A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"Of course it's because I want to fight Erza, that's why I'm not teaming up with her!!" Natsu said matter-of-factly, as if it were common knowledge. "Besides, our last teammate should be Happy, right?!"

"Harpy?!"

As if in response to Natsu's decision, Happy suddenly jumped out from the side, raised his hand and shouted, "Hey!!"

This time, Lucy was genuinely stunned: "Happy's going to participate too? Aren't you going to be the mascot this year?"

Now it was Happy's turn to be stumped. His expression fell, and he replied with a gloomy face, "I don't know why, Kira didn't invite me this year, and I didn't dare to ask..."

"Is...is that so..."

Lucy gave an awkward smile, but a question arose in her mind: Could it be that the Happy mascot doll didn't sell well last year?

In the following days, the entire Fairy Tail community fell into a peculiar state. Everyone was scrambling to find people to form teams, hoping to achieve a good ranking in the tournament. Among them, teams led by S-class members naturally became highly sought after.

Unlike last year when participation was mandatory for all members, this year's team competition was entirely voluntary. However, lured by the promise of a "villa" and the "S-level assessment candidate" opportunity, the number of participants was still quite high.

With Kira stirring things up, phrases like "Recruiting! We just need one more DPS" and "We have an S-rank leader, looking for skilled players to survive" would frequently echo in the tavern. If someone had wandered into the wrong place for the first time, they might have mistaken it for an adventurer guild that organized group monster hunting.

This phenomenon continued until the registration deadline, which was the day before the competition started.

Let's go back to the present...

"Welcome everyone to the 'Fairy Tail Second Magic Tournament'. I am Makarov Dreya, the president of Fairy Tail and the host of this tournament."

Makarov sat on the stage, dressed in a black suit and a red bow tie, looking cheerful, acting as the host.

As his voice fell, thunderous applause erupted in the arena.

"Just like last year, we have invited the mayor of this city as our guest this year. Please give him a round of applause!"

clap clap clap...

"at last!"

Makarov lowered his gaze, his voice deep and resonant, and pointed to the last seat on the stage, "The last guest of this tournament is... Warold Shinken, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Ten Wizard Saints of Ishgard!! Let's give him a warm welcome once again!!!"

Makarov practically roared that last word, and everyone could hear the respect in his voice. But what followed was not applause, but a deafening chorus of shock.

"Eh??!!!"

"He just said...the Four Heavenly Kings of the Ten Wizard Saints?!"

"Why would such a legendary figure appear here?!"

"Is that the old man in the guest seats who looks like a big tree? He's actually one of the Four Heavenly Kings?!"

"He looks like a very old man... How old is he exactly?"

"This is the first time I've ever seen someone like this! I've heard that the 'Four Heavenly Kings' are all incredibly strong, like monsters. I wonder if that's true?"

Not only the audience, but even the mayor himself, sitting on the stage, was so shocked by the news that he jumped up and looked at the elderly man sitting next to him, trembling: "You...you...are you really the legendary sir?"

Warlord Sinken, whose exact age is unknown, is known to be over one hundred years old and is the most senior and oldest of the current 'Ten Wizard Saints'. He is 190 cm tall, and even when seated, he is much taller than the mayor.

Perhaps influenced by magic, or perhaps it was his personality, he dyed his hair green and styled it like broccoli. Coupled with his long face that almost connected to his neck and his light gray skin like ashes, he looked like an old tree that had been around for a long time.

At that moment, Warold looked at Mayor Magnolia, who was beaming with excitement, with a kind and gentle smile, like a kind and gentle old neighbor.

"No, I'm not!"

"Huh?"

The mayor and all the audience, who had expected to hear "Yes, it's me," were instantly stunned: "He denied it...?? Could it be that Chairman Makarov made a mistake?"

Before they could react, Warlord chuckled again and said, "So you were just kidding!"

"Eh?! It was a lie all along?!" ×N

"So, you really are that legendary lord?"

"Hehehe... I really am Warold Sinken!"

Warlord laughed easily and happily, without putting on any airs of status or acting like the "monster" of legend.

Upon receiving an affirmative reply, the mayor gasped in astonishment: "Hiss... This is... This is truly shocking!! I heard you've been living in seclusion, why did you agree to attend this competition?"

Warrod gave the mayor a mysterious smile, and from his open mouth, it was clear that the centenarian's teeth were not very good.

"Why am I here? It's because..."

The moment he opened his mouth, he drew everyone's attention. All the audience members were equally curious, staring intently at the old man on the stage, hoping to hear some explosive news from him.

"because??"

"Because...they paid me."

"Huh?!?!?!" ×N

Chapter 443 This lord's appearance fee was actually...

"Did you...pay me?"

Upon hearing this answer, which reeked of money, all the audience members, including the mayor himself, were stunned.

Isn't that a bit odd? This isn't the kind of answer the Four Heavenly Kings of the Wizarding Ten should give! At the very least, it should be something like, "I really like the Fairy Tail guild," or "I have high hopes for a certain mage," right? We could even accept "So-and-so from that guild is my apprentice"! What kind of excuse is "They paid me"?!

Everyone looked at Makarov on the stage, who looked constipated, waiting for him to give an explanation, or rather, a way to smooth things over.

But before Makarov could say anything, Volod spoke up again: "Ah! That was just a joke! In fact, they didn't give me a single penny!"

What?!?!?!

Saying "They gave me money" was already shocking enough, but saying "They didn't give me a single penny" is absolutely shocking!

The mayor was so surprised he could hardly speak. He turned around, trembling, and asked in a low voice, "Ma... Makarov-san, what's going on? Did you not pay Lord Volod's appearance fee?"

This is serious!! The Four Heavenly Kings honored you with their presence at your guild's tournament, and you didn't even pay them an appearance fee?! What if they report this to the council? Do you think Fairy Tail will ever be able to continue operating properly?

Besides, he's a retired person who's over a hundred years old. Aren't you just bullying an honest person?!

Have the people in this guild really gotten so arrogant that they think they're the number one magic guild in Fiore and don't even respect the Four Heavenly Kings? With this kind of attitude and method, how did that old man Makarov even get to the position of the third guild master of 'Fairy Tail'? Was it just based on seniority?

At that moment, the mayor felt as if his heart had been struck thousands of times in just a few seconds, each blow feeling as terrifying as a hundred elephants trampling over him.

At this moment, the mayor desperately wanted to hear Makarov deny it, saying that he had actually paid the other party an appearance fee, and then for Volod beside him to add, "That was just a joke." That way, even though he had been deceived and frightened, at least everyone would be happy.

pity……

"I really didn't pay!" Makarov blinked, his face full of innocence.

puff--!!

The mayor nearly coughed up blood, but still wouldn't give up, he continued, "Ahem... I see. Since they didn't give money, they must have given something else, right? Like a precious magic book or something..."

"No, not at all! Lord Warlord was there purely out of courtesy... but I heard Kira gave him two packets of tea."

thump!

Seeing the mayor suddenly slump on the stage, his face ashen and utterly exhausted, Makarov shook him curiously: "Mayor, what happened to you? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

The mayor was internally screaming: Don't you know why I suddenly became like this?! It's all because of you… Wait! That old man Makarov just said that Lord Volod is attending as a friend?? A friend's appearance… Could it be that they've crossed paths before? Right, they're both veteran members of the 'Ten Saints,' it's perfectly normal for them to have crossed paths!

Thinking of this, the mayor immediately perked up, jumped up from his seat with a "whoosh," turned to look at Warlord, his eyes gleaming: "Lord Warlord, could it be that you had some dealings with 'Fairy Tail' before?"

"Yes! I used to be a member of 'Fairy Tail' too!"

Warlord paused for a moment, then smiled and admitted it. His voice was calm, but his words were like a thunderclap, causing an uproar on the field.

"Eh?! You...were once a member of Fairy Tail?!"

The mayor searched his memory and asked in confusion, "I've been in this city for decades, but I've never seen you before! You said you were a member of 'Fairy Tail,' but how long ago was that?"

The mayor held his breath, waiting for Warold's answer.

After a few seconds of silence, the other person laughed and said, "That was just a joke!"

"Another joke?!"

"Saying 'it's a joke' is also a joke!"

puff--!!

Doesn't this old man get tired of talking like that?! He really is from 'Fairy Tail'! Only someone from that guild would have this kind of personality!!

Seeing that the mayor was almost in a panic, Warlord chuckled, rolled up his left sleeve to reveal the guild crest of 'Fairy Tail', and said with a serious expression, "I was one of the first generation members who founded 'Fairy Tail' with Mavis, so I'm a senior member of this guild!!"

With the guild crest as proof, everyone was now certain of what the other party had said.

Even so, they were speechless with shock at the news, especially the members of Fairy Tail in the audience, who stared blankly at the old man in the guest seats, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

"Were all the founders of our guild this accomplished?"

"A guild leader of 'Heart of the Devil,' one of the 'Ten Holy Kings,' a 'Fairy Strategist,' and then what? Are there any more legendary figures? Could there be someone in the royal family as well?"

"I remember there was also the chairman's father."

"Is the chairman's father...some kind of powerful figure?"

"I haven't heard of that."

"Huh, really? So the saying 'there's always someone in a team who doesn't stand out' is true after all?"

These embellishments about Yuri naturally did not reach the ears of Makarov or Volod. At this moment, they were taking turns explaining to the audience, in the form of a dialogue, the origins of their relationship and the reason for his presence.

"A few days ago, Kira suddenly visited my residence, saying that he must show me the changes in the guild. Originally, I didn't want to come, but his attitude was so enthusiastic that I couldn't refuse, so I came."

"What?! It's that simple?!"

The mayor looked on incredulously. In his view, such a reason was far from enough to persuade the retired Four Heavenly Kings. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "That Kira... could he have used some special means?"

"Yes, it's that simple! Oh, and Kira also brought me a few thriving potted plants and two packets of really good tea, so strictly speaking, it wasn't like I didn't get an appearance fee..."

This appearance fee is practically nonexistent!

"Now that I've come to see it, I find that Fairy Tail is doing very well! Mavis's spirit is being carried on well, Makarov is managing the guild very well, and the new generation of the guild is very energetic. I am very pleased."

'They've become the number one magic guild in Fiore, how could I not be gratified?'

The mayor inwardly scoffed, but he finally understood why the other party had agreed to attend. 'Speaking of which, I heard this guild has been around for 99 years! Thinking about it that way, it's quite normal for someone like Lord Warlord to come and take a look at this time…'

After briefly introducing Warlord and his relationship with Fairy Tail, the topic of the tournament returned to Makarov.

The old man straightened his clothes, resumed his original tone, and, using the microphone in his hand, began to explain the competition rules to the tourists in the audience who were unaware of the rules of this competition.