A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Suddenly, Gajeel turned his head, his gaze, filled with the same murderous intent as a villain, falling on Vivi: "You are the princess of this kingdom??"

"babble--!!!"

Startled by the gaze, Weiwei gasped and, without even getting up, nimbly scrambled to the corner of the wall behind her.

Gajeel: "..."

Did I scare her? Am I that scary?

'This is the person who defeated Crocodile?? Why does he look even more like a villain than Crocodile?? Is it true that appearances can be deceiving?? No, no… what are you thinking, Vivi?! He's the one who indirectly saved this country; we absolutely have to thank him!'

After figuring it out, Vivi felt a surge of power within her, and her eyes hardened. She immediately stood up, dusted off her clothes, and asked, "Excuse me, was it you who defeated Crocodile?"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow, his expression smug: "That's right! It was I who defeated that scarred old man who used sand! He's the culprit who's causing chaos in your country! I saw your picture in his room; you're the princess of this country??"

"Yes...yes! I am Nefertari Vivi!"

After briefly tidying her makeup and clearing her mind, Vivi looked at Gajeel earnestly and said, "Regardless of your motives, your act of defeating Crocodile has given this country hope of avoiding a war involving more than 70 people. Please allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude for your help!"

With that, she bowed deeply to Gajeel, who was standing not far away, saying, "I am truly grateful!!"

Gajeel froze instantly: Wait, is it this formal? This is the first time I've ever encountered something like this! And what should I say in a situation like this? When thanking someone, I should... ugh! Damn it, I almost got corrupted by Levy's books!

After thinking for a long time, Gajeel was extremely embarrassed when he saw that Vivi was still bowing. He immediately resorted to tactical coughing: "Ahem... You don't need to thank me. I only did that because I wanted to become the president. Killing that old man was just something I did on the side."

"Pfft—!"

Eric, with his keen senses, had already figured out what the two were thinking. He immediately whistled and then teased, "Gajuru, the great guy? This is indeed the first time I've heard of him!"

"Hehehe... What, are you envious? I don't think anyone has ever thanked you like this before, right?"

Eric scoffed dismissively, "You'll be disappointed! We established 'The Sin of the Witch' precisely because we helped the Emerald Princess of the Kingdom of Fiore!! I'm more concerned about something else!"

"What is it?" Gajeel frowned, a sense of unease rising in his heart.

What kinds of books do you and Levy usually read?

Before he could finish speaking, Eric was astonished to find that Gajeel's face instantly turned bright red, and steam began to rise from his head like a steam engine. He frantically pointed at himself and roared, "What do you know?! You bastard, you poison dragon!! Stop with your gossipy habit! Don't you know this is an invasion of other people's privacy?!"

That shameless guy asked me about the books I and Levy usually read for no reason. He must have overheard my thoughts!

Those were books he and Levy only read when they were alone; they were extremely private. Sometimes, when the mood struck them, they would even act out the scenes themselves, indulging in their little quirks that they wouldn't tell anyone else...

Is something so secretive something that can be said in public? Eric, instead of using proper Dragon Slayer Magic, has become so proficient in sound magic. He's a disgrace to Dragon Slayer Mages!

"Oh, so it's that kind of book!"

Eric instantly understood and clicked his tongue, "I didn't realize you were so good at this, Iron Dragon! No wonder your moves are called Iron Dragon Staff and Iron Dragon Spear..."

"I'm going to kill you!!!" Gajeel instantly turned hostile, shouting as he interrupted Eric, and at the same time, his hands transformed into two large iron swords as he charged forward.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The iron sword swung through the air, creating a whistling sound as Gajeel attacked faster and harder, raining down attacks on Eric like a storm. But Eric possessed sound magic and always managed to dodge before Gajeel's attacks landed.

Several minutes later, Eric remained calm and composed, while Gajeru was already panting heavily.

Unexpectedly, Eric didn't stop there. Amidst a barrage of rapid, eight-hit sword strikes from Xia Ji, he continued to boast, "Starting to pant already? Are you too weak? Iron Dragon! You're so young, this won't do..."

No hot-blooded young man can tolerate being mocked for his weak physique, especially someone as hot-tempered as Gajeel, who would find it even more unbearable.

"What did you say?! Weak body? What nonsense are you talking about?! I am Iron Dragon Gajeel!! Do you know how prestigious the nickname 'Iron Dragon' is? My entire body can turn into iron, how could I be weak? Are you kidding me!"

Gajeel's rage intensified, his magic power leaked out wildly, and his aura surged another thirty percent. "You bastard, I won't let you get away with this!!"

The two fought louder and louder, yet they never left the area. It was unclear whether Eric intentionally wanted Gajeel to embarrass himself in public, or whether the two were doing it to ensure Vivi's safety. In any case, because of the 'Iron Dragon VS Poison Dragon' scene, all the Baroque Works assassins shifted their attention from Vivi to this side.

"Hey, don't you guys think what they're saying is weird?"

"I don't know, I don't understand..."

"The conversation jumped from one topic to another: what books to read, then to physical weakness. The topics changed so fast that I couldn't keep up!"

The assassins watching from the sidelines stood there dumbfounded, staring at the two who were wreaking havoc around them, both shocked by their strength and confused by what they were talking about.

"I understand! The book they're talking about must be some kind of cultivation manual!"

An unknown extra suddenly shouted, "That guy who uses iron must be afraid that the man who uses poison will reveal his secret to becoming stronger, so he's planning to kill him to silence him!"

Those around immediately realized what was going on: "That makes sense...that makes sense!!"

"Damn it! What kind of secret technique is this that can make them so strong? If only I could see it too..."

"Brother Tielong! Please show us your secret manual! We beg you!"

"That's right, that's right... We also want to become as strong as you!!"

Gajeel: "..."

A bunch of idiots! They know nothing and yet they're calling themselves "Big Brother"! Do you think you can just show that stuff to them like that? It's so annoying! It's all that bastard Poison Dragon's fault!!

Enraged, Gajeel unleashed all his fury on Eric, unleashing a devastating Dragon Slayer spell: "Iron Dragon Staff!!!"

The onlookers stared wide-eyed, not daring to miss any opportunity to become stronger: "Oh! Look! It's a black and hard iron rod! I heard he used this move to take down Mr. 1, Mr. 2, and Mr. 4 all by himself yesterday!"

"What?! One against three?! This iron rod is terrifying?!"

A visible unnatural expression flashed across Gajeel's face. His body stiffened, and his iron rod paused, causing his attack, which was originally intended to strike Eric, to miss its mark: "Damn it! Iron Dragon Spear!!"

The crowd exclaimed in shock once again, "My God! It's a long, sharp iron spear! How amazing!!"

"He only has one hand and one gun, yet he uses it to create so many gun shadows, as if he has dozens of iron spears. Just how fast is he?!"

"What an enviable speed!!"

"If someone gets stabbed by that, their body will be completely ripped apart, right?"

With a guilty conscience, Gajeel felt that every exclamation from the audience sounded like a suggestive joke, which immediately threw him into disarray. His attacks repeatedly failed, and he turned around and roared, "Damn it! So noisy! Shut up, all of you!"

Enraged, Gajeel raised his right hand high, and the Dragon Slayer Magic changed once more, this time transforming from a sharp iron spear into a large iron sword several meters long. With effortless skill, he slashed down at Eric: "Iron Dragon Sword!"

"Wow...how scary! It's a huge, thick iron sword! So cool!!"

"Is this length really a weapon that humans can use?"

"Use a little more and show us, Brother Tielong!"

Hearing the cheers of the crowd around him for Gajeel, Eric couldn't contain his joy. He dodged and retaliated while bursting into laughter: "Hahaha... You're really popular, Iron Dragon!"

Gajeel was burning with rage, gritting his teeth as his attacks became increasingly chaotic. He cursed inwardly, "That bastard! He must have learned all that from Kira! Humph! I'll get my revenge next time we meet!!"

In Fairy Tail, there is an unwritten, universally accepted notion that if someone's personality suddenly becomes wicked, or turns bad after a period of absence, it must be because they learned it from Kira; if that person is Kira, then they are self-taught.

So even though Gajeel has no evidence right now, he has already set his sights on Kira, who is thousands of miles away.

"Roar of the Iron Dragon!!!"

"The Roar of the Poison Dragon!!"

With two roars, a tornado of steel and poisonous debris shot out, instantly blasting the houses on the entire street to smithereens. The ground between the two was magically destroyed, sinking three feet in an instant, leaving only a wide ditch.

The magical explosion shot straight into the sky, but unexpectedly struck a falcon that had just arrived and was about to land.

So pitiful...

Wait! A falcon?! This isn't my pet... Pshaw! Isn't this my beloved Uncle Bear?!

"Bell?!" Vivi's expression changed instantly when she saw the figure falling from the sky, and she rushed over to help him up.

“Princess Vivi…are they the enemy…?? I’m sorry…I’m so useless…” Bell’s pupils were somewhat unfocused, and his face was purplish, whether from the colored markings he usually wore or from poisoning was unclear.

“No… this… actually they…” Vivi held Bell’s hand awkwardly and nervously, not knowing how to explain for a moment.

"Doctor! The most important thing right now is to get a doctor!! I need to find Chopper!!"

Chapter 856 Battle Between Adorable Pets: Lily vs. Chopper

"That Gajeel actually wants revenge? I laughed."

On the 'Fat Cart' carriage, thousands of miles away, Kira sneered.

The virtual screen inside the carriage broadcast the entire conflict between Gajeel and Eric, including both video and audio, directly to Kira, so he could be said to have control over Gajeel's every move.

Although he couldn't use sound magic to probe Gajeel's psychological changes like Eric could through the screen, Kira could tell from his eyes that Gajeel was fabricating stories about him, given his honesty and intelligence, which almost wore his heart on his sleeve.

"Levy, what books are you reading?"

"Lu-chan~ Please stop asking!!"

"Levy, you're amazing!!"

Under Lucy's suspicious gaze, Levy blushed, lowered her head, and huddled in a ball, adopting a "go ahead and ask me, I'm not telling you" attitude. This only fueled Lucy's curiosity. Her intuition told her that the "book" Eric mentioned on the screen was definitely not the magic or history books that Levy usually read. After all, everyone in the guild knew that Gajeel was someone who didn't like studying, so how could he possibly settle down to read?

Inside the carriage, Ultear, engrossed in applying makeup, and Robin, absorbed in reading, both smiled without saying a word. Although they appeared to be busy with their own things, they actually understood most of the situation just by listening. Compared to the naive Lucy and the young and innocent Wendy, the two of them were clearly more insightful.

However, none of them showed any sign of understanding what he was saying, because that would be tantamount to revealing to everyone that they were experienced drivers, and it would also make Levy, who was present, extremely embarrassed.

While the young women, also drivers, knew to restrain themselves, the two middle-aged men acted with complete impunity. They sat on the outermost edge of the carriage, smoking, their faces etched with weariness and sighs.

"I'm so envious! Made of iron..."

"Indeed, some things are a matter of talent, and cannot be forced!"

The two paid no attention to the strange looks from others, constantly communicating with their eyes in a way that only they could understand. It was a tacit understanding they had cultivated over two or three decades of knowing each other. No one could interrupt their private conversation, not even Romeo, Marceau's own son.

"Marcus, do you know what they mean?"

Romeo, though young, already possessed a strong curiosity about things. He looked at Marcus sitting next to him, thinking that this man, known as the 'most clever mage in the guild,' must have understood.

"Just watch and observe. That's not something a child your age should be exposed to! You'll understand when the time comes!"

It was obvious that Marcus understood, and his reaction was neither like Ultear and Robin's feigned ignorance, nor like the two old men's lewd and vulgar behavior, but rather he acted mysteriously, like a riddle teller.

……

On a rainy street, two adorable pets are facing off.

"Kira has us playing a hunting game here, but actually he only said we have to defeat everyone, without specifying how to defeat them, so I think the two of us can definitely have a more peaceful competition!"

Lili strides forward, crosses his arms over his chest, and challenges Chopper to a duel.

Chopper, however, didn't want to waste any more time here: "But... I still need to find my companions..."

"Don't worry, neither we mages nor the assassins from Baroque Works, nor those marines, will kill anyone in this game, so you don't have to worry about your companions' safety at all."