A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"Really? Something feels off..."

Erza frowned, looking at Gildarts with suspicion. A woman's intuition told her that the man in front of her was lying.

Seeing the increasingly awkward atmosphere between the two, Gildarts could only bite the bullet and continue, "It's true! A lot of people know about this, Laxus should know too..."

'What's with that look in his eyes, like he'd pull out a knife if I said the wrong thing?! I can feel my back starting to sweat...'

Just then, Laxus suddenly walked in, wearing a long, black, shimmering gold fur coat that reached past his knees. He strode in with an air of arrogance, as if he were the boss.

"Don't use me as an example! I know nothing about such things!"

Behind him were Mira and Cana, and the three of them filed in and sat down next to Gildas.

"Is the simultaneous disappearance of the Chairman and Kira related to the Alvarez Empire mentioned earlier?"

"Could it be that they've already gone to the Western Continent to gather information?!"

"Given their personalities, it's very likely!"

"Hey... I already told you they went to... Oh well! Anyway, I can't hide this from you guys."

Gildas sighed helplessly: "These little guys have all grown up. They're not as naive as they used to be; they're not so easy to fool anymore..."

Although Kira and his group left quietly, without notifying any of their companions except Gildarts, Laxus, Erza, and the others quickly guessed where they were going because they had held a meeting before.

"We can't let the president and the others go into danger alone; we must go and rescue them!!"

"That's right, that's right! No matter what, leaving without a word is just too much! We're family!!"

Erza and the others completely ignored Gildarts, and started discussing among themselves, each saying a sentence, getting more and more excited as they talked. After a long build-up, they arrived at a result that was not unexpected.

"I knew it would turn out like this..." Gildas sighed and rubbed his forehead. Hearing the last part, he slammed his hand on the table, interrupting their conversation: "You lot, shut up!!"

“It’s not just the Chairman and Kira going to the Alvarez Empire this time. There are many of them, and they are all strong enough to stand on their own, so their safety is guaranteed. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have agreed to let them stay…”

"Your mission is to stay in the guild and not go anywhere!!"

Gildas's face showed an unusual seriousness, and his resolute tone silenced the others, causing their spirits to plummet.

"I see!"

"Laxus?!"

The group looked at Laxus in surprise, clearly not expecting him to compromise so quickly.

Unexpectedly, Laxus continued, "But since you say their safety is guaranteed, we need to know exactly who they are and what their arrangements are after they arrive in the Western Continent, right?"

Erza glanced at Laxus, seemingly knowing what he was planning.

"Well...that's fine!"

Gildarts lowered his head and thought for a moment. Since the guild master hadn't said they had to keep it a secret, telling them didn't seem like a bad idea, right? Besides, once they knew those people's strength, they should be able to stay in the guild without worry? Indeed, Laxus was more mature in comparison!

Thinking of this, Gildas felt much more at ease, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

……

An hour later, at the port of Harujon.

Laxus, full of confidence, led the Thors onto the prepared ship: "Since they're not taking us, we'll go by ourselves!"

"As expected of Laxus!!" Philid praised as usual, completely immersed in Laxus's domineering charm.

then……

"Yo, Laxus!"

"You're finally here! You guys are so slow!"

On the boat they had prepared, Erza was polishing her sword, Natsu and Happy were playing, Gray was sunbathing shirtless, and Lucy, Wendy, and Carla were sitting obediently.

"puff--!!!"

The unexpected appearance of these people took Laxus by surprise, and he roared, "What are you all doing here?!"

Erza said calmly, "I knew what you were up to the moment you started asking about the guild leader's plans... Hurry up and come up here, stop dawdling!"

Laxus's forehead veins bulged, and he couldn't help but clench his fist: "You damned woman...who do you think this is?!"

Chapter 485 Going to Sea

White clouds drift in the sky, and waves surge on the sea.

On the vast sea, a uniquely designed sailboat is sailing at high speed.

"Yay! Finally, I can ride in a mode of transportation that doesn't make me seasick again! Laxus, how did you get your hands on this?"

Natsu and Happy ran back and forth on the boat, enjoying the feeling of the sea breeze on their faces, feeling completely relaxed.

On the deck to the side, Laxus sat in his custom-made sofa chair, staring at Natsu who was running around like an idiot with a frustrated look on his face.

He hadn't expected that Erza would see through his thoughts and even drag Natsu and his group onto his ship.

Who is this person?!

"This is a specially customized sailboat that takes into account the fact that Dragon Slayer Mages are prone to motion sickness."

Fred explained to Wendy, who was staring at him with wide eyes, equally puzzled, and then added, "I bought it from Kira."

The ship was indeed bought from Kira, but he didn't actually participate in its manufacture; he was only responsible for sales. This was his self-awareness as a businessman—he only dealt in buying and selling, not production.

"I see!"

Wendy suddenly realized, but then a thought struck her: 'Could it be that even a second-generation Dragon Slayer like Laxus gets motion sickness?!'

Thinking about this, the little girl was secretly amazed; she had previously thought that Laxus had no weaknesses...

"It's so noisy..."

Laxus stared at Natsu with a haughty expression, then turned to Erza sitting beside her, "Why did you bring them along? The fewer people who know about this, the better, right?"

Erza crossed her arms and legs, showing no embarrassment at hitching a ride: "That's true, but we can't ignore the factor of combat strength, which is why I brought Natsu and the others along. Aren't you also with the Thunder God Crew?"

"That's why I need them to sail the boat!"

Saying one thing and meaning another!

Erza always let this arrogant denial go in one ear and out the other, and continued to say to herself: "According to Gildarts, the guild master and his group did not go to the Alvarez Empire for peace talks, but under the guise of visiting old friends, business trade and tourism."

"This operation is extremely important, and we absolutely cannot disrupt their plans, so it would be best if we also pretended to be tourists to minimize our impact!"

"..."

Do you want to listen to what you're saying? You keep saying the less impact the better, but then you bring Natsu and Gray, the two most troublesome guys, along?

Laxus stared at Erza in disbelief, then realized she was serious and not telling a lame joke, and felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Just how deeply does this woman misunderstand her own team?!

……

Fairy Tail, Guild Tavern.

Snapped! !

Gildas slapped his face, filled with regret: "I was careless! I should have known I couldn't keep an eye on these guys!!"

After saying that, he turned to look at Kana, who had been pestering him for drinks for the past hour and whose face was now flushed, yet who was still slyly raising her glass to him. He was at a loss for words.

All the emotions swirling in my heart finally turned into a helpless sigh: "What a rip-off..."

"Come on...keep drinking! Drink!!"

Inhale...exhale...

Gildas struggled to control his surging blood pressure, his mind filled with thoughts of: This is my daughter, I can't be angry with her!

The Chairman and Kira dared to go because they were strong enough, including two dragons, but what did Laxus and Erza have? Aura?

A bunch of brats I can't even beat, how dare they go out to sea like this? Don't they have any self-awareness?! Who taught them such lawless behavior?!

"Sigh! Now I can only hope they're alright..."

……

In this world, there are currently four known continents, three of which are closely related to the Kingdom of Fiore: Giltina in the north, Aragitasia in the west, and Ishgar, to which it belongs.

The Kingdom of Fiore is located near the sea, facing two other continents across the ocean.

Because of the abundance of magic in this world, the profession of mage has become extremely powerful compared to the equally famous hunters and knights, almost dominating the main fighting force of the continent. Therefore, at first glance, the three continents seem to have very similar cultures.

But only those who have been to other continents know that their cultural differences are significant, such as in place names.

In Ishgar, most cities are named after flowers and plants, reflecting the people's passion for life; Giltina, on the other hand, prefers to name cities after food, because it places great emphasis on food.

Arakitasia, having been ravaged by war for centuries, has many city names derived from war and military affairs.

In the southeastern corner of the continent lies a coastal city called Serisile. The name originates from the king of the magical kingdom that occupied this area hundreds of years ago. Although it was a small kingdom, and was soon annexed by other kingdoms, the name has been preserved.

Over time, the city was incorporated into the territory of the Alvarez Empire, becoming one of the important trading ports of this magical empire.

Today, a uniquely shaped merchant ship has sailed into the city's port.

What is this?

"It looks like a ship... but how can a ship like this sail on the sea..."

The people in the harbor stared in astonishment at the sailboat before them. This ship was unlike any they had ever seen before. The biggest difference was that while ordinary ships were made of wood, this ship was made of a metal that looked like steel.

Due to the limitations of magic, the traditional technology of the Fairy Tail world has not yet advanced to the point where it is possible to sail on iron ships, so such a ship is a complete departure from the imagination of these locals.

"A ship made of iron can sail? How is that possible? Won't it sink?"

"It's probably magic..."

"Don't joke around! Although I don't know magic, I know that the amount of magic required to keep a ship like this sailing at sea is unimaginable!"

Kira stood at the bow, listening quietly to the sailors' conversation. He could feel the shock and admiration in their eyes and mouths. As the (self-proclaimed) captain, he felt honored and his heart was filled with pride.

Look! This is my ship!

On this ship, I am the captain and ship's doctor, Mebius is the chief of staff, Precht is the navigator, Makarov is the first mate, Silver is the shipwright and sniper, Kurnuki is the lookout and mount, Dispel and Geral are combatants, and Urtia and Selene are responsible for massaging waists and legs and serving tea and water.

From now on, I will rely on it to traverse the Grand Line, conquer the New World, overthrow the Celestial Dragons, find the One Piece, become the Pirate King, and reach the pinnacle of life!