A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"You ask me why I'm here? Even now, you can still smell that kind of question, my foolish brother!"

His elder brother, the King of Bosk, was surrounded by a group of mechanical soldiers, looking down at him with cold eyes. "Everything has gone according to my plan. You have failed!"

"you……?!"

"What's wrong? Surprised? Did you think I was completely unaware of your plot to usurp the throne? You should know that the entire palace is under my surveillance, and there are even my robotic soldiers here. In other words, your every move has been under my control all along!"

"What did you say?!"

"Since things have come to this, I will mercifully tell you!" At this moment, the king, like a true villain, appeared in the final act and boasted his plan to his pawns, "From the beginning, I had no intention of invading. The purpose of doing so was only to lure Fiore's mages into the country and borrow their power to help me get rid of you."

"Although the people they sent were somewhat unexpected, the whole plan is still progressing smoothly. I think even the princess and the two 'Holy Tens' may not have noticed this."

The Finance Minister looked horrified: "You rashly brought in people from the Kingdom of Fiore, including two 'Holy Tens'! Aren't you afraid...?"

The king interrupted him again: "Why should I be afraid? This was all planned by me and the King of Fiore! From now on, my throne is secure, and peace between our two nations will continue."

"...So, this includes the matter of intelligent orcs as well..."

"That's right, I knew it all along!"

"Why?!" the Chancellor of the Exchequer roared in frustration. "Since you knew about the existence of the intelligent orcs all along, why did you abandon them and choose the machine soldiers instead?!"

"Because that's black magic! The people you captured and converted were citizens of my kingdom!"

"Hahaha... When did you become so soft-hearted, having seized the throne with their help?"

"From the moment I ascended the throne."

……

On the airship, after listening to Kira's speculation, Emerald remained silent, seemingly understanding something—IQ +1 +1...

Kira felt that the mission ended rather abruptly, but his mission was simply to protect the Emerald Princess and investigate the reasons for the changes in the kingdom. The coup was none of his business, and it wouldn't matter to him who won in the end. Even if a war broke out, that would be a headache for the Fiore royal family.

"Let's not talk about them anymore. Now let's talk about Gerald and the others' exoneration... oh, I should say, their absolution! There's something I want to clarify first: is it necessary to become a member of the royal family's military to be absolved of their crimes?"

"Huh??" Emerald was taken aback.

Kira smiled warmly, rubbing his hands together as he laughed: "So, is it possible that you could simply pardon their sins?"

Anyone with a normal IQ would understand Kira's meaning: he wants to get a get-out-of-jail-free card for free!

This question stumped Emerald. She had never seen anyone as blatantly greedy as Kira, but her good upbringing prevented her from criticizing him. So, after thinking for a moment, she repeated what she had said before.

Seeing that the other party's words had not changed, Kira understood her meaning: No! Either they become part of the royal army and I will absolve them of their crimes, or I will remember their kindness and reward them later.

"Sigh... I understand!" Kira sighed helplessly, then turned to Jellal and the others and asked, "What do you guys think?"

The group exchanged glances, then replied, half-heartedly and half-insincerely, "We'll listen to you!"

"Really? Then let's go!" Kira clapped his hands, making the decision for them. "They can get their sentences waived and also get a government job in the kingdom. It seems much better than following a boss like me who doesn't know how to do business!"

"Huh??!!" Upon hearing Kira's decision, everyone fell silent.

A moment later, Eric suddenly shouted indignantly, "What are you saying, Kira?! You were the one who said you would lead us to true freedom, and now you just want to abandon us like this?"

"Oh? You're so reluctant to part with the boss? I had no idea you guys respected me so much!"

"Don't joke around, Kira! Eric is right. Even if we don't think you can really build a trade business that spans three continents, we have never thought of leaving the organization."

Kira muttered to himself, "Uh... I think I should be more moved right now, but I have to admit it's a little heartbreaking..."

"Let me finish!" Urudia rolled her eyes. "Although this organization has only been established for a few months, and you haven't fulfilled many of the responsibilities of a leader, we have indeed had a very free and fulfilling time. Are you really going to abandon this team?"

"Freedom and fulfillment... This is the first time I've heard someone talk about indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun so seriously. You're even fat... Hey! Put down the crystal ball! Don't fight, let's talk this out!"

"You bastard, that's enough! Can't you talk properly? Melty, don't pull me, let me kill him!" Kira was halfway through his rant when Ultear rolled up her sleeves, ready to take action.

"Urutia, calm down! Calm down!"

"Well done, Melty! ...Ahem, the boss declares the company bankrupt and sells it before the three-month probation period is even over. Anyone would feel bad in that situation. I completely understand how you all feel because I've been through something like that myself!"

Kira began his heartfelt speech, "But this time it's different. I'm doing this for everyone's future. As a friend, I can't stand in your way to a better future, right?"

Sora spat and said, "That sounds just like a heartless scumbag! Right, Melty?"

Melty paused for a moment, blushed, and lowered her head: "Ah? Um... this... is..."

"Wait a minute!! What are you saying to a child?! Melty, forget what you just said! That was a demon's curse, an evil curse that makes people wet the bed at night!! Forget it!!"

Amidst the commotion, Jellal walked up to Kira and said solemnly, "Kira, for those of us who have lived the first half of our lives in darkness, freedom is the most important thing for the future! And fighting Zeref and the forces of darkness is a secondary goal in life!"

“I know you mean well, but doing so is actually putting the cart before the horse.”

Chapter 392 The Sin of the Witch

Emerald was completely bewildered by all this. Luckily, Jura, who knew the truth, was by her side. If it were someone else who didn't know the situation, they would have thought she was a villain who sowed discord, took advantage of the chaos, and abused her power for personal gain! Is joining the Kingdom's army so difficult for you? I remember the Fiore royal family had a pretty good reputation among the people, didn't they?

No way! Not being able to recruit people is a minor issue; damaging the reputation of the Fiore royal family is a much bigger problem!

“I think you may have some misunderstandings! Even if you become part of the royal forces, it doesn’t mean your freedom will be restricted! To put it simply, this force is just a magic squad commissioned by the Fiore royal family. You can still move freely and fight against darkness.”

Jade spoke urgently, as if a few seconds' delay would result in a joint attack from the other side, "These commissions will be a bit more difficult than those of ordinary guilds, but I believe that with your strength, it won't be a problem, and we will also provide certain rewards!"

These words were spoken with such sincerity that not only Kira thought she was easy to fool, but even Jellal and the others were moved, and the thought "this princess is really kind" immediately came to mind; as for Jura, she sat quietly to the side, enjoying the gossip.

"How about this, Your Highness?" Kira suddenly turned around and said, "How about this, on the premise of guaranteeing personal freedom, in exchange for joining the kingdom's exclusive magic squad for five years, we can be exempted from all their crimes?"

"Kira?!"

"Hey, Kira! You bastard..."

Kira ignored the reactions of the others and said to himself, "Completing the royal commission will atone for our past mistakes! Five years later, they will be truly free. They can continue to serve the Fiore royal family, or they can choose to leave and join any legitimate guild with dignity!"

What do you all think of this suggestion?

This is essentially a compromise between maintaining the status quo and joining the Kingdom's army. Five years isn't a long time; Melty will only just come of age by then. In the original story, these characters endured six or seven years in prison and atonement. What's a mere five years?

Gerald and the others remained silent, which was their response: it was barely acceptable.

Emerald was surprised, but more than that, she was delighted, though she didn't show it. Royal etiquette required her to be a little humble: "Kirasan, there's really no need to go to such lengths..."

"Then three years it is!" Kira wasn't buying it and immediately took the opportunity to cut his quoted price.

In fact, he regretted it as soon as he mentioned the team's "five-year plan," after all, serving the royal family for five years was indeed a bit long. By then, Natsuru and her daughter, Greyjuvia's son, and Gajeel Levy's twins would all be playing mahjong.

"……no problem!!"

To prevent Kira from cutting her off again, Emerald immediately agreed and secretly vowed never to say such pointless pleasantries again, as they were completely useless!

The group returned to Crocus and handed over the mission to King Thomas. The princess returned safely, and the mission was completed perfectly. Kira, having obtained intelligence about the Kingdom of Bosk, received an additional reward of several hundred thousand J.

He secretly pocketed these hundreds of thousands of J, which was his own extra income, so he didn't give any share to the guild.

After that, he also brought Jura along to witness the entire process of Gerald and others signing the "three-year contract" with the Fiore royal family.

Due to various reasons such as identity, responsibilities, and tasks, the group said their goodbyes and began a new journey the next day.

Kira, of course, returned to Fairy Tail.

Magnolia, central street.

A handsome figure with red hair and dressed in blue walked excitedly toward Fairy Tail, his face beaming with a happy smile, as if something extremely joyful had happened to him.

Everyone who passed by him could clearly hear the number he was repeating: 20 million!

"2 million...2 million...2 million deposited..."

This person was Kira, who had just finished his mission and returned to the guild. His bulging wallet and the numbers in his bank account made him so happy that he ignored even the greetings from acquaintances.

"Isn't that Kira? We have something to tell you... Hey, why did you leave?"

The two are Alzak and Bisca, who are currently dating.

"Was that Kira just now? What happened to him? Did he get tricked while drinking with Cana?"

"I think he just got back from a mission. You forgot? That 2 million designated mission from before..."

"Oh! I remember now! No wonder!"

During the conversation, Kira suddenly squeezed in front of the speaker, grinning as he shook their hand: "Sorry, I didn't recognize you! Congratulations!"

"Um... same to you..."

Once Kira's figure had disappeared into the distance again, the two muttered to themselves, "Does Kira already know about that?"

"who knows?"

……

In early X785, another shocking event occurred in the Kingdom of Fiore.

Jellal and Ultear, the former notorious villains wanted by the Council, along with the remnants of the former Oración Seis, were pardoned by the Fiore royal family for their service to the kingdom and established a magic guild that obeys the royal family—Sin of the Witches.

In another worldview, this situation would be like this: a great pirate becomes one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a rogue ninja becomes an assistant to the Hokage, a serial killer becomes one of the Gotei 13, outlaws from Liangshan become the surrendered army, and a master thief becomes an advisor to the Six Doors (a government agency).

With the extensive coverage in the Magic Weekly, the entire magical world was in an uproar. Apart from the various magic guilds, the Magic Council was the most excited to react.

The Council declared: These people are villains! Criminals! They should be arrested and imprisoned in the Council's jail! Even if they cannot be arrested, they should not be forgiven, much less rightfully become a magic guild! This would damage the prestige of the kingdom and the Council!

The Fiore royal family stated: This group of people has been kind to the Fiore royal family and has rendered meritorious service to the Kingdom of Fiore. Given that their past crimes are forgivable, they are given an opportunity to make amends!

The council said: No way! They smashed up the council back then. If we forgive them now, where will our council's reputation be?

The Fiore royal family declared: What do your pride have to do with us? Know your place! You are merely an organization of the magical world; we are the true masters of this country!

The council said: You will regret this!

For a whole week, the two sides exchanged barbs in the newspapers. In the end, the Kingdom of Fiore made a tough decision, and the council had no choice but to swallow the loss and acknowledge their legitimate status.

Soon, the Sin of the Witch became a benchmark.

Anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see that its establishment is actually the Fiore royal family announcing something to the magical world: no matter how bad a mage you were in the past, as long as you can admit your mistakes, correct them, and make amends, you can clear your name, be exempted from crimes, and even become the royal family's exclusive force.

This situation delighted the mages of the dark guilds. Even the royal family could clear the names of Jellal, the Oración Seis, and the members of Devil Heart; what chance did they have?

In fact, their lives have been very unsatisfactory since the fall of the 'Balam Alliance'. Every dark guild wants to take their place, and the competition for jobs is fierce!

Now everyone's retired from their criminal lives and can finally find stable jobs. Isn't that better than living in a dark jungle?! What? Freedom? That's something only naive young people pursue! You only realize how important a stable job is when you get older!

So, someone contacted The Witch's Sin through various channels.

……