"Meeeen~"
On a dark and windy night, inside a secluded little workshop, a man of truly unforgettable beauty moved gracefully around a table as he adjusted the formula of his latest perfume.
This magnificent gentleman was none other than Blue Pegasus's famous Ichiya!
Ichiya was a Holder-type mage who used Perfume Magic.
By making himself or an opponent inhale different fragrances, he could produce a variety of positive or negative effects.
Tonight, he was working on his newest invention—
The Handsome Man Perfume!
"Meeeen~ At last, it is complete."
Ichiya gazed proudly at the sealed bottle of pink liquid on the table, then hopped down from his chair in delight.
Unfortunately, as he turned away to celebrate, he failed to notice his mysterious new perfume tipping over.
The liquid spilled across the floor, seeped into a drain, and flowed out into the city's sewer system.
No one knew it yet, but a terrible disaster was quietly brewing beneath the streets.
...
Magnolia was enjoying another beautiful day.
At the park near the southern gate, Mirajane was giving Lucy a private lesson.
"You want to draw on a Celestial Spirit's power and use it on your own body, creating something similar to Transformation Magic?"
After hearing Lucy's idea for a new spell, Ankh rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"That actually sounds promising. Urano Metria also uses the power of the stars and Celestial Spirits, doesn't it?"
"Exactly!" Lucy clenched her fist, full of determination. "I'm too weak on my own, so my Spirits always have to protect me during battles. I want to channel their power directly into myself so I can fight alongside them instead of always standing behind them."
Mirajane nodded with a smile. "And that's why you came to me to learn about transformation-type magic."
"Right!"
Transformation magic was a broad category. It did not refer only to the basic spell that changed a person's appearance.
Take Over and full-body Requip could both be considered advanced branches of the same general field.
Erza, as a master of Requip Magic, had explained that to Lucy and recommended that she learn the fundamentals from Mirajane first.
After all, Mira was not only an expert in Take Over Magic, but also highly skilled in ordinary Transformation Magic.
"That sounds fun! I want to learn too!"
Mirajane had barely finished explaining the basics when Natsu and Happy's eager voices rang out behind Lucy.
A dark line appeared across Lucy's forehead.
"I'm the one trying to learn a new spell. Why are you two more excited than I am?"
After the kissing incident that Ankh had unfortunately failed to witness, Lucy and Natsu's relationship…
Had apparently not changed at all!
Natsu behaved as though nothing had happened.
He still broke into Lucy's home every day and annoyed her with stupid pranks, while Lucy seemed to have developed a selective memory problem.
It did not take long for Natsu's daily harassment to push all those embarrassing thoughts out of her mind.
Ankh had originally been out shopping with Mirajane, but since they had run into the others, he decided to stay and watch Professor Mira's lesson.
"Transformation Magic is actually more complicated than it looks."
Mirajane brushed a hand across her face. Magic shimmered around her, and her soft features instantly changed into Erza's.
"This is beginner-level transformation. It only changes your face. Your clothes and body remain the same."
"Intermediate transformation changes those as well."
Magic surged around her once again.
Her flowing dress transformed into Erza's armor, her figure changed to match, and even her voice became Erza's clear, commanding tone.
Ankh applauded enthusiastically, while Lucy and Natsu watched with shining eyes.
This was why full-body Requip fell under the broader category of transformation magic.
Transformation could even reproduce clothing and equipment, though weapons created through proper Requip Magic were naturally far more powerful.
"At the advanced level, Transformation Magic can even alter the properties of your body or change your species, allowing you to increase your combat ability."
As Mirajane spoke, magic flashed around her and she transformed into a fierce tiger.
She leapt into the air, became a hawk, then landed as an adorable little fox.
A moment later, she returned to normal and smiled gently.
"Beyond that point are the other advanced branches of transformation-type magic."
"So if you want to create your own Celestial Spirit transformation spell, Lucy, it would be best to learn all three basic levels first and build a proper foundation."
"I understand!"
Lucy looked more motivated than ever.
After recommending several introductory books on Transformation Magic, Mirajane ended the lesson and prepared to leave.
It was a rare day off, and she still had a date with Ankh.
Lucy and Natsu remained in the park to study Transformation Magic together. As Ankh walked away holding Mirajane's hand, he glanced back curiously.
"How long do you think it'll take those two to learn it?"
"Probably not very long," Mirajane replied after a little thought, sounding optimistic.
When she had called Transformation Magic complicated, she had meant for beginners who were still choosing their primary magic.
Using Transformation Magic as one's main discipline was rarely worth the effort. The field was vast and easy to begin, but it only gained real combat value at the advanced stages.
Until then, a new mage's strength could not be guaranteed, making it an unfriendly choice for beginners.
For powerful mages who only wanted to learn it as a secondary discipline, however, the fundamentals were much easier to understand.
Lucy did not intend to master the entire field anyway. She only needed to understand its principles well enough to develop her own spell.
Ankh was rather curious to see what Lucy would eventually create.
Once she succeeded, he could simply copy her homework. Transformation Magic was easy enough for him to learn with only a little practice.
The two of them wandered through the streets, gossiping about the guild as they went. Around noon, Ankh finally found a familiar restaurant.
It belonged to Yajima, the retired Council member.
The moment Ankh and Mirajane entered, they spotted someone they knew.
"Wendy?"
Ankh looked in surprise at Wendy, who was wearing a waitress uniform.
Wendy scratched her cheek with a shy smile. "It's a job request from Yajima-san. He asked us to help out at one of his newly opened branches."
"That's right!"
Mirajane turned around and found Erza already seated beside them, watching closely. Juvia and Levy were there as well.
"My~ As a waitress, shouldn't you be serving us, Erza?" Mirajane asked with a sweet, peaceful smile when Erza immediately moved closer to Ankh.
Erza answered without the slightest shame, "I'm on my break!"
"Those two are fighting again…"
"Speaking of which, where are Jet and Droy? They promised they'd come support us."
Juvia watched the battle between the strict disciplinary officer and the deceptively gentle delinquent with great interest, while Levy searched the street for quite a while.
Eventually, she spotted two familiar figures approaching.
Her eyes brightened, and she hurried over to greet them.
"Honestly, where have you two been—"
Her voice gradually faded.
Levy's expression slowly transformed into something resembling Edvard Munch's The Scream.
Because standing in front of her were Jet and Droy—
Except both of them now had Ichiya's square, sharply sculpted face!
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator