A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Erza looked at the commission list and pondered, "Hmm... I haven't decided yet. For now, I'm torn between this 300 million J commission to defeat the monster and this 200 million J commission to eliminate the bandits!"

"Huh? That's it?" Kira tilted his head in confusion. "With your abilities, you should be able to take on much more difficult missions, right? Like SS-rank missions or something. The rewards for those missions are much higher than for S-rank missions!"

Erza sighed helplessly, "SS-rank requests are rare, and they're not easy to complete. Even if I wanted to take one, the guild master would consider the strength of the other members of the team..."

"Oh?! So Natsu and the others are the ones who are dragging us down?"

Kira glanced back at the others with a mocking tone. His voice was soft, but the response was loud. Nazgray and the other man immediately started shouting indignantly, a result that pleased Kira.

"What did you say?!"

"They actually said we're holding them back?!"

Lucy was sweating profusely: "Wait! Why do I have a bad feeling?"

Wendy wholeheartedly agreed: "Me too."

"Natsu, Gray, you two calm down..."

"Erza!! Let's do an SS-rank quest!!!" ×2

"I knew this would happen!!"

Surprisingly, Erza, who is usually very receptive to advice, directly rejected Natsu and Gray's suggestion this time: "No way! SS-rank requests are extremely difficult! This kind of mission is too early for you! Even if I lead the team, the guild master won't agree!"

Lucy asked in surprise, "Huh? Not even Erza? What are the requirements to accept the quest?"

"That's something I'll have to explain!"

Kira suddenly took over the conversation, explaining to her and Wendy, "You both know that missions of S rank or higher can only be accepted by S rank mages or their teams, right?"

"Mmm...this is what we've always done!"

"However, SS-rank requests are different from S-rank requests! The guild clearly stipulates that only S-rank mages can carry out requests of this rank!"

Lucy pondered, "So, Erza can handle it alone, but not with us?"

Wendy asked, puzzled, "Why? Shouldn't having more people increase the chances of success?"

"Because SS-rank missions are extremely dangerous or very important!" Kira explained patiently. "For example, the one I took on half a year ago was to protect Princess Emerald on her mission to a neighboring country. There can be no room for negligence in these missions! If there are non-S-rank mages in the team, and they encounter a powerful enemy, even an S-rank mage might not be able to guarantee the safety of their companions!"

"Huh? Is it that dangerous? Isn't that an exaggeration?"

Just then, Makarov walked over with his hands behind his back and said slowly, "Absolutely not! Although they are only one level apart, the difficulty of the two is worlds apart!"

"President?"

The old man suddenly looked somber, recalling the past: "Decades ago, an S-rank team in the guild accepted an SS-rank mission, but because the monster they were hunting was too powerful, the S-rank mage died protecting his companions. Since then, Guild Master Precht has established this rule!"

Upon hearing this, Natsu and the others fell silent, seemingly feeling sorry for their unknown senior.

"SS-rank and SSS-rank requests can only be accepted by mages or teams approved by the current guild master. Currently, only Kira and Gildarts in the guild are capable of completing these requests solo! If it's a team request..."

Several people pressed on, asking, "How about teaming up?"

"Ahem... If it's a team, it depends on the number of people and their strength!" Makarov replied, squinting. "If Erza and your team want to take on this, you'll need at least one more S-rank mage!... Except for Kana!"

Kana, not far away: ??

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Kira, their eyes seeming to gleam with a predatory light, as if they wanted to devour Kira alive.

Kira's eyes drooped like a dead fish, his face full of speechlessness: "...Chairman, could your intentions be any more obvious?"

"Huh? Hahaha!! What's your intention?? I don't know anything!!"

Pretend! Keep pretending! You think your acting skills are better than mine?

"Hey~ Give it to me!"

Seeing Kira's outstretched hand, Makarov still feigned ignorance: "What are you going to do with?"

"Take out that SS-rank quest you're carrying! You suddenly rushed us to do a mission today, and even came all this way to say all this, isn't it just so you want me to take them on an SS-rank quest? I agreed, so take out the quest. I want to see what kind of thing it is!"

Makarov chuckled and pulled out a request form from his pocket: "You still found out, huh?"

"Hey president, could you please use a simpler way of speaking in the future?!"

Chapter 403 The Council of Judges also issued a commission?

Just as Kira had guessed, Makarov's unusual behavior today was indeed to get Kira to temporarily join Erza's team to complete the SS-rank mission they had in mind.

There's no way around it. Gildarts's not around, Laxus's on a mission with the Thunder Legion, and Cana... well, forget it. In the end, all that's left is Kira and Erza's squad, who spend all their time idly in the guild, even indulging in food and drink.

Kira took the request form from Makarov, and Erza and the others gathered around. They were immediately stunned by the name of the client.

"This request... comes from the Council? Was it issued by Speaker Guran Doma?"

Everyone gasped, and the air suddenly became hot.

"So the Council of Judges also issues missions?"

"I've never seen anything like this before! Is there something they can't solve?"

"They are official organizations, so they should be stronger than a certain magic guild, right?"

Before even reading the details of the commission, the group bombarded the client with a series of questions. Although the council had previously been unfriendly to Fairy Tail, everyone knew who had gone too far, so they weren't overly hostile.

Furthermore, since the new council was formed, thanks to Kira, Speaker Gran Doma has been turning a blind eye to Fairy Tail. Considering the Speaker's past behavior, it is truly remarkable that he has been able to do so.

However, regardless of their attitudes, everyone still had some confidence in the Gospel's foundation and strength. Even if they couldn't beat Fairy Tail on the surface, surely they wouldn't be reduced to the point of needing to ask for help?

This was also what puzzled Kira. Amidst a sea of ​​surprised and doubtful gazes, he muttered to himself, "The council members may not be strong, but their foundation is no less than any magic guild. Why would they issue a commission to us?"

Makarov replied calmly, "You'll know when you see the details of the commission!"

The group looked at the request as instructed, and after reading the contents of the request, they suddenly realized that it was indeed an assistance request, but the recipient of the assistance was not the Magic Council of Ishgar (ERA), but the Magic Council of Giltina (MNP) of the Northern Continent.

It concerns China's diplomacy, so it's no wonder it's classified as an SS-level commission.

The reason for seeking help from Fairy Tail is quite simple: this time, the opponent is a dragon! Fairy Tail not only has Dragon Slayer Mages, but also has experience fighting dragons, and the dragon they fought was Acnologia!

"The opponent is a dragon?!"

Everyone gasped again, with Natsu and Wendy reacting the most. This was the first time they had heard news of dragons, and the thought of possibly finding their parents again naturally made them even more excited.

"Wait...wait!! Are we going to fight a dragon again?"

"The Tianlang Island incident is still fresh in our minds. Back then, we fought to the very end and only managed to inflict minor damage on it; it was practically powerless to fight back!"

"Exactly! You should be avoiding an opponent like that, why would you go for it?"

Hearing that they would be fighting dragons again, the group was filled with shock and fear. Lucy reacted the most, trembling all over and almost bursting into tears.

"I don't want to do it... I really don't want to do it..."

Kira pursed his lips and said, "What does it matter? I remember you did a great job, Lucy! Wasn't your 'Star Chart Chronicle' move at the end brilliant?"

Then, he turned around and patted Wendy's head: "And Wendy too, she performed exceptionally well throughout, and she looked absolutely stunning when she activated her Dragon Power!!"

Hearing Kira's heartfelt praise, Wendy's face clearly showed a joyful yet slightly shy smile; although Lucy still looked dejected, the smile on her lips betrayed her inner pride.

Even if you say that, we still...

Kira interrupted her without a second thought, continuing to recount the performances of the others: "Natsu was also excellent, one of the main forces that defeated Acnologia; Erza was also a crucial damage dealer, those swords were a great help back then; and Gray... um... well~ anyway, after that..."

"Wait a minute! Why did you stop talking when you mentioned me?! And you even sighed, are you mocking me?! You must be mocking me!!" Gray shouted indignantly, "I did help out!! Why does it sound like I was just slacking off the whole time?!"

"Alright! Gray, stop fooling around!" Erza pulled Gray back and patted his back reassuringly. "We all know you've done your best."

"No... I really do... I..."

These pats on the back did not offer any comfort; instead, they felt incredibly sarcastic. Gray wanted to speak up, but everything he did seemed so weak and powerless, and in the end, he couldn't utter a single word.

"Pfft—!"

Just as Gray was about to let it go, two soft chuckles reignited his anger: "Damn it, what are you laughing at? You're just taking advantage of your Dragon Slayer attribute. If the opponent were a demon, I would be the main force!!"

Kira chimed in, "Gray's right! Comrades are there to make up for each other's shortcomings. Natsu, Happy, stop laughing!"

"Hey...you were the one laughing the loudest, weren't you?!"

After the commotion subsided, Lucy carefully asked a question: "By the way, besides Acnologia, are there any other dragons in this world? Wasn't it said that it killed them all?"

No! That's not actually the case!

Kira shook his head and told everyone what he knew, "The story recorded in the book that 'Acnologia slaughtered all the dragons' actually only happened in Ishgar. It seems that the dragon extermination did not happen on other continents."

"So... that means there are still dragons in the Western and Northern Continents?"

Natsu's eyes gleamed. Since dragons existed in other places, Igneel had most likely gone to their bases. Even if not, they might be able to find out Igneel's whereabouts from them.

"They still exist in the Northern Continent, but in the Western Continent... it's uncertain."

Kira only knew that there was a magical empire in the western continent that Zeref used as a pawn, and that the Dragon Mother Irene lived in the empire; but he had no idea whether there were other lands, other humans or dragons outside of this empire.

Upon hearing Kira's reply, Natsu instantly became excited: "Oh my god!! I'm fired up!!! Let's go! We absolutely have to go!! No, please take us with you!!"

"Of course! The chairman specifically entrusted this task to us because he wanted you to come with me, right?"

Makarov nodded.

"Great!! Let's pack our bags right away!!"

Just as the group was discussing how to pack their luggage in the shortest possible time, Makarov frowned and said in a deep voice, "Kira, what else do you know? If you do, it would be better if you told me first."

"Is there anything you're worried about, Chairman?"

"Although the intelligence suggests that the dragon you described isn't Acnologia, we still can't let our guard down. I hesitated for a long time before accepting this request. If you think the few of you are a bit overwhelmed..."

Before he could finish speaking, Kira interrupted him, "What are you saying, Chairman?"

A faint smile played on his lips: "In this world, what dragon is more difficult to deal with than Acnologia? I can even handle Acnologia, let alone those guys from the Northern Continent?"

His confident demeanor is just like that of Erzhuzi next door.

Makarov was taken aback at first, then smiled: "Then it's up to you!"

"And what about us!" Natsu shouted in dissatisfaction.

"Oh, okay... then I'll leave it to you!" After saying that, Makarov added again, "By the way, if we can't win, just run. Anyway, the target we're helping is the MNP, not even the ERA, so don't push yourselves too hard!"

Kira was speechless again: "Chairman, you're something else... Fine, I get it!"