Fairy Tail: Magic is not such an inconvenient thing.

"Was my identity exposed all along? How could this be...? Was everything in the guild a lie...? Then the freedom I thought I had was...? It turns out I've been the clown being played all along..."

"Oh, Lucy, don't overthink it. Actually, only the president and I know this secret. Nobody else knows about it."

"Huh?"

The situation took an unexpected turn, and Lucy realized she wasn't in a hurry to die anymore.

"Sister Lucy, you don't actually think your family can make our entire guild cooperate with your act, do you?"

"Ahem, no, no! I see. So only Aibo and the guild leader know my identity! Then please ask Aibo to tell the guild leader not to give me any special treatment, just treat me as a regular prospective member! I will become a member of the guild through my own efforts!"

"Haha, Lucy, you really think too highly of yourself. Our guild doesn't give anyone special treatment. You're overthinking it."

"Huh? But Abbott, you..."

"My employer is the guild leader, not your family. I invited you to team up with me to test or evaluate Lucy. After all, our guild also needs to be wary of people with ulterior motives."

"Examination?"

"That's right, congratulations Lucy, you passed the test! I believe you are safe and harmless, and have no ulterior motives. I will report this truthfully to the president, so..."

From now on, Lucy, please feel free to enjoy your life in the guild. Don't worry about the consequences of your identity being exposed; I've already acknowledged you as a member of Fairy Tail.

"Huh!?"

In a daze, Lucy realized that she... seemed to have received S-rank approval? Does that mean that if she gets approval from five more of her companions, she can become a full member!?

Great! This is fantastic news!

Lucy instantly forgot all her previous doubts and had no more concerns about Albert's actions, only deep gratitude!

"Thank you! Abbott! I will definitely work hard to become a full member!"

"Okay, good luck, Lucy. Now that the truth is out, let's not waste any more time getting going..."

The next second, Abbott teleported Lucy and the entire magical vehicle back to the gates of Fairy Tail.

After Abbott led Lucy out of the car, he smiled.

"Well, that concludes our first date~ Lucy, I hope you have a great time in the guild from now on~ I'll be going now."

ノBye~ヾノ≧?≦)o”

Watching Abbot disappear again in the blink of an eye, Lucy felt a mix of emotions, including a sense of helplessness.

"A date? What a capricious boy. But I guess he's still a child at heart. It's amazing how composed and reliable he is when facing enemies..."

Lucy felt ashamed of her previous pink misunderstanding. She didn't expect that her first request would only take half a day to finish. Although the process was easy, it was actually quite fun.

So next, I'll try to gain the approval of the five members and become a true member of Fairy Tail!

Go for it, Lucy!

As soon as Lucy turned around, she saw more than a dozen pairs of terrifyingly scarlet eyes staring at her, which startled her.

"You all saw it, right... this guy... got out of Lord Abbott's car..."

"Abbot hasn't taken on a case in so long... and this time it's with her..."

"I don't know if you guys heard me clearly... I think Abbott just said 'date,' right? It was a date, right!?"

"Aren't these your girlfriends' group members? Can't you even keep an eye on your own group members?!"

Lucy was so frightened by the group of girls with bloodshot eyes that she kept backing away:

"Huh? Huh?! Wait, wait a minute! No! No! Let me explain..."

"Oh? What else do you have to say?"

"me…"

No, this is impossible to explain! If I don't want to reveal that I'm from the Heartfilia family, how am I supposed to explain that Abbot is following me on these missions?!

Oh no, oh no!!

This is terrible!

Lucy's face stiffened, her expression turned ashen, and she closed her eyes, giving up the struggle.

"I...have nothing more to say. You...do it!"

"Hehehe, it seems you've given up on making excuses!"

"It's still really necessary to give our newcomers a good talking-to!"

"Eeeah!! No, no!!!"

Chapter 132 I've Become a Noble?

Lucy was 80 by the girls.

She was forced to wear a maid outfit all day in the girls' dormitory and had to endure humiliation and the girls' teasing.

Lucy felt wronged.

However, fools don't hold grudges.

So... after a day, Lucy forgot about it and went back to the guild laughing and joking as if nothing had happened.

Perhaps it is precisely because of Lucy's carefree and easygoing personality that she is so popular and integrates into the guild faster than most newcomers.

Lucy found five people willing to sign her membership invitation in just two or three days. Now she only needs to wait for the one-month trial period to pass before she can become a full member of the guild.

Although Abbott was keen on persecuting Lucy, he wouldn't hold her by the throat in such a matter, because that would be pure bullying, and he wouldn't do something so low.

Abbot was initially quite pleased with the resolution of Duke Aibar's matter, but subsequent developments took a somewhat unexpected turn—

He was granted a noble title.

"...In recognition of Mr. Abbott's...outstanding contributions, Mr. Abbott is hereby granted the title of Honorary Baron for Life of the Empire, with the fief of Magnolia..."

Abbott, bewildered, put down the award certificate and looked at Makarov:

"President, how exactly did you secretly exert your influence? How did you manage to elevate me to the status of a noble? This doesn't make sense, does it?"

Makarov was also puzzled:

“I didn’t do anything. I’m wondering the same thing. I haven’t even started making connections yet, and the king has already sent this letter of conferment without my permission.”

Although life nobles are not hereditary nobles and do not have the right to inherit their titles, a noble is still a noble. A noble with a fiefdom is a true lord and is superior to others wherever he is.

However, Abbot didn't feel anything. He wasn't interested in noble titles or anything like that; he was more curious about the strangeness behind it.

If this matter has nothing to do with the guild leader, then King Fiore is acting on his own initiative? Is he trying to win me over in advance? Surely he couldn't have guessed that I might overthrow the kingdom someday out of boredom, could he?

Aibo was puzzled.

"So what's next? What's this baron up to? Does he think I'll have the virginity of every girl in Magnolia?"

Makarov immediately gave Abbot a flick on the forehead to wake him up:

"Which era of debauched nobles are you talking about? You now own Magnolia's land, tax collection rights, and judicial power... The mayor will explain the details to you, but Abbot, are you sure you want to accept this appointment?"

Are there any downsides?

"Uh, probably not. You can at least lower taxes for the citizens or something..."

"That's perfect! Why not take it? Besides, this is a good thing, right? Now our guild can start transforming the city on a large scale, and no one can stop us!"

Abel tugged at the accordion, feeling that although the matter was inexplicable, he could accept anything as long as it didn't cause harm.

"You can discuss the rest with the mayor yourself. You two get along well anyway. I'm going to attend the guild leader's meeting. Do you want to come with me, Abbot?"

"No, I'm not interested. And don't go around telling everyone about me. A mage's battle is an intelligence war! You know that's leaking secrets!"

"Tsk, you have a problem with me bragging... then take me to the club, I don't want to ride in a car."

"What do you take me for!? I don't want it anymore, I've lost my magic!"

"This is the law of the fairies."

"Hey! I don't have many other merits, but respecting the elderly and caring for the young is ingrained in my bones. Chairman, just tell me where you want to go, it's just a matter of saying a word!"

"I need to go to the main entrance of the clubhouse in Croba City. This meeting will last for three days, and you'll have to pick me up then."

"No problem~"

Abbot quickly put away his precious magic book, then snapped his fingers, creating an oval-shaped "space portal" in front of him. Passing through it would take him directly to the president's meeting room.

Makarov was also envious of Abbot's spatial magic talent. He originally thought that Mester's talent was already very strong, but he did not expect that Abbot, who was only a teenager, had already far surpassed Mester. The younger generation is indeed formidable.

Spatial magic is just too convenient.

The guild leader is in a meeting, and Laxus isn't here either, so now Ebo is in charge of the guild.

Aibo's Star Magic is very close to LV3, probably within the next week or two.

I've also acquired the Fairy Law. Once I've mastered all three of the Fairy Magics, I should be able to surpass Laxus. The day when I'm invincible among my peers won't be far off!

As Abbot hummed a tune, he floated downstairs and was surprised to see a large crowd gathered on the first floor. Upon closer inspection, he exclaimed, "Hey? Isn't that... Brother Lidas? He's finally out of seclusion?"

"Teacher Lidas! I'm a big fan of yours! Please give me your autograph!"

"I want an autograph too! And a photo with you!"

"So the strongest manga artist, Ritas, is actually in our guild! That's amazing! By the way, why haven't I seen him before?"

"Teacher Lidas, I heard Naruto is about to end. Do you have any ideas for the next series?"

Now, Lidas was unshaven, thin, and his face bore the marks of hardship. He calmly glanced at the crowd surrounding him and said:

"I've finished drawing Naruto. I will never draw manga again. I am not a manga artist."

"Huh—!?"

Lidas looked past the shocked crowd and saw Abbot coming down from upstairs. His expression was very complicated.

"Long time no see, Brother Lidas~"

"Yeah, it's been a long time, but you'll probably see me more often from now on, Abbott. My request is complete, and I don't think I'll be drawing comics anymore... Will you be upset with me?"

"Strange? Why would I blame you? This is your choice, Brother Lidas. I won't interfere with your freedom."

Abbott looked Lidas up and down with surprise, and laughed:

"However, Brother Lidas, you seem to have gained quite a lot. Does that count as my contribution?"

According to Ebo's perception, Rydas's magic power is close to 10,000, which puts him in the same league as Natsu and Gray. Although Rydas is much older (27 years old), his talent is not particularly outstanding.

Lidas rolled his eyes at Ebo and said irritably:

"I don't want to thank you for this; you have no idea what kind of hell I went through... But..."

Lidas casually took out a pen and drew a Nine-Tailed Fox in the air.

The smaller nine-tailed fox landed on the ground and breathed on everyone. This speed and form... is a bit outrageous. Could it be... LV4?

"My magic has indeed improved a lot, but it seems I no longer need to do quests to earn money, so I've decided to just become a semi-retired old man in the guild from now on."

"Haha, the president definitely won't have any objections."

Just as the two were having a pleasant conversation, Gray, who was shirtless, pushed open the door and entered with a serious expression:

"Is the president here? I have something to report."

Chapter 133 [The Strongest Squad]

Abbott looked at Gray, lost in thought:

"The president? He just went to the president's meeting. Is there something you need him for?"

Gray scratched his head, a little annoyed:

"You're in a meeting? Never mind then, it's fine to let you S-ranks decide anyway. Let's talk somewhere else."

Gray pulled Ebo, Erza, and Mira into a room and got straight to the point:

"On my way back from a quest, I overheard some unpleasant news. A group of guys, probably from a dark guild, were discussing breaking the magical seal called 'Lalabai.' At first, I didn't think much of it, but afterwards, I remembered that they mentioned the name Erigor. You should remember Erza, right?"

Erza thought for a moment:

"【Death God】Erigor? I remember him as the ace of the 【Iron Forest】 guild, but Iron Forest became a dark guild after being expelled from the guild alliance six years ago, and their guild leader has been arrested..."

"Right? I knew I wasn't mistaken. A seal that even a dark guild had to go to great lengths to break—I didn't think it was anything good. I was thinking of asking the guild leader how to handle it, but he's in a meeting... Should I contact him via terminal? But this kind of topic doesn't seem very safe..."