"This commission form..."
Lisanna carefully picked up the grimy commission form, the paper glistening faintly with oil stains under the light.
Her slender fingers repeatedly rubbed the edges of the paper as if trying to evoke some memory from the rough texture, but ultimately failed.
She wore a troubled expression, clearly having no recollection of it either.
"Tch!"
Natsu couldn't help but click his tongue in frustration, growing increasingly impatient.
He was eager to track down the mastermind behind this and give them a good beating—how dare they swap his body with Gray's and put him through such torment!
"How could this be? Neither of you remember anything about it?"
Erza frowned as well.
Since Mirajane and Lisanna were specifically responsible for commission registrations, this commission form should have logically passed through their hands, especially since all the procedures on the form were complete and stamped with Fairy Tail's official seal.
"Yeah, how could we have no memory of it at all?"
Mirajane and Lisanna exchanged bewildered glances, each seeing the same confusion, unease, and deep puzzlement in the other's eyes.
Both had assumed the other had registered this commission during their shifts, but it turned out neither had any recollection of it.
"Well, this is getting interesting." Marco looked serious and thoughtful.
The troublemaker had some skill, managing to post this commission form on Fairy Tail's job board without anyone noticing.
"Could they have sneaked in at night?" Gray asked, turning to Marco.
The guild was constantly monitored by Marco's crows.
While they weren't needed during the day, they were quite useful at night.
During the day, everyone was around, making it impossible for anyone to sneak in and post a commission.
But at night, it was a different story.
Most members didn't stay overnight at the guild, and even Old Man Makarov went home unless it was absolutely necessary.
The guild's nighttime security relied entirely on Marco's crows.
Of course, nothing had ever happened before.
In Magnolia, a city bathed in Fairy Tail's glory, it was hard to imagine anyone foolish enough to dare steal from Fairy Tail.
Even as Magnolia rapidly expanded and welcomed many outsiders and tourists, creating a mixed environment, no one dared to cause trouble for Fairy Tail—unless they had a death wish.
"Not necessarily. If they were extremely powerful, evading the crows' surveillance wouldn't be impossible. After all, the crows aren't that strong. If it were a top-tier expert, they wouldn't be of much use."
Marco narrowed his eyes, his brow furrowing even deeper.
He was pondering what kind of top-tier expert would do something like this.
"Someone powerful and with a grudge against us..." Mirajane said with a frown.
Whoever did this couldn't be a friend, right? This was no laughing matter, and the list of suspects narrowed significantly.
"It couldn't be Jose Porla, could it?!"
Lucy widened her eyes, voicing a name.
She had almost immediately thought of him—he was definitely one of the candidates who fit the criteria, and likely the most troublesome one.
"Huh?!" Everyone was startled, their faces showing expressions of concern.
There was no helping it.
Although Jose Porla had twice become a background character, even serving as a stepping stone for Marco and Laxus's fame...
But... he was still a former "Ten Wizard Saint" after all.
A person's reputation casts a long shadow, just like a tree's.
Just because Marco and Laxus could rise to fame by stepping over Jose Porla didn't mean others could do the same!
During the "Tower of Paradise" battle, many had witnessed the power of the "Ten Wizard Saints."
Even though Jellal was ultimately defeated by Marco, if any of them had been in his place, they would have been completely crushed.
"Or... Ultear?" Marco thought of another candidate.
They had already ruined Ultear's plans twice, so it was indeed possible she might seek revenge.
Everyone's gaze turned to Gray, since Ultear's identity was basically confirmed to be the daughter of Gray's master.
"I don't know. We know nothing about this person, we haven't even seen her before."
Gray shook his head with a grim expression.
Neither he nor Lyon knew Ultear, having only heard about her once from Ur.
Ur wasn't the type to be malicious, so she naturally wouldn't frequently mention her daughter in front of her two disciples—especially since both were pitiful orphans.
Although her daughter had "passed away," it was better not to bring it up if possible.
"Aside from that, who else could it be?" Marco looked at the others.
They needed to gather ideas and let everyone speak freely to see if there were any possibilities they might have overlooked.
"What about those dismissed from the Council? Is that possible?"
Macao suddenly thought of another possibility.
Since the new chairman of the "Magic Council" took office and began sweeping reforms, many people had been dismissed one after another.
These individuals were clearly potential threats as well.
After all, this major reform was fully promoted by "Fairy Tail," so there was a possibility that those people held grudges against them.
"But none of them are particularly strong, right?"
Marco commented with a puzzled expression.
Were those small fries really comparable to Jose Porla or Ultear?
Although Marco had never seen Ultear in action, his intuition told him that her strength was definitely not weak.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to play important roles in both incidents.
Those behind the scenes weren't necessarily powerless either.
"True, those people aren't capable enough hahahaha." Macao laughed twice to cover his embarrassment.
"But we can't rule out that some of them might know special magic, like this exchange magic using ancient Wimperan language. Didn't we all fall for it?"
Marco shifted the conversation back again.
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