The next day, the sky was clear.
Magnolia's streets were lively as always. Shops lined both sides of the road, their displays bright and inviting. Vendors called out to passersby, laughter echoed in the air, and the entire town felt warm and full of life.
Every face carried a smile.
Among the crowd, a plainly dressed woman in her forties walked casually, blending in without drawing any attention. She passed right by the entrance of the Fairy Tail guild.
Through Observation Haki, Lucien sensed the situation inside. There were fewer people than usual, and compared to its normal chaos, it felt unusually quiet.
Not long after, another figure passed by. This time it was a middle aged man. Then a child. Then a young woman.
All of them were Lucien.
Three hours later, Lucien sat inside a restaurant not far from the guild. His seat by the window gave him a perfect view of the entrance.
At this moment, he had taken on the form of a different woman.
He slowly ate his dessert, his eyes occasionally drifting toward the guild, patiently waiting.
Lucien remembered clearly that Fairy Tail had plenty of insignificant members. The kind who barely appeared, had no lines, and existed only in the background.
Weak mages.
Easy targets.
His plan was simple.
Wait for one of those minor members to show up. Kill them, devour them, take their identity, and infiltrate the guild from within.
After that, he would slip an extremely potent laxative into their food supply.
If things went well, he could cripple the entire guild without wasting effort or spilling unnecessary blood.
Efficient.
Clean.
Perfect.
As the sun began to set, the sky turned red with streaks of fading light. Twilight settled over Magnolia.
Soon, three mages walked out of the guild, arms slung over each other's shoulders. They were clearly drunk, laughing loudly as they staggered forward.
They were exactly what Lucien was looking for.
Insignificant, careless, and weak.
Each of them had a distinct and almost ridiculous appearance. One had messy hair, another had thick lips, and the third had an unusually wide mouth.
The kind of people no one would notice missing.
The three continued down the street, completely unaware that something far worse than a predator was following them.
They eventually turned into a narrow alley near the canal. Their living conditions were no better than ordinary townsfolk, despite being Fairy Tail mages.
"Bang!"
Without warning, the one with the wide mouth collapsed just as he pulled out his key.
The other two dropped immediately after.
Lucien stepped out from the shadows.
From his lower back, three sharp, bone like spikes shot forward and pierced into one of them. Flesh tore apart as the spikes sank deep, draining everything in an instant.
Blood pooled quietly beneath the body.
Lucien raised his hand and grasped the departing soul, scanning through its memories with cold efficiency before feeding it away.
His body shifted.
In a blink, he became the man he had just killed.
Moments later, the other two stirred and slowly got back to their feet.
Their eyes were empty.
They stood before Lucien with unnatural obedience.
They had already been turned into Demons.
That night, Lucien slept well.
The next morning, he was no longer himself.
He was Silas.
Every memory, every habit, every small detail had been perfectly absorbed. There was no flaw in his disguise.
The other two remained unchanged, still acting as his close companions.
Everything proceeded as expected.
Silas and his friends were exactly what Lucien had assumed, background characters with no presence. They took small jobs to survive and spent most of their time eating, drinking, and wasting away inside the guild.
They paid for their food, so no one bothered them.
It made things easier.
When Lucien arrived at the guild with them, several members were already inside. Even in the early morning, the place was slowly coming to life.
Some familiar faces stood out.
Levy, wearing glasses, was browsing the request board. Nearby, Nab and Reedus were doing the same, occasionally muttering to themselves.
After exchanging greetings, everyone gathered into small groups, chatting, boasting, or gossiping about random things.
Lucien blended in perfectly.
He observed everything quietly.
By noon, more members arrived, and the hall became increasingly crowded. The noise level rose rapidly.
Then Natsu, Gray, and Lucy showed up.
That was when everything truly started.
As usual, Natsu and Gray locked eyes.
That alone was enough.
Within seconds, they were arguing.
Within moments, they were fighting.
And just like that, the entire guild was dragged into chaos.
"Figures."
Lucien glanced toward the bar from the corner of his eye.
Mira stood behind the counter, laughing softly as she covered her mouth. Lucy leaned forward, her chest pressing against the bar as she talked animatedly. Happy lay sprawled out nearby, half asleep.
And there was Ares.
Resting his chin on one hand, he looked at Lucy with clear disinterest, his expression carrying a trace of disdain.
Lucien's gaze lingered slightly.
He was certain of it.
That man was either a reincarnator or a transmigrator.
There was no other explanation.
Lucien did not know what kind of ability Ares possessed, but one thing was certain.
He was dangerous.
People like that were always troublesome.
"Natsu and Gray are going to fight!"
A shout rang out, and the chaotic hall suddenly quieted.
All eyes turned toward the center, where Natsu and Gray stood forehead to forehead, glaring at each other.
"Place your bets!"
Macao and Wakaba immediately stepped forward, setting things up with practiced ease.
They had clearly done this many times before.
Then a small figure jumped down from the second floor.
Makarov.
"Natsu, one to one! Gray, one to one! Place your bets!"
From the guild master to the newest members, everyone began placing wagers.
In the center, Natsu and Gray separated slightly, both wearing confident grins.
"Aye, I'm betting 10,000 J on Natsu!"
Happy raised his paw proudly.
Lucy blinked in shock.
"Since when do you have that much money?"
"Aye, that's our savings," Happy replied.
Lucy paused, then sighed in relief.
"I knew it. There's no way you had that much on your own."
Then she froze.
Wait.
Was this really okay?
Gambling openly like this?
She turned her head slowly, only to see Makarov loudly placing his own bet on Gray.
He was even explaining his reasoning.
"Gray is more likely to win today. Natsu won their last one on one, so this time it should be Gray!"
It was apparently a pattern. Since childhood, the two had always alternated wins. Neither of them ever lost twice in a row.
It was their strange sense of pride.
"Then I'll bet on Gray too. 100,000 J."
Silence fell.
Everyone stared at Mira in disbelief.
The highest bet so far had only been 10,000 J, yet she casually placed ten times that amount.
"Mira, are you serious?" Lucy asked, stunned.
"Of course."
Mira smiled gently, completely unconcerned.
For her, 100,000 J was nothing. As both a Fairy Tail mage and a magazine model, she earned far more than most people present.
Before Ares showed up, many members, including Natsu and Gray, often borrowed money from her.
"Alright, I'll bet too."
Lucy clenched her fists, determination in her eyes.
She was about to gamble her rent money again.
Soon after, everyone moved to the guild's backyard arena, a space designed for combat.
"I'm fired up!"
Natsu's hands ignited with roaring flames, the heat spreading instantly through the air.
Gray stood opposite him, expression steady.
He knew Natsu's abilities inside out.
Dragon Slayer Magic, a rare and powerful form of Lost Magic said to grant the power to kill dragons.
Of course, it was not the only kind of magic in this world.
There were many types, Molding Magic, Celestial Spirit Magic, Light Magic, and countless others.
Some were common, while others existed only in legends.
Those rare ones were known as Lost Magic.
In truth, the system of power here was not so different from Whitney's previous world.
Different names, similar concepts.
Devil Fruits there.
Magic here.
And as for Ares…
His power could easily be mistaken for Gold Magic.