[Marvel's Magic Master] Chapter 276: The Beauty Pageant Ambush

"Hello, everyone! Thank you for waiting!

The beautiful fairies are ready to dazzle—Fairy Tail's Miss Beauty Pageant is about to begin!

I am your host, the Sand Mage, Marcos!"

At 10 a.m., the Fairy Tail Miss Beauty Pageant officially kicked off in the guild's main hall.

Marcos, acting as the event's host, stood on the stage with a magic microphone and explained the competition rules to the audience.

At the front row of tables sat the panel of judges responsible for scoring the contestants.

The panel included:

- Guild Master Makarov, representing Fairy Tail's mages,

- The Mayor, representing Magnolia's civil service,

- A trade representative, speaking for the city's merchants, and

- A citizen representative, voicing the people's opinions.

Each contestant's final score was determined by averaging the four judges' scores. The highest-scoring participant would be crowned champion and awarded a prize of 500,000J.

Behind the judges sat the guild's mages, alongside Magnolia's citizens, who held banners and cheered enthusiastically for their favorite female mages.

In this world, even ordinary citizens had idols they admired—not pop stars, but powerful mages from the various guilds.

At one of the tables, George sat with Happy, Natsu, Gray, and the others, chatting idly while watching the competition.

Although he was technically a cat in this world, he was still a man at heart. There was no way he'd miss such a rare beauty contest in favor of reading magic books at the library.

Sometimes, taking a break and appreciating beautiful women was good for the mind—it could even improve learning efficiency.

"Now, let's welcome Contestant No. 1! She's exotic, stunning, and has a bottomless stomach—Kana Alberona!"

With her long, wavy black hair cascading over her shoulders, Kana stepped onto the stage, magic cards in hand.

"And now, it's time for the magic showcase!"

The host swiftly moved to the side.

Kana tossed her magic cards into the air. At once, they glowed brilliantly, enveloping her in dazzling light. When the glow faded, her outfit had transformed into a revealing bikini set.

The crowd of onlookers erupted into excited cheers, and the judges quickly gave her high scores.

"Do you guys know why Kana is even participating in this contest?"

Happy, perched on the table, started gossiping.

If anyone in the guild knew the most gossip—besides Mirajane—it was definitely Happy. He was always at the frontlines of juicy rumors.

"She owes the guild a ton of money for all the booze she's drunk. She's hoping to win the prize money and pay off her debt."

"She started drinking when she was thirteen," Happy continued. "According to Mirajane's records, Kana alone accounts for a third of the guild's total alcohol sales in a year!"

"A third?!"

George couldn't help but be impressed.

Given how much alcohol the guild sold daily—since most mages, regardless of their purpose for visiting, would have a drink or two—it was no small feat.

Then again, every time he saw Kana, she always had a drink in her hand. Sometimes, she even drank straight from the barrel. It made sense.

"She may not win the beauty contest, but she'd definitely win a drinking competition."

That said, Kana's card magic was quite impressive. She could summon fire, wind, thunder, and lightning. Recently, she had even learned card sealing magic from Sho of the Tower of Heaven.

In terms of overall strength, she ranked just below Natsu and Gray within the guild. Compared to other guilds, she was more than qualified to be promoted to an S-Class Mage.

The guild's library had books on card magic. Once George returned from the 100-Year Quest, he planned to study them—especially Sho's card-sealing techniques.

His alternate self in the Magus Apprentice world was currently studying Balthazar's Matryoshka Sealing Spell, which he intended to integrate with card-sealing magic.

"Next up, Contestant No. 2! She may be new to the guild, but she already possesses S-Class strength—the ever-drizzling beauty, Juvia Lockser!"

Juvia stepped onto the stage, dressed in a blue coat and sporting short hair. As she moved, her body transformed into flowing water, elegantly dancing through the air before solidifying in a stylish blue bikini.

After the Phantom Lord incident, Master Makarov had recruited both Juvia and Gajeel into Fairy Tail. He believed that, at their core, they weren't bad people—they had simply followed the wrong leader.

"So this is an innate magic ability…"

Watching Juvia turn into water, George mused to himself.

Unlike ordinary water magic, Juvia's abilities were natural—they manifested before she ever learned how to control magic. Wherever she went, it rained, earning her the nickname Rain Woman.

This unique magic allowed her to turn her body into water, making her immune to physical attacks. Unfortunately, that wasn't something George could replicate.

It was similar to how, in the Harry Potter world, some people were born as Legilimens, Seers, or Metamorphmagi. In Fairy Tail, certain individuals naturally possessed magical abilities.

Juvia's Water Body was one such gift. Over time, she merely refined it with additional magical training.

There were other mages in Fairy Tail with natural-born abilities, too. According to Mirajane, one of Laxus's Thunder God Tribe members—Evergreen, who used Fairy Magic—was born with petrifying eyes.

Since she couldn't control them, she usually wore glasses to prevent accidental petrification.

After Juvia's performance, the next contestant took the stage—the most popular competitor and the odds-on favorite to win.

Her beauty was renowned across the continent.

The face of Fairy Tail—Mirajane Strauss.

However, Mirajane clearly had no interest in winning the competition. Instead of a serious magic showcase, she used Transformation Magic to morph her head into hilarious caricatures of various guild members—including Happy and George.

Next up was Titania, Erza Scarlet. She used Requip Magic to swap her usual heavy armor for an adorable Gothic Lolita maid outfit—her contrast in appearance and demeanor instantly captivating the audience.

Erza was a shopaholic. In addition to her countless sets of magical armor, her Requip storage space was filled with various outfits from different styles and themes.

After Erza's high-scoring performance, Levy took the stage. Her adorable Script Magic—this time using ice-based words—melted the hearts of many onlookers.

Following her was Bisca, the sexy sharpshooter from the Western Continent, who wowed the crowd with her breathtaking display of magical marksmanship.

Finally, the last contestant took the stage—George's guildmate, the Celestial Spirit Mage, Lucy Heartfilia. According to Happy's gossip, she had joined the contest just to pay her rent.

Unfortunately, before she could even start her magic performance, a loud, arrogant voice interrupted.

"Oh-hohoho! Fairy? That refers to me! Beauty? That's also me! That's right—I am the true fairy! The championship naturally belongs to me, Evergreen!"

Evergreen emerged from backstage, dressed in an elegant green gown, glasses perched on her nose, and a fan in hand.

Lucy stepped forward to argue, but before she could say a word, Evergreen immediately petrified her on the spot.

At that moment, the stage curtain dropped.

In the waiting area, Erza and the other contestants who had just performed were all turned to stone.

Realizing something was wrong, the ordinary citizens panicked and rushed toward the guild's exit.