A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"The Alvarez Empire... an empire in the west?"

Mebius murmured softly, her memory seemingly returning to that afternoon more than 80 years ago.

That day, Zeref told her that he had established an empire in the west, where everyone was a pawn in a strategy game. Now, these pawns had clearly become a powerful force that threatened the Kingdom of Fiore and the safety of Fairy Tail.

A moment later, Mavis suddenly turned around and said, "The reason I keep my ghostly appearance is not only because I am a 'dead' and don't want to interfere with the world of the living, but also for another reason."

The group listened quietly, but Kira and Precito already knew what she was going to say.

“Precito, you should remember that I carry the ‘Curse of Ankhseram’, right? Even so, is it alright to ‘resurrect’ me?”

“It’s alright!” Precito said calmly, his eyes half-closed. “If war really breaks out, it shouldn’t have too much of an impact!”

Makarov frowned immediately and shouted in displeasure, "That's going too far!!"

Years ago, during the Second Trade War, Mavis served as a commander, and the war dulled her sense of life ethics.

So this was actually a very hurtful remark, because it touched on Mebis's sore spot, but Precito didn't care about it at the moment.

As expected, after he finished speaking, Mavis's mood became even more depressed, but also more puzzled: "What exactly happened? If it's just a war, the countries and the council wouldn't stand idly by. They shouldn't need me to step in, right?"

As she spoke, she looked at Kira beside her, "And although he may not be as good as me, this kid named Kira should also be able to play a leadership role!"

Kira: "..."

Do I feel like... I'm being looked down upon?

After a moment's hesitation, as if having made up his mind, Precito slowly said, "Mavis, there's another important reason why we want you resurrected! In the Alvarez Empire, there is also..."

"And your son!"

Kira suddenly interrupted, and at an astonishing speed, blurted out all the information at once: "He was born around the time you died. Precht was the midwife, but later abandoned the child. Then, by chance, the child was taken in by Zeref and is now working for Zeref, but Zeref doesn't know his true identity."

"The Magic King, August, is the leader of the 'Twelve Shields of the Holy War,' Zeref's right-hand man, and the number two figure in the Alvarez Empire!"

"Now we need you to step in and use 'mother diplomacy' to persuade him to surrender!"

After saying that, he took a deep breath, then hid next to Makarov, watching with glee as Mebis and Precht continued their conversation.

It's been so long since I interrupted someone, this is so exciting!!

Precito: "..."

Didn't we agree that I would be the one to say it? What is this kid doing?!

Mavis was completely stunned: What was he saying? My child? I have a child?! How could I possibly have a child?!

"Oscar..."

Chapter 482 Mavis's Apology

August...August...

Upon hearing the name, Mavis's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to a summer many years ago, to the wonderful time she spent with Jelf.

"I...I have a child?"

Mavis was completely stunned. Even with her IQ of over 200, she still couldn't believe such a thing could happen. She looked at Precht, her eyes filled with disbelief and terror. "Is this real, Precht!?"

Precito nodded slowly: "It's true!"

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Mavis instantly lost all her vitality, collapsing to the ground as if she had suffered a great blow, and then began to tremble involuntarily.

Mavis was filled with mixed feelings. She knew that the people in front of her wouldn't joke about something like this, but it was precisely because it wasn't a joke that she felt even more helpless.

Years ago, after learning that she was under the 'Curse of Ankhseram', especially after unknowingly taking Rita's (Makarov's mother) life, she stayed away from people as much as possible, fearing that she would take the life of someone she cherished.

In her despair, Jeff was her only comfort.

This gentle man, who was like a teacher and a husband, saved her soul like the warmest sunshine during the darkest time of her life. Even though she ultimately died because of him, Mavis never blamed Jelf for it.

But she never imagined that in this process, she would give birth to a new life, which is as ridiculous as a butcher who disregards human life suddenly realizing the preciousness of life.

The more you cherish something, the easier it is to take your life; ignorance, on the contrary, can save a child.

What a contradiction, what a contradictory curse, that makes every choice in one's life so contradictory.

Hot tears silently fell from her eyes, glistening like pearls, dripping to the ground and wetting the soil in front of her.

Mebius didn't know whether to cry or laugh, so she cried and laughed at the same time, feeling both resentment towards her fate, guilt towards the child she had never met, and joy at having created life.

"I'm very sorry about this! I won't argue with you if you blame me for it."

That's just talk! Not to mention that given Mebis's personality, he wouldn't actually do anything to you, and even if he did, it wouldn't be a serious punishment. That's why Precito is so fearless.

Kira glanced at Precht and thought the old man was wicked!

"So? Are you willing to come with us now?"

That's such a ridiculous statement; anyone who didn't know better would think the council was here to arrest a wanted criminal...

Mavis wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, abruptly raised her head, about to agree, but the words caught in her throat, "I...I..."

Seeing this, Makarov assumed she was feeling guilty for not fulfilling her maternal duties, so he comforted her, "Don't feel guilty. Although you've never met since birth, I believe he won't blame you for it, because it's not your fault! And..."

And then there was nothing more, leading Kira to suspect that he hadn't thought of any words.

Hearing Makarov's words of comfort, Mebius almost burst into tears again, the tears she had just held back almost spilling out once more.

If it were anyone else, Makarov's words would undoubtedly have a great effect, since he himself lost his mother at birth and never even met her. His empathetic persuasion is no less impressive than Naruto's.

But Mebius is different!

Because Rita died because of her!

Feelings of self-blame and shame welled up inside Mavis, causing her to burst into tears once again.

“Makarov…I…I’m so sorry…”

After hesitating for a moment, Mavis decided to reveal the secret she had kept hidden for many years, "Your mother... Rita... she... she is me..."

Mavis spoke haltingly, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time, but Precito and Kira, who knew the inside story, realized what she was about to say, but the two tacitly did not interrupt her.

Since they've chosen to speak out, this is now a matter between Mebius and Makarov.

However, unexpectedly, before Mebis could finish speaking, Makarov spoke first: "I already know!"

"You mean to say that my mother died from the 'Ankhseram Curse,' right?"

Mavis stood there, stunned.

"What are you saying, Makarov?!"

Warlord suddenly shouted, because these words clearly meant that Mavis was the murderer of Rita! How could he accept this?!

But soon, Warlord realized something was wrong. Apart from himself, no one else reacted much to his words, and the air was filled with a deep sense of helplessness and pity.

His eyes widened suddenly, staring at the two people in front of him in disbelief: "No way..."

'No wonder Rita's death was so suspicious, it turns out...'

Warlord glanced at Precht and Kira beside him, noticing that their expressions hadn't changed much. Another wave of helplessness washed over him. 'They knew all along... Looks like I'm really slow on the uptake...'

Thinking about this, Warlord felt a headache coming on, his blood pressure soaring, and he expertly rubbed his temples: "How could this happen..."

In fact, not only Warold, but Kira was also surprised, but he was surprised that Makarov knew about it.

“You… already know?” Mavis asked.

"Looks like I wasn't wrong..."

Makarov's voice was somewhat low, "When I was little, I heard people say that my mother died on the day I was born. She had clearly given birth to me safely, but suddenly died. After that, you, the First Generation, suddenly ran out of the guild crying and disappeared without a trace."

“It wasn’t until I took over as president that I learned your body had been sealed in a magic crystal in the basement by the second generation, and that the ‘Fairy Heart’ had been created using the ‘Ankhseram’s Curse’.”

"I've had a suspicion ever since then, but I've never been sure!"

Mavis was now as flustered as a child who had broken a vase, her head bowed and tears streaming down her face, repeatedly apologizing, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

The repeated apologies were addressed not only to Makarov, but also to the innocent Rita and Yuri, who died in despair, completely unaware of the truth.

"Don't blame yourself, it's not your fault!"

Makarov is quite open-minded. At nearly 90 years old, he has long since become indifferent to life and death, even to his own parents. Now, the only thing he can't let go of is his family in the guild.

"I don't think your father and mother would blame you even if they knew the reason!"

Kira felt that Makarov seemed to be radiating a divine light at that moment.

A dozen minutes later, Mebius finally calmed down and agreed to go with them to the Alvarez Empire to persuade Jelf to stop waging war.

However, after a brief discussion, Warlord raised a new question.

"Why does this feel like sending a lamb to the slaughter? If Zeref's goal is the endless magic power within Mavis, wouldn't it be better to hide Mavis away?"

Precito shook his head, a glint of wisdom in his left eye: "Hiding can only solve the immediate crisis at best, and it could very well lead to a greater disaster! So we must resolve this matter while we are still able to fight!"

This time, Kira agreed with Precht's idea: "The second generation is right! There is no such thing as being a thief for a thousand days but being on guard against thieves for a thousand days."

"On one hand, you should reveal your cards and fight fair and square with your opponent; on the other hand, you should sneak around and wait for the enemy to steal, cheat, or surrender using unknown means. No matter how you look at it, you should choose the former!"

"But……"

Seeing that Warlord was still hesitant, Kira could only say, "Don't worry, we'll go quietly and leave quietly, and we'll only see the Magic King and Zeref along the way."

"As long as you prepare in advance, you can escape even if you encounter difficulties!"

Chapter 483 Recruiting People

"Get ready? How do we get ready?"

"The ultimate target of the war is Mavis. If the target is right in front of us, there's no guarantee they won't deploy all twelve Aegis. Can you withstand that then?"

The Volods were experienced and thoughtful, and it was all for their safety. The people present were all virtuous magic masters, so no one would do something like pulling off the blanket, nor would anyone say something like, "Why do you have so many questions, you old man?"

Kira smiled confidently: "No problem! Because I'll step in... to pull them back!"

"Recruit people? You mean the kids from the guild?"

Warlord frowned instantly, thinking Kira wanted to take Gildarts, Laxus, Erza, and the others with him. He immediately warned, "No! They're all too young. Their strength isn't enough to handle this level of battle. We absolutely can't involve them!"