As the sun began to set, Lucien sat in an outdoor café, casually flipping through a stack of weekly magazines filled with useful information.
"If I'm not mistaken, this person shouldn't exist."
"Besides, this name is way too obvious."
The magazines were entertaining, covering everything from rankings of the strongest figures in the magic world to rumors, events, and guild activity, much like newspapers.
In this world, strength was measured by magic power.
The ranking system included the Ten Wizard Saints, S-Class Mages, A-Class Mages, B-Class Mages, C-Class Mages, and so on.
There were also organizations like the Magic Council, which maintained order across the continent.
On the surface, there were only ten Ten Wizard Saints, but in reality, many hidden monsters possessed strength on that level.
Some individuals could even kill a Ten Wizard Saint instantly.
Because of that, the power system here was extremely dangerous and unpredictable.
Magic types were diverse and chaotic, including time, metal, wood, water, fire, earth, light, darkness, celestial magic, and countless others.
If one was careless, even someone of a lower rank could turn the tables and kill them.
Especially those so-called chosen ones who, at critical moments, would suddenly shout something like, "We are Fairy Tail," and then explode with power.
Lucien scoffed faintly.
Right now, he held a magazine featuring several key members of Fairy Tail.
Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster...
Everything matched the original world.
Except for one person.
Fairy Tail's strongest S-Class Mage, Golden Emperor Ares, a gold-element mage.
The magazine was filled with exaggerated praise, displaying the image of a handsome young man with sharp brows, a high nose bridge, a scar under his right eye, and golden, slightly messy hair. His expression was cold and confident.
If anyone were to ask who the dream man of Magnolia's young women was, the answer would undoubtedly be Ares.
Handsome, powerful, and extremely wealthy.
A perfect combination.
As for the dream girl of young men, that title belonged to Mirajane, known as the Demon.
The two of them were essentially the public faces of Fairy Tail, admired by both men and women.
Lucien stared at Ares' image, his eyes narrowing slightly.
There was an eighty percent chance that this guy was a transmigrator.
And a sixty percent chance he was a reincarnator.
That made things troublesome.
Fairy Heart was hidden beneath the Fairy Tail guild.
In truth, it was the preserved body of Mavis Vermillion, the first guild master of Fairy Tail. It was also known as Lumen Histoire, a hidden magic that surpassed the three great Fairy Tail spells, "Fairy Law," "Fairy Glitter," and "Fairy Sphere."
Lucien's goal was simple.
Find Mavis' body and merge with it.
The difficulty was obvious.
Right now, his only option was infiltration.
Once inside, he could look for an opportunity to act.
But that golden-haired nuisance complicated things.
If there were other transmigrators or reincarnators, the risk would increase significantly.
Simply infiltrating was not enough.
He needed control.
Lucien leaned back slightly and blew out a ring of smoke, a twisted smile forming on his lips as a plan slowly took shape.
He had yet to fight against S-Class Mages or Ten Wizard Saints in this world, so he could not precisely gauge his current level.
Still, he had confidence.
Reaching up, he touched the miniature Gatling gun and rocket launcher hanging from his ears.
Over time, through continuous soul infusion, these Hoz had become extremely powerful. They could freely change size and fire endlessly. When combined with Armament Haki, their destructive power was terrifying.
Their stamina and Haki consumption were minimal.
As for Haki itself, he would only use it when absolutely necessary.
For now, the Soul Fruit would be his main weapon.
Until the Odin Curse was broken, it was his strongest ability.
Counting everything he carried, Lucien possessed quite an arsenal.
A shirt, beach shorts, flip-flops, a Gatling gun, a rocket launcher, a wolf-tooth club, Red Wolf's frying pan, a watermelon knife, and a Demon mask Harley motorcycle.
Unfortunately, the vibranium gloves, along with Prometheus, Zeus, and Napoleon, were not with him. Those were his strongest Hoz.
Items not created through his golden finger could not be brought across worlds.
Since obtaining the Soul Fruit, Lucien had devoured countless souls.
His own soul had grown so strong that it was practically indistinguishable from a physical body.
Even so, the Odin Curse still bound him.
A small bottle suddenly appeared in his hand.
Inside was a super-enhanced, extremely potent laxative.
He had never used it before.
He originally thought he never would.
Yet here he was.
Returning to an old specialty.
Poisoning.
Lucien's grin turned disturbing.
Fairy Tail loved holding banquets.
That made things easy.
One move, and he could bring them all down.
Even demons and monsters would not be able to resist this enhanced formula.
…
Magnolia Town was peaceful, largely because of Fairy Tail's presence.
Smiling residents filled the streets, living their lives without worry.
Fairy Tail held a special status here, respected and admired by many.
As long as the guild existed, Magnolia remained safe.
Of course, that respect came with complaints.
Fairy Tail members were notorious for causing chaos, making them both loved and resented.
"That's a Fairy Tail mage, right? Walking naked in the street like that…"
"It's Gray Fullbuster. We're used to it."
"He just strips anywhere?"
"Sigh… not a single normal person in that guild."
On the busy street, residents pointed and whispered, though most were already accustomed to it.
"This mission was too easy. Not even a challenge."
"We're almost back. Time to rest properly."
"Aye."
Happy, sitting on Natsu's head, raised his paw in agreement.
Before long, the group arrived in front of a large building.
The doors were shut, but loud noise and laughter could be heard from inside.
"Bang!"
Without hesitation, Natsu kicked the door open.
The impact shook the frame as dust fell, the door barely holding together.
At this rate, it would not last much longer.
Despite the noise, the lively chaos inside continued without pause.
Suddenly, a flip-flop flew through the air in a perfect arc toward Ares.
With a slight step to the side, he avoided it effortlessly.
The projectile continued forward.
"Ah!"
It struck Lucy square in the face.
"Lucy got hit! She's going to die!"
Happy screamed dramatically.
"Shut up!"
Lucy tore the flip-flop off her face and grabbed Happy by the ear, her eyes watering.
"My face… that hurt…"
"Sorry, Lucy."
A beautiful woman with long white hair tied back and gentle features approached, holding a tray as she covered her mouth with a soft laugh.
"Mira, I'm fine…"
Lucy forced a smile as she wiped her face with the handkerchief Mirajane handed her.
"Welcome back."
Mirajane smiled warmly at Natsu, Ares, Gray, and Happy.