Thick-Skinned Jiang Bai

Around the long table in the center of the guild hall, a lively and noisy atmosphere filled the air.

Jiang Bai pulled out a long wooden chair and sat down, casually pushing a delicate little wooden box to the edge of the table.

Sitting opposite her Asuka, with her two pigtails swinging her short legs, excitedly stood up from the bench as soon as she saw the small wooden box, her big eyes blinking and shining.

Jiang Bai reached out and opened the box, revealing a small, translucent, emerald-green fruit with a faint fluorescent glow.

This is a peculiar local specialty that I casually picked from behind Grandpa Warrod's yard. It tastes sweet and sour and has a faint nourishing magic.

Jiang Bai tapped the rim of the box twice with his fingertips.

"Here, Asuka, this is a gift that Brother Jiang Bai specially brought back for you."

Asuka took the wooden box with both her little hands, a bright smile spreading across her face, and shouted in a clear, crisp voice.

"Jiang Bai! Asuka likes Brother Jiang Bai the most!"

Bisca, who was sitting at the next table, had just picked up her teacup when she heard this crisp greeting, and she almost spilled the tea on her boots.

Bisca put her hands on her hips, turned around helplessly, and glared at Jiang Bai.

"Hey! Jiang Bai! You're never satisfied with taking advantage, are you? You've completely messed up the family hierarchy!"

Alzack, standing next to him, also put down the soft cloth he was using to wipe the magical guns, looking sullen, and joined in the loud protest while rubbing his messy hair.

"That's exactly right! Bisca and I are your legitimate peers and colleagues!"

Alzack pointed to his precious daughter, then to Jiang Bai.

"Logically speaking, you should be of the uncle generation, right? You keep encouraging our Asuka to call you 'brother,' don't you feel any remorse?"

He was filled with righteous indignation at the sight of the couple.

Jiang Bai lazily propped his chin up with one hand, not even blinking, and picked up the chilled juice next to him and took a sip.

"What's inappropriate about it?"

Jiang Bai tidied a stray lock of hair that had fallen across his forehead and began to boast with an air of self-righteousness.

"Looking across the entire magical world, you couldn't find another peerless beauty like me, possessing invincible strength, youthful good looks, and outstanding appearance, even with a lantern."

"It's not unreasonable for Asuka to call me 'brother,' but to make me sound like an old-fashioned uncle—how could a little girl say that with such a handsome face?"

Bisca was speechless, her lips moving for a long time but unable to utter a single word in rebuttal.

Alzack gritted his teeth and gripped his shotgun tightly, inwardly cursing that this guy's skin was thicker than the walls of the capital.

Just as a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere filled the hall.

Buzz--!

Above the empty floor at the guild's main entrance, space suddenly and violently distorted without warning!

A semi-transparent ripple spread wildly like water ripples, followed by a dull, jarring thud as a blood-soaked, mangled figure tumbled down from the void rift!

Bang!

The person crashed heavily onto the hard wooden floor, rolling three or four meters away, leaving a long, shocking trail of dark red blood.

A strong stench of blood instantly filled the hall.

The sudden turn of events abruptly cut off all the laughter and joy around them.

Wendy, who was standing at the bar eating a sandwich, suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened as she looked at the blood-soaked figure on the ground, and she screamed in shock.

"Mr. Mest...?!"

The exclamation was like a boulder crashing into a calm lake.

The core members who had participated in the S-Class promotion assessment of Tenrou Island, who were sitting on the benches around the area, all stood up and looked at each other with extreme surprise.

"Mest?!"

Gray frowned, his hands unconsciously hanging down at his sides.

Erza's gentle expression froze instantly, her hand resting on the hilt of the sword at her waist.

Natsu, chewing on a piece of meat, craned his head and peered around, his words muffled.

"Wait, it really is that undercover agent Mest!"

Macao stubbed out his cigarette and started yelling gruffly.

"After the Tenrou Island incident, wasn't this guy's true nature completely exposed? He's clearly a secret agent planted by the Magic Council in various guilds!"

Wakaba spat beside him, his expression clearly showing his displeasure.

"Damn it, that guy used that despicable Memory Manipulation Magic to forcibly alter everyone's cognitive processes, sneaking into our guild to participate in the S-Class Exam. He was clearly a spy there to dig up dirt on our guild!"

"They tricked us so badly, and now they actually have the nerve to come all the way to Magnolia Town?!"

"Wait... what happened to this guy's injuries? He's covered in deep, bone-revealing burn marks from the high temperatures, and he's even completely drained of his magic power!"

The entire hall was abuzz with discussion.

For the members who went through the Tenrou Island incident, the name Mest was definitely not popular.

After the fabricated master-disciple relationship and memories of companionship were ruthlessly exposed, many people harbored a nameless anger of being deceived and betrayed.

What puzzled everyone even more was...

After the Tenrou Island incident came to an end, both the guild leader Makarov, who controlled the entire guild, and Jiang Bai, who was always decisive and ruthless and intolerant of any wrongdoing, tacitly glossed over the mess of Mest's infiltration, without any intention of settling Magic Council with the council.

No one knew the real story behind Mest; they simply assumed that the higher-ups didn't bother with a lowly errand boy.

But despite their dislike, Fairy Tail isn't a dark guild that would abandon those in distress.

Seeing the pitiful figure lying in a pool of blood, convulsing violently, with black blood foam constantly oozing from its mouth and nose, the hostility in everyone's eyes eventually turned into worry.

Jiang Bai stepped forward and glanced down at Mest, who was completely unconscious on the ground. She looked badly injured, but it was more likely that she had fallen into a coma due to the exhaustion of her magic.

Jiang Bai turned his head and nodded slightly to the blue-haired girl standing by the bar.

"Wendy, let's treat him first."

"Okay! I'm coming right away!!"