A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Magic surged, and a blazing pillar of fire shot out from Natsu's mouth, punching a gap several meters wide into the massive snow mountain that was coming towards him.

The flames mixed with snowflakes, and the unbearable heat melted the snow into water, which then evaporated into vapor and eventually disappeared without a trace.

Feeling everything behind them, Lucy and Happy also persevered, staring blankly at Natsu struggling against nature, their eyes filled with both hope and excitement.

"Are we saved?"

"As expected of Natsu!"

However, the threat from nature is not so easily resolved. The snow-capped mountains in front of us seem to stretch endlessly, and even the rising heat of the fire dragon cannot withstand the successive arrival of the year-round accumulated snow.

Natsu unleashed his Fire Dragon Roar for nearly three minutes, but his firepower still couldn't keep up, so he stopped to catch his breath: "I'm so tired!"

"Ahhhh!!!"

"Don't stop!!!"

Shouts couldn't stop the avalanche; with a deafening roar, it instantly swallowed the two people and the cat. The roaring continued, the avalanche relentlessly advancing until it finally subsided ten minutes later.

……

"This is the northern part of the Kingdom of Fiore. Look, everyone, our airship is about to reach its destination. Beyond that is Spirit Peak, Zonia!" Kira said to the people on the airship like a host, pointing to a magic crystal.

Gray, who was not far away, asked the people around him, "What is Kira doing?"

Erza replied, "I heard it's meant to be recorded using magic crystals so the children at the orphanage can watch it like a movie when we get back."

Erza admired Kira's actions. She herself had been an orphan, so she felt some pity for the children in the orphanage and knew the importance of magic to them.

Ahead of the airship, snow-white mountain peaks rose and fell in an endless stretch, which was the largest, coldest, and most mysterious place in the northern part of the Kingdom of Fiore—Spirit Peak, Zonia.

"In ancient legends, a battle known as the 'Battle of the Black and White Goddesses' once took place here. In the story, they fought for love. But is that really the case?"

Do the so-called "Black and White Celestial Maidens" really exist? Was love truly the cause of the war? What kind of person is the man caught in this chaotic situation? What is the truth behind all of this?

"Follow me, 'Sage' Kira will unravel all the mysteries for you. Let's go and find out together!"

Chapter 56 The Tavern of Forgetfulness

After retrieving the recording crystal, Kira overheard the others discussing the trip.

"I remember the duel between the celestial maidens is an ancient legend, isn't it?" Cana asked. "Even if something has been passed down, where would we even begin to look for it in this snowy place?"

Erza, quick-witted, immediately came up with a direction for exploration: "Legend has it that this area only began to be covered in snow after the duel of the celestial maidens. That means that at least one of them probably used ice magic, right? And it's very likely that she was the White Celestial Maiden who won the battle."

"Ice and snow magic?" Gray murmured to himself, looking at the familiar climate before him, and couldn't help but recall his childhood experience of learning magic from Uru.

I really miss those days!

"As expected of Erza, it's definitely possible!" Loki exclaimed. "If the White Fairy refers to her ice and snow magic, then what kind of magic does the Black Fairy use?"

Elfman immediately thought of Natsu and Gray: "Speaking of the opposite of ice, isn't fire the best? But... does black fire even exist?"

"I've never seen it before."

"I don't have any either."

"But Macao has purple fire magic, so it wouldn't be surprising if someone had black fire magic."

"Don't be so presumptuous! Just because the White Celestial might use ice magic doesn't mean the Black Celestial uses black magic!" Kira reminded the three. "Until we're certain, we can only speculate boldly and analyze carefully. It is indeed a clue, but not the whole story."

“Kira is right!” Erza said. “Furthermore, as a qualified mage, one cannot be so prejudiced as to believe that the opposite of ice and snow is fire; that is a grave mistake!”

"Besides, there's no guarantee that they're using magic, after all, it's a legend from hundreds of years ago, even before the age of dragons."

Kira said, "The two people who are called the White Fairy and the Black Fairy may simply be because of the colors they wear, or it may be because of the tribe or country they belong to, or it may even be a setting added by later generations to create a relationship of antagonism between the two."

"In the end, there is a difference between the legend and the truth of reality. If that duel had nothing to do with the formation of this snow mountain, then your speculations would be completely wrong, wouldn't they?"

Everyone present inexplicably felt that Kira's statement made a lot of sense, but they couldn't quite put their finger on why.

"So, which book did you find a useful clue from this time?"

Kira gave Cana a thumbs up: "Yeah, not bad, Cana. With the experience from last time, you know to gather intelligence before taking action. You're a quick learner!"

So, it exists?

The group looked at Kira with curiosity, wondering how such an ancient legend could be found with such clues.

“Of course,” Kira said. “You should be prepared. Even I was quite shocked when I first found out!”

This made the group even more curious, especially Gray, Cana, and Loki, who had done a mission with Kira last time. Kira, who could remain calm even when it came to the fact that demons lived on Galna Island, was suddenly losing his composure again.

"The legend of the Black and White Fairy Maidens may be related to the legendary gods!"

"What?!"

……

Pfft!

The Horologian Celestials emerged from the snow with Lucy, Natsu, and Happy.

This old man has saved Lucy many times. Even in more dangerous situations, he can save Lucy at the last minute, not to mention this time with Natsu's flames buying time.

"Thank you so much, Hololochim!" Lucy said, catching her breath as she thanked Clockwork for saving her life.

“It is my duty, Miss Lucy,” Hololochim replied politely, before returning to the Protoss Realm.

"saved!"

"Lucy's Celestial Spirits are amazing!"

After emerging from the protection of the clock tower, Happy and Natsu instantly regained their composure.

"Honestly, these two have absolutely no sense of danger..." Lucy sighed, watching Natsu and Happy bouncing around. "So, what should we do now? Should we go back to the guild first?"

"No! Absolutely not!" Natsu exhaled hot air from his nostrils. "I must complete this S-rank mission! If I don't go back, Gray will laugh at me!"

"That's right, Natsu! We absolutely cannot give up halfway!"

The two optimists started arguing back and forth, and Lucy was furious: "Then tell me, how are we supposed to find this tavern with this map?!"

"Hmm... what should we do?" Natsu thought for a long time, then suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Let's just go with our gut feeling!"

Harpy clearly agreed with this less-than-ideal method: "Ugh!"

After saying that, without ignoring Lucy who was standing there dumbfounded and about to complain, the two of them strode forward.

"You two are being too reckless! Wait for me!" Lucy jogged after her.

Three minutes later, Lucy stared at the tavern in front of her, dumbfounded: "How is this possible?!"

Natsu grinned and said to Lucy and Happy, "I told you, following your instincts is always the right thing to do!"

"Oh~ As expected of Natsu!"

"Let's go inside quickly!"

"Hey!"

The Forget-Me-Not Tavern signboard wasn't crushed by the few centimeters of snow.

The eaves were piled high with snow, and the only place with less snow was a small chimney that was constantly emitting carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide from coal. The old doors and windows were a pale yellow and a little damp, but the flickering firelight shining through the cracks still gave people a sense of warmth.

The tavern appeared abruptly in the snow, far from any village or shop. There were no deer pulling carts, no noise, and no sign of human presence. Yet, the painful groans emanating from it in the wind and snow seemed to be telling a story.

"Speaking of which, it's really strange that there's a tavern like this in a place like this!" Lucy muttered to herself as she followed Natsu forward.

"Never mind, at least we've finally found it."

Pushing open the door, the two people and the cat found only a tall and imposing figure drinking alone in the tavern.

The middle-aged man had a pale beard on his face, and his bare, muscular arms were covered with thick hair, making him appear to be the owner.

Upon seeing the two people and the cat enter, the uncle greeted them with a smile: "Welcome to the Forget-Worries Tavern, young man. Have a drink; this place can help you forget all your troubles."

His voice was steady and calm, unexpectedly revealing a mature yet gentle charm.

From the inside, the pub is obviously old and has been around for a while. Besides the bar where the uncle sits, there is a fireplace and a few tables and chairs, but what is most reassuring is the strong smell of beer in the air.

I don't know why there's such a strong smell of alcohol in this weather and with this much foot traffic.

Lucy said awkwardly, "Sorry, we didn't come here to drink."

If Kira were here, he'd definitely yell at Lucy for not being able to find the Celestial Key. "You come to the tavern and don't drink? What are you trying to do? Cause trouble?"

Fortunately, the uncle was kind and didn't pursue Lucy's rudeness. He laughed and said, "It's alright if you don't want to drink. Sit down and warm up. There aren't many people here usually. You two must be a couple who got lost in the snow, right?"

Lucy blushed slightly, a little shyly: "We're not a couple!"

Happy laughed and covered his mouth: "What a clever old man!"

"You damn cat!"

Natsu, being straightforward, asked directly, "We're here on a mission, sir, do you know Eisnew Village?"

The tavern owner peered at Natsu and Lucy curiously for a long time, until Lucy felt extremely uncomfortable, before finally saying, "A mage? They look so young..."

“Of course!” Natsu revealed the red emblem on his shoulder. “We’re very strong; we came here specifically to defeat the monsters from the snowstorm!”

"Really?" the tavern owner laughed heartily. "You really can't judge a book by its cover!"

"What do you mean by 'don't judge a book by its cover'? This uncle really doesn't know how to talk!"

Lucy muttered something under her breath, but Natsu seemed to be on the same wavelength as the tavern owner, and they were chatting and laughing together after only a few words.

"Is that so? You're Fairy Tail mages here on a mission?" the tavern owner said, sitting across from Natsu. "I'm your client, Pool Eisnew."

Chapter 57 is a perfectly normal story about a race that serves gods, isn't it?

"Gods? Do they really exist?"

The airship had already flown into the snow-capped mountains, but it had not lost its way; it was simply drifting aimlessly in the air.

Kira and his crew no longer cared about the direction; there were no clear directions on the map around here anyway, so whether they could find it or not was entirely up to luck.

The six sat around a campfire on the airship, discussing the information Kira had revealed.

"I have indeed occasionally read about the existence of gods in books, but I always thought they were just fictional legends."