A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Of all the heroes in the world, only Kira stands alone!

"Hey, where did those two girls who came with you go? You mean those two 12 Shields? It's good that we don't have to talk to two people, but didn't they come over even with all that commotion?"

Lucy was lying next to Natsu, and said tremblingly, "They said, 'That's Lady Irene's magic. Since she's already made her move, there's no need for us to go. If the enemy is one that even Lady Irene can't defeat, then there's no point in us going.' Then they went back to the inn to sleep."

Kira was utterly shocked: "Sleeping? How can they sleep at this age? Don't they have any nightlife? Aren't girls from the Western Continent known for their passion and openness?!"

"You're not talking about the proper kind of nightlife, are you?!"

"Nightlife is nightlife, why distinguish between respectable and improper?"

Kira seemed not to understand what Lucy meant, and frowned as he said, then grabbed Happy, who was lying to the side, and started kneading him, "Speaking of which, Lucy usually spends her nights with Natsu, right?"

Harpy's body is soft, warm, and furry, with a very elastic belly that feels amazing to the touch.

Kira has never really liked small animals, but Happy is different!

Because Happy is an Outcast, an intelligent cat who can communicate, possess magic, and whose body isn't as dirty as ordinary cats. Although he can be a little mischievous at times, he's only 6 years old, which is normal for a child, and he's quite useful in crucial moments. Plus, with his adorable cat face and playful voice, even a grown man like Kira finds him cute.

Before Lucy could answer Kira's question, Happy in Kira's hand spoke first: "Yes...yes...Lucy is with us almost every night!"

"I knew it! Heh heh heh..."

A cold laugh with a peculiar meaning made Lucy feel embarrassed and annoyed: "Huh~ What's that sound?!"

What was that sound? You know it yourself!

Kira chuckled and patted Happy's head, clearly pleased with his cooperation: "So, when are you two finally getting married?!"

"Married...?! What are you talking about?! I'm only 19 years old!!"

"Oh my, so it's just a matter of age?" Kira smirked. "So it's Natsu after all, isn't it, Happy?"

"Hey!!"

"Ah?! This...this...I...I just..."

Realizing she had fallen into a language trap, Lucy's face flushed red again. While stammering, she glanced at Natsu beside her, looking at him with a shy yet expectant expression.

Natsu, looking completely bewildered by Kira and Lucy's conversation, asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"..." Lucy's face instantly turned cold, and the hormones that had just risen instantly turned into cholesterol.

For a moment, Kira wondered if Natsu had suffered some serious head injury. Perhaps he was made stupid by Ignia when he was young, or perhaps he died once as a child and his nerves weren't properly processed when he was revived by Zeref. Otherwise, how could his emotional intelligence be lower than that of a cat like Happy?

"If you keep dawdling like this, Levy-chan will beat you to it!"

"Eh?! What?! Rei-chan?!" Lucy didn't react at all at first.

She had been living in the fantasy of marrying Natsu, but Kira's words suddenly made her image of Levy appear in her mind. A sense of absurdity and jealousy arose in her heart, and her expression immediately became slumped, like a golden retriever who had been NTR'd by her best friend.

Levy is her best friend, that's true, but not this type of friend!!

But Lucy quickly realized she was mistaken. Levy and Natsu... How could that be?! Levy doesn't like an idiot like Natsu!

Lucy knew that Levy was different from herself. She looked innocent on the outside, but she was actually lewd on the inside and longed for the kind of romance where she was bullied by a bad boy, like Gajeel.

Moreover, as her best friend, she knew that Levy and Gajeel had been getting along very well over the past year, and their relationship had rapidly developed.

So Kira was talking about Levy and Gajeel?? Could they already...?! No way?! Have they really gotten to that point?!

Thinking of this, Lucy, who had just eaten the juicy gossip, turned ashen-faced once again.

Chapter 531 Mother and Daughter

The bright moon hangs high, and the stars fill the sky.

The Alvarez Empire occupies almost the entire western continent, and its overall climate is quite different from that of the Kingdom of Fiore. Moreover, this town is located inland, and compared to coastal cities like Magnolia, the air at night is much drier. Apart from that, it is equally chilly during this time of transition from autumn to winter.

The night breeze, carrying a bone-chilling cold, gently caressed the face of the beautiful figure on the balcony, tossing a few strands of her fiery red hair.

Erza stood alone on the balcony, the vast night sky above her, the moonlight pouring down on her, her hair as dazzling as the moonlight, her figure as cold as the moonlight, exuding an unusual loneliness.

Erza's silver-white armor rippled slightly, revealing that she was not at peace.

Although she pretended to be indifferent in front of everyone, she knew that it was all to avoid her relationship with Eileen affecting the 'Guild's Plan to Stop the Empire from Starting a War'. It was also a little bit of a show of bravado. In reality, she cared a little, but she couldn't express these feelings in front of others.

Erza is different from Natsu and the others. The others all had parents to some extent, so they can only be considered half orphans; Erza was abandoned at birth and only had the feeling of "family" and "kinship" after coming to "Fairy Tail". But in the end, this "family" and "kinship" is just an atmosphere that "Fairy Tail" tries to create.

The moment Erza saw Irene, the connection of blood stirred her heart, and she suddenly realized that the people in the guild were essentially 'comrades'. Although they were similar to family members in terms of their way of getting along, their behavior, and their personality, they were still different from true 'relatives'.

She can choose not to care about these differences, but she cannot deny their existence.

When she realized this, it felt like a thorn stuck in her throat, making her feel very uncomfortable, but she was powerless to do anything about it.

Erza chose not to voice her discomfort, because that would only cause others unnecessary worry.

While Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, and others could offer some comfort, most of them are thick-skinned, emotionally insensitive, and have childlike personalities. They have never experienced the feeling of being orphaned and then finding out that it would have been better if they hadn't been born at all, so they cannot truly understand.

Perhaps only Kira in this house can understand her to some extent, but given his personality, he can only use methods like 'complaining,' 'joking,' 'eating,' and 'playing around' to help her forget her troubles, but afterwards she will only feel worse, which is only a temporary solution.

The only cure is time.

As for the mother and daughter being reunited as a family, Erza held no hope whatsoever.

Erza, you're still awake?

A familiar voice came from behind, interrupting Erza's thoughts.

Kira, wearing a high-end nightgown custom-made by H-K store in Magnolia and wrapped in a plush blanket, walked onto the balcony with sleepy eyes, stood next to Erza, then rested his hands on the railing, propped his head up, and exuded a lazy aura.

"Did you eat too much tonight and can't sleep?"

Erza shook her head: "I was just thinking about something."

"Is it because of the story I told before?"

"Um...more or less..." Erza hesitated for a moment before saying.

She's thinking about me!

"How are you feeling?" Kira's expression was a mixture of shyness, curiosity, nervousness, and anticipation.

Erza thought for a moment and replied, "The plot is alright. It could be a big hit if it were written as a novel or made into a play, but it can only serve as a prologue or the first act."

Huh?! Is that what I wanted to ask? Never mind, it doesn't seem that important.

"Well said! I knew you had a keen eye for talent!"

Upon hearing Erza's praise, Kira unconsciously straightened his back, then waved his hand grandly, looking incredibly generous, like a screenwriter tycoon or film and television investor: "Don't worry, I'll reserve the lead role for you when things are going well!"

With her natural acting style, there's no need to worry about Erza's poor acting skills.

"Let me tell you, these kinds of novels and plays are very popular in the Kingdom of Fiore right now. The profit from just one book might be enough to buy a house in Magnolia."

"If you add last year's release of 'The Red-Haired Girl's Love Story,' you could debut as a star right away!"

Erza immediately became alert: "Huh?! What story? What does it have to do with me?!"

Oh no! I let it slip!

Kira secretly sold that movie behind Erza's back then, and then he was so busy that he forgot to pay her. He didn't expect that even after a year, Erza still hadn't heard of the movie.

That was the highest-grossing production in Magnolia this year, the third highest in the Kingdom of Fiore, and the eleventh highest in Ishgar!

"No...no...it's nothing...I was just kidding..."

Kira hurriedly waved his hand, "By the way, do you think it's better for the story to focus on 'restoring the kingdom' or 'finding family'?"

"Don't try to change the subject! What was that love story you were talking about?!"

"Does it have to be a male lead? If it's a story with a strong female lead, there should be several male characters around her, right? Like a first love with a love-hate relationship, two mischievous younger brothers, the gentlest and most handsome older brother in the world, two domineering, arrogant, and roguish delinquent clowns, and a group of lewd but reliable middle-aged men..."

"What are you talking about..." Erza became increasingly embarrassed as she listened.

"Oh right! Don't forget the female lead!"

Kira slapped his forehead and said again, "Equally matched rivals: the bankrupt heiress in the same dorm, the innocent and harmless girl next door, and the supporting female character who constantly chases after the heroine in many aspects such as studies, singing and dancing, and beauty, but can never catch up with her..."

"Hmm... Only a diverse cast of characters can satisfy the audience's fantasies."

"No matter how you look at it, I think it will have a great market!"

shhhhhh...

Under Erza's stunned gaze, Kira pulled out a pen and paper and quickly wrote down the inspirations that kept flowing into his mind.

"Sure enough... my thoughts are clearer at night! That's the best time to create! Those authors who stay up until two or three in the morning every day are forced to do it..."

For a moment, only the sound of Kira writing furiously could be heard on the balcony.

The night air was cool, and so was the atmosphere between the two of them.

I initially thought Kira was there to comfort me, but after saying a few casual words, he started jotting down his creative inspiration on his own!

Erza sighed helplessly: This really suits Kira's personality!

In her memory, whether it was forgetting her troubles by binge eating like before, or doing her own thing on the sidelines like now, silently conveying the message that "although fate has been unkind to you, you still have your companions," these were all ways Kira often used to comfort people. The last time he did this seemed to be when Lisanna "died," and he comforted Mira.

After a long while, Erza said to Kira, who was frowning in deep thought, "Kira, can you tell me the truth about that story? You should know, right?"

Kira stopped writing upon hearing this and looked at Erza in surprise: "Aren't you going to wait for her to tell you herself?"

I want to know now!

……

Under the same night sky, on similar balconies, similar figures gaze at the moon and feel the breeze.

She is Eileen.

Compared to the original work, where she had several tens of minutes devoted to fighting and no time to think, she now has more time to experience her emotions after reuniting with her daughter.

For twenty years, she had believed that she had abandoned Erza because she thought Erza was useless to her, but after recalling her feelings at the time, she vaguely felt that something was not right.

It seems that... my feelings at the time were not regret, but fear.

She could understand the regret, probably because the personality transfer had failed; but what was the reason for the fear? Was it the fear that she would live in a form that was neither human nor dragon forever? Although she was trapped in the dragon body at the time, it seemed that she felt more pain than fear.

So, what is she afraid of?

Twenty years have passed, and Eileen can no longer recall what her mindset was when she abandoned her daughter.

"Erza...?"