A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Kira's temporary residence.

Is this the whole truth?

After listening to Kira recount Erin's story and her own background, Erza was filled with mixed emotions and stared blankly at the starry sky.

On the one hand, she truly pitied Eileen's tragic fate, but on the other hand, she felt that the other party might be a potential enemy that could start a war. This contradictory feeling occupied her entire heart.

"I know it might not be easy for you to accept this right away, but... this is the truth!"

Kira spoke in a low, sorrowful, and apologetic voice, "You must be very disappointed, right? But I really am not your biological uncle. I'm sorry for lying to you before..."

"I never believed your previous story at all! Why do you feel the need to apologize?!"

"What?!?!" Kira was struck dumb.

"Who would believe such an absurd story that was obviously made up on the spot?! The probability of such a plot happening in real life is extremely low, like something out of a novel!"

"Eh?! How could this be...?"

After a long while, Kira finished his performance, let out a long sigh, went back to the inner room to pour himself a cup of hot water, and returned to ask, "So? After hearing such a tragic story, as the last abandoned daughter in the story, what are your thoughts?"

"Impressions..."

Can this feeling be explained by mere thoughts?

"It's like writing an 800-word essay to reflect on something, expressing your opinion... Didn't your teacher teach you that before?"

"Oh, I forgot, you didn't receive a traditional education..."

I was originally planning to jot down Erza's thoughts, and I even took out paper and pen, only to find that Erza's vocabulary wasn't much more than Natsu's.

Erza didn't feel embarrassed. In this magical world, as long as you can read, write, speak, and use things, that's enough. Being semi-literate or having a low level of education is nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, compared to most people in the guild, she was already considered very good.

"Who says I haven't received any training?! I did study it for a while when I was little in Rosemary Village..."

That's pure nonsense. Erza was only seven or eight years old when she was captured and taken to the Tower of Paradise, and people can only remember things when they are at least five years old. She was an orphan in Rosemary Village and certainly didn't have time to study in order to make a living. The same was true during the years she spent in the Tower of Paradise. It wasn't until Fairy Tail that she had the opportunity to study, and by then she was already eleven years old.

As for whether she read books in the guild, doesn't Kira already know?

All he did all day was fight with Mira. It wasn't until he got a little older and learned the importance of knowledge during the S-class mage exam that he toned it down a bit and finally learned to calm down and read books—though only to a very limited extent.

But in recent years, probably because he's entered puberty, he's started reading some erotic books, which is completely putting the cart before the horse!

Kira had reprimanded Erza many times for reading erotic books, but Erza never changed her ways. For the sake of the guild's good reputation, Kira had no choice but to confiscate the books and give her a good scolding when he got home.

Kira was greatly disappointed by the results of the review; they were just ordinary romance novels, completely devoid of any substance, and Kira returned them the next day.

The reason given is: girls mature too early, so it's better to guide than to suppress.

In short, he said all sorts of good and bad things, and played both the good guy and the bad guy.

"Rosemary Village... Speaking of which, are you still in touch with those friends? You mean the catwoman, and the three men."

Kira was referring to the people in the Tower of Paradise, Erza's younger siblings, and her suitors...

"Yes, they wrote to us a few months ago. Simon found his sister. Wally found his brother, and they both seem to have joined the Magic Guild and are doing quite well so far."

Simon's sister is Kagura, the top performer of Mermaid Bell in the original work... oh, I should say the most powerful and attractive member; Worry's brother is Richard, the former "Oración Seis", who currently serves the Fiore royal family in "Sin of the Witch"; so which guild do they belong to?

The Mermaid Bell seems to only accept girls; the Witch's Sin is for convicts who have committed crimes, so I guess neither of them are...

Kira glanced at Erza in surprise: "Joining a magic guild... I thought you were going to invite them to 'Fairy Tail'."

"I did have that thought, but they said they were happy with their lives and didn't want to leave their family and friends, so I didn't insist. Anyway, we can see each other anytime in the future."

"That's true..."

Wait a minute! Weren't we talking about Eileen? How did we suddenly get onto those minor characters?

Kira paused for a moment, then suddenly realized that he seemed to have started the conversation first.

"Ahem... If nothing unexpected happens, tomorrow should go smoothly. Afterwards, I will head over to meet up with Dispel and the others to continue working on the next Twelve Shields. As for Eileen... she might try the method I suggested."

What about you? What are your plans?

Erza fell silent for a moment.

Chapter 534 Negotiation

Kira deliberately set aside time to negotiate with Irene, not because he had nothing better to do, but so that both she and Erza could have time to carefully consider their relationship and avoid a tragic ending like that in the original work.

It's just too tragic that a mother and daughter would kill each other because of their differing stances!

It doesn't fit the tone of this world, nor is it the result Kira would have liked.

If possible, he still hoped that Irene could have a good ending, preferably staying in Magnolia and spending time with Erza and her daughter... enjoying family life with Erza.

Of course, he also felt sorry for old man August. It would be best if he could stay in Magnolia and be an ordinary old man next door, basking in the sun every day, growing flowers and plants, or becoming a teacher at the magic academy in Magnolia, teaching children magic and passing on the torch. How wonderful that would be!

Although he had never personally experienced war, Kira knew that such things could only bring pain. After all, it was clearly written in history books, and he had seen many novels, comics, and movies. Without a doubt, it was something he could not bear.

Even though Kira could kill hundreds of thousands or even millions of magical soldiers of the Alvarez Empire without hesitation for the sake of his guildmates, he still felt a little reluctant. No one with normal values ​​could easily live on and laugh after carrying so many lives on their shoulders.

To be honest, Kira really didn't understand the ending of the original work where Irene and Augusta both left the story; the plot twists were too drastic.

On the surface, Irene didn't want Erza to bear the guilt of 'killing her mother'; August wanted Mavis to know of his existence, but...

Why did Irene have to die? If it was a matter of stance, and she didn't want to be an enemy, couldn't she just leave? Zeref didn't care about her anyway! Was she really tired of living? Then why did she deliberately choose that moment to die? August was the same; in that situation, was it really necessary to use magic of Alus Machia's caliber? It would have been better to depict them as being defeated by some kind of cheat code!

Looking at Eileen, who sat opposite him on the sofa, with an elegant and dignified appearance and an air of arrogance, Kira felt only regret.

It was now the next day, and the location was still Kira's temporary residence.

The surrounding area had been cleaned up spotlessly. It was Natsu and the others who did the cleaning. After all, Kira had treated them to a late-night snack, so it wouldn't make sense for him to both treat them and clean up afterward!

A rectangular table, a long sofa, and two single armchairs—this is the standard setup for a living room.

Two single chairs were placed on either side of the long table. Kira sat on one, and Erin sat on the other. The rest of the people sat in a row on the long sofa, holding hot tea in their hands, looking obedient.

Ultear and Selene were also there. They were the ones who initially worked with Kira. Now that Irene's mission was coming to an end, they had to come and see her, no matter what the outcome was.

The two maids, Heine and Juliet, stood on either side of Irene, their expressions serious. A dozen pairs of eyes kept drifting between Kira and Irene, but no one dared to utter a sound.

A cup of hot tea was placed in front of Eileen, even though she didn't even look at it, but the proper etiquette still had to be observed.

This serious scene and restrained atmosphere, if you knew it was Kira and Erin negotiating, you might have thought it was a mother-in-law interviewing her future son-in-law, or a mother catching her son dating.

In short, it looks strange and not a proper scene.

"So, what method are you referring to?"

The rising steam blocked Kira's view of Erin. At first glance, it looked like the Zonya Mountains, which are shrouded in snow all year round, with two snow-capped peaks that could be seen everywhere.

Kira didn't actually like having his vision obstructed. The feeling of not being able to see the truth clearly, the blurry images, gave him the illusion that he might perish in them at any moment.

"You must first promise me that you will no longer work for the Alvarez Empire; if Zeref plans to launch a war to invade Ishgar, you cannot get involved, and even if you do get involved, you will not stand on his side; if his target is 'Fairy Tail,' you must help us..."

Kira went on and on, even bringing up things like "settling down in Magnolia and getting along well with Erza as a mother and daughter" in the end.

To his disappointment, Irene and Erza's expressions remained unchanged throughout, like a mother and daughter who had just had a fight and were currently giving each other the silent treatment. The others, however, were quite cooperative in feigning stunned expressions at Kira's endless stream of demands.

Three minutes later, Kira finished speaking. He took a sip of hot tea to refresh himself and then gestured for Eileen to make her choice.

Eileen paused for a moment, blinked, and slowly said, "Don't you think you're asking for too much?"

"Businessmen do business by asking for the moon and settling for the moon. I can make my demands, and you can state yours, or add any other conditions you want. Aren't you good at adding extras?"

Everyone (speechless and sweating): This additional information isn't the same thing...

"I can break away from the Alvarez Empire, but I will never turn against His Majesty! If war really breaks out, I will at most stand by and watch!"

If Zeref hadn't helped Irene regain her human form twenty years ago, and she were still in her dragon form, that debt of gratitude would have prevented her from betraying Zeref, even though Zeref never cared. While Irene could separate the power of the 'Fairy Heart,' Zeref himself could do the same.

"I can agree to your other requests, but only after I'm certain that I can recover to normal."

I knew it...

“That’s enough!” Kira said after a moment of thought. “We’ll hurry and do our best to dismantle the Twelve Shields and work on his mindset before Zeref chooses to go to war.”

"If the operation goes smoothly and everyone ends up living in peace, then you won't have this concern; if it fails and it really comes to the point where we have no choice but to fight, then we can just stand by and watch!"

Hmph... Once you've built a good relationship with Erza, I don't believe you'll be able to hold back from making a move!

"Then it's settled! Tell me your method!" Eileen seemed somewhat impatient.

"Alchemy! You've heard of it, haven't you?"

"A cultivation system prevalent in Giltina, quite different from magic?" Eileen paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "I know, there is an alchemist among the Twelve Shields. A mechanic who masters 'mechanical alchemy,' Val."

"In Giltina, there is an alchemy guild called the 'Golden Owl,' where some people possess the alchemy of 'body transmutation,' which might be able to help you create a new body."

“Body tempering…” Eileen’s eyes widened suddenly.

She certainly possesses knowledge and insights into magic far beyond that of ordinary people, but she only has a superficial understanding of other cultivation systems, such as Elentina's 'magical power' and Giltina's alchemy.

While it's true that one method can lead to many, there are still differences between different systems. Moreover... the alchemy of refining the body sounds to be on par with the status of magic in the magical world—it's simply not a skill that ordinary people can master.

Do such people really exist?

"Of course! The president of the town's food association can testify to that!"

Kira answered forcefully, and to prove that his method was effective, he even brought up the chairman he had met just a few days ago, "He lost a hand in his early years, but when he went to the North Continent to participate in a competition, he met an alchemist who recreated his hand. Now he can cook and cut meat with lightning speed."

"If you don't believe me, you can go and ask around!"

"I will go!"

Eileen nodded and got up to leave, but Kira stopped her.

"Don't worry, I might have another way!"

Chapter 535 Kira's Second Method

A second method?!

Upon hearing Kira's words, Eileen's already stunningly beautiful face froze: "I've been searching for so many years without finding anything, and you come here and offer two solutions? Really?! You're not lying, are you?!"

But it wouldn't hurt to listen...

The desire to regain her human form overcame her deep-seated doubts, and Eileen sat down gracefully again. However, when she saw Kira's sky-blue eyes and his slightly sinister and cunning smile, her heart sank. For the first time in twenty years, she felt like she was being manipulated.