ASS 11

It was party time after Will got paid. A place was all they needed, but Twilight Ogre handled that, reserving an entire bar without even paying for it as the owner gladly accepted, knowing that wizards were heavy spenders. Going regularly on missions was a stressful job unless you were an adrenaline junkie, so most of them had to find ways to relieve themselves, and drinking was the most common one.

Will did promise to pay for some drinks, and it would cost him to do so for the entire Twilight Ogre guild, but he did have over 50 000 000 Jewels in his pocket. Which was an incredible sum of money, considering he'd earned it in about a month.

His business had just started, yet he already made half a million when converted into USD. And his earnings would continue to grow as he became more popular by the day. His customers were still mainly from Fiore, one of the smallest nations on the continent of Ishgar. Once the other nations caught wind of him, his profit would increase even more.

Not to mention that Will was still only selling the beginner potions. He was yet to buy the next Alchemy book, but there was no doubt that it would have even better ones, which he could sell for even more. Though he'd have to be careful with what he puts on the market since he'd rather not have Dark Guilds gunning after him.

Some of them would try to go after Will, and it was inevitable. He was okay with that since his building was protected for the time being, and two guilds had his back. As long as the big dogs - the Balam Alliance more specifically - stayed away from him, he would be fine.

However, should any of the three Dark Guilds come after him, he would be in a heap of trouble. Even the weakest among them, Oracion Seis, could give Fairy Tail a run for their money. They might have only six members, but pretty much each one of them was equivalent to an S-class wizard.

As for the other two guilds from the alliance - Grimoire Heart and Tartaros - Will would rather stay as far away from them as possible. Especially from the latter, as it was a guild full of demons created by Zeref, the so-called evilest and most powerful wizard of all time.

He certainly could be considered the most powerful as the man had lived for centuries and gathered immense knowledge throughout the ages. His magic power was also immense, possibly having the most amongst the mortal beings on the planet. However, it was up for debate whether he was the evilest or not.

Zeref's only wish had been to revive his dead brother. He ended up creating many evil demons in his attempts, which was a point against him. Though what truly made him the evilest of all time wasn't even his fault.

In his attempts to create a magic to revive his brother, Zeref angered the god that governed life and death on Earthland. Displeased with the mortal's actions, the god punished Zeref by placing a curse on him.

Ankhseram, the god of life and death, decided to make Zeref immortal. Some might consider that boon, the chance of living forever and not caring about death, allowing you to do whatever you wanted to, knowing you just can't die. However, others might think of it as a curse, as you watched loved ones pass away one after the other as time went on. Ankhseram made sure it wasn't a boon.

Every time Zeref started to care, to feel affection towards someone or even something, he would release a pulse of uncontrollable dark magic, killing everything around him. And the only way to stop that from happening was for him to simply forget the value of life. He had to treat everything and everyone as nothing more than a thing, an object that just didn't matter to him. Otherwise, they were bound to be killed the moment they got close to him.

Thinking about that, Will realized that despite the focal point of Fairy Tail being dragons and demons, gods still existed in this world. There were deities with insurmountable power, and yet he knew almost nothing about them.

In fact, there was only a mention of two gods in the entire story. One of them, Ankhseram, who made Zeref into one of the most powerful wizards by simply cursing him out of spite. The other, Chronos, a god of time, who chose Dimaria - one of Zeref's generals - to be his vessel, making her one of the strongest mages on Earthland. Two simple actions on those deities' parts, yet they created two of the most powerful wizards on the planet.

That was the only information Will knew off besides the knowledge that God Slayer Magic existed. Like the other Slayer types, it made the user immune to their respective element and allowed them to consume it to replenish their energy. The color of a God Slayer's element was also always black, but there was no explanation why it was that way.

There was a severe lack of knowledge of God Slayer Magic since none of the main cast used it. At least for the other two types, it was known that as the user continued to use them, they would transform into a demon or a dragon.

Acnologia and Irene - Erza's mother - were prime examples of using their Dragon Slayer Magic to the point of turning into dragons. In the story, Gray also partially turned into a demon; due to the Ice Devil Slayer Magic that his father passed onto him. Though that did come with the benefit of gaining a resistance to Curses.

If two of the shown Slayer types of magic transformed the user, one could assume the others would also have the same side-effect. Not all of them have been used in the story, but Will had a system that informed him exactly how many existed.

Starting from the cheapest, they were the following: Giant, Devil, Angel, Phoenix, Dragon, and God Slayer Magic. Their prices started at 10 000 credits and increased by 5 000, with Dragon Slayer being 35 000. However, the last one cost twice as much, clearly showing which one was the best.

70 000 credits were a lot, and it would take him a long time to gather them, but Will was definitely interested in getting God Slayer Magic for himself. That, however, was for the future. For now, he had a party to prepare for.

Twilight Ogre would be the primary attendants for the night, but that didn't mean he couldn't invite anyone else, not that he had many other friends to ask.

Erza was still on a mission. Cana would leave him dirt poor with her drinking tendencies, so he'd prefer to not invite her even if she was here. That left only Loke, with whom he actually enjoyed sharing a drink, and Mira, who had been acting strange as of late. He still wasn't sure what he did to wrong her.

With that in mind, Will entered the Fairy Tail building. Mira, he spotted behind the bar, but Loke was nowhere to be seen. Gray was the only other member he recognized, but he wasn't close to the Ice user, nor did he want to be kicked out of the bar due to his stripping habits. So, there was only one option.

"Hello, Mira," Will greeted her.

"Nice you see you, Will," Mira kindly replied with a gentle smile. She wasn't glaring at him this time, so that was an improvement. "How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if Loke's been around?" He asked.

"Ah, well, our local playboy left on a mission earlier," Mira replied with a smirk. "You two have been getting along nicely, huh?"

"Yeah, I'd say he's becoming a good friend of mine," Will nodded.

"Hmm, if you want, I can leave him a message when he returns. Should be in a day or two," Mira pleasantly said.

"No, it's fine," Will smiled. "I just wanted to ask if he would be up for a drink or two tonight since I'm going out."

Mira hummed with a knowing smile, just looking at him with a glint in her eyes.

"And since he is not here, would you be interested in going out for a drink?" He asked and quickly added. "Bear in mind, it would be with Twilight Ogre."

"Are you asking me on a date?" Mira teased as she rested her chin on her palm and leaned on the bar.

"Just an outing between friends," he replied with a chuckle.

"Tsk, tsk, you ignored me for a few days, and now you ask me out on a date," she said with a saucy smile, ignoring his previous statement.

"As I said, not a date," Will denied her accusation. "And I didn't ignore you, I just... avoided you, yes, avoided you."

"Doesn't make it any better," Mira replied, still keeping her smile, and her words were nothing but playful.

"As sweet and beautiful as you are, I'd rather not poke the demon that's been giving me the side-eye," he plainly told her.

"Ahh," Mira gasped. "Is that what you see me as? Just a demon?"

"Ignore my previous words, why don't you," Will muttered as he wrinkled his nose.

"I thought better of you, Will," Mira continued with a faux sniff.

He just rolled his eyes in response. "A simple no would do, you know?"

"No, no," she shook her head. "I'd love to go on a date with you."

"Again, just an outing between friends," Will repeated.

"You can pick me up at about half an hour before the party from Fairy Hills. Just don't try to enter like you did the last time," Mira giggled pleasantly.

"Yeah, yeah, the old man has a mean kick, I know," Willaim said with a shake of his head and a chuckle. "My butt ached the entire next day after that."

Mira giggled happily. "Well, I have to get back to work, but I'll see you later. Make sure to dress nicely for our date, mkay?"

"Not a date, not a date," he kept repeating, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"Whatever you say," Mira teased with a wink as she returned back to work with a wave. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see you later," Will replied, thinking to himself, 'What did I get myself into?'

He left the building, planning to visit a few clothing stores. After all, he did need a new wardrobe and had plenty of money to spare. Will's shopping didn't last for too long, and he even passed through the market on the way back.

Since there were still a few hours before the party, he decided to brew some potions to try and raise his Alchemy skill. It was becoming harder and harder to increase it, and he had to make thousands of potions at this point for even a single level. Maybe even more since he was pretty much stuck on 24. Buying the next Alchemy book might be the only way, but he could do that the day after. It's not like his credits would run away.

Mira liked how he looked in a suit, so Will dressed in one, choosing a purple suit this time. He arrived at the girls' dormitory that was Fairy Hills at their agreed time and waited outside for a moment.

She shortly made her appearance, exiting the building with a confident smile on her face, making him gape in surprise at her chosen outfit. Mira usually wore a very conservative dress when working behind the bar; it reached her ankles, revealing only her shoulders and the bare top of her breasts.

However, her current attire was anything but conservative. She wore a sexy red dress that hugged her body, showing off her curves. It ended just below her waist, and it had an opening on the left side, revealing her creamy thigh.

"So, how do I look?" Mira spun in place and asked with a smirk.

"You look good," Will said as he quickly closed his hanging mouth.

"Just good? Not beautiful, stunning, or sexy?" The minx playfully teased him with a fake pout.

"Yeah, yeah, all of that," he replied, reminding himself that he had a very sexy girlfriend that should be coming back soon... hopefully...

"Now, should we get going?" Will then asked.

"One moment," Mira replied as she walked up to him. Her hands snaked under his arm as she grabbed ahold of it. "Now we can," Mira winked as she held onto him.

'Erza's coming back soon, Erza's coming back soon,' Will kept repeating in his mind as they walked towards the bar.

On the way, the people that saw them stared at him in astonishment. After all, it was common knowledge in Magnolia that he was going out with Erza at this point. Now, the people witnessed him with Mira hanging from his arm. The rumors would spread, and there was nothing he could do to stop them.

'There's no such thing as bad publicity, right?' This might work in his favor since more people would be interested in him and his dealings. Which would mean that he would get more customers. Maybe. Hopefully.

There was always the chance of crazy fans appearing at his doorstep to shout death threats at him. At least his store was protected, and he could douse any of those with sleep and paralysis poisons. And if they got too pushy, well, he really wished to test his new magic gun.

The Twilight Ogre members were just as stunned when they saw him arrive with Mira. They kept their mouths shut and didn't comment on it, but Will saw their expressions. They eyed him with respect and admiration, even the Guildmaster as well.

"Well, the man of the hour is here so we can start the party!" Broerd shouted as they entered inside and started the night of drinking.

Drinking with Twilight Ogre was fun, Will had to admit. He shared a few words with most and clinked glasses with almost all of them as he walked through the bar, stopping by the Guildmaster.

"You chose an interesting date to bring," Broerd said as they clanged glasses, both taking a drink.

"Just a friend," Will said with a chuckle, happy the Guildmaster hadn't taken it the wrong way. He had brought a member from their 'rival' guild, after all.

"Oh, I see, I see, just a friend," Broerd replied with a wink and a knowing smile, nodding his head in understanding.

"That's... not what I meant," Will's words fell on deaf ears.

"I remember when I was your age," Broerd continued with a nostalgic smile. "Good times, good times," he drank from his drink, staring off into the distance, seemingly remembering his younger days.

"I feel like no one is listening to me today," Will massaged his temple and took a swing of his own drink.

"Ah, well, you better not leave her waiting for too long. She... doesn't seem too happy," Broerd said in a moment, done with his reminiscing.

Will took a peek at the pouting Mira, who was swirling the drink in her glass. She was either unhappy that he left her alone for so long or because a few of the more bold Twilight Ogre members had tried hitting on her. Either or, he would probably still be blamed.

Will sighed and looked down before taking a deep breath. "If she attacks me, I can count on you to save me, right?"

"If she attacks you, we would politely give her a hand," Broerd replied, patting him on the shoulder.

"We'd rather avoid dealing with an S-rank mage," he continued with a bitter tone. In his entire guild, there was not a single S-rank mage. Even Broerd himself wasn't one, yet Fairy Tail had five, not counting their monster of a Guildmaster. On top of that, they had multiple candidates that could qualify as one.

"I will get at least one of your wizards to that level," Will said on impulse, sensing Broerd's bitter feelings.

Once he gets his Alchemy skill high enough and gets more recipes to work with, he was sure he would be able to raise at least one of Twilight Ogre's mages to S-rank. It might be costly, but they would definitely pay him in gold, considering what was offered in return.

Will might have a bit of a rough first meeting with Twilight Ogre, but they have been nothing but bros ever since. Boosting one of them with some precious medicine was something he saw himself doing. Plus, the stronger they got, the better protection they could offer him.

"You do know I'm planning on handing my position over to my son, right?" Broerd asked him with a laugh.

"And? What has that got to do with me?" Will didn't see how that concerned him.

"Well, stop trying to steal it from him!" Broerd continued laughing.

As much as they have helped the shopkeeper lately, Will's presence guaranteed they would have a successful future. With his potions, Twilight Ogre took more missions than before, more dangerous ones as well. Their reputation has been steadily growing, and it was all thanks to him. Now Will declared he would get one of Twilight Ogre's wizards to S-rank? If he actually succeeded, Broerd didn't even know what he could possibly give him in return.

"I'd rather not," Will shook his head. "Otherwise, how am I supposed to charge you for potions? As a Guildmaster, I would be obliged to hand them for free to the members, and that's just not good for business."

"What a greedy bastard you are," Broerd just laughed, an overjoyed and contented smile on his face. "Now, shoo before your date decides to bring the bar down on our heads. Everyone knows a Fairy Tail wizard would happily do that."

Will walked back to his table, feeling less confident the closer he got to the pouting Mira. She played with her drink as she swirled the liquid inside her glass, not even looking at him until he sat next to her.

"Finally remembered about your date, huh?" Mira asked with a faux pout before a teasing smile formed on his face.

Will sighed, realizing no one listened to what he said. He then smirked as he looked around. "Erza's here? I didn't know."

Mira gaped for a moment before nodding. "Fair play." She then continued with a smirk. "You still left me to fend against those brutes all on my lonesome."

"I did warn you I'd be with Twilight Ogre," he replied with a shrug.

"That you did," Mira nodded. "You didn't mention why you were going out drinking with them, though."

"Well, they've been pretty helpful in keeping the store orderly. Plus, they made sure I wasn't bullied into a bad deal earlier today," Will said with a satisfied smile. It made him giddy with excitement knowing that someone was paying him twice as much for 2000 potions. So many Jewels, so many credits, he felt at bliss.

"Oh, they did? Tell me more, what happened?" Mira asked, interested and slightly concerned.

She felt unhappy with herself, knowing that he could've been forced into some shady deal without her even knowing due to giving him the side-eye for a few days. Mira felt like she owed him for what Will told her, and it wasn't fair on her part to act that way just because Erza couldn't stop talking about Will and how she was winning.

"Well..." Will gave her a brief description of the incident with Mr. Fortune and how it went, informing her how he tabled the turns on him with the help of Twilight Ogre. He also mentioned that he figured that the man might try something due to Makarov pointing it out to him.

"Huh, the Master should've mentioned something about that," Mira muttered but shook her head afterward. "I'll deal with him when he gets back. But now? How about we go dance?"

"Dance?" Will tilted his head, his eyes scrunched up as he looked at the smiling minx. The music in the bar was pleasant-sounding, very similar to the hip-hop back on Earth, but the problem was, "I don't know how to dance."

"Come on," Mira stood up and grasped his hand, pulling him towards the open space in the bar. "It's not that hard; you just need to move to the rhythm."

"I've heard that before..." Will muttered, but his thoughts went back to the music. With Super Archive in play, he could write down the lyrics of the more popular songs and sell them to various singers and bands. That could be worth a pretty penny. He didn't get to think about it for long since Mira took his attention away.

After paying quite the sum in the bar, Will decided it was time to go, even though most Twilight Ogre members planned to party during the entire night. He still had to work and open the store in the morning, after all.

Mira also left with him since he was the only reason she went out, to begin with. He was escorting her back to Fairy Hills as that was the gentlemanly thing to do. There was practically no one in town that could do something to her if she went all Satan Soul on them, but it was the gesture that counted.

"Can we stop here for a bit?" Mira asked as they were passing near a park.

"I don't think my opinion matters," Will replied as she tugged on his arm, pulling towards a bench.

"Come on, it would be just for a bit," she giggled in response as she continued pulling him.

Reaching the bench, Mira dropped on it, dragging him down with her. She positioned his arm neatly over her shoulder and snuggled closer to him for warmth. It was getting chilly since it was the middle of the night, after all.

For a very long moment, they didn't say anything, just sitting there and looking in the distance. Mira was the one to break the silence.

"Lisanna loved coming here. She just liked spending time around nature. Probably why she had such an easy time using her magic." Will felt her tremble as she spoke, unsure if it was due to the cold or the memory of her sister.

"Or maybe it was because of her magic that she enjoyed nature so much. Lisanna's specialty is Take Over: Animal Soul, after all. It probably influenced her on some level. Our type of magic is known to do that," Mira continued with a grimace.

"Take Over... it's a powerful type of magic, but it comes with its downsides. If you don't have the willpower to dominate the soul you have absorbed, it could very easily control you. That's... what happened with our brother back then."

Elfman specialized in Take Over: Beast Soul. Although some of the more dangerous animals could be referred to as beasts, the term was also used for deadly magical monsters.

Out of the three Strauss siblings, Elfman had the least amount of control over his magic, and it showed when he used it on The Beast. The King of Monsters - as Mira referred to that creature - easily overpowered Elfman and took control of his body, leading to Lisanna's death.

That event led to both Mira and her brother being unable to fully use their magic. Elfman could at most do a partial Take Over, being able to transform only a part of his body to that of a beast, not even coming close to a full transformation since that day.

Mira, on the other hand, lost her will to use her magic. If she tried hard enough, she could probably do it. However, she was afraid, so scared that she might lose control and let one of her demons take over. Her worry wasn't for nothing since all of the souls inside her were that of very powerful demons. Even her weakest demon was strong enough to quickly destroy a town if there was no one powerful enough to stop it.

"Lisanna's really alive, right?" Mira looked up at him, tears gathering in her eyes as she grasped on his jacket.

Will thought about how to respond. He already told her that Lisanna was alive, but there seemed to still be a little bit of doubt. Biting his lip, Will brought up his system and looked over the selection of items. There was one he was eyeing after finding it, and he decided to purchase it right now. Initially, he planned on holding back from buying it, but the alcohol in his system gave him the last push.

"Do you know what this is?" Will asked, staring at the small transparent cube with a black orb inside it that appeared in his hands.

Mira looked at the object, her eyes scrunching in surprise. She hadn't seen a magic circle, nor any light, yet he somehow managed to take it out from his pocket space? Had Will progressed that much already, or was there something else at play here?

"No, I don't think so," she replied nonetheless.

"It's called a Judgment Field. When activated, it creates a spherical barrier several meters wide wherein one cannot utter a lie," Will answered, reading the description given to him by the system.

He then activated the Judgment Field by pouring his magic power into it. The dark orb inside it started growing dark green before a dome of the same color expanded outward, covering both of them inside it.

"My name is William Robers," he said before prompting her with a nod.

Taking the hint, Mira tried telling him her name was Lisanna Strauss. However, no sound came from her mouth despite her trying over and over again.

"My name is Mirajane Strauss," she said, confirming that it didn't block her from speaking at all. Will then deactivated the Judgment Field, dispersing the dome before he handed it over to her.

"You should activate it. To make sure it doesn't exempt the user from its effect," he said.

Mira gingerly took the cube, feeling her heart increase its rate of beating with each second. Pouring magic power, she activated the dome and took a deep breath. "Is my sister alive?"

"Yes," Will replied without any hesitation. "Lisanna is with Fairy Tail's counterparts in Edolas. You will get a chance to meet with her again, and as I promised, I will help however I can when that time comes."

Mira just stared at him, more tears gathering in her eyes, but those were from happiness. The tiny amount of doubt in the back of her mind that William might be lying now gone. She deactivated the cube as she buried her head in his chest, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Thank you, thank you," she expressed her gratitude as he gently rubbed her back. She had more questions she wished to ask him, but she was satisfied with just knowing her sister was alive and well.

"I ruined your suit again," Mira said as she pulled back, looking at the tear stains on his jacket.

"It's fine, don't worry about it," he told her with a gentle smile, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Is there anything that I could do to repay you? I'm willing to do... anything," Mira asked, ready to accept any request he might have. Though depending on what that was, she might change her favorable opinion of him.

"You can just get back to your previous self by returning to a powerful S-class mage and help Lisanna when the time comes. That would be more than enough," Will said warmly, a sweet smile blossoming on Mira's face in response.

"You're a good man," Mira patted him on the chest before snuggling closer to him. "Erza's lucky to have you."

"Or maybe I'm lucky to have her," he replied, making her smile.

"She has a steel cage around her glass heart and keeps most people at a distance. I've read of Erza being described in Sorcerer Magazine as aloof and someone who thinks highly of herself due to that. Though in reality, she only wishes to be looked at and treated like a normal woman," Mira said, looking in the distance. The last part, holding some truth about herself as well.

"I'll do my best," Will promised, and Mira hummed in response.

"Is there really nothing I can do for you," she then asked, looking up at him with her blue orbs.

"Well," Will scratched his head with one hand. "If you really want to do something for me, I might have an idea," he continued with a playful smile.

"What is it?" Mira asked, urging him to spit it out.

"Well, in the past few days, I have been thinking of hiring someone to work in the store for me," he grinned.

Mira narrowed her eyes thoughtfully before nodding to herself. "I'm okay with that, but I do have a condition."

"I'm listening," Will said, surprised she so easily accepted.

"I want to have my afternoons free, so it would be like a part-time job from morning till noon," she replied.

"That... sounds okay," Will nodded after a moment. He could do his market run in the morning and brew potions while Mira's behind the counter. She would be a great attraction and would draw lots of customers in.

In the afternoon, he could just take over and continue till the evening. This way, the shop would be open for the entire day, and his profits would double... hopefully.

"I want to have time to train and get back into shape," Mira explained. "I also want to continue modeling since I quite enjoy it. The photo shoots usually are in the afternoon, so I can go over after I finish up at the shop."

"I can work with that," Will nodded in acceptance.

"But I can't start immediately," Mira said in a moment. "The Master left me in charge while he is gone, and everyone else that could take over for me is away. Erza's on a mission, so are Laxus and Mystogan as well. As for Gildarts, well, no one even knows when he would be returning since he took a Hundred Year Quest."

A Hundred Year Quest wasn't a job that took that long to complete, but one that hadn't been completed in a hundred years. Will had no idea who could even be paying for it since whoever commissioned the job should've been dead by now. Maybe their descendants were?

"I have a feeling Gildarts would be returning soon," Will told her.

"Oh, you've seen it?" Mira asked with a tilt of her head, being reminded of his 'magic'.

"You could say so," he replied with a nervous chuckle. He'd seen Gildarts return, but it was about a year later, though he should come back sooner with Will's involvement.

"Good," Mira nodded. "You can expect me to come over tomorrow. Since I can't spend too much time away from the guild, I will stay for about an hour or two, just to see how the work usually goes."

"That's fine with me. I wouldn't mind the company," Will easily replied.

"Great," Mira beamed at him. "Now, I think it's about time I get back home. You won't mind escorting me to Fairy Hills, will you?"

"Sur-" He paused and asked. "Was that supposed to be a pun?"

"Maybe," Mira playfully replied and stuck her tongue at him.

The next day started off slow, but customers started storming in as it progressed. Will was used to getting a good amount of traffic, though not as much as this. He was forced to ask Retsen to go outside and moderate the people coming in, so they wouldn't overfill his store.

The most annoying part was the number of questions sent his way, as most people were engrossed about what had happened yesterday. A few asked about him being seen with Mira, but most were interested in what had occurred with Mr. Fortune as they had apparently seen the interaction that happened outside his building.

Some were under the assumption that he had forced the businessman's hand with the backing of Twilight Ogre. The others thought he had been forced to defend himself by commissioning a guild due to being pressured by Mr. Fortune. They were honestly both correct, but Will's story matched the latter assumption.

Of course, he was also asked about Mira, but he politely explained that they were only friends and that this wasn't the place and time for such talks. He was working, after all. Though his words didn't hold that much value when the girl in question visited his store.

"Hello, Will," Mira happily greeted him with a cheerful smile.

"Hello to you too," he greeted her back. "I'll go grab you something to sit on," he continued before bringing over a chair for her.

"Thank you," Mira beamed at him as she sat behind Will, watching him as he did his thing.

"Huh," Grue muttered, looking back and forward between the two. He then focused on Will and sniffed, respect for his boss filling his eyes.

With Mira sitting next to Will, even more customers started coming in just to see if she was really there with their own eyes. Most didn't even buy anything and just wished to confirm what they've heard from others.

That definitely annoyed him, so he asked Retsen to question the people coming in whether they would buy anything or not. That wasn't part of the wizard's job, but he still accepted nonetheless, earning himself a well-deserved tip at the end of the day.

Will ended up making a lot of profit that day despite the numerous people that snuck in only to ask him about the incident with Mr. Fortune or Mira.

"So, this is a regular day?" Mira asked after he closed the store and paid the Twilight Ogre wizards.

"Generally, there are fewer questions about me and more about what I'm selling, but more or less, yes," Will replied.

"And most of what you are selling is self-explanatory with their straightforward names," Mira nodded.

"Yes, but there are a few additional details of how often one could take a potion and how they work when a couple different ones are drunk in conjunction," he explained. "Anyway, I'm off to the market. Want to join me?"

"Sure," Mira replied, her hands wrapping around his arm as if it was natural.

As Will was purchasing ingredients from the market with Mira accompanying him, they heard a commotion going on. People were pointing fingers and gathering towards that direction they were pointing at. Some looked panicked and shocked, but others seemed excited and eager.

"What is going on?" Will asked Mira.

"I'm not sure," she replied and looked in the distance, "but there seems to be smoke coming from the direction of your shop.'

For a brief moment, Will panicked, thinking that this was some sort of retaliation on Mr. Fortune's part. That the man had decided to burn his building down after being forced to pay double for 2000 potions. Then he remembered that Freed had set up barriers to prevent exactly that.

"Let's go and check," he said after calming down.

On the way, they saw a few buildings that had holes in their walls, as if someone had punched them very, very hard. Some of them were larger, but that was probably due to the flames still dancing on them. Though their owners were doing their best to handle the fire by pouring it with buckets of water.

When they neared Will's building, they saw a whole crowd gathered there, watching in enjoyment and even cheering on whatever was happening. Pushing through the crowd, they arrived at the front, only to witness Natsu hammering at his store over and over again with fists alight with fire.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu kept roaring as he continued punching Will's building. The crowd kept encouraging him with every hit he failed to bring down the building.

"What are you doing?!" Will yelled, noticing the buildings adjacent to his weren't in a pretty state as the Dragon Slayer's fire had latched onto them. The people, however, seemed to be ignoring that in favor of enjoying Natsu's struggle with Will's shop.

"Natsu..." Mira's voice was gentle and kind, just like the smile on her face. However, Will felt an inexplicable dread build inside him.

"Oh, Malil and Mira, what are you doing here?" Natsu asked after he stopped attacking Will's building.

"No, no, no, the question is what are you doing here!" Will replied while Mira continued staring at the Dragon Slayer with her sweet yet scary smile.

"Oh, I'm training to break walls. All other ones I practiced on broke easily, but this one," Natsu pointed at his store, "I'm having a hard time breaking. I'm sure that once I manage to destroy this one, I will be closer to breaking the walls of the bubble you told me about."

Will just stared at him speechlessly, his mouth hanging loose. He just couldn't believe that the random comment he made had led to this!

Peeking at the buildings next to his, he spotted their owners pouring water on the fire, but they were still cheering on the Dragon Slayer... He just couldn't comprehend this situation.

Will understood this was supposed to be a fantasy world, he understood that the people had different mindsets compared to the people from Earth. However, why were they cheering when Natsu was causing property damage? That didn't make any sense!

Then again... those very same people cheered whenever the city shifted upon Gildarts' return. He was the reason the ruling power of Magnolia decided it would just be better to reconstruct the entire town. Why? Because Gildarts was too bothered to follow the main road, instead deciding to take a straight path back to the guild, even if that meant walking through whatever building was in his way, leaving human-sized holes in each he passed through.

"The wall I spoke of is metaphorical, you idiot!" Will yelled, a hand covering his eyes and forehead.

"Meta... what?" Natsu just looked visibly confused as he stared at him.

"How many walls did you actually break? Who's gonna pay for all the damage you caused?" Will asked instead of answering him.

"I..." Natsu paused, realization hitting him like a hammer striking an anvil. He was just training and hadn't meant to cause any harm to others.

"Natsu will pay back the damage he caused," Mira finally spoke, staring at the Dragon Slayer with a smile.

"Um, would 10, 000 Jewels be enough?" Natsu asked nervously, feeling something was very wrong with the way Mira looked at him, his instinct screaming danger.

"That's not even close to enough!" Will replied, feeling the urge to pull his hair out.

"Uhm, well, that's all the money I have. I... don't get paid much for my jobs," Natsu replied with a chuckle.

The Dragon Slayer usually took the hardest missions available, which were generally the highest paying ones. However, due to his penchant for destruction, he ended up causing too much damage most of the time, resulting in him being paid less.

"Then you will work hard until you can pay the people back," Mira said as a burst of magical power exploded from within her.

Everyone near her was pushed away as if a forcefield slammed against them, sending him tumbling to the side. When he got up, he saw that Mira's appearance had drastically changed, her outfit no longer the conservative dress she wore, replaced by a skimpy one-piece.

Bat-like wings had sprouted from Mira's back, and a large, stocky lizard tail danced behind her. Her hands were covered in scales, and each was sprouting a fin-like protrusion on its outer side, her ears had become long just like an elf's, and her hair was raised and jutting upward as if she had entered Super Sayan mode.

"Right, Natsu?" Mira's gentle voice was gone, replaced by an emotionless and evil-sounding one.

"Ahhh," the Dragon Slayer looked very surprised after seeing Mira use Satan Soul.

"Mira! You've regained your magic!" Natsu explained excitedly, happy to see Mira being able to use her signature magic once more.

"I asked you a question," Mira said, her hand extended forward as a purple magic circle formed in front of her.

What was the crowd's response at a possibly very deadly duel between powerful wizards? They cheered harder, of course. What else were they supposed to do? Run away while they can? Please...

"Mira, please, don't destroy my building," Will pleaded, fearful of what might happen if she fired her spell.

The barriers set by Freed were strong, but Natsu had been hammering at his store for who knows how long, and if Mira hit it with a few of her destructive spells... He didn't even want to think about what might happen to his poor building.

Mira glanced at him, a devilish smirk growing on her face. "Ask me nicely, pretty boy," she said, her control over her demon slipping just a bit due to her not using her magic in the past year.

"If you are polite, maybe we can spend some quality time in your home," she continued, licking her lips as she stared at him as if he was a tasty steak.

"Ah..." Will's eyes widened, not expecting that. "Please?"

Mira opened her mouth, but she quickly closed it shut. She shook her head, regaining a bit of clarity, before shooting him an apologetic look.

"Also, he's trying to get away," Will pointed at the retreating Dragon Slayer, who had apparently thought he could get away while she was distracted.

Without even looking, Mira just swiped her hand, a large magic circle forming beneath Natsu's feet with that action. Massive tendrils made of darkness then erupted from the ground, capturing the Dragon Slayer with ease.

"I have a pesky lizard to deal with, but..." Satan Mira licked her lips. "I'll be back very soon."

The crowd kept on cheering as Mira spread her wings and flew over to the trembling Natsu. "Let's have some fun," she grabbed him and flew off, a blue furball following after them and keeping a safe distance.

'Erza, where are you? I need your help! Please save me!' Will felt like crying, the predicament too much for him to handle.

(Bonus Scene)

Erza's trip to the country of Bellum took a while. Though she should've expected as much since the nation was almost on the other side of the continent. Nevertheless, she had arrived at the village of Bouldershade and acquired all the information regarding her mission.

The village was named due to being in the shade of the Rapon Mountain, sitting right beneath it. For the most part, it was peaceful, rarely experiencing any threats, most of which were just wild animals or beasts that even they could deal with. However, as of late, they were attacked once a week by a lounge of flying lizards known as Wyverns.

A Wyvern was a large draconian beast and was almost considered an S-class threat by itself. It was powerful and durable, and the only reason it wasn't an S-class was its lacking magical attacks. However, an entire group of them was a different story.

Despite the lack of magical abilities, a Wyvern was still one of the worst matchups for Erza since it could fly. She wasn't worried, though. In fact, she was eager to face the group and after her recent training.

The lounge of Wyverns dwelled somewhere in the Rapon Mountain, but the place was too large for her to go and search for them. Instead, Erza simply decided to act as bait by camping on the outskirts of the settlement, knowing that lizards attacked the village once a week for food.

After waiting for a couple of days, the Wyverns finally made their appearance, their screeches heard as they flew down from the mountain. Seeing the morsel that had presented itself to them, they zoomed towards Erza, which was a grave mistake on their part.

The closer they got to the redhead mage, the more their senses screamed at them that something was wrong. However, she was alone and holding a pair of metal sticks. What could the stupid human possibly do to them with those?

One of the Wyverns, more eager than the rest for some tasty flesh, was the first to reach Erza, who patiently waited until the last moment before making her move. Her sword struck, moving so fast even the Wyverns weren't able to see it. The attacking lizard hadn't even realized what had happened, its head just dropping on the ground with a thud.

The Wyverns quickly flew back up in the air, screeching at what they found out wasn't a tasty morsel but a very dangerous beast. Erza just stared at them, twisting her wrist a bit.

"I have to train more," she stated to herself. Using Telekinesis on herself improved her strength and speed by leaps and bounds. Though it had drawbacks since she could hurt herself if she wasn't careful, her aching wrist proving that she hadn't perfected it yet.

"Well, one down, and five more to go," she declared, her eyes never leaving the Wyverns circling above her in the air. They seemed to be afraid of coming near her after witnessing what happened to one of their brethren.

Erza, however, wasn't worried. A few weeks ago, she wouldn't have been able to deal with flying enemies since she had no way of reaching them even if she used some of her ranged spells. But now?

"If you don't want to come down, I will just come to you," wrapping herself with her Telekinesis, Erza lifted off the ground, flying towards the Wyverns in the air.

It had taken her a long time - just a few days - but she had managed to get flying down after Will informed her of what she could do with Telekinesis. She had trouble controlling anything that wasn't solid, but using Telekinesis on herself? She had a bit of success with that.

The horrifying screeches of Wyverns rang through the entire village of Bouldershade as Erza quickly decapitated two of the lizards. The other three realized their folly and tried escaping back to their home in the mountain, but it was too late for that. She just followed after them, picking them off one by one.

"I wonder..." Erza muttered as she dropped next to the last Wyvern she slew. Her breathing was ragged since even with her impressive magic power, it still took a lot of her to fly in the air for such a long time. At most, she could go on for about an hour if she wasn't using her magic power for anything else. That was just too little! She had to be able to last for at least half a day, in her opinion.

"Can Will use any of those?" Erza asked herself, looking at the corpse of the Wyvern. He'd mentioned he could brew potions with ingredients harvested from beasts, but she didn't know if the Wyverns had anything worth harvesting. She also didn't have a lot of room in her pocket space since most of it was filled with her equipment.

"Maybe I can grab a bit of blood and some scales?" She mused, measuring how much she could take with her.

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[Judgement Field - 650 credits: When activated, the Judgment Field creates a spherical barrier several meters wide wherein one cannot utter a lie.] - This will be useful in the future.