A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Chapter 565 Kira: Sorry, that's my book!

dong dong dong...

"Senior, you were looking for me?"

Zena carefully pushed open the door, and the first thing she saw was the chubby, serious-looking team leader.

When she walked up to him, the newspaper team leader slammed a manuscript on the table with a 'bang,' then quietly watched her, his transparent glasses reflecting the light streaming in from the window.

Did you write this document?

"Yes……"

Zena glanced at it and realized that the manuscript contained the very same gossip she had written: the one about the suspected father-son relationship between Emperor Superrigan and Magic King Augustus.

Did you see it yourself?

"Looked."

"how do you feel?"

Zena looked intently at the team leader: "I cut out most of the so-called evidence of rumors, but I kept some because I felt that keeping some evidence would reveal that you were looking at entertainment gossip."

The team leader pressed further, "Did you intentionally keep it?"

Seeing the smiling face of the team leader in front of her, Zena's confidence soared: "I left a part out during the writing process."

Was it intentional or accidental?

"It was...deliberate!!"

Zena proudly puffed out her chest.

……

Half an hour later, Zena walked out of the newspaper office, cursing and swearing.

"Seriously... this is exactly the kind of content that everyone is interested in and wants to see!"

"Saying it would damage the Emperor's and the Magic King's reputation and have a negative impact is pointless. The newspapers haven't even been printed yet, so why not just avoid this topic? Instead, you gave me a good scolding over something like this..."

"Sigh... work is really tough!"

Zena felt that her small body was bearing a burden that was not appropriate for her age.

Although she was young and had not experienced much of the harsh realities of life, Zena was very clever. She already knew that the newspaper was not afraid of causing a negative impact, but rather afraid of being confronted by people.

How could a small media outlet like theirs possibly fabricate gossip about important figures?

To ensure the newspaper wouldn't be affected, the team leader specifically called her in for a reprimand, to prevent her from being implicated if something happened later. It's just a pity about the manuscript she stayed up all night to write.

As Zena walked absentmindedly on her research trip, she saw the red-haired boy from a few days ago again.

"It's him again?!"

It's like finding a needle in a haystack! Last time we were only halfway through the interview, this time we had to continue.

Zena has always been a sunny, cheerful, gentle and kind person. Even though she was scolded for writing the article "The Emperor and His Son", she did not hold a grudge against others. Instead, she was very grateful to Kira for providing her with the information.

"Kirasan!!"

"You are... that reporter? What's wrong? Are you doing an interview again today? Oh dear... that must be tiring!"

Zena immediately thought this person had a nice personality, so she said shyly, "Although it's a bit tiring, it's a job I love! I think it's very meaningful to be able to let everyone access more information through newspapers!"

Kira was stunned, as if he had seen something unbelievable. He stared at Zena silently for a long time before finally saying, "I'm sorry, I think you may have misunderstood me!"

"What I'm saying is, being stopped on the street by a girl I don't know and asked to do an interview or for my contact information is just too exhausting for me!"

"??"

I know you're handsome, but you don't have to be so narcissistic, do you?

Zena gave an awkward smile: "Well... do you have some time now? If so, I'd like to continue the interview we started last time."

After Zena briefly explained her job duties, Kira finally understood why the girl in front of him looked like a flyer distributor on the street every day.

"I see. Since it's to promptly report important events of the empire to the people, I have no choice but to do my duty!"

Kira stood tall and proud, looking every bit the hero, practically screaming "I am an outstanding young man of the Alvarez Empire" on his face.

Although surprised by the other party's cooperation and feeling a little uneasy about what would happen next, Zena couldn't put down her work and chose to continue the interview.

"Well, since we already covered the timing of the Imperial Expedition last time, let's move on to the next question!"

"Ok!"

"What are your thoughts on the ever-expanding deserts within the Empire and the frequent sandstorms?"

Kira blurted out, "This must have been done by 'Desert King' Agil!"

"Huh?!"

Kira glanced at the stunned girl and continued, "As we all know, desertification is extremely harmful to a kingdom... (blah blah blah)... And Agil, one of the Twelve Shields, uses desert magic, creating a vast desert every time he takes action. I believe this is the main reason why the desert area within the Empire is increasing year by year!!"

Zena remained noncommittal in response to Kira's answer.

Although she knew a little magic, it wasn't strong, and she had never met Argil, the high and mighty Twelve Shields, so she didn't know how strong he was. But she knew that she couldn't give him this answer either.

You can't gossip about the Emperor and the Magic King, but can you gossip about the Desert King, who's also one of the Twelve Shields? Besides, his grandfather was an Imperial Minister!

Even if the desertification of the empire's territory is indeed related to him, he can't write about it openly. After all, the small newspaper where he works can't afford to offend that prince from a small tribe!

"Okay... alright... let's move on to the next question!"

"What is your opinion on the phenomenon of robots causing disturbances on the street?"

Kira blurted out again, "This must be 'The Judge' Valgan's!"

"Huh??"

"Lord Val is a genius of the Machine Race... (and then another long rambling)... So those robots with self-awareness and interests mentioned in newspapers are, more or less, related to Lord Val. They are either originally from the Machine Race, or they are newly created mechanical soldiers by Lord Val!"

This one... is just as dangerous to mess with!

People say he's a genius of the mechanical race, but in reality, he's no different from the race chief!

To rashly publish information in the newspapers about "the other party being suspected of being the mastermind behind robot harassment" is undoubtedly the same as fabricating stories about emperors, magic kings, or desert kings. In severe cases, it might even directly trigger a war between "humans and machines."

"Next...next question!"

What are your thoughts on the currently popular light novel, "I Became the Thirteenth Shield of the Empire"?

Zena silently encouraged herself, suppressing her discomfort as she asked the question, while looking at Kira expectantly, hoping to hear an answer different from others.

What will his answer be?

"Well..."

"Personally, I think this novel still has many shortcomings!"

Kira looked somewhat troubled. "For example, the ending was written too hastily. Judging from some of the foreshadowing earlier, the male protagonist should have a conflict with the emperor at the end, but in reality, there wasn't. Also, the interactions between the male protagonist and the female protagonists were written too briefly, lacking some things that everyone likes to read... Finally, perhaps the talented author didn't do enough research on the background of the empire, and the setting is somewhat different from the real situation."

Thinking about this, Kira couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

That was a novel he wrote in his early years. At that time, his understanding of the Western Continent was limited to the Fairy Tail manga in his mind. He knew almost nothing and could only write whatever he wanted. In the end, even he couldn't stand the work.

Later, considering that the story was set in the Alvarez Empire, he did not send it to the publisher along with another book, "Demon Breaks the Sky".

When he came to the Western Continent, he suddenly remembered this thing he wrote in his early years, so he brought it along. Later, he published it while working for Eileen, and it unexpectedly became popular.

Thinking about it carefully, I'm quite relieved.

As Kira spoke eloquently, Zena looked at him with a radiant gaze, her heart filled with mixed emotions, a strange feeling of finally meeting a kindred spirit.

Good heavens! He's the first person I've ever met to say this book is bad!

This man is truly extraordinary!

Noticing Zena's gaze, Kira stopped speaking abruptly, narrowed his eyes, and looked at the girl in front of him with some surprise.

As far as he knew, the book sold very well and had a good reputation; everyone who read it praised it. If this reporter disagreed with him, she would most likely argue back; but if she thought what she said made sense, she should at least say a few words in agreement…

What's with that look on his face, like he's looking at a master?! Did he recognize me as the author? Impossible!

"Miss reporter, what do you think of my answer?"

I think your answer is excellent!

Looks like she's the kind of person who thinks my writing is bad... Oh well! Another day of Versailles failure!

"...What's so good about it?" Kira asked, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

Being told your work is bad is just as painful as writing hard but having no one read or comment on it.

Kira hadn't expected that his question would trigger such a torrent of criticism from the other party, who launched into a relentless barrage of attacks. Points like the enemy being too brainless, the protagonist having too much of a cheat code, and the women's clothing in the Western Continent not being as revealing as described in the book were all things Kira thought were unlikely to be criticized.

The opponent is brainless? What this world has no shortage of are idiots and all sorts of people who love to court death!

The protagonist is overpowered? That's because you haven't seen what a real magical genius looks like! I wrote everything based on my own talent!

Women's clothing is revealing? Please, compared to any random girl you see on the street, I've already been very subtle, okay?

You can criticize other things, but I can't accept this!

Zena ranted for a full three minutes before stopping: "I don't know which guy came up with the content of this book, to write something that lowers the literary standards of the novel world, and what surprises me even more is that so many people are actually following it!"

"..."

Chapter 566 Agricultural Festival, you call this a prayer for favorable weather next year?

Kira was frustrated; how was he supposed to respond to this situation?

Should she say, "Excuse me, I am the author you're talking about who has lowered the literary standards of the novel world"? Wouldn't she be so embarrassed that she'd dig her toes into the ground?

Luckily, I had just given Versailles a bad review. Otherwise, if I had kept praising it and they had called it "garbage," I would have been so embarrassed!

It's definitely the right thing to visit Versailles every now and then!

Long live Versailles!