Fairy Tail: Magic is not such an inconvenient thing.

"...Our master is very interested in your guild's amusement park project. The Heartfilia family has come with sincere intentions."

Our family is willing to provide all the funds needed to build the amusement park. We will only be contributing capital, holding a 40% stake. Our only requirement is that your guild will be fully responsible for the amusement park's security.

Such good terms? Are you here to do charity?

Abo was a little surprised and couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder they're a family that can do big business; their vision is truly different."

"We have no objection to this cooperation plan, but there's a small problem now. Just now, Duke Aibar..."

Abbott told the maid about his conflict with the ugly woman. After all, this was a collaborative project between the two sides, and any troubles encountered should be communicated to the other party in advance.

The maid in the Hatfilia household didn't react much when she heard this; she simply said:

"My master has some connections with Duke Abar. The Abar family possesses the Virgo Celestial Key, and for some reason, my master borrowed their key. Originally, I came to the South to pay a visit to His Excellency the Duke."

So… I'll handle this for now; I should be able to bring you all good news.”

Since they were being so honest, Aibo didn't mind returning the favor and quickly finalized the details of their future cooperation.

Fairy Tail will form a partnership with the Heartfilia family to jointly establish a Naruto Amusement Park company, but the subsequent matters will be handled by the chairman.

Abbott was just the one who came up with the idea; the deal was made possible mainly because both Makarov and the Hatfilia family saw the potential of the amusement park.

The president also hopes that Magnolia can take this opportunity to develop.

Even so, as the author who licensed the Naruto IP, he will still receive a considerable share of the profits.

They thought building the amusement park would be a huge financial drain, but they unexpectedly found an angel investor, so it's likely that Aibo's money will be hard to spend now.

Before leaving, the maid in the Heartfilia household left a friendly reminder:

"Our master is very optimistic about Magnolia's future and intends to build a new railway here. We hope this news will be of use to your guild."

Then we shall part ways here. Wishing you all the best. Farewell.

As the carriage drove away, Aibo complained to the guild leader:

"They're both maids from wealthy families, so why is there such a big difference?"

"Ahem, I've long heard that Duke Aibar's aesthetic sense is unusual... it seems to be true."

"..."

Chapter 29 The Golden Key

Disgusted by the native nobles of this other world, Abbot grew increasingly angry and spent the night researching the power structure of the Kingdom of Fiore.

Pick up the first document:

The Kingdom of Fiore is a permanently neutral country with an area of ​​over seven million square kilometers and a population of seventeen million.

In other words, this country has a land area equivalent to more than half of China, but its total population is less than that of a first-tier city, making it even more sparsely populated than Australia.

Predictably, the central government's (the king's) influence cannot reach the local areas, and the local (nobles') influence can only cover the vicinity of their castles, which is very much in line with Abbott's stereotype of the Western fantasy Middle Ages.

And that's certainly true. Take Magnolia, for example. Major decisions are basically made by the local mafia (Fairy Tail). What is a lord? I'm really not familiar with him.

However, their own guild was also disappointing. The guild leader had handed over the local management work to the mayor, which was tantamount to handing over power. Although they managed to evade the land tax by relying on the guild's strength, the townspeople still had to pay taxes to the nobles.

This inaction often leaves local mage guilds in an awkward position within the city's ecosystem—a position that no one cares about, no one wants to care about, and no one can care about.

This is the norm for the relationship between mage guilds and local governments in this world. It's just that if the mages in the guilds have a conscience, it's fine, but if they're all a bunch of bullies, then the local residents will have a hard time.

The reason for this strange ecosystem is naturally due to the transcendent status of mages.

One in ten people in this world can use magic. Even if only one in ten of those people becomes a mage strong enough to join a guild, that's still a 1 in 100 ratio.

A country with 17 million people has 1700 mages, which is no small number.

It is precisely because of the existence of mages, a powerful and numerous extraordinary group, that the Kingdom of Fiore, a permanently neutral nation, firmly implements two parallel vertical management systems:

In other words, matters concerning mages are under the jurisdiction of the Magic Council, while matters concerning non-mages are under the jurisdiction of the national government.

It's no wonder it's an alternate world; they manage to maintain social stability with such a chaotic system...

No, that's not right. This society seems unstable at all. Just a couple of years ago, there were people from the underworld kidnapping kids everywhere. Well, this broken kingdom is doomed.

What's even more unsettling is that the Magic Council claims to be on equal footing with the national government.

Even a normal person could see that the real power was in the hands of the Magic Council, which managed all the mages of the Eastern Continent, and the royal family and nobles all tacitly obeyed the management of the Magic Council.

But... the Magic Council doesn't acknowledge this.

They would say that they are equal to the kingdom, that they would not interfere with the governance of the country, that they strongly support democracy, and that they would only manage mages.

They sound righteous, but in reality they're just too lazy to care or don't want to care.

If responsibility is not clearly defined, then there is no responsibility. The Fiore royal family is to the Magic Council what the mayor of Magnolia is to Fairy Tail.

To be in a position but fail to fulfill one's duties is a sign of incompetence and will only incite conflict and chaos.

If a country implements two parallel management systems, there will inevitably be complex overlapping issues involving both systems.

For example, today's "conflict of interest between guild mages and noble mages over territory issues" is a very typical case of systemic overlap.

Most nobles are mages, which gives them a dual identity: they are both high-ranking mages and nobles of noble birth. These guys get all the good things.

The experience gained in the past to resolve such troublesome conflicts is that the higher-ups pass the buck to each other, and then the two parties involved in the conflict resolve the issue privately.

The general process is as follows: This is a territorial issue under the rule of nobles, so it falls under their jurisdiction. However, Fairy Tail is a magic guild, so it falls under the jurisdiction of the Magic Council. The Magic Council respects the king's authority, so it falls under the king's jurisdiction. Duke Abel is a lord who was granted a fiefdom, so this is your own business, and you should handle it yourself…

The end result is often that no one cares, and whoever has the bigger fist gets to decide.

That's why Makarov didn't care about Abbot's antics; he was just annoyed by the censure letter the council was about to send, and he knew the matter would eventually fizzle out.

Fairy Tail will continue to develop amusement parks to make money. At most, the Duke will just give a small report. He certainly wouldn't dare to cause trouble on Fairy Tail's territory.

However, because the Duke holds the "legal authority of the kingdom," he probably fantasizes about one day when Fairy Tail declines, and then comes back with the land deeds to reap the rewards.

However, Abbot couldn't openly go and kill Duke Aibar, because that duke was also a mage.

If a mage from a legitimate guild kills a noble mage with no criminal record, both the council and the royal army will intervene to bring the murderer to justice.

So, after thoroughly understanding the messy and complicated relationships involved, Aibo, who realized he couldn't actually do anything, became famous.

This world is a giant makeshift operation. This country has countless institutional bugs, but the society just happens to function normally, so everyone turns a blind eye to these bugs.

I thought I could come up with a solution after sorting out the situation, but I found that it was unrealistic to deal with Duke Aibar within the rules, but it would be a waste to kill him outside the rules.

My already nauseous mood got even worse.

"How about I blow up the Magic Council?"

In a daze, Aibo fainted from anger.

Unexpectedly, another unexpected thing happened the next day.

Auntie Heartfilia, who just left Magnolia yesterday, has returned to Fairy Tail.

“Mr. Abbott, I hope you will accept this.”

In the reception room, the maid took out a golden key, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Abbot.

"This is…?"

"The Virgo Protoss's contract key previously belonged to Duke Aibal. At the Protoss's request and on my own behalf, I hope you will accept this gift from the Heartfilia family."

"what?"

Abo was a little confused. The key to the zodiac... was just given to him like that? When did my relationship with your family become so good?

"As far as I know, a Protoss is not allowed to betray its master unless the master takes the initiative to break the contract, right? That Duke Aibal doesn't want this Protoss anymore?"

“I can sense that you are also a Celestial Spirit Mage, but you may not know that our Heartfilia family once possessed the keys to all twelve Zodiac signs.”

Although the twelve keys were later circulated again, the Heartfilia family made a pact with the Celestial King, and our family still retains the right to reclaim ownership of the twelve keys once.

This is also the main reason why Duke Aybar was willing to 'lend' the key to my master.

The maid paused, then continued:

"I originally intended to use this unused power to reconcile the conflict between Duke Aibar and your guild, but I'm sorry, my negotiations have failed; Duke Aibar rejected my request."

Since that's the case, I had no choice but to exercise my power and break the contract between Duke Aibar and the Virgin Palace. The Virgin Palace is now ownerless.

Before coming to visit, I consulted with the Protoss, and she also intends to acknowledge Mr. Abbot as her master, so... I hope you will accept this key.”

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate..."

Abbott scratched his head. The thought of such a huge pie falling into his mouth felt unreal and absurd.

Are the Heartfilia family some kind of money-giving machine? Why are they offering money, connections, and now even Protoss for cooperation? Could this be some kind of scam or honey trap?

Fortunately, Abbott has a lie detector.

My master instructed me to befriend Mr. Abbott as much as possible, and I hope my flattery won't cause him any trouble... or seem too abrupt, right? I've been trying my best to restrain myself.

Huh? This can't be right, are you sure you're not kidding? What's wrong with your owner? Could they be a fan of my book?

Abo was confused, but this matter seemed to have no downsides no matter how you looked at it, so maybe... I should just accept it?

"Mr. Abbott, please don't worry. If our family wants to continue to expand the railway market in the south in the future, we will most likely need your guild's help. Consider this gift as our Heartfilia family's investment in you."

But you didn't need to specifically target a seven-year-old kid like me, did you?

Despite the many doubts, Abbot still decided to accept the golden key. After all, why not take advantage of a free gift? If there's any trouble, he'll leave it to his future self to handle!

"Since you've put it that way, then I'll take the liberty of accepting this gift. Thank you."

"You're welcome. May your friendship with the Heartfilia family last forever."

Chapter 30 Baru's Song

"—Respond to my call, pass through the door. Open, Virgo's Door!"

"Are you calling me, Master?"

Accompanied by strong wind pressure, an unusually tall figure appeared in front of Aibo.

This is a tall woman, nearly 1.9 meters tall, dressed in a maid outfit. She has long pink hair, with a side ponytail draped over her chest in a very wifely style. She has a full, curvaceous figure and a gentle, maternal demeanor—she is simply the ideal, perfect woman!

"You are... a Protoss?"

"Yes, Master, Virgo Star Spirit Baluko is at your service."

As soon as Abbot got home, he began the summoning ritual, summoning the zodiac spirits for the first time. He was surprised to find they were in human form, and so beautiful at that!

"Miss Barugo, I must say I am amazed by you."

"I am a celestial spirit loyal to my master. I generally work for my master in the way my master expects, and I prioritize serving my master in everything I do."

"Ah, I see! Was it sensed through soul magic? Or does the magical link inherently have the effect of transmitting information? Celestial magic is indeed..."

Sorry, I've gone off on a tangent. Let's start signing the contract now. Do you have any requirements regarding the timing of your summons?

"I am ready to serve my master at any time."

"Is this the spirit of a maid? So dedicated! Do you have any other requirements for the contract?"

"Master's magic is very abundant, and I hope to stay by Master's side for a longer time."

“Um… I can grant that request. I will try my best to keep you in the real world. So the contract is established.”

"Please guide me in the future, Master."

Baluge maintained a polite smile throughout, although Abbo felt that the smile lacked emotion, because her inner thoughts were empty.

This was the first time Abbot had encountered such a situation. Even with those non-speaking Protoss, Abbot could hear their thoughts through telepathic magic, but he couldn't hear anything from Balgo in front of him.

'Everything is done to serve the master,' so is this a Protoss that lacks a sense of self?

From the perspective of Protoss magic, it would probably be a very useful tool.

“From now on, we’ll be partners. I don’t really like being called ‘master.’ Can we change it to something else?”

"His Majesty?"

"I'm not the emperor! Find someone else!"

"Young Master?"

"I'm an orphan. If I don't like it, I'll find another one."

"master?"