A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"You're being so rude! Oh, sorry! Wait for me..."

As Kira watched the tourists passing by, dressed in various styles, he guessed, "They've probably all seen the 'competition' in the newspaper and been drawn here from all over by the dessert extravaganza."

Gray asked, "Speaking of which, what exactly is this 'grand competition' you're talking about?"

"Since the reward is a dessert feast, it must be a 'dessert eating contest'!" Erza and Wendy were in high spirits, their four eyes gleaming as they stared at the contest's promotional banner hanging high in the street.

However, Kira shook his head, denying the claim: "How could that be? If that were the case, who would be able to eat a 'dessert feast' after the race?"

Unexpectedly, right after he said that, Erza suddenly sneered: "Hmph... Did you hear that, Wendy? Now you should understand that even Kira can't control everything!"

“Yes, Erza-san.” Wendy echoed, making the same expression as Erza. “But there’s nothing we can do. After all, Kira-san isn’t a sweets lover, so it’s normal that she doesn’t know about this.”

"Huh? What do you mean?"

The two women crossed their arms and smirked smugly, their expressions like experienced drivers looking at novice novices completely bewildering Kira. Especially Wendy; Erza could still show off her ample bosom while doing that, but this pose of yours was almost unbearable to watch...

The two of them exclaimed in unison, "It's precisely because we can still eat after the 'Dessert Competition' that it's called a 'Dessert Feast'!!!"

An unparalleled aura emanated from the two, like a wave tens of meters high crashing towards them, completely shattering Kira and Gray's worldview.

"That makes...that's true..."

"There's absolutely no way to refute that..."

Erza's momentary hesitation didn't stop her; she rushed out in a flurry, shouting, "Whatever the competition, I'm going to win the grand prize! Wendy, let's go!!"

"Yes!"

Wendy responded and followed, her speed so fast that Kira gasped, "Wow, Wendy's speed is incredible... Does she really deserve to be called the Daughter of the Wind?"

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the tournament venue. Erza and Wendy were already on stage as challengers number 1635 and 1636, respectively.

After asking the surrounding audience, Kira learned that the competition would last for three days, with a new round every day, and the winner of each round would receive a grand prize.

The first round of the competition required participants to identify the ingredients of ten different desserts, and only those who achieved a certain accuracy rate could advance to the next round. Today, over two hundred dessert ingredients have already been correctly guessed.

"What?! Two hundred kinds?!"

After hearing the rules, Kira was dumbfounded and muttered, "I don't even know half of all the desserts... Come to think of it, how many desserts will this require..."

It's important to understand that in this kind of competition, once a challenger guesses the ingredients of a dessert, it can no longer be used as a question in subsequent rounds. In other words, for this one round alone, the competition needs to have a sufficient variety of desserts.

"However, this shouldn't be too difficult for Erza and the others."

Sure enough, Erza and Wendy stood confidently on the challenge stage, quickly took a bite of the dessert their assistant placed in front of them, and then, as if given a script, directly stated the ingredients.

"Flour, sugar, eggs..."

"Milk, strawberries, condensed milk..."

The whole process was so smooth and seamless, as if it had been rehearsed countless times, leaving the onlookers in awe.

"These two girls are amazing! They've got five correct answers so far, and not a single one has gone wrong!"

"The red-haired guy is so handsome! The twin tails are so cute!"

"He gives off the vibe of a seasoned gourmet!"

In less than three minutes, two voices rang out simultaneously.

"Ms. Erza Shucklet, Level 1, 10 points, level cleared!"

"Ms. Wendy Marbel, Level 1, 10 points, level cleared!"

Watching the two smiling figures on stage, Gray silently felt happy for them from below: "As expected of Erza and Wendy! Right, Gray..."

Gray turned around and found that Kira, who had been standing next to him, had disappeared without a trace.

"Huh?! Where's Kira? And Natsu, Lucy, and Happy? When did they all disappear?!"

Just as I was wondering, a familiar voice came from not far away.

"Don't worry, little brother! This is Ishgar's number one prank toy, it will definitely make you the king of the kids in this city!"

Gray looked over at the sound and saw Kira talking to a chubby boy with snot hanging from his nose.

"Okay! It's just 1 J, I'll buy it!" The little boy forcefully sniffed back his snot, stupidly handed the money in his hand to Kira, and took the toy box back.

Kira flashed a bright smile: "Thank you for your patronage! Have fun!!"

"What are you doing?!"

Chapter 408 Dessert Competition

When faced with Gray's unconvincing accusations, Kira, upon returning, simply waved his hand dismissively.

"Alright, alright, it's just a business deal. It was a mutual agreement, what's the big deal?"

"You're clearly deceiving children!"

Kira denied it with a serious expression: "No way! The 'Prank 101' series is one of my proudest masterpieces, and all the kids in Magnolia love it! As long as that kid's parents don't confiscate it, I guarantee he'll become the king of the kids in this area!"

"Hey... just how bad are these magical toys that get confiscated?... You're clearly leading kids down the path of delinquency!"

"Don't worry! Look at me, I used to play pranks all the time, and now I'm a renowned mage, aren't I? Besides, that thing can train their reaction speed, improve their intelligence, and increase their passion for magic! Look how much magic has declined on this continent! As a new generation of super mages, of course I have to contribute to the promotion of magic!"

At that moment, Kira felt that his entire body was filled with the radiance of justice and love.

"Forget it, I don't want to get involved in this kind of thing!" Gray said, speechless but used to it. "Just don't fool yourself. By the way, have you seen Natsu, Lucy, and Happy?"

"them?!"

Kira glanced around before realizing the guys weren't around. Then, frowning, he said, "Come to think of it, they disappeared as soon as we entered town... They probably sneaked off somewhere for a date, right?"

Huh? A date?!

"Otherwise what? It couldn't have been kidnapped by human traffickers, could it? Kidnappers probably wouldn't want someone this big, right? He's an adult..."

The second stage of the dessert competition requires challengers to create a dessert that is eye-catching enough to satisfy the judges. As long as the total score given by the judges is high enough, the challenger will pass the stage.

While Kira and Gray were talking, Erza and Wendy had already passed the second round with lightning speed and scored very high marks. Of course, judging from the judges' happy faces and hearts in their eyes, Kira felt that the marks weren't just for the desserts.

After two consecutive challenges, most of the challengers have been eliminated. Erza and Wendy have arrived at the third challenge: to win over tourists with desserts. They need to get enough positive reviews from tourists within a certain time to pass the challenge.

This is also why so many tourists gather here: even if they can't participate in the competition, they can still enjoy free desserts, which is a great boon for children and dessert lovers.

As soon as this challenge began, the atmosphere around them immediately became high-spirited, and all the tourists gathered here became excited, especially the male tourists, whose eyes turned into pink hearts.

"Miss Erza, over here, over here..."

"Wendy, pick me, pick me..."

The shouts and cheers were deafening, completely overshadowing the other challengers.

"Seriously... is this a 'dessert competition' or a 'beauty pageant'?"

Gray scratched his head in exasperation, expecting Kira to agree, but instead received no response. Curious, he turned around and said, "Kira, at least say something..."

Not far away, a familiar scene unfolded once again.

"Don't worry, little brother! This is Ishgar's number one prank toy, it will definitely make you the king of the kids in this city!"

This time, standing in front of Kira was a small, thin boy.

"But...but I don't have enough money..."

Kira gently patted the boy's head and said with a smile, "It's okay. It's your luck to have met me. You look a lot like me when I was a kid. We're so destined to meet. Give me whatever money you have on you."

The boy took out a handful of coins from his pocket, counted them, and said timidly, "I only have 7600J left, is that okay?"

"Sure!"

The two men took the money in one hand and delivered the goods in the other, quickly completing the transaction.

Gray pulled Kira back: "You again?! This kid looks so pitiful, don't lie to him!!"

“I wasn’t lying to him!” Kira said proudly. “'Prank 102' is one of my proudest masterpieces. Even if it were to face 'Prank 101,' it would still be a contender. As long as his parents don’t take it away, it will definitely become one of the kings of the kids!”

"You really are..."

"Wow!! Erza and the others made it!"

Before he could finish speaking, Kira interrupted him, forcing Gray to refocus his attention on the match. Erza and Wendy fought their way through the challenges and finally reached the fourth and final stage.

This round is a ring battle. Challengers who pass the first three rounds are qualified to attack the ring. Only by defeating the defending champion according to the champion's rules can they win. Of course, these rules must be approved by the tournament organizers. At the end of today's competition, the one standing on the ring is today's winner.

Challengers can choose any time to begin their challenge, but they only have one chance, and only one person can challenge at a time.

The current challenger is a burly, bearded man. His challenge is based on "knife skills." The rule is that you must carve on rock sugar with a kitchen knife and make your work look better than his.

The bearded man's artwork for defending his title was a fire-breathing dragon. From head to tail, from whiskers and scales to wings and claws, every detail was exquisite, beautiful, and lifelike, leaving the viewer in awe. Most importantly, this carved dragon was only the size of a thumb!

This work received high praise from the judges and the audience. According to sources, this man has been holding the title since the start of the competition, and no one has been able to defeat him.

Meanwhile, on the stage, besides Erza and Wendy who had just earned the right to challenge, there were three other contestants who had not yet made a challenge: a young man with short blond hair, a chubby middle-aged cook, and a short uncle.

"I remember Erza and the others were number 1000 or so, right? How come only three of them made it this far?"

"I heard from the people next to me that there were originally two more people, but they failed to challenge that uncle."

Kira observed for a while and said, "In this kind of arena battle, if it's about fighting, the best option is to hold out until the time is almost up before going all out; but since it's about swordsmanship, then there's no need to consider the time factor."

“That’s right! I think those three people haven’t chosen to challenge the dragon because they don’t have enough confidence to defeat it, even though they seem to have almost finished their ‘works’.”

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

"You ask why..." Gray gave Kira a strange look, seemingly puzzled as to why he couldn't see something so obvious. "It's simple, isn't it? If someone can defeat him later, they might change the way they defend the title, giving them a chance, right?"

Kira was speechless at Gray's idea: "But if he could defeat that dragon in both of these ways, why didn't that person choose to continue defending the title using this method?"

Gray fell silent: "What you said... is true..."

"Given Erza's personality, she'll probably challenge her directly."

Sure enough, Erza made a move right after Kira finished speaking.

At this moment, she was dressed as a cook, with her long, fiery red hair tied into a braid and swung behind her back. She held a sharp kitchen knife about twenty centimeters long in each hand, her expression as solemn as a praying nun, her eyes sharp and gleaming with a chilling light.

She didn't look like a cook about to demonstrate her knife skills; she looked more like a female knight about to go into battle.

The next moment, Erza suddenly threw the two kitchen knives into the air, instantly releasing her magic to envelop them, controlling the two kitchen knives in the air like she would control a longsword in battle.

The kitchen knife moved like a whirlwind, like a thunderclap, so fast that its trajectory was impossible to track. The people below could only vaguely see two thin, luminous white lines that swirled and twisted around the rock sugar, weaving a dense net.