Faris felt as if she were being stared down by a pack of wild beasts.
Especially that slacker black-haired youth sitting on the side; his eyes seemed casual, but they gave her the illusion of being seen through from head to toe.
"Uh... hello everyone?"
Faris forced herself to give a greeting. "I am Faris. I heard that Lord Water God Dragon was troubled by a magic power rampage, so I came specifically to..."
"You're late!" Natsu waved his hand, saying with a smug face, "We've already settled things for Melkobia. There's nothing for you to do."
Faris: "..."
Hope: I'm the one who did the work, why is this kid acting so smug...
Faris looked at Karamiru. The little steward smiled awkwardly, her eyes filled with apology, because Faris was actually the one she had invited to help the Water God Dragon, not expecting to be one step too late.
Faris's gaze fell upon Hope.
Was it this person who solved the Water God Dragon's magic power rampage before her?
Faris carefully sensed Melkobia's magic fluctuations; they were indeed much smoother, and that faintly detectable chaotic aura from before had completely vanished.
Now that the Water God Dragon had returned to normal, how could she proceed with her next plan... whether it was direct action or covert maneuvers, it would likely be difficult to affect Melkobia again.
While Faris was peeking at Hope, Hope was openly casting a curious glance at her, his eyes carrying a hint of amusement.
This Northern Continent is like Pan Feng, isn't it?
First, there were the Five Dragon Gods whose strength was "said" to be no less than the Black Dragon, and then a White Mage suddenly popped up.
Fortunately, no one said the White Mage could be compared to the Black Wizard, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to keep it together.
But this White Mage, Faris...
In Hope's perception, Faris's magic power was so vast that even Natsu and the others, who had opened their second magic source, were far inferior to her.
This level of magic power, among the normal human Mages he had seen, was even above Gildarts, and only slightly weaker than Hades.
But Hades had lived for over a hundred and ten years; his powerful magic power was completely worthy of his talent—the title "Little Zeref" wasn't for nothing.
But Faris... this silver-haired girl who looked eighteen or nineteen, surely she couldn't also be some old thing who had lived for decades or a century, accumulating such vast magic power by grinding out seniority?
In the quiet hall, the atmosphere suddenly became silent.
"All who come are guests. If you don't mind, let us join the banquet together." Melkobia spoke gently, breaking the subtle awkwardness.
He looked at Faris. "Karamiru said she invited a very capable Mage, but I didn't expect it would be you, the Pope of the White Magic Cult."
"White Magic Cult?"
Levy remembered something and pulled out the introduction to Giltina's factions previously given by Council Member Selena. On this continent, there were three top factions that cooperated with the Council to maintain local peace and order.
In reality, the Council's skills were inferior, and they could do nothing against these three powerful factions; the so-called "cooperation" was merely an external narrative for the sake of appearances.
These three factions were:
The Dragon Eaters Guild, Diabolos.
The Alchemy Guild, Gold Owl.
And the one with the doctrine of "Returning the world to 'White Void'"—the White Magic Cult.
The Pope of the White Magic Cult was also known as the White Mage.
However, when she saw the information regarding the Pope, Levy's pupils shrank, and her face was instantly filled with surprise.
Gajeel and Lilly, sitting nearby, leaned in curiously and read the content aloud. "The White Magic Cult was founded over 100 years ago, and its Pope is the Great Witch who succeeded to the throne 100 years ago... Faris?!"
Everyone's eyes widened instantly.
Hope realized that he had just deduced the reason for Faris's abnormal magic power...
The blunt Natsu couldn't hold his tongue. "You're actually an old hag who's lived for over a hundred years?!"
No woman would not mind being called an old hag in public; under Natsu's loud voice, the meticulous smile on Faris's face instantly froze.
Faris took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the urge to "bleach" Natsu. Once she calmed her emotions, she realized that everyone didn't seem as surprised as she had imagined.
Melkobia's composure was understandable; after all, he was a God Dragon who had lived for at least 400 years.
But what was with these human Mages and their expressions of seeing nothing out of the ordinary?
A super-invincible beautiful girl who had ostensibly lived for over a hundred years is standing right in front of you; aren't you people going to say anything else?
At least scream a couple of times...
Or at least act a bit more shocked...
Faris felt a bit discouraged.
But she would never have guessed that these Mages from the Eastern Continent had even seen a 400-year-old Black Wizard with their own eyes. A 100-year-old newcomer was just a small fish compared to a big one.
In a daze, Faris suddenly shuddered. She seemed to understand why these people weren't surprised.
Could it be that her taking advantage of the original White Mage's disappearance, using the power of 'White Annihilation' to pull a switch and seize the White Magic Cult, had been exposed?
Or was the fact that she controlled the cult members to spread the fake news that she, the so-called second-generation White Mage, had succeeded 100 years ago, discovered?
It's over, it's all over. The deceived Water God Dragon won't eat me in anger, will he?
Even if the Water God Dragon lets me go, how should I explain to Lord Moon God Dragon, and how will I save my hometown...
Wuwuwu... I'm not even 20 years old... why do I have to carry such a heavy burden...
Faris was crying inwardly, but Hope had a grin on his face.
Eavesdropping on someone's inner thoughts is truly a wonderful thing.
Look at that, he accidentally stumbled upon some earth-shattering gossip.
It turns out Faris isn't the real White Mage at all; she just used magic to influence others, thereby assuming the identity and becoming the second-generation White Mage.
He didn't know if Faris's magic was too powerful or if the White Magic Cult was too pathetic, not even noticing that their own leader had been replaced without a sound.
But then again, Faris is actually related to the Moon God Dragon.
It's truly a case of finding it by chance after searching high and low.
Thinking that the person behind Faris was one of the Five Dragon Gods, Hope's mischievous streak began to act up again. He pointed at Kurnugi, who was silently eating.
"Faris, do you know who he is?"
Faris, coming back to her senses, shook her head.
"He is the Sword Saint Dragon, the son of the Moon God Dragon." A wicked smile curled on the corner of Hope's mouth. "Although I don't know what your relationship with the Moon God Dragon is, if you want to rebel against her, starting with her son is definitely the way to go."
"As the saying goes, hold the dragon prince hostage to command the dragon mother..."
Kurnugi, with a vegetable leaf dangling from his mouth, broke into a cold sweat.
Wait! Why is it coming for me?!
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