Magnolia Town had a considerable population.
Rent and living expenses were quite high, and after only a few days, Aux already owed the Guild a large amount of money. Since he currently had no work, the Fairy Tail Guild generously allowed him to run a tab; he didn't need to pay for food, drinks, or lodging.
This day…
Natsu and Gray sat facing each other, their eyes wider than brass bells.
"They haven't blinked in three hours. Aren't their eyes tired?" Levy sat at the table next to them. She rubbed her sore eyes, unable to comprehend how the two of them managed it.
"Hmph hmph… What they're competing on now is whoever blinks first loses," Cana replied.
She couldn't help but laugh remembering the rumors of the past three days.
Gray of the Fairy Tail Guild was a perverted exhibitionist who particularly enjoyed stripping in public to scare young women. Even when locked in a cell, he would still take his clothes off at the drop of a hat.
Not only that… there were also rumors that Natsu of the Fairy Tail Guild was an arsonist, setting fires wherever he went.
These two were now particularly famous in Magnolia.
"Amazing… If Gray and a girl swapped bodies, would he still strip?" Aux muttered.
Cana and Levy instantly shivered.
Aux, who had manipulated Gray and Natsu in the palm of his hand, was absolutely the most terrifying devil!
After hearing that, both girls swore to themselves: no matter who they offended, they absolutely must not offend Aux.
They definitely didn't want their bodies swapped.
Bang!
The two stalemated idiots finally couldn't hold on any longer, and Natsu slammed his hand on the table first. He stomped on the tabletop, his eyes burning with rage.
"Exhibitionist! If you hadn't set fires all over the city, I wouldn't have been fined five hundred thousand!" Natsu yelled.
He had received the fine that morning. The reason: he had set fires all over the city these past few days. Although no one was hurt, many buildings were damaged.
Now Magnolia Town demanded that he pay the fines.
Five hundred thousand!!!
His savings weren't even close, and it was all because of Gray, that idiot.
"Huh?" Gray snapped back, stepping onto the table as well. "You only have to pay five hundred thousand. My reputation as a perverted exhibitionist is known throughout the entire city now!"
Natsu snorted. "You were already an exhibitionist. Even without me, everyone would've found out sooner or later."
"Nani?"
"Bastard!"
"Fire-eating bastard!"
"Droopy eyes!"
Crackling noises—
The two immediately came to blows, no hesitation at all.
Aux watched with relish, but soon his smile faded.
Clang!
Gray and Natsu froze mid-fight.
Master Makarov stood there, gripping his staff and tapping it firmly on the floor. The crisp sound instantly silenced the entire Guild.
"Today, the Mayor of Magnolia came to me," Makarov said, "reporting Gray for arbitrarily stripping in public and causing distress to female residents. He also reported Natsu for setting fires and damaging buildings. The two of you must pay a total of one million jewel as atonement."
What!!!
Natsu and Gray's faces darkened. One million jewel meant both of them had to pay.
They glared at each other again. Now regret also surfaced—if they had known it would cost this much, they would have been more careful.
"Let this be a lesson. Don't be so impulsive next time," Makarov scolded.
Next, he declared, "You two will team up for work until the one million jewel is paid off."
The two were stunned.
Team up? With each other?
"Impossible! I'm not teaming up with him!"
"Happy and I are doing perfectly fine. Why would I work with an exhibitionist?!"
Neither agreed.
If they teamed up, neither would yield, and the mission would be impossible.
"Aux, you'll join them as well. You're responsible for this too since you swapped their personalities," Makarov added.
Aux's smile froze.
He scratched his head helplessly; he had planned to team up with others for work.
As he had said himself—he possessed support magic. He certainly wouldn't fight; his job was to aid others.
Makarov looked at Natsu and Gray and warned, "If you don't work properly, Aux has the power to swap your bodies with a kitten or a puppy."
Hiss—
Natsu and Gray gasped.
The old man was truly a devil.
What would happen if they were swapped with a cat or a dog?
Reluctantly, they accepted the team arrangement. They had to earn that one million jewel quickly.
"Work! Work!"
To disband the team as soon as possible, Natsu rushed to the request board to find a mission.
Gray followed begrudgingly, Aux also walked over with his staff, knowing things were about to get busy.
"If we could go to the second floor, any request there would have a high reward…" Natsu muttered.
Gray retorted, "Only S-Class Mages can take missions from the second floor. Don't even think about it."
Fairy Tail was one of the top Mage Guilds. The rewards for its missions weren't low, but million-jewel requests didn't exist on the first floor.
Only a handful of dangerous missions offered twenty to thirty thousand. Naturally, Aux, Gray, and Natsu wouldn't pick jobs below one hundred thousand jewel.
"Let's do this one."
Aux pointed at a mission on the board. A Magical Beast extermination job. The location wasn't far—just the next town over.
The reward was over two hundred thousand.
Doing a few of these would be enough.
"Will it be difficult?" Happy asked.
"A Magical Beast over ten meters tall… basically a Magical Beast King," Gray said eagerly.
"I'll burn it to a crisp!" Natsu exclaimed.
Mission confirmed!
They handed the request to Mirajane, registered the job, then went home to pack. They planned to meet at the station in half an hour.
When Gray arrived at the station—
"Run! It's Gray from the Fairy Tail Guild!" a girl shrieked, dragging her friend away.
"Isn't Fairy Tail your local Guild? Why are we running?" her friend asked.
"The one named Gray is an exhibitionist! He strips naked in front of women just to scare people!" the girl warned.
Her friend paled. "That pervert? Then we should really run!"
Their conversation reached Gray's ears.
Veins bulged in his neck. His teeth ground.
He shot a murderous glare at the smirking Fire Dragon.
"Pff—pff—pff—"
Happy had been holding back his laughter, but he couldn't anymore.
"Hahaha! Gray will never have a good reputation in Magnolia again!"
Natsu stood smugly, hands on his hips.
See?
This was what happened to people who offended the great Fire Dragon.
"Depart!"
Aux stopped Gray, who was about to explode again, and with a single command, everyone boarded the train.
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