In this weekly magazine, there were several more photos of Erza, including front shots.
With just one glance, Irene could confirm that this was her daughter.
Irene stared at the photo for a long while before speaking, "Her name is Erza, and she's currently with 'Fairy Tail,' right?"
They nodded, smiling. "That's right, she's super famous now!"
"Here's your payment." Selene casually tossed them a gold coin.
Ignoring the screams behind them, Aegon led Irene and the others away from Akane Beach and back to the ship.
"Juliet, Heine, go buy all the Sorcerer Weekly issues from the past two years."
Aegon shook his head slightly. "It might be hard to find two years' worth all at once, right?"
Selene waved her hand dismissively. "Doesn't matter, just pay extra and get them!"
The power of money was strong indeed, as Juliet and Heine managed to buy all the Sorcerer Weekly issues from the past two years. They even brought a cart loaded with them.
"Lady Selene, from January last year to the latest issue this month, all 91 issues are here!"
"Well done."
The group started going through the 91 issues.
Since Erza first appeared in Sorcerer Weekly in September of last year, she had appeared 16 times, roughly once every three weeks, with each record more impressive than the last.
The latest issue was the one they saw at Akane Beach, detailing her single-handedly battling a pack of Silver Moon Wolves, killing a five-meter-tall Silver Moon Wolf King, and taking its head as a trophy—truly formidable...
Selene raised an eyebrow. "Not bad, 'Queen of Fairies.'"
Irene lightly traced a line of black text with her finger, murmuring, "Magnolia, Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlet, is it?"
Without asking for Irene's opinion, Aegon made a decision.
"Mera, set course for Magnolia."
Irene didn't blame Aegon for his unilateral decision; if anything, she was grateful for it.
Akane Beach and Magnolia were close, only about 500 kilometers apart, which would take only a few hours by ship.
This was Aegon's first trip to Magnolia, the epicenter of activity, since arriving in Earth, but it was solely to find Erza.
Aegon had no interest in joining any guild. He wasn't short on money and preferred spending his free time playing pool with Irene and Selene. Even training Misaki and Kiria was better than completing guild missions.
Magnolia—
Thanks to "Fairy Tail," which had become the top wizard guild in Fiore over the past two years, Magnolia was a bustling town with clock towers, taverns, residential buildings, and shops scattered throughout. The streets were filled with people, all smiling.
From the bow of the ship, Aegon, Irene, and Selene soon saw the tallest building on the outskirts of Magnolia, the guild tavern with the Fairy Tail flag. Misaki, Kiria, and the others curiously observed the town below.
Fairy Tail Guild Tavern—
An old man wearing a jester-like hat sat at the bar, drinking with a scruffy man with brown hair slicked back and a tattered cloak. They laughed as they watched Natsu and Gray argue, with no intention of stopping them.
But soon, the commotion was interrupted.
"Erza's back!!!" The guild doors burst open, and Macao, panting heavily, shouted.
Returning from a mission, Erza dragged a cart with a huge, blood-dried wolf head back into the guild. She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Natsu and Gray. "Did you two get along while I was out?"
"Yes!!!"
"We're best buddies!"
The two who had been arguing moments ago hugged each other instantly.
Erza smiled and nodded. "Good."
Gildarts laughed heartily. "Hahaha, full of energy!"
Makarov was about to laugh too when his laughter caught in his throat. His pupils shrank as he looked stiffly towards the sky.
The reason was the powerful magic he sensed coming from above.
It was a level of magic he had never encountered in his life, and there were three sources!
As the guild's strongest wizard, Gildarts also paused, his expression serious as he looked towards the ceiling.
Through the ceiling, they could feel the powerful magic heading towards the Fairy Tail tavern...
"What's wrong, Master?"
Erza, who had wanted to talk to Makarov about her mission, noticed his change in expression and asked softly.
Unsure whether the newcomers were friends or foes, Makarov dropped his usual cheerful demeanor, looking very serious. "Everyone, stay inside the guild and don't go out!"
"Erza, keep an eye on them."
After giving his instructions, Makarov nodded to Gildarts beside him. "Let's go."
"Right." Gildarts didn't dare be careless.
After Makarov and Gildarts reached the guild doors, the first thing they did was close them tightly.
In the sky, a silver metal ship slowly approached the Fairy Tail tavern.
Makarov was stunned for a moment and then spoke with some surprise in his voice, "It's a modified magic cruiser... Quite a feat."
Gildarts focused on the three figures at the bow of the ship, a man and two women whose faces he couldn't yet see clearly.
"Is it them... Such terrifying magic, I can't muster any will to fight..."
Gildarts was no weakling; he had just returned from completing a ten-year mission. But he hadn't expected to encounter such terrifying presences in Ishgar, so terrifying that he couldn't summon any fighting spirit.
Aegon, Irene, and Selene naturally noticed Gildarts' gaze.
Selene let out a small "oh," saying, "There are two humans with decent strength."
In her view, a human with decent strength could go toe-to-toe with her in human form.
Aegon also sized them up, though his impression of Makarov was...
Irene wasn't interested in these two; her eyes were fixed on the guild tavern.
She had just seen, from a distance, that crimson figure clad in armor dragging a cart back into the guild.
"You all stay on the ship."
Aegon slightly turned his head to give a command.
"Yes, sir!" x5
"Let's go."
Selene nodded slightly, snapping her fingers. In a flash of white light, Aegon, Irene, and Selene found themselves on the streets of Magnolia, facing Makarov and Gildarts.
Knowing that the trio was not to be trifled with, even Gildarts, who usually found women attractive, didn't dare to speak.
From Selene's display of powerful spatial magic, Makarov was sweating. "Such powerful spatial magic..."
Gildarts and Makarov's thoughts were aligned:
What exactly are they here for...?
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Erza
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