"Okay. The contract is settled."
The sharp, scratchy sound of the quill pen echoed loudly in the quiet office as Makarov signed his name on the dotted line. The heavy scent of drying ink and the lingering, acrid smell of burnt wood from Natsu's earlier outburst hung thickly in the air.
With Mavis overseeing the negotiations, the terms were absolute: every single Jewel won at the upcoming Grand Magic Games would be surrendered directly to Finn. In the highly likely event that they lose, Fairy Tail would physically hand over the complete, unredacted records and blueprints of their personal magics.
Frankly, to Finn's mind, it was an incredibly stupid gamble. They could have just accepted the high-paying, secure quests he offered. But Fairy Tail always, without fail, chose the path that seemed the most "fun" and dramatic. Finn just sighed, resting his chin on his steeple fingers. It didn't matter to him what they thought. As long as he got his money, they could do whatever they wanted.
But did he actually need their magic records?
If he were perfectly honest, no. His entire combat was built upon Take Over magic. If he wanted to learn Ice-Make or Celestial Spirit magic, the Manager system in his mind could instantly analyze and replicate them. By running billions of combat calculations and simulations in a fraction of a second, he could master their magics faster and far more efficiently than the core members ever could. He could cast their own spells with a level of perfection that would leave the original users weeping in despair.
Furthermore, even if the Fairy Tail mages accused him of stealing their magic, it wouldn't matter. There was already a famous mage in Earthland whose magic revolved around copying caster spells; no one could officially complain.
So, why did he specifically demand their magic as collateral?
Naturally, it was because of Bisca.
If he simply wiped away their massive debt out of the goodness of his heart, it would raise immediate red flags. Bisca would feel incredibly strange, perhaps even guilty, thinking he had done it specifically as a favor to her. By acting like a ruthless, calculating extortionist demanding their magical secrets, he perfectly masked his true intentions.
Yes, he was showing blatant favoritism toward a married woman. But in his incredibly dangerous, heavily guarded life, she was the only woman he had allowed himself to be intimately close with. Knowing her character from his multidimensional knowledge of the original story, he knew she was a good, fiercely loyal woman. And honestly? The taboo thrill of sharing these dark, secret exchanges with a married subordinate was incredibly intoxicating.
His eyes briefly flicked toward Bisca, who was standing nervously in the corner. Beneath her tight denim skirt, he knew exactly how warm and soft she was. A sudden, heavy heat pooled in his lower abdomen as he remembered the wet, slurping sounds she had made just minutes prior under this very desk.
I need to focus, Finn thought, mentally splashing cold water on his boiling libido. If he let his pheromones leak or his gaze linger too long, someone might notice. Fortunately, muscle-headed idiots like Natsu and Erza were completely oblivious to anything sexually tense in the room.
Then again, weren't the female members of Fairy Tail notoriously perverted?
Even the tiny, ghostly First Master floating in front of him, Mavis Vermillion, had lost her virginity to Zeref, the most evil dark wizard in history. Her tragic, heavily romanticized love life was the literal catalyst for the apocalypse.
Breaking Finn from his lewd train of thought, Mavis suddenly floated forward, crossing her ethereal arms. "You said earlier that we were underestimating our competition in the Grand Magic Games. Who exactly do you think we are overlooking?"
"..."
Finn blinked lazily, the cool leather of his chair squeaking as he shifted. "Are you asking me to just hand out premium intelligence for free?"
"Come on! Don't be so petty!" Mavis whined, puffing out her cheeks and leaning in close with her cutest, most pitiful puppy-dog eyes. "If we win, we pay off your debt! Help us out! Please~!"
When Finn didn't immediately respond, Mavis turned to the female members of Fairy Tail. "Come on, girls! Use your charms! Beg him!"
"..." The guild sweat-dropped.
"Please~!"
Lucy Heartfilia didn't miss a beat. Recognizing a golden opportunity, the blonde Celestial Mage stepped right up to Finn's desk. She leaned forward, pressing her elbows onto the marble surface. The motion intentionally caused her unbuttoned top to gape open, aggressively displaying the deep, sweaty, heavily shadowed cleavage of her massive, jiggling D-cup breasts right in Finn's line of sight.
She bit her glossy lower lip, looking up at him through her eyelashes with an incredibly sultry, undeniable bedroom gaze. As a self-proclaimed femme fatale, she was absolutely confident her heavy assets could melt the Ice King of the Magic Council!
"What are you doing, Lucy?" Happy, the cat asked, tilting his head in sheer confusion. "Does your back hurt? Why are you bending over like that?"
"I'M TRYING TO SEDUCE HIM, YOU STUPID CAT!" Lucy shrieked, her face instantly turning tomato-red as the mood shattered.
"...." The entire guild groaned in second-hand embarrassment.
"Stop. Do not do something so incredibly stupid in my office," Finn sighed, utterly unimpressed. He then shot a deadly glare at Makarov, who had also started leaning forward over the desk with puckered lips. "And do you honestly think you are cute enough to act like that, President Makarov? Put your clothes back on before I actually vomit."
"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME, YOUNG MAN!" Makarov roared indignantly, pulling his suspenders back up. "I WAS INCREDIBLY POPULAR WITH THE LADIES IN MY PRIME!"
"Anyway," Finn interrupted, massaging his temples to ward off the incoming migraine. "Do you want to listen or not?"
"Yes!" the core members nodded in unison.
"See?" Lucy giggled proudly, puffing her heavy chest out again. "My irresistible charm totally worked~!"
"...." Everyone just ignored her.
"Four," Finn stated coldly, raising four fingers and completely bypassing Lucy's existence. "There are four specific guilds you need to watch out for if you actually want to survive this tournament."
"Who are they?" Erza asked, her brow furrowing. Her impression of the White Devil was shifting. He was cold and ruthless, yes, but he was also surprisingly trustworthy with his intelligence. She resolved to ask Bisca more about him later.
Bisca, sensing Erza's gaze, nervously squeezed her thighs together and looked at the ceiling.
"First, Blue Pegasus," Finn announced.
A collective grimace washed over the Fairy Tail members. They knew them well.
"I know they seem incredibly unorthodox," Finn continued. "But their teamwork is solid. And while Ichiya might look like a walking comedy routine, his Perfume Magic is highly classified as a disaster-level threat. The moment he releases his 'Pain' or 'Power' perfumes, you will suffer."
"....."
"...Who is next?" Erza asked, suppressing a shudder at the thought of Ichiya's sparkling face.
"Second is the Lamia Scale."
"Lamia Scale?"
"You are all familiar with Jura Neekis, correct?" Finn asked. "He is one of the Ten Wizard Saints. In terms of raw, destructive earth magic, he is entirely on par with President Makarov. If you want to take the crown, you have to find a way to crush him and his highly coordinated team."
Makarov nodded gravely. Jura was a monster on the battlefield.
"Hmm..." Mavis tapped her ghostly chin. "And the third?"
"The third is an all-female guild. Mermaid Heel."
"Mermaid Heel?" Erza repeated, unfamiliar with the name.
"They were a mediocre guild in the past, but they recently recruited the strongest female swordswoman in the kingdom," Finn explained, his eyes locking onto Titania. "Her name is Kagura Mikazuchi. If your combat style hasn't evolved in the last seven years, Erza, she is going to absolutely dismantle you."
"I will not lose," Erza declared, her eyes flashing with fierce, unbreakable resolve. "Especially when the fate of my guild is on the line."
"It's good that you are confident," Finn nodded smoothly. "Because I fully expect to be paid."
"...." Erza's heroic aura instantly deflated.
"Just how strong is this Kagura girl?" Lucy asked nervously, pulling her top slightly closed.
"Hmm..." Finn leaned back in his chair and pointed out the window toward the courtyard. "You see those massive, reinforced iron gates that your fire mage just blew to pieces?"
"...." The guild nodded awkwardly.
"Kagura can cleanly slice this entire government building in half while standing at those gates. Without even unsheathing her sword."
"...No way," Lucy gasped, the color draining from her face.
"I have absolutely no reason to lie to you. You can buy the Lacrimas recordings of her fights on the black market," Finn shrugged.
"...."
"So, who is the fourth and final guild?" Mavis asked, her ghostly presence growing heavy with anticipation. "I assume this is the absolute strongest?"
"You are sharp," Finn smirked, taking a final drag from his cigar. "Yes. They are the current strongest guild in the Kingdom of Fiore. Perhaps even the entire continent of Ishgar."
"Current?" Natsu grinned, cracking his knuckles.
"If you win, you take their title. But they won't make it easy."
"Who are they?!"
"Sabertooth," Finn stated, the name dropping like a heavy stone in the quiet office. "They will be your absolute worst nightmare. Especially for the Dragon Slayers in your guild."
"Huh? Why?" Natsu frowned.
"Because Sabertooth's top magicians are the Twin Dragons," Finn smiled darkly. "They have two incredibly powerful Dragon Slayer Magicians of their own."
"....."
In that moment, Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy froze, utterly stunned by the revelation.
---
By the way, I might have said this before, but I have uploaded my new original story. The title is "Checking Out at 5:15 PM" with the name "OnlyPureLove44," or I might change it to Akikan in the future.
Regardless, there are more than ten chapters now.
You can check when you want to read more of my work.
Thank you!