"

What kind of family is this? Are the parents so inconsiderate?

Left with no other choice, Kira pulled out his gadget, the "Master Key," opened the front door, and swaggered inside.

Kira silently unlocks the bedroom door and discovers that this time the one making the wish is a boy who wants "eternal friendship".

Kira stared at the ceiling speechlessly: "...No wonder parents ask mages for help, they're right!"