Fairy Tail: Magic is not such an inconvenient thing.

"!? Thank you."

Lucy sat down, clutching her pounding heart, feeling like she'd been charmed by a child! It must be her imagination...

"Elu, let's go!"

"Yes! Boss!"

The kitten saluted and then jumped into the driver's seat to become the driver.

Lucy stared in disbelief.

"Huh? Are you letting Ailu drive?"

"Hmm? Of course, I can't exactly drive, can I? Is there a problem?"

"No...no, I just think Ailu is amazing."

"Of course! Ailu is a super cat I've carefully trained. She not only knows all the housekeeping skills like laundry and cooking, but also etiquette, driving, gardening, first aid, butlership, accounting..."

"Elu is cute and capable, just like my daughter! Isn't that right, Elu~"

"Yes! Boss! Ailu is the best, meow!"

Lucy felt increasingly uneasy as she listened, and cautiously raised her hand to ask a question:

"Um, Abbot, if I may ask, how old is Ailu this year?"

"Hmm? She's six years old now, isn't she? Ailu's grown up quite a bit~"

"6--"

Lucy turned around sharply, her gaze towards Ailu filled with pity. Six years to learn so many skills—what had that little cat gone through all these years?!

Lucy angrily put her hands on her hips:

"Abbot, you've gone too far! How can you force Ailu to learn so many things? She's just a child!"

"Huh? I didn't force Ailu. I usually leave her with Wendy to raise together. It's just that Ailu is smart and learns everything in no time. How can you blame me for that?"

"Huh?"

"Yes, meow! Elu learns things very quickly, meow!"

"Uh...sorry, I was just being prejudiced. I thought..."

Lucy recalled the painful days when she was forced to learn those awful manners and lessons since she was a child. Did she think that all the hard work she put in was just something that other people, other cats, could learn in no time?

I'm not even as good as a cat!?

Does that mean... I'm an idiot?!

Lucy collapsed to the ground in despair, revealing her unguarded panties.

"You've exposed yourself, Lucy."

"babble--!?"

Lucy jumped up, clutching her skirt, but then she thought about Abbott, who was even prettier than her, and decided it didn't matter. Who knows who will come out on top?

"I'm sorry, my apologies... Master."

"Ok?"

"Ahem, aren't I supposed to be playing a maid? I'm just getting used to the role in advance!"

Are they really that self-aware?

Abbott smiled and sat down, pointing to the freezer inside the car:

"Then could you please pour me a glass of milk, Lucy?"

"Yes, Master~"

Lucy really enjoys it; she even seems to be having a lot of fun. Her personality is even more carefree than Cana's used to be.

When Lucy returned with a glass of milk, she saw Abbot hand her a small box.

"This is...?"

"It's just a small gift to commemorate our first mission. It's nothing valuable."

"Wow! What a beautiful necklace! Abbot, this...this isn't appropriate, is it?"

"This is a magical tool I made myself. It has a special light magic circle engraved on it. Its only effect is to prevent girls from being exposed. I made it a long time ago and gave it to Erza because she often needs to use dress-up magic. But I think Lucy also needs it."

"?"

Lucy always had a hard time telling whether Abbott was insulting her or not; it was probably just her imagination.

But Abbott is really generous. No wonder he's so popular with girls. If he weren't still so young, I'm afraid I would have fallen for him too.

"Then I'll accept it without hesitation~ Thank you, Aibo."

"Isn't he the master?"

"Thank you, Master~"

"Hmm~ Not bad, Lucy-chan, come here and give me a shoulder massage."

"...Yes, Master."

Lucy figured that since she had received a gift, it wouldn't be too much to ask her to do some work, so she obediently followed Albert's orders.

But later, Lucy sadly discovered that Abbott kept ordering her around, either pouring tea and water, massaging her shoulders and legs, and then making her clean the car under the pretext of "learning to play the role of a maid more deeply".

But the car is so clean, what part needs cleaning?

As a result, Lucy was constantly moving around in the small car until they arrived at their destination, being ordered around like a really busy maid, and she was almost sweating from exhaustion!

W-What's going on? How did I really become a maid? Is there something wrong with this script?

Was I tricked by Aibo?

"Boss! We've arrived, meow!"

"Hmm~ Lucy, we've arrived. Let's go see the client now. Oh, sorry! I didn't seem to notice how you were feeling. Do you need to rest for a bit?"

Looking at Abbott's "concerned" gaze, Lucy couldn't find any flaws. Perhaps... it was just her imagination.

She twitched the corner of her mouth:

"No, no need, let's set off now."

Chapter 130 "Sunrise"

Abbott and Lucy entered an exceptionally grand mansion, whose owner appeared to be very wealthy.

"...Greetings, members of Fairy Tail. I am the client, Kirby Monroe, and this is my wife..."

The client this time was a kind-looking middle-aged man, dressed impeccably, who looked at the two of them with a smile.

"I didn't expect that famous guild would be willing to take on this commission. You two are so young, you must be very powerful, right?"

[These are mages I've never heard of before. They seem more like noble young masters and ladies than mages. Can they really succeed? Should we try another one? My chances are slim; I can't afford to alert them...]

Aibo gave a half-smile:

"Yes, Mr. Menlo is very lucky. I am one of the top S-rank mages in the guild. No matter what your request is, I can complete it. However... I hope you will not hide any information about your request."

"S-Rank!?"

"That's right, meow! Boss is amazing, meow!"

Mr. Kirby was very excited and turned to look at Lucy in her maid outfit:

"Then this one must also be..."

“She’s a newcomer, and I took on this case to mentor her. So, Mr. Menlo, you’re very lucky. Now, let’s talk about the case. I hope you won’t hide anything from me.”

"Okay, okay..."

Could it be that he/she figured out I rented this place?

Kirby nervously wiped away his sweat.

"My request is only one thing: to ask the two of you to destroy the only copy of 'DAY BREAK' in the world, which is owned by Duke Abel. I want to destroy that book no matter what, and I'm willing to pay any price for it..."

Lucy swallowed hard and analyzed objectively:

"Two million just to destroy a book? But considering you're going against a duke, the reward isn't unreasonable..."

But Abbott, standing to the side, tilted his head slightly:

"I don't care about the content of the commission. Even if you asked me to destroy that guy Aibar's mansion, I wouldn't have a problem. But as I just said, I hope you don't hide anything. 200 million is probably all you have, right? Spending such a huge amount of money just to destroy a book, what is your real purpose?"

"Huh!? Wait a minute, look at my house, do I look like someone who can't afford that much money!?"

"There's no need to repeat those boring lies. Don't even think you can fool a powerful mage. I'll just tell you straight: I took this job to deal with Aibal. We have the same enemy, which is why I'm sitting in front of you. I don't care about the reward; I just want the truth. Do you understand what I mean?"

Abbot released just a little magic, and the powerful pressure made Kirby, an ordinary person, break out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly wiped his sweat and stood up in a panic:

"I...I understand! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have hidden anything. The thing is...the author of this book, *Sunrise*, is actually my father. My father, under the pen name Kem Saleo, was once an excellent novelist and also a mage, but more than 30 years ago..."

Lucy exclaimed:

"Huh!? I'm a huge fan of your father's books! Sorry, please continue..."

Kirby honestly recounted his story.

Kirby's father was commissioned by Duke Albar to write his biography. It took him three years to complete. After returning, he had undergone a drastic personality change, vowed never to become a writer, cut off his right hand, and committed suicide shortly afterward.

Kirby was very confused by his father's choice at the time and argued with him. Years later, he regretted it deeply.

Now, destroying his father's last work has become Kirby's obsession, which is why he has this commission today.

"For a time after his death, I hated him, but as time passed, that hatred turned into regret. If I hadn't said such hurtful things back then, my father might not have taken his own life. So I must erase this last work of my father's from the world..."

So, you two, I will definitely pay the fee. Please, you absolutely must help me complete this request. Thank you!

The Kirby couple bowed deeply to Abbott, their bodies trembling slightly, clearly finding it difficult to bring up such an old wound.

Lucy covered her mouth, her eyes full of sympathy. She felt sorry for the client and looked at Abbott, hoping he would agree to help Mr. Kirby.

After a moment's thought, Abbott replied:

"I will not accept this commission."

"Wait!? Why! Is it because you don't have enough money? I can still—"

"Calm down, Mr. Menlo. If I'm not mistaken, you rented this house, right? You'll probably have a hard time getting that 200 million back. You posted a job that's beyond your capabilities. If I take that money, how will you live in the future?"

"Huh?"

"Moreover, you still aren't telling the truth. You don't hate your father; you hate Duke Aibal, who turned your father into that person, right?"

"I..."

Kirby slumped dejectedly onto the sofa.

“You’re right… I’ve figured it out later. It must have been something Duke Aibal did to my father that caused his personality to change so drastically. But Duke Aibal is an enemy I can’t deal with. I have no way to…”

“You don’t need to tell me any of that. Just answer me: Do you hate Duke Aibar?”

Kirby paused for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said:

"I hate!"

Do you know what kind of person Duke Aibar is?

"He was a cautious and twisted nobleman who had done many bad things, yet he was always impossible to catch."

"Very well, now I have a task for you."

"Huh? Me? Me?"

“That’s right. I need you to contact those who have been oppressed and mistreated by Duke Aibar. I need them to testify in court about Duke Aibar’s misdeeds. Can you do that?”

"This...you mean?"

"Just as you think, that bastard duke has been disgusting our guild for years. I'm here to settle accounts with him. I'll go to his mansion and gather more evidence of his crimes."

As for your book... finding it and destroying it would be a simple matter. Your request isn't important to me, but the fact that Abal isn't here is very important to me.

Kirby trembled all over; at that moment, he seemed to see a glimmer of hope for revenge.

"I...I understand. I know a few friends who have also been persecuted by the Duke. I will contact them..."