Sticking Makarov with the Bill?

Three people, one old, one middle-aged, and one young, sat side by side in front of the somewhat spacious bar.

Makarov flicked his finger, and a magical artifact resembling a jade pendant slid down the smooth surface to Hughes.

Hughes glanced at it curiously; the jade pendant was about half the size of his palm, surrounded by flowing purple light, and it was extraordinary.

"When you're out and about in the future, remember to carry this with you. It can interfere with a mage's senses and conceal your non-magical nature!"

At this point, Makarov paused, seemingly worried that Hughes might underestimate this magical artifact, and added, "Even I, this old man, cannot see through it!"

Hughes nodded, picked up the expensive-looking magical artifact, hid it deep inside his waist pouch, and then raised an eyebrow at Gildarts.

Gildarts, understanding the unspoken message, put down the barrel of wine he was holding, and the next moment, his eyes were fixed intently on Hughes.

Hughes looked up and met his gaze. Although the atmosphere seemed tense, Hughes knew that Gildarts was testing him.

After a few breaths, Gildarts shook his head with a smile, "The old man is right, you look like a mage now."

"However, you still need to be careful. The Magic Council is not as simple as you think. Can you tell us why you insisted on killing Crawford Him and the others?"

Gildarts was puzzled ever since he recognized Hughes as the one who destroyed the Magic Council. As far as he knew, this was Hughes' first time dealing with the Magic Council.

But it seems like Hughes has a blood feud with the Magic Council, which isn't a good thing!

Upon hearing Gildarts's words, Makarov's slightly tipsy eyes instantly cleared, and he turned to look at Hughes. He also understood why Hughes was so determined to kill Crawford Him.

Faced with their curiosity, Hughes waved his hand and shrugged, giving them a helpless look.

That's a difficult question to answer. He wasn't sure if things would still unfold as planned after his intervention.

If you were to tell them things that haven't happened yet, Makarov and Gildarts would only think he's crazy.

Seeing that Hughes refused to speak, Gildarts didn't press further, but simply sighed regretfully and lowered his head to continue drinking.

Makarov, worried that Hughes might go astray, had no choice but to give Hughes a lesson on the proper rules of a mage.

Hughes was getting a headache from listening to this, so he pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to him, thus interrupting Makarov's rambling.

"This is something your old flame asked me to give you!"

Makarov took it with a puzzled look, glanced at it briefly, and then felt a dull ache in his heart...

[Treatment cost: 10 million J.]

[Drug cost: 20 million J.]

[7 million J has been settled in advance, 23 million J is still owed.]

The document contained very few words, but the amount was enormous—so enormous that Makarov quickly crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball and tossed it back to Hughes like trash.

This rotten thing, just looking at it feels like stepping in shit.

Hughes calmly reached out and swung his racket, causing the incoming crumpled paper to bounce back and land on Makarov's clown hat, giving it a slight embellishment.

Oh, I forgot to tell you, I signed your name back then...

Makarov:???

What the heck?

With a bewildered expression, Makarov opened the paper again, only to find his vision going black.

The four large characters for "debtor Makarov" were prominently displayed on the paper, and the coat of arms of Porlyusica was stamped above the name.

No, how could Porlyusica possibly agree to this?

Has anyone asked him how he feels?

Makarov's shock was so obvious that Hughes easily knew what he was thinking.

"Old man, the coat of arms was personally stamped by Granny Porlyusica. She said that when you see the coat of arms, you will understand her meaning!" Hughes laughed.

He made a deal with Granny Porlyusica, and she agreed to change the debtor to Makarov.

As for the purpose, it was obviously to trick Makarov...

Who told him to hit so hard!

On the other side, Makarov caught a glimpse of Hughes's malicious smile and felt utterly exhausted.

He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say...

It evokes a sense of helplessness, like someone who is young and ignorant, or old and hopeless.

Hughes, who still had things to do, stood up and patted him on the shoulder. "Old man, remember to pay back the money you owe as soon as possible. You don't want Granny Porlyusica to come knocking on your door to collect it, do you? It'll be embarrassing for her in front of Natsu and those little brats!"

After saying that, Hughes patted Gildarts on the shoulder in return.

Gildarts, who had been secretly chuckling as he watched the show, froze instantly, looking at Hughes with innocent eyes.

Could it be that he got involved too?

Hughes did not respond, only showing him his hard back.

Gildarts immediately broke down and stood up. "Tell me then, I haven't offended you recently."

Damn it, Hughes's camera made him nervous!

Hughes waved his hand. "Don't worry, it must be good news for you. I'll tell you in a few days when I find a good venue. Remember to prepare a big red envelope for me!"

Just now, when he got up and patted Makarov on the shoulder, he caught a glimpse of a little brown-haired girl secretly watching them, her expression bitter and her eyes filled with grievance...

Tsk, it would be better for father and daughter to recognize each other as soon as possible, why bother with all this beating around the bush!

Even though Natsu and Gray had knelt down and apologized below the bar, Erza, like a demon, still didn't let the two forest fire and ice people off the hook.

Hughes was almost convinced that Erza had been possessed by the strawberry cake because of her brutal appearance.

Meanwhile, opposite Erza, the true demon Mira was also teaching Lisanna a lesson.

Hughes called out to her, "Mira, let's go buy some groceries and cook something delicious tonight!"

Mira, who had been angrily reprimanding Lisanna, instantly softened her beautiful face, her eyebrows raised in anger, as if she possessed the magic of emotions.

The demonic arm, radiating a terrifying aura, transformed into a pale white arm within two seconds. Its large, bright eyes narrowed slightly, a sweet smile graced its face, and it turned to greet Hughes.

Her voice was as soft as the wind, yet slightly melodious, which startled Lisanna and gave her goosebumps.

Lisanna stared wide- Happy at Mira, who was walking briskly toward Hughes.

This is Sister Mira. Who was the person who was grabbing her ear and yelling at her just now?

No, who exactly is Mira's family?

Filled with doubt, Lisanna wondered if she had seen wrong. After rubbing her eyes several times... she gave up hope.

It's hopeless, Mira is really hopeless...

On the other side, Hughes leaned down and whispered a few words in Mira's ear before walking towards Erza.

He wanted to invite Erza to their house for dinner, and then ask her to do him a small favor afterward.

On his way back, passing by Wakaba, which still resembled an icicle, Hughes paused, flames flickering in his palm, and bestowed upon Wakaba a love song of ice and fire that ordinary people could not experience.

Let him take Kailinfu's money, let him not come out to testify for himself, and let him spout nonsense and fantasize about himself.

Wakaba: ┭┮┭┮

According to Wakaba later, he hid at home for more than half a month until his hair grew back a little before he dared to come out and see people.

That bastard Hughes actually burned his most prized pompadour...