A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

This might make me seem overly sensitive or presumptuous, but what just happened wasn't entirely without suspicion.

For example, who would dare to attack the royal family? How did the Dark Guild manage to track the princess's itinerary? Didn't the princess have any guards? Why was such an important task as kidnapping the princess entrusted to three such incompetent people? As nobles, their first reaction to danger was to run to the men's bathhouse?

Of course, most importantly, she didn't even recognize herself... cough cough, most importantly, how could three ability-type mages fail to catch the frail girl wearing only a bathrobe in such a short time?! How is that possible?!

After soaking in the hot springs, it's time to enjoy a delicious meal.

Half an hour later, in a medium-sized suite, the group of people who had just emerged from the bathhouse sat around the dining table, enjoying a hot pot feast while continuing their previous conversation, discussing the "future plans" and the "kidnapped princess."

The group pass only grants free admission and access to the hot springs; food, drinks, and lodging still cost money. Fortunately, the people here aren't poor, so they can afford it—they were all once prominent figures in the magical world; how could they not have some savings?

Even Melty's little savings were not taken away by Ultear under the pretense of "Mom will keep them safe for you"!

The money spent on the hot pot feast was from the organization's public funds, which was the savings accumulated by the former "Six Demon Generals". So everyone spent it without feeling bad and ordered the most expensive set meal, claiming it was to "say goodbye to the past as soon as possible", "clean up the sins of the past all at once", and "transform the symbol of evil into a bright future".

It was a long table, but Kira, as the boss, did not take the head seat. Instead, he sat casually with everyone, explaining that "our organization does not have hierarchical structures."

He said it with such righteous indignation and boundless pride, but no one believed him—not even Melty—they thought Kira wasn't in the main seat simply because he couldn't reach the plate.

Kira used his unique ability to multitask, chopsticks in his right hand and a fork in his left, eating heartily without a care in the world, and asked between bites, "You mean, afterwards, the princess went to the women's bathhouse to soak in the hot springs as if nothing had happened?"

“That’s right, you can’t tell at all that she’s a princess who has just been kidnapped.”

Ultear ate with elegant and ladylike movements, but her speed was anything but slow. Most importantly, her plate was always full, leading Kira to seriously suspect that she had secretly switched plates using the Arc of Time. So he sat down next to Ultear and ate even more happily.

Upon hearing Ultear's answer, Kira gave him a knowing look and said, "I knew that woman was suspicious! Her whole face was radiating scheming, and that stupid aura was suffocating. Before..."

Before he could finish speaking, Gerald interrupted him impatiently: "You know she has a problem, and you still want me to get close to her?!"

Kira said matter-of-factly, "You have the highest combined stats in terms of looks, intelligence, experience, strength, and expertise among this group. If we had to pick someone to go undercover, it would definitely be you! Don't you agree?"

"That's right, that's right... it's you, Gerald! We all think you're the best!"

The others immediately laughed and chimed in, their gloating expressions making Geral angrier and angrier. He simply buried his head in his food and ate as if he were going to devour their savings.

"Hey, is that really what you think?" Urudia leaned closer and asked in a low voice.

"certainly……"

Kira glanced at the screen and noticed that Jellal wasn't paying attention to his conversation with Ultear, so he whispered, "No! The first movie, 'Red-Haired Girl Love Story,' did pretty well at the box office, so I'm planning to take advantage of the current buzz and quickly release a sequel called 'Blue-Haired Boy Love for Sale.'"

"Pfft—! Cough cough..."

"Eric, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing... I just ate too fast..."

"Why are you eating so fast? Are you having a competition with Sawyer? You can't beat him..."

Kira smugly said, "Heh... Now you know it's wrong to eavesdrop, right?"

Eric: You guys are talking too loudly!

After a few lighthearted banter, Ultear continued, "That princess acted as if she had simply encountered an accident while soaking in the hot springs; aside from being unusually calm, there was nothing particularly special about her. However..."

"But what?"

"I've heard that relations between the Kingdom of Fiore and the Kingdom of Bosk have become tense recently, and there seem to be signs of war!"

Everyone was stunned when Urudia said this.

The Kingdom of Bosk is located to the east of the Kingdom of Fiore, and the two countries are neighbors. In that country, magic is also one of the mainstream professions, and its importance is even greater than in the Kingdom of Fiore. It is said that even the royal family studies magic. Unfortunately, however, neither the level of development of magic nor the overall strength of mages can compare with the Kingdom of Fiore.

What stunned them was that Fiore's stance was consistently neutral, not involved in the conflicts of other countries, and had maintained peaceful relations with its neighbors for many years after the Second Trade War. Logically, it should not have provoked other countries.

"You mean to say that the kidnapping of the princess might have been done by a neighboring country? Isn't that incredibly despicable?"

"Despicable? You're too naive! If the two countries really go to war, kidnapping hostages would be the least of your worries!"

"Really? Fiore has always avoided participating in other countries' wars, hasn't he?"

"The sea near the Kingdom of Fiore is an important trading location between the three continents of Ishgar, Aragitasia, and Giltina. It's normal for it to be coveted by neighboring countries! In fact, if it weren't for our advanced magic, we would have been annexed by other countries long ago!"

"If war breaks out, shouldn't we consider the other countries in the surrounding area? There are also the 'Ten Saints' stationed in the Kingdom of Fiore, and the deterrent power of the Council."

“I see. No wonder the council invited me to become one of the ‘Ten Saints’ a few days ago. It seems they were trying to demonstrate their strength to the other nations of Ishgar.”

"Speaking of which, the Kingdom of Bosk has always been small and weak, so how did it suddenly become so brave?"

"Could it be that he has obtained some powerful force?"

"perhaps……"

There's a strange phenomenon in this world: when boys talk about international affairs, they can always say a few words or two—regardless of whether they have any prior knowledge of it.

Kira found this phenomenon quite strange.

Before them stood a group of "criminals" wanted by the Council, yet at the dinner table they were discussing the international situation at length, from national strength to regime change, from magic guilds to trade wars, from geographical locations to continental crises... even confidently stating their own insights and solutions.

His pronouncements, such as "If I were the king, I would do this and that," and "Under these circumstances, it's impossible for such and such a country to do this or that," coupled with his commanding presence, cold face, and calm voice, made him seem like a true descendant of royalty.

Of course, it was mainly Kira, Gerald, Dark Night, Eric, and Ultear who were talking, while the others were either eating or listening. Only Melty stared at Ultear, her eyes seemingly shining.

……

The next day, at the entrance of the winter hot spring inn.

Kira ultimately didn't teach Sora magic, but he gave her a set of angel-themed magic cards (whose power was roughly the same as Cana's summons) as compensation, so that she would have the ability to fight and wouldn't become just a decorative figure in the team.

"I'm leaving the task of cracking down on organized crime to you. Remember to be ruthless and don't leave them a single penny... Why are you looking at me like that? We're all here to deal with the Dark Guild and Zeref... Don't forget the most important thing: come to Magnolia once a month to pay your dues. The rest of the time, we'll keep in touch via communicator..."

After giving a long and tedious explanation, Kira bid farewell to the group.

According to the plan, Jellal and Ultear will lead a team to wipe out the Dark Guild and seize their assets as seed money for the next plan.

Kira was quite at ease handing the organization over to Gerald and Ultear. Neither of them were reckless, and even if they didn't make money, at least their lives wouldn't be in danger.

As for himself, he would naturally return to Magnolia to resume his role as a mage and merchant, while also establishing the organization's headquarters!

Chapter 376 Kira's Designated Mission

Amid cheers, the Fairy Tail world finally entered the year X785, the first year that was missed in the original work due to the seal.

Today, the Fairy Tail guild was filled with joyous noise. All the members who were not on missions gathered at the guild tavern for a celebratory banquet. The theme of the banquet was, of course, Kira being officially awarded the title of "Ten Wizard Saints" by the Magic Council!

This news was published in the Magic Daily today.

He joined Fairy Tail at age 10, became an S-class mage at age 12, and became famous throughout the Kingdom of Fiore at age 18. He was hailed by the Magic Council as the most talented mage of the new era and was nominated for the Wizarding Wizards that same year. At age 20, he defeated two Wizarding Wizards in succession, earning the high recognition of the five current Wizarding Wizards and becoming a key player in defeating the Balam League...

Each and every one of these achievements is enough to shock the entire Kingdom of Fiore.

Since last Christmas, when Makarov, encouraged by Kira, used public funds to purchase a batch of genuine leather sofas, the guild tavern's level of sophistication has increased considerably. Whether it's the lounge, game room, bar, or swimming pool, each area is furnished with one or two sets of exquisite sofas, making it truly worthy of the reputation of "Fiore's Number One Magic Guild" in terms of visual appeal alone.

But what Kira was most satisfied with was not these sofas that could seat seven or eight people, but rather the specially customized sofas that were only available to "S-class mages and above".

At this moment, Kira was relaxed in his personal chair, holding a card with a unique design. He arrogantly took a sip of the drink on the glass table in front of him, then casually tossed the card onto the table and shouted, "Use the magic card 'Fairy Law'! You lost, Cana!"

Across from Kira, Cana sat in her own chair. Her posture was quite ungraceful; her left leg was bent and placed across the chair, with a half-meter-high wooden barrel on her thigh. Her left hand rested on the barrel, and her right hand leaned against the table. She leaned slightly to the right, reeking of alcohol, and her face was full of resentment after losing the game.

"Damn it! This skill of yours is too much! It wasn't this kind of skill last time!"

Kana slammed her cards on the table, then grabbed the barrel of liquor and started chugging it down her throat. After a few gulps, she wiped her mouth and said, "I'm not playing anymore... I always lose!"

Kira laughed smugly, "I told you, you're still a long way off! You were able to last so long last time because Lucy helped you, but now... Waaaaaah!!!"

The cards the two were playing were, of course, the "Fairy Tail Killer" that Kira used for his test on Tenrou Island, but this was version 2.0.

As the card game ended, Kira leaned back with practiced ease. The crocodile-skin and cotton-padded cushion immediately supported his back, but Kira wasn't satisfied. He bounced up and down a couple more times before saying, "Ah... so soft, so comfortable!"

"Tch! It's just a chair." Cana frowned and glanced at Kira.

"Take a good look at this seat. The color, the texture, the feel, the shape, and even the price tag hanging there... This is the kind of treatment we deserve!"

Kira slung his back against the chair, pointed at Natsu and the others sitting on the wooden bench, and continued, "Look at them, then look at us. Don't you feel like it was all worth it?"

"No! I think it's more comfortable to drink from where I am!"

"Weren't you sitting at the table?" Kira muttered twice, then changed his mind. "Never mind, but you need a place to rest when you're drunk, right? It's dangerous to pass out in the street like the last few times!"

“Kira is right! And this chair is really comfortable!” Erza sat in her own chair, crossed her legs, and slowly savored her strawberry pudding, looking very satisfied with the changes in the guild.

These S-class exclusive seats were all designed by them. Erza's seat is red and white, with a high back and a seat that is very comfortable, which is the most suitable for her personality as a noble queen. Cana's seat is dark purple and yellow, with a tarot theme, and there is a groove on the armrest to put a wine barrel, but it is not used much.

Kira's exclusive seat is rather simple and unadorned. The 90×120×150 seat has a gold frame, silver carvings, and gemstone coloring. It has both the luxury of a nobleman and the arrogance of a strongman. It has both the artistic temperament of a philosopher and the mysterious charm of a mage. It is heavy and grand, yet elegant.

It's safe to say that, apart from Kira, very few people could handle this chair.

"Oh, this is so nice~ Your seats look so comfortable..." Natsu and Happy lay sprawled on the wooden table, exuding a faint air of dejection, looking at Erza, Kira, and Cana chatting with envy.

Kira knew that Natsu wasn't envious of the chair, but rather the S-class title, so he said, "Even if you look at me like that, it won't help! Instead of envying others, you should focus on training and strive to become the next S-class!"

Cana put down the wine barrel and said to Lucy with a smile, "Lucy, you can sit down anytime in my chair!"

She was very enthusiastic, but when Lucy saw the wine stains on the chair, she just smiled awkwardly: "No...no need...thank you..."

Just then, Makarov suddenly walked over and said, "Kira, another mission assigned to you!"

"Huh?" Kira was taken aback, stood up and took it, muttering to himself, "This is the seventh one this month, isn't it? How come I never realized the people in this country were so rich before?"

Within the Kingdom of Fiore, magic guilds generally categorize received commissions according to difficulty into ordinary (A-D), S-rank (S), ten-year (SS), and hundred-year (SSS) commissions. The reward for each rank of commission is within a certain range, such as "D-rank commissions are within 10 J" or "S-rank commissions are no less than 100 million J". Then, a suitable price is selected within this range based on the difficulty.

Designated tasks are different; they don't belong to any level, and whether or not to accept them, as well as the specific reward, is decided by the client and the client through negotiation—this is mainly to prevent anyone from causing trouble—and these tasks don't all require the mage to have great strength. For example, some "magic photo shoot" tasks only require someone to be good-looking.

Although Kira becoming one of the 'Ten Wizard Saints' only made the news today, not everyone is posting commissions because of that title. Thanks to Kira's various achievements over the past six months, his fame has returned to the level it was two years ago, and naturally, he's getting more commissions again, with substantial rewards, mostly over 500 million J.

"Who would have thought that a mission with a reward of over 500 million J would actually have a reward of 500 million J—wait, 2 million J?!!!!"

When Kira saw the reward for the commission, he was immediately captivated by the tempting "2000 million J". He even raised his voice by dozens of decibels, which startled him so much that he quickly shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

Kira's voice was so loud that everyone in the guild heard it. Whether they were drinking and bragging or talking about love, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared blankly in Kira's direction.

A few seconds later, everyone burst into laughter, and the entire guild erupted in chaos.

"What?! What?! 2 million J?"

"This seems to be Kira's mission reward? 2 million J?! Is this the significance of the 'Ten Wizard Saints'? Amazing!!"

"I'm so envious!! The reward for just one mission is that high. I bet only Gildarts in the guild has ever taken it, right?"

Makarov silently rolled his eyes: Tch! A bunch of brats! So ignorant! I used to be one of those people too…

Upon hearing Kira's voice, Natsu, Erza, Cana, and the others who were closest immediately gathered around. When they saw the amount written on the reward, they all gasped in shock.

"It's real... It says there's a reward of 2 million J... Who exactly posted this request?"