A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Kira bowed deeply: "I'm counting on you!"

Jura echoed, "Then I'll have to trouble you!"

Princess Emerald concluded by saying, "You've really worked hard!"

The three men's actions left the diplomat speechless. After a few seconds of silence, he sighed helplessly and said, "Fine, leave it to me!"

After saying that, he got up and walked out of the room.

Kira sat down in the seat next to him and said bluntly, "The previous conclusion was wrong. The reason for the changes in the Kingdom of Bosk may not be the newly introduced magical weapons, but magical creatures!"

"To be precise, it's the ability to transform humans into orcs and then control them!"

Chapter 382 The Strange Couple Increases

"Magical creatures?"

Kira's words startled Princess Jura. Hadn't he just confidently claimed it was some kind of magical weapon? How did it suddenly become a magical creature?

"Was the enemy Lord Kira just encountered not a magical machine, but a magical creature?"

"Yes! The mastermind lurking behind the scenes must have somehow granted humans the power of magical beasts. These orcs are far stronger than the kingdom's soldiers, and even more powerful than some mages!"

Don't be fooled by Kira's pentakill in just two minutes; it's because he's strong! If it were Elfman, he'd still be arm-wrestling with his opponent right now!

"But the price was also obvious. When we first clashed, I found that they had all lost their minds and become beasts that only knew how to kill and at most obey orders."

Kira continued, "Although these orcs work together quite well, it's easy to spot their weaknesses if you observe carefully!"

Upon hearing this, Jura couldn't help but worry: "So, does this mean the Kingdom of Bosk has transformed its soldiers into orc troops?"

"It might not have been done by the king!"

Seeing that Kira was implying something, Princess Emerald asked hesitantly, "You think it's the Chancellor of the Exchequer?"

Kira nodded silently.

……

While the meeting was taking place here, in a secluded room in the Bosque Palace, King Bosque and the Minister of Finance were also discussing the three individuals and their action plan.

"The plan failed?!" On the high platform, the king, seated on his throne, looked at the finance minister standing below with displeasure. "Didn't you say that those demons were among the strongest you currently possessed?"

Although the two are brothers and even bear a striking resemblance, they give off completely different vibes: one is like a fierce tiger, and the other is like a cunning fox.

"I am very sorry! This operation was indeed my mistake. I did not expect that the vice-captain of the guard team to be such a powerful mage." The Minister of Finance bowed and scraped, showing utmost respect to his elder brother who sat high on the throne. "This must have been sent by that fellow Thomas to protect his daughter. He must be a mage from the Kingdom of Fiore!"

"Hmph! A bunch of useless things! I told you long ago, your demons who only know how to kill are completely useless!" the king roared, then added, "Since the plan to replace the guards has failed, then don't use them anymore. Tomorrow is the last chance. Send out all the demon troops and machine troops. Make sure to keep that princess here!"

"Yes!"

One voiced accusation, the other an apology; it was clear from their words that the attack on Kira was orchestrated by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and tacitly approved by the King. The aim was to kill Kira, then send someone to impersonate him among the envoys to kidnap Princess Emerald. However, the orcs were no match for them, and the plan failed.

When the Chancellor of the Exchequer returned to his room, his humble demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by a sinister and menacing expression.

"Hmph! Does someone like that deserve to be king?" With that, he reached into his robes, pulled out a black magic book, gently stroked its cover, and muttered smugly to himself, "Tomorrow is the day you fall completely. This book of demons will help me take your place and become the new king!"

"My lord, a new batch of test subjects has been brought back from the Kingdom of Fiore!" A figure slowly emerged from the shadows in the room and knelt on one knee before the Minister of Finance.

It was clear-headed and spoke clearly, quite different from the orcs that Kira had fought, and unlike what the king had said, it didn't only know how to kill.

"I see!"

……

The next day was the day Kira and his group were scheduled to return home.

For the past five days, apart from last night's attack, Kira has encountered no danger, which has left him very puzzled.

You've practically delivered the princess to your doorstep, and you're not even planning to keep her as a hostage? Does a king like this really intend to start a war or gain an advantage on the border? Or are you waiting for the troops to return before making your move?

Kira was unaware that King Bosque truly thought the same thing.

The reason is simple: directly kidnapping would be tantamount to a complete falling out, which would easily provoke retaliation from neighboring countries, so the matter could only be carried out secretly. However, if the princess of a neighboring country were to perish during her mission, her own country would certainly be held responsible publicly, which would create another layer of trouble; therefore, the return journey was the best time.

On their return journey, the group traveled in the same magic-powered vehicles as when they arrived, and these were large vehicles.

Although this large vehicle wasn't built by Kira, it uses magic storage technology and is powered by magic crystals. The driver doesn't even need to be a mage; anyone with hands can drive it.

At this moment, in the vehicle in the very center of the procession sat Princess Emerald, Kira, Jura, the diplomat, and the driver, while the rest of the escort team was evenly distributed across five vehicles, traveling in a five-on-one formation.

As the entourage moved further and further away from the royal palace of the Kingdom of Bosque, the diplomat couldn't help but say, "I never expected that we would return so easily!"

"Yeah, I didn't expect that either!" Kira said casually, gazing at the scenery along the way. "For such a simple and well-paid mission, please be sure to ask me for help more often in the future!"

The diplomat complained, "Kirasan, you obviously think it's easy—you can just fight and leave without a care in the world. But last night I was locked in a fierce battle with their army until midnight! That's all because you fought without a care in the world and left the area around the diplomatic embassy in a complete mess!"

Kira looked at the dark circles under his eyes, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Working overtime is normal in your line of work. You're still young, you'll get used to it!"

The tone of his voice was exactly like that of a boss making empty promises to his employees.

"If you think about it carefully, you'll realize that the one who had it the easiest among us is Jurasang! At least I went deep into the enemy camp to gather intelligence and fought a battle with their orc legion; but the hardest thing Jurasang did these past few days was probably that fierce battle in the toilet this morning!"

The diplomat was speechless, while the Jade Princess covered her mouth and chuckled.

Jura blushed: "Ahem... I'm truly ashamed that I wasn't of any help!"

"No way! Lord Jura has been protecting me all along, hasn't he? If it weren't for you, I might have been attacked like Lord Kira last night."

Hearing this, Kira couldn't help but nod inwardly: Truly worthy of being a princess, she speaks with such politeness! Sorry, Jellal! I'm shipping this strange pair!

……

Gerald: "Achoo!"

"What's wrong? Have you caught a cold?"

"No! It's just that a chilling feeling suddenly welled up in my heart."

"Could it be that Kira is cursing you?"

"I don't think so. I think they're just talking badly about me..."

……

These days, there are plenty of princess-and-older man couples. Emerald and Jura are close in age, and the 'Ten Saints' and the 'Princess' are not from different social classes. They are a perfect match.

There was something just off about it, so Kira only stood there for three seconds with this couple.

Just then, several loud rumbling sounds came from outside, and the earth trembled in response.

"Danger! Enemies! Stop the car!" Jura shouted to warn everyone, then opened the door to get out and check the situation.

But Kira reacted even faster. As soon as he sensed movement, he cast a spell: "Shield!"

The skilled incantation magic instantly transformed into six beams of light, five of which landed on the five people inside the car, while the last one landed on the car itself.

Just as the invisible shield was attached to the group, attacks from an unknown source rained down on the mountainside, triggering a series of explosions. The explosions created dozens of powerful gusts of air, with about twenty of them coming from closer range, which overturned the vehicle where Kira was located.

Rumble...

After a dizzying spin, the car they were in landed safely. Fortunately, thanks to the "shield," the car was unharmed and the people were unharmed.

Kira exhaled a breath of stale air, rubbing his head to recover from the spinning: "I knew it wouldn't be that simple!"

"It seems the enemy has made their move!" Jura said in a deep voice, then turned to Emerald and said, "Your Highness, please remain in the carriage. We will take care of the outside!"

As expected, Princess Emerald refused, looking at Jura firmly and saying, "No! As a princess, how can I hide behind when danger strikes? Please let me fight alongside you!"

These words sounded very sincere, but to Kira, they meant, "Please let me go and get myself killed."

Princess, can't you have a little self-awareness?

"Uh... Your Highness, protecting your safety is our mission. Please consider the bigger picture!"

Don't make our mission more difficult!

Chapter 383 The Real Orc Legion

If it weren't for the fact that the final payment for the mission hadn't been made, if it weren't for the fact that they would have to live on Fiore's territory in the future, and if it weren't for the fear of provoking the other party's rebellious mentality, Kira would have said those words outright!

In the TV original series, this Emerald Princess is a Celestial Spirit Mage. After observing her for several days, Kira could sense the presence of magical energy within her, and the nature of that energy was indeed similar to that of a Celestial Spirit Mage. However, the amount of magical energy was pitifully small; if compared to her guildmates, it wouldn't exceed that of Jet and Dhorel.

Princess Emerald was eventually persuaded and agreed to stay in the carriage.

When Kira stepped out of the car, he was shocked by the sheer scale of the attack: hundreds of orcs of all shapes and sizes surrounded them. Judging from their aura, each one was about as strong as the orcs from the previous night, possessing the strength of an elite mage. There were also countless spherical machines floating in the air, each with an eye and a cannon barrel, looking like artillery machines with a caliber as big as a fist!

"Good heavens, such a grand display?!" Kira exclaimed in astonishment. "Truly worthy of the nation's power; this alone surpasses the strength of several magic guilds."

Kira's words were no exaggeration; these orcs and machines could easily wipe out a 'Heart of the Demon' or 'Tharn Gate' without even considering the strength of its high-ranking members.

Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult for Kira to handle.

The explosion was quite severe. We were all unharmed, but the rest of the escort team was in a terrible state. Not only was their vehicle completely destroyed, but they were also seriously injured and buried under broken metal carts and large rocks, unable to move and on the verge of death.

"Kirasan, these are the orcs you encountered yesterday, right?"

"Yes! The orcs aren't difficult to deal with, but we need to be careful of those machines in the sky!"

"Is there anything special about those machines?"

Jura's question left Kira bewildered, unsure of what kind of "special" he meant: "Whether it's special or not, I don't know, but you absolutely must not fall for it!"

"I understand!"

These words were essentially meaningless; Jura assumed Kira was merely reminding him to be careful and nodded silently.

Orcs and cannons surged in like a tide, their scale even more spectacular than the invasion of Sirius Island by the 'Gates of the Underworld'. Their ferocious faces and cacophonous roars shook the entire land, sending dust swirling through the air.

"This...this is too terrifying..."

A soldier who had just gotten up from the ground spoke incoherently, his hands and feet trembling and his whole body shaking.

Kira glanced at him and ordered, "Dig out your teammates, then protect your princess. Leave the fighting to us!"

"Yes Yes!"

As the beast horde and the artillery emplacements drew closer, Jura suddenly asked, "That's strange. We only have a little over fifty people, so why are they deploying so many troops?"

Kira chuckled: "You didn't know there were two 'Wizards of Ten' here, did you?"