Froggy, I...

Outside the Fairy Tail guild's main gate, the afternoon sun slanted down, casting dappled shadows on the cobblestone plaza.

Guild members gathered in twos and threes, some squatting, some standing, and some simply sitting on the ground, forming a huge circle.

In the very center of the circle, Erza and Natsu stood face to face, the air between them seemingly crackling.

Erza her arms, her long, bright red hair swaying gently in the breeze, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes.

Before setting off to conquer the Eisenwald, she accepted Natsu's challenge.

Natsu remembered this agreement perfectly, and couldn't wait to challenge him to a duel as soon as he returned.

Natsu was so excited that he danced around like a monkey that had just been released from its cage, jumping up and down and making strange noises.

"Hahaha! I'll definitely beat you to a pulp today! Erza, just you wait!"

As he spoke, he waved his fist, flames dancing between his fingers, his eyes shining like two burning embers.

Originally, it was supposed to be Cana squatting on the ground to open the betting pool, but Cana is rich now.

Ever since Gildarts and she recognized each other, her wallet has become a "Gildarts -branded S-Class wallet"—whoever uses it knows how good it is.

So at this moment, Cana was leaning against a tree trunk, holding a barrel of wine, watching the commotion with a contented expression.

So now, the one squatting on the ground opening the betting market... is Riyao.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, with a tattered wooden board in front of him, on which the three large characters "Betting Area" were written crookedly in chalk.

He propped his chin up with one hand, twirled a piece of chalk in the air with the other, a sly smile on his lips, and called out to those around him.

"Come on! Place your bets! Bet on how long Natsu can last! One minute? Three minutes? Five minutes? Or will he be instantly defeated? Don't miss out!"

Mirajane was squatting next to Riyao, a small cloth bag tied to her white apron, busy collecting money.

Her long silver hair shimmered in the sunlight, and she wore a gentle smile, but her eyes clearly gleamed with the light of "making money is so much fun."

Makarov also crept over, his short body squeezing into the crowd, pulling a wad of banknotes from his pocket and speaking in a low voice.

I bet... three minutes.

Riyao took the money and wrote it down in his notebook with a smile.

"Received, Chairman, bet three minutes."

Lucy stood on the outskirts of the crowd, hands on her hips, watching the guild members' unseemly behavior, and couldn't help but sigh and rub her forehead.

"Is our guild... really so unproductive?"

Her voice was filled with deep helplessness and Despair.

Upon hearing this, Riyao looked up at Lucy with an expression as if she were an idiot, his lips twitching slightly.

"What are you talking about? Didn't you read the newspaper when you were in Hargeon? You were lying on the bench, kicking your legs with glee."

Lucy's face flushed instantly, and she jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, clearly shocked.

"How did you know?! You were following me! Miss Mirajane, look at him!"

She grabbed Mirajane's sleeve, pointed at Riyao, and looked aggrieved.

Mirajane counted the banknotes in her hand without looking up and said, "It was Virgo who was following you. He was dressed as a woman to have some fun."

She said this in a relaxed and casual tone, as if she were saying that the weather was nice today.

Lucy froze, her brain shutting down for three seconds.

"Women... women's clothing?!"

That's when I remembered the woman dressed Riyao on the ship.

Just then, Virgo appeared from the side, her long black hair flowing in the air, with an elegant smile on her face.

"The boss gave me the recording crystal ball and told me to follow the princess and record her wonderful life."

As she spoke, a strange light flickered in her eyes, and the corner of her mouth moved up slightly by a pixel.

Lucy, utterly dejected, covered her face, squatted on the ground, and her shoulders trembled.

Why! Why was her dark history recorded?!

Gray walked over, patted her on the shoulder, and spoke with a hint of comfort in his voice.

"It's okay. Everyone in the guild has had their dark history recorded by Riyao. You're not alone."

He said this with a very serious expression, as if he were sharing some life experience.

Cana covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes filled with mockery.

"Gray, Lucy will be very troubled by this."

As she spoke, she pointed a finger at Gray.

Gray paused for a moment, then looked down at himself.

Then his face instantly turned red, and he looked like a boiled carp, frantically searching for his clothes on the ground.

"Where are my clothes?! Why did I take them off again?!"

Riyao watched this scene, a slight smile playing on his lips, and announced it to those around him in a very generous manner.

"Whoever wins a bet today can take home a copy of their embarrassing past! Don't miss out!"

These words were like a bomb, instantly detonating throughout the entire guild.

I'll bet five minutes!

I bet Natsu will be instantly killed!

I bet Erza can defeat the enemy in one move!

The guild members erupted in excitement, pulling out their wallets to place bets. Coins and banknotes rained down on Riyao and Mirajane like snowflakes.

In the center of the circle, Natsu and Erza were rubbing their hands together, the atmosphere growing increasingly tense.

Makarov stood between the two men, cleared his throat, and stood ramrod straight, his short frame upright.

"Ready... Go!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Erza's body flashed with light.

"Requip! Flame Emperor's Armor!"

As the light faded, she was now wearing a set of red armor with flame patterns, radiating a scorching aura, and the blade of her sword was ablaze with flames.

Upon seeing this, Happy immediately turned around and took out his money.

"Riyao! I'm betting on Erza to win within one minute!"

Riyao took the money, happily stuffed it into Mirajane's cloth bag, and then turned to look at Mirajane.

"Mira, let's tie our hair into pigtails too."

Mirajane blinked, then smiled and reached out to deftly tie Riyao's hair into pigtails.

"Not bad, not bad, Riyao looks very cute."

Riyao touched his twin ponytails, looking quite satisfied.

In the center of the circle, Natsu took a deep breath, his chest puffing out.

He opened his mouth, and a burst of flame shot out, but its power was clearly diminished, like a flamethrower, chasing after Erza and spraying it around.

[Fire Dragon's Roar - Youth Edition]

Erza easily dodged the flames; they didn't even touch her, but the onlookers screamed in agony.

"Natsu! Aim!"

"My eyebrows! My eyebrows are burned!"

Who stepped on my foot!

Elfman stood to the side with his arms crossed, a composed expression on his face, and nodded deeply.

"Wow! What a man!"

Lisanna carried a tray through the crowd, serving cold drinks to the surrounding audience, her short white hair swaying gently with her movements.

"Erza is still so relaxed and collected. Looks like Natsu is going to get a beating again today."

She said with a smile, her tone tinged with nostalgia.

Just as everyone was enjoying themselves...

That's all.

A cold, icy voice rang out.

The crowd parted automatically, and a frog-man walked in from outside.

It wore the Magic Council's uniform, its green skin glistening in the sunlight, and its bulging eyes scanned its surroundings.

"I am a special envoy dispatched by the Magic Council."

It held its head high, its tone carrying a hint of arrogance.

Riyao was still squatting on the ground when he heard this, and he raised his head with a smile.

"The great traitor specially appointed by the Magic Council."

Upon hearing this, the frogman's expression changed instantly, and his bulging eyes widened even more.

"Who are you!? How dare you offend the Magic Council!"

It pointed a finger at Riyao, its tone full of anger.

Riyao shrugged, looking completely indifferent.

"Guess what, that unlucky frog. It got tricked into dealing with a hot potato, and it's actually quite pleased with itself. What else could it be but a complete traitor?"

He said this in a relaxed and casual tone, as if he were simply saying that the weather was nice today.

A human, dressed in Magic Council uniform, walked quickly over and whispered a few words in the frogman's ear.

The frog-man's expression changed from anger to shock, and then from shock to fear.

Its companions probably never expected that this idiot, knowing nothing about anything, would be tricked into coming here.

Upon hearing this, the frogman's attitude immediately underwent a complete 180-degree turn, even becoming somewhat obsequious.

"Haha... Lord Riyao, I was rude."

It rubbed its hands together, its face plastered with a fawning smile, and its bulging eyes filled with awe.

In his mind, the frog had already cursed his colleague's ancestors for eighteen generations. "I guess this is the end for me," he thought.

The surrounding guild members looked surprised, with Lucy's reaction being the most obvious.

Her eyes widened, her mouth formed an "O," and she asked the question everyone most wanted to know.

"Why is the Magic Council so respectful to Riyao?!"

Mirajane counted the banknotes as he explained with a smug look on his face.

"Because many of the Magic Council members are former patients of Riyao. There are even a few council members who, although not currently ill, can have Riyao help prolong their lives and restore their vitality."

As she said this, her face was filled with pride, as if saying, "My Riyao is really amazing."

Makarov stood to the side, so smug that his head almost tilted back, his mustache sticking up high.

"Hmph, that's our guild's top star!"

The frog-man rubbed his hands together and spoke cautiously.

"Um... Riyao, it's like this. There are orders from above to arrest... Erza Scarlett is needed to come to the Magic Council, what do you think..."

Its tone was tentative, as if afraid of saying the wrong thing.

Erza put away the Flame Emperor's Armor, changed back into her casual clothes, and said, "I'll go with them, Riyao."

Her tone was calm, as if she were talking about something completely ordinary.

Riyao stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and a sly smile appeared on his lips.

"I'll go and take a look too."

The frog-man's face fell instantly, but he maintained a respectful demeanor on the surface.

"This... this isn't appropriate."

Riyao waved his hand, his tone playful.

"I'm just going to see Councilor Yajima, you won't stop me, will you?"

When he said this, there was a hint of pressure in his eyes.

The frogman resigned himself to his fate; he couldn't afford to offend him. He could only nod and bow in agreement, then led his team back to the Magic Council.

Riyao and Erza followed. Before leaving, Riyao turned around and kissed Mirajane on the cheek.

I'm going to play for a while.

Mirajane touched the spot where he had been kissed and waved with a smile.

Remember to come back soon!

In the center of the circle, Natsu was rolling on the ground, groaning in pain.

"I finally get to fight Erza... Waaaaah..."

His flame was completely extinguished, and he was like a deflated balloon.