A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

This kid... I might have underestimated him before!

"Do you have a second method?"

This time, Eileen's voice was noticeably softer than before.

Kira nodded in satisfaction: That's more like it! A better attitude makes it easier for everyone to get along in the future!

"Although alchemy is a real thing, we cannot guarantee that the other party will help, or that the body created will be able to withstand your power, so we need to try other methods."

Kira's initial plan was to combine Body Transmutation with Personality Assimilation, but he had never witnessed the true nature of Body Transmutation. If there were any hidden tricks or harsh conditions that ultimately resulted in more harm than good, it would be a tragedy.

So the second method is...

"Hmm... have you ever heard of clones?"

Everyone present was stunned by these words.

Especially for Eileen, as the person involved, she had thought of countless methods in her early years, and naturally she had also learned about cloning. However, although she was outstanding in magic, she had no talent in medicine and biology, nor did she have the corresponding knowledge and experience. It would be extremely difficult for her to clone her own body.

"Wait! Kira!"

Just as the two were gazing into each other's eyes, lost in thought, the people around them couldn't sit still any longer.

"Is the kind of cloning you're talking about the kind I'm thinking of?"

Lucy spoke first. Among the people here, she had the broadest knowledge, so she knew clearly what evaluations and status cloning had in biology and sociology.

Kira readily admitted without hesitation: "That's right! It's the cloning you know, the method of taking a portion of human tissue, culturing it using biotechnology, and finally creating human organs!"

"This was originally intended for medical use, primarily to replace damaged organs. As for artificial life... that would be an act that violates social ethics and national laws."

"However, the Alvarez Empire has its own unique circumstances! I don't think you're the kind of person who would care about such things, are you?"

Eileen chuckled softly, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Leaving aside where such technology is available and legal issues, even if a new life is cloned, how will we solve Eileen's problem?"

Selene blinked her alluring almond-shaped eyes, and even though half of her face was hidden by the fan, her curiosity was evident.

Without Kirado needing to explain, Eileen revealed her ability: "Personality Attachment! My magic can attach personality to any object, thereby creating life. For example, the two maids behind me are products of personality attachment; their original forms are two swords."

"Huh?!"

"Personality enhancement?! There's such magic?!"

"The main body is a sword?! Is that really possible?"

The group all turned their gazes toward Heine and Juliet, two chubby and adorable little girls, one black and one white. One looked a bit arrogant, and the other a bit yandere.

"What are you looking at?!"

The two girls were not disappointed by Irene's attitude; instead, they frowned in dissatisfaction and shouted at Natsu and the others who kept looking them over.

It breathes, has a heartbeat, emotions, body temperature, can think, can use magic, can speak, can fight... It seems no different from an ordinary person.

The group exchanged glances, all seeing the disbelief in each other's eyes, followed by uncontrollable gasps of amazement.

"He looks just like an ordinary person!"

"She's a girl with a really bad temper..."

"Both swords are bigger than me..."

Are virtual people these days so realistic?

"I don't know why, but I always feel like this kind of magic would be very popular among men..."

"What are you thinking?! The world will be in chaos if you do that..."

Irene paid no attention to the argument, even though the people being discussed were her two maids. She continued to talk on and on: "If we consider a person as being composed of a soul and a body, when I attach my personality to someone else, it is as if my soul has taken over their body."

"Although personality and soul are not exactly the same in nature, there is not much difference in effect."

Erza turned her head, her cold gaze fixed on Irene, and asked in a deep voice, "What will happen to the person whose body has been possessed?"

"Of course he's dead!"

Eileen raised her hand dismissively, "But in return, this body becomes nothing more than a pile of flesh."

"So Kirasan means to have Erin-san attach her personality to that clone? Isn't that the same as killing a completely new life?"

Wendy, in her usual gentle voice, expressed her dislike for Kira for the first time. Her expression... showed some disappointment, as if she hadn't expected that the older brother she had always admired would be this kind of person.

I've heard Lucy and Kana say that Kira is very cold, cruel, and ruthless in some ways. Is it all true? I've always believed him so much... Is this the price of growing up?

Kira couldn't read minds and couldn't hear Wendy's rambling thoughts. He simply reached out and smoothed her twin ponytails, saying, "It sounds cruel, but that was the original purpose of cloning research. Besides, as long as consciousness is attached before it's developed in the clone, it doesn't count as harming life!"

"Oh...oh..." the little girl replied softly, her head lowered.

When Wendy was very young, Grandine taught her to respect life, whether human or dragon, and to uphold the most basic kindness. Therefore, she found Kira's approach difficult to accept at first.

"What do you think of this method?" Kira looked at Eileen again, waiting for her reply.

"What a pity! There are two problems with your statement."

Eileen extended two slender fingers, which, despite her black gloves, only enhanced her feminine charm: "First, my personality attachment cannot be used on humans."

"To be precise, it's impossible to attach an entire personality to a human being; I tried that years ago. Hmm... right here in Erza!"

Apart from Kira, who already knew the inside story, and Erza, who learned about it from him yesterday, everyone else was stunned by Erin's words and her nonchalant attitude. They stared at her with wide eyes, as if they were looking at the evil queen in a fairy tale who was about to harm Snow White.

That's too cruel! Erza is her own daughter!!!

"What did you say?!!"

"You bastard!! What have you done to Erza?!"

"How could you harm your own child?! How can you call yourself a mother?!"

Compared to Lucy and Wendy's disbelief and curses, Natsu and Gray, the two hot-tempered individuals, jumped to their feet, their uncontrollable anger and magical energy transforming into power as they raised their fists, ready to punch Irene. However…

"Natsu! Gray! Stop it!!"

A loud shout abruptly stopped the two men's fists, which were halfway out.

"Erza...?!"

Natsu and Gray turned around and looked at Erza, who had managed to stop them, with surprise and anger in their eyes.

From childhood to adulthood, Erza was like a sister to them. How could they tolerate Irene's ruthless exploitation and cruel abandonment of Erza when she was still an infant? And how could they forgive her for speaking such cold-blooded words in front of everyone without any remorse?

“No problem, I can handle this myself!” Erza pulled the two back to their seats, shook her head, and said.

"but……"

The two were still unconvinced, but Erza simply gave them a reassuring and gentle smile: "I appreciate your concern, but... don't worry! I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

"You don't seem surprised at all?"

On Erza's face, Irene saw none of the shock, disappointment, or anger she had expected; only an indescribable calmness, which made her feel empty inside.

Chapter 536 Eileen-san, if you don't mind...

Erin had initially thought that Erza would feel angry or saddened to some extent after hearing her say that she had once used Erza as a personification object, but she didn't expect Erza's attitude to be so calm.

Kira already told me about you yesterday.

Eileen glanced at Kira and saw him giving her a smug, low chuckle, shrugging arrogantly, which infuriated her.

This brat... how did he know all this? I didn't tell anyone!

"So... what are your thoughts after listening?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Kira's voice rang out from across the table: "Oh dear, oh dear~ Don't you care about your daughter's opinion? Why pretend you don't care at all?"

"I didn't..."

Eileen was taken aback, her pink lipstick lips slightly parted, looking quite adorable in her unexpected state. A few seconds later, she finally came to her senses and immediately wanted to retort, but how could Kira possibly give her a chance to speak?

"To attach your entire personality to something, with your proficiency in enchantment magic, how could you possibly not be able to do it? Back then, it wasn't because you couldn't do it, but because you couldn't bring yourself to do it, right?"

"Ah~ After all, the target is her own daughter! What mother in this world could really do that?"

This is Fairy Tail's tail, not Eden's Primordial World!

Erza remained calm, but Kira, with his intelligence and emotional intelligence, and his understanding of her after years of getting to know her, could clearly sense the tension and unease in her chest. The evidence was her breathing, which gradually became weaker and even almost inaudible.

"Tch! What a boring brat!" Under Kira's sincere yet mocking gaze, Erin promptly looked away.

If Kira hadn't been staring intently into her eyes, he probably wouldn't have noticed the fleeting panic on her face.

Hahaha...she broke down!!

Seeing Irene's arrogant demeanor, Kira felt both amused and pleased, but he refrained from saying things like "I told you so," which he had prepared beforehand, to avoid backfiring.

So he decided to stop while he was ahead and left the emotional adjustment to the mother and daughter to handle themselves.

"The first problem is solved, so what about the second one?"

This statement actually contains a trap. If Irene chooses to answer, it would be an implicit admission that Kira's statement is true and that the idea that "a complete personality cannot be attached to a human" is false.

Eileen was feeling embarrassed and, in her haste, didn't notice anything amiss, quickly steer the conversation back on track: "If it's an attachment to a human, compatibility with the target is also crucial! In other words, whose body to clone is very important!"

"The best candidate would have been my clone, but as you probably know, the dragon form of a Dragon Slayer Mage is irreversible. My current state is actually the result of transformation magic, just like Selene over there. I'm still essentially a dragon! There's a high probability that cloning with this body won't be successful! Even if it were, it's hard to say whether the cloned entity will be human or dragon!"

"So where am I supposed to find someone who is a perfect match for me and convince her to participate in this experiment?"

As Eileen said, this is indeed a big problem.

Kira glanced furtively at Erza, then at Wendy, hesitated for a few seconds, and then said, "If you don't mind, you can try mine!"

Eileen: ? ?

Everyone: ??

Is something not quite right?

"What are you looking at?! I'll scare you to death if I tell you! My body possesses magical talent beyond the ordinary; I was born to be a mage!"

"Think about it carefully. In history, which mage of my age has had this level of magical power? Even August and Zeref couldn't do it, right?"

"I guarantee that if you attach your personality to my clone, you'll achieve a perfect fusion! And it's very likely that in just over a decade, you'll reach my current strength, or even yours. Isn't that great?!"

Everyone present, including Erin herself, was stunned by Kira's outlandish idea.