(T/N: I might take the Harem Tag off later, I thought it was a Harem Novel, with how Kaien flirts with the girls, but in later chapters he seems to be together with Mira. I don't know if there will be other developments later.)
"Tyrant?!"
Lucy gasped. So this was the infamous Tyrant.
She stole a glance at Kaien—just as Kaien turned his eyes slightly in her direction.
That one glance nearly made Lucy wet herself.
Right now, Kaien looked like a completely ordinary man—just a burly uncle—but that casual look he gave her made her feel like prey on a target board, seconds away from being gutted open.
She finally understood why this form of Kaien was called "Tyrant." He truly looked the part.
'Just one glance... and I almost died of fear.'
Mirajane spoke up, "Alright, enough. Cancel the transformation before you scare the newbie away."
"Got it!"
Kaien grinned and deactivated his Take Over form, returning to normal.
"Phew~~!"
"That scared me to death!"
"Me too! Kaien, can you please not use that form again? It's terrifying!"
"Seriously! We can talk things out, okay?! No need for jump scares!"
"Exactly! Exactly!" ...
Clearly, Kaien's Tyrant form had left some deep psychological trauma.
"Besides 'Flame Emperor' and 'Tyrant,' does he have any other titles?"
Lucy's curiosity about Kaien was now through the roof. Both "Flame Emperor" and "Tyrant" were big names throughout Ishgar—extremely powerful mages who had risen to fame over the past six months. But because they made their names outside the Kingdom of Fiore, she hadn't known who they were—until now.
"Besides those two," Mirajane said, "he's also known as the 'Blackwing Demon.'"
"Blackwing Demon! I've heard of that one too! Wasn't that the guy who sank a whole island that had been overrun by monsters?! Completely wiped it off the map!"
That incident had caused quite a stir at the time—even made the newspapers.
"And lastly, there's 'Sword God.'"
"Sword… Sword God?!! Wait—do you mean that Sword God?!"
Lucy didn't react at first, but as the realization hit, her eyes widened in disbelief. She looked at Mirajane, then at Kaien.
Mirajane smiled and nodded.
Lucy was absolutely stunned.
If the previous three titles belonged to great mages who had made names for themselves across Ishgar, this last one was on another level entirely—a living legend.
About half a year ago, a massive event shook the continent. The Kingdom of Sobea had hosted the Continental Swordmaster Tournament, and one man had emerged as the strongest swordsman of all.
But then, disaster struck. A monster invasion hit the capital—and behind it was a dragon.
That same man, armed with only a sword, slayed the dragon with his own hands.
The name "Sword God" echoed across the whole continent of Ishgar.
Eventually, he vanished from the public eye. The story's buzz died down, and rumors spread that the Sword God had been fatally injured in the battle and died afterward.
Who would've thought… that the legendary "Sword God" was Kaien himself?
'Flame Emperor. Tyrant. Blackwing Demon. Sword God.'
Any one of these titles was enough to shake the world—and they all belonged to one person.
'That's insane…'
Just then, a voice rang out.
"You brats are fighting in the guild again?!"
Lucy turned toward the entrance and saw a short old man—less than a meter tall—wearing a jester's hat and a yellow overcoat, standing at the door.
She couldn't help but blurt, "He's so small!!"
Mirajane smiled and stepped forward. "Master, you're back."
"Master?!"
Lucy couldn't believe it. This tiny old man was the famous Master of Fairy Tail?
"Yo! Master, I'm back!" Kaien waved cheerfully at Makarov.
Makarov scowled. "Hmph! You brat—always causing trouble the moment you come back!"
Then he noticed the blonde beauty standing next to Kaien, and his expression softened. "A newcomer?"
Lucy quickly bowed. "Y-Yes! My name is Lucy."
Makarov raised a hand in greeting. "Pleased to meet you!"
"Hah!"
He suddenly gave a spirited shout, kicked off the ground, flipped into the air—
—and immediately botched the landing, smacking his head into the railing with a loud thunk.
Clumsily climbing up the railing with both hands and feet, Makarov coughed to cover up the mistake, pretending nothing had happened. Then his face turned serious as he held up a thick stack of documents.
"Take a look, everyone! This is a list of your most recent 'accomplishments'!"
"First—Gray."
"Ah?! Me again?!"
Gray was exasperated. Why is it always me? Can't someone else go first for once?
"You handled the smuggling gang just fine… until you ran around town naked again! Then you stole someone's underwear by the river?! Are you a serial panty thief now?! How many times has this happened?!"
Gray turned red with embarrassment and fumbled for an excuse. "I-I saw them lying there by the river… I thought no one wanted them…"
"They were swimming! When they came out, their underwear was gone!!"
"How was I supposed to know?!"
Elfman chimed in, "Still doesn't mean you can just pick up random underwear…"
Makarov shifted his gaze. "Elfman. You used violence on the very client you were supposed to protect?!"
Elfman scratched his cheek awkwardly. "He said a real man needs a degree…"
Makarov sighed and continued. "Cana Alberona—falsified her expense report to go drinking. You downed fifteen barrels at a tavern and billed it to the Magic Council?!"
"W-Was I found out?" Cana asked, clearly guilty.
"Loke! You already hit on Councilman Michello's granddaughter. Now you've gone after Councilman Reiji's granddaughter too?! There are only nine Council members, and you've already messed with two of their granddaughters! And now a talent agency is demanding compensation!"
Makarov had been chewed out the entire time he was collecting these reports. Loke's guts were made of steel—or pure lust.
"And finally—Kaien!"