Deliora

"Are all treasure hunters this audacious? Putting aside the fact that we are all mages, there are only three of you. Are you trying to scam us?"

Riyao looked at the three guys and shook his head.

His current expression is exactly like that of a psychiatrist looking at several incurable patients.

Natsu had already lowered his stance and clenched his fists, with orange flames even igniting in his palms.

Upon hearing Riyao's words, the flame in his hand instantly went out, and his taut fist relaxed.

"Suddenly I don't want to argue with an idiot anymore." Natsu picked his nose and turned away with a bored expression.

Happy stood to the side with his mouth agape, his jaw almost dropping to the snow.

Even a single-celled organism like Natsu thinks everyone else is an idiot.

Lucy took it all in, her lips twitching wildly.

Where does this idiot get his sense of superiority and start looking down on others?!

On the other side, the three hunters were stunned by the continuous taunts and immediately formed a tight circle, whispering among themselves.

"Hey, what they're saying seems to make a lot of sense, doesn't it? We're outnumbered and outgunned," sniper Drake whispered.

"Idiot, is that the point? They just called us idiots by name!" Chain Sword Hong gritted his teeth.

"Thump!" A hand Leila in response.

"What should we do then? It seems like we really can't win in a direct confrontation. That fire-wielding guy's magical fluctuations are terrifying."

"Try negotiating; it's one of our advanced treasure hunter techniques."

Thump.

After discussing the matter, Hong, who was carrying a chain sword, stepped forward.

He tossed the weapon behind his back, rubbed his hands together, and squeezed out an incredibly obsequious, even somewhat twisted, smile.

"Excuse me, esteemed mages, could we make a deal? Let us finish our treasure hunt first, take what we need, and then you can liberate the giants in this village?"

"I still prefer your defiant, determined attitude from just now, like you were ready to fight us to the death."

Riyao sneered, his lips curling upwards into a distorted, extremely provocative, and arrogant grin.

Mirajane, standing next to him, felt extremely uncomfortable seeing that expression; he almost got goosebumps.

She reached out with both hands, pinching Riyao's cheeks on either side, forcefully bending Riyao arrogant mouth downwards.

Riyao turned his head, looking completely bewildered.

Mirajane, instead, mimicked his earlier action, forcing a crooked smile.

Riyao rolled his eyes in annoyance, reached out and vigorously rubbed her cheeks, squashing her features into a mess.

Lucy rolled her eyes dramatically, speechless.

"You two, with a fight about to break out, stop acting all lovey-dovey!"

"Single people, mind your own business." Riyao glanced at her sideways, his disdain undisguised.

Lucy stomped her feet in anger, her back teeth grinding together.

That's infuriating!

Natsu stared arrogantly at the three hunters, then clashed his fists together, creating a burst of dazzling sparks.

"Shouldn't we just beat them to a pulp? They're in our way."

"Okay, go ahead." Erza nodded, her hand on the hilt of her sword, showing no interest in even drawing it.

Natsu and Gray exchanged a glance, then dashed off like arrows released from a bow.

Upon seeing this, the three hunters let out a strange cry and immediately made their escape, running towards the ice sculpture complex deep within the village.

Judging from their skillful movement and route selection, it's clear they were deliberately luring the two of them into being alone.

The group didn't think it was a big problem and were too lazy to help.

Riyao felt that the hand he was holding in his palm felt different.

Her once long and soft hands suddenly shrank considerably.

He suddenly lowered his head.

Mirajane, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Happy, and Carla all shrunk.

Lucy frantically grabbed at her collar, which was about to slip down to below her shoulders, her whole body in a flustered state.

"What's going on?! Why did it suddenly shrink?"

Erza's armor top lost its support, and the sleeveless top inside the armor grew into a floor-length dress, causing her to trip over every step she took.

She tried to summon her weapon, but found it difficult.

Wendy pouted and looked down at her chest.

Great, my clothes still fit perfectly, with absolutely no risk of slipping down.

She didn't know whether to feel fortunate or sad.

Happy and Carla transformed into kittens, each only the size of a palm, fluffy little balls that make you want to hug them and cuddle them the moment you see them.

Riyao's eyes lit up instantly. He scooped up the bewildered Little Mirajane from the ground and rubbed his face against her chubby cheeks.

"So cute! Oh my god, my Mira is the cutest in the world!"

Mirajane stretched out her two little hands, her face full of disgust, and pushed Riyao's face away forcefully.

"Stop fooling around, you idiot! We've been attacked by unknown magic! And don't look around!"

Just as Riyao was about to turn around to check on the others, Mirajane's small hand reached out and tightly covered his eyes.

Erza and Mirajane tried to use Requip Magic to change into smaller clothes that fit them better, but they found that their magical power had decreased significantly.

Not only his physical body, but also his total magical power has regressed to the level of a child.

"Riyao, things are bad, we've become weaker." Mirajane frowned, his palms sweating.

Riyao completely ignored the enemy's threats, still engrossed in sucking on Little Mirajane, utterly captivated by the little girl's adorable face.

"Huh? Stop fooling around. If you keep doing that, you'll be sleeping by the door when we get home."

Mirajane's tone instantly became "kind," and although his voice was that of a child, the sense of oppression was not diminished at all.

Riyao shuddered.

"Okay, okay, I won't cause trouble anymore. I'll listen to Big Sister."

Before they could figure out the source of this strange magic, the sky suddenly darkened.

Two figures descended from the sky and crashed heavily to the ground.

Erza her eyes wide, staring intently at the gradually clearing outline in the snow dust.

"Minerva? What are you doing here? The Sabertooths said you disappeared after the Grand Magic Games, and Sting and the others haven't been able to find you."

"Thank you all for your concern. It's truly unexpected to meet you all here in this frigid Sun Village, Erza, and... Riyao."

Minerva still wore the same style of clothing, only the color scheme appeared darker.

She looked down at them, a maliciously excited smile playing on her lips.

Mirajane's eyes instantly turned cold as she stared intently at Minerva.

Why is that woman looking at Riyao so strangely? How dare she have designs on my man?

Riyao completely bewildered.

Her tone, her eyes—I clearly didn't do anything, so why is she acting like a resentful woman, consumed by love turned to hate? Did I ever offend her?

Beside him, the burly, oddly-looking Deliora squinted as he looked Riyao up and down, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Strange, my Retrogression Magic has no effect on you, brat."

"This magic is really fun; it turns people back to their childhood. Do you have Evolution Magic? The kind that can make people grow up?"

Riyao didn't take this modified demon seriously at all, still holding onto Little Mirajane tightly with both hands, refusing to let go no matter what.

Lucy, dragging her oversized coat, couldn't help but blurt out, "Is this the time to talk about this? The enemy is right in front of us! Riyao, you perverted lolicon!"

"I'm not a lolicon, it's just because this person is Mira. If you were shrunk, you'd probably ignore me, I might even stomp on you."

Riyao gave Lucy a look of utter disdain.

Lucy stomped her feet in anger, her little fists clenched tightly.

That's infuriating! That bastard!