A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"However, if demons and dragons do exist, perhaps gods also existed in the past?"

“That’s right!” Kira’s face showed some excitement. “I guess, just guess, that so-called gods, like demons, dragons, and humans, are all a kind of species. It’s just that they may be born with powerful abilities, which is why they are called gods.”

"Powerful... ability? Magic?"

"Humans have a strong talent for learning and creativity, and can use magic; according to Natsu, and based on the records in some books, dragons are born with powerful bodies, can fly, and can also use magic; demons have great destructive power and vitality, and can also use magic, and the demons in the Book of Zeref can even use incantations; so what about the gods?"

Hearing Kira's analogy, Erza understood: "You mean, gods might also use magic?"

"Moreover, the legends of gods are much older than those of dragons and demons, so much so that almost no books record them. Therefore, there are several speculations. One of these speculations is that they may have been the first people to use magic."

The group was shocked by this speculation, but upon further reflection, they realized it was not entirely impossible.

“In ancient times, when there was no mature knowledge or thought, and no division of countries, wasn’t it very possible that ordinary people would compare powerful mages to gods?”

"Moreover, demons and dragons can still be seen today, but no one has ever been heard of seeing gods. So could it be that the widespread use of magic has caused the gods, who were once high above, to no longer be gods?"

Erza exclaimed, "What a bold guess!"

"Of course, there is a second speculation: that gods are not living beings, but rather refer to certain laws or phenomena that the ancients could not understand, so they attributed to the abilities of gods. However, I have not yet obtained any verifiable evidence for this speculation."

“A race with special abilities; ancient magicians; and incomprehensible mysteries.” Kira said, holding up three fingers. “These are my three guesses about gods!”

"So... after all this talk, what exactly is the connection between this legend of the celestial maiden and the gods?" Gray asked.

“Of course there’s a connection!” Kira explained. “Let me get straight to the conclusion. After cross-referencing various sources, I’ve concluded that the magic used by the Black Celestial is a lost ancient magic—the Ice God-Slaying Magic!”

……

"So, the client is you, uncle?"

"Yes, I am a descendant of the Esisny family."

"The Eisne family?" Natsu and Happy looked at each other in confusion, clearly having never heard of them.

Lucy, who had read many books, immediately remembered and slammed her hand on the table, asking, "The Esisnus clan you mentioned, is that the legendary clan that serves the gods?"

"That's right. Although the Esisnu tribe has existed for nearly a thousand years, its population has always been small. In recent decades, some people have continued to migrate out of the mountains, and now only my family remains here."

"A thousand years?" Natsu, Lucy, and Happy were all taken aback. Natsu couldn't wait to ask, "Then, uncle, do you know anything about dragons?"

“Dragons?” Uncle Poole thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, “No one has seen a dragon now, but according to the records passed down in our tribe, there were indeed dragons living hundreds of years ago, and quite a few of them, but they all disappeared later.”

Natsu was somewhat disappointed: "Really? You haven't seen it either?"

"Natsu, let's do the mission first!" Lucy tugged at Natsu's sleeve and looked at Poole. "The mission is to repel monsters, but in a place like this, are there really any monsters that can survive?"

Lucy, Natsu, and Happy had been walking around this area for half a day, but they hadn't seen a single wild animal.

Judging from the mission, the monster to be repelled is obviously not just one, but a group. However, in this deep, icy mountain, a place that even humans rarely set foot in, how can a group of monsters survive?

Compared to Zonia's harsh weather, the outside world should have more abundant food and water, and a more comfortable environment. Humans know they should migrate, so why don't these monsters migrate?

Poole noticed Lucy's confusion and, after a moment's thought, explained, "In fact, these magical beasts are not ordinary magical wild animals, but were mass-produced by demons."

"demon?"

"Manufactured?"

Seeing the mage in front of him travel a long way to complete the mission, Poole hesitated for a long time, and finally seemed to have made up his mind before speaking: "To be honest, I originally posted this mission just to try my luck and didn't have much hope. I didn't expect that someone would actually accept it. But since you're here, I can only explain it to you."

Uncle Poole got up, poured himself a glass of wine, and sat down in front of Natsu, Lucy, and Happy.

The two people and the cat sat upright, listening intently.

"Until decades ago, this area was the secluded home of the Esisnew clan. Esisnew Village is a long-standing village. According to the clan's records, we are descendants of gods, and the enemies of gods are demons."

"Legend has it that long ago, gods and demons were irreconcilable enemies. The battles between the two races spread across the entire continent and lasted for quite some time. Eventually, the demons were defeated, the gods disappeared, and then the age of dragons and magic began."

"However, the struggle between the Esisnew clan and the demons here has continued. These demons are long-lived, tenacious, and powerful, making them difficult to kill. Later, they even used unknown methods to mass-produce magical beasts, causing serious damage to the Esisnew clan."

"Fortunately, in order to deal with these demons, our ancestors created a kind of magic that can kill demons as well as the magical beasts they create."

"That's the Ice Demon Slayer Technique!"

"Ice-based Demon Slayer Magic?!" ×3

Uncle Pull's words surprised all three of them, especially Natsu. The Dragon Slayer Magic he used was from the Dragon Cult, but now there was a Demon Slayer Magic. Could this magic be from the Demon Cult?

At this moment, he clearly forgot that the ancestors, as Poole had said, created the Demon-Slaying Law with the original intention of dealing with demons.

"Never heard of it, have you?" Poole said with a smile. "The Ice Demon Slayer Spell is different from ordinary ice and snow magic. In this environment, the user can unleash tremendous power."

"I know, it must be because eating ice restores stamina and magic power!"

Poole looked at Natsu with some curiosity: "Oh? You actually knew that?"

Happy explained, "Because Natsu uses Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, he can recover his power by consuming fire!"

"Is that also an annihilation-type magic? Does the user eat ice to restore their magic power?" Lucy looked at Natsu with some surprise. Apart from Natsu, she had never seen anyone use similar Lost Magic.

“Fire Dragon Slayer Magic…” Pull murmured, surprised that there were other annihilation-type magics, but also feeling regretful because of Natsu’s magic. He sighed and said, “Fire attribute? It’s very effective against it in this kind of place.”

Ice and fire are never compatible. In the snowy mountains of Zonia, fire-attribute mages are greatly suppressed and find it difficult to unleash their true power. Even powerful fire mages will have their strength reduced by 30% first.

Moreover… Poole glanced at the young Natsu, his heart filled with hesitation. Could this kid really handle those monsters?

Chapter 58 The exploration team decides to split up.

"These demons who have been fighting the Esisnus for many years are all ice-attribute, and most of the magical beasts they create are also ice-attribute. As a fire mage, you won't have an advantage in a place like this!"

After thinking it over, Poole decided it was better to tell Natsu the situation, and not let such a young man die in vain. "Besides, those demons are very powerful. Our clan has been able to fight them for many years only because we have methods like the Ice Demon Slayer Technique. I don't mean to look down on you, but if you think you are not strong enough, you should go back."

Natsu confidently clenched his fist: "We won't go back! We're Fairy Tail mages, don't worry, uncle. Leave these mere monsters to me!"

Harpy raised his hand and asked, "I have a question. Since your tribe has such powerful magic, why do you still need us to come and fight off the monsters?"

As if touched on a sore spot, Poole's face fell immediately: "In fact, the Eisnew family no longer has this magic. The Ice Demon Slayer Magic has been passed down from generation to generation without interruption. My successor in this generation is my elder brother, and the next generation should be his daughter, my niece, Winter."

At this point, Poole's eyes showed some sorrow: "But, several years ago, a man came here and stole the magic that our clan should have passed down, and my brother died because of it."

"The magic was taken away?"

"Yes, the Ice Demon Slayer Magic is different from other magic. It needs to be passed down from generation to generation, from one person to another. There is no other way to learn it. After that man took away the magic, our Esisnew clan no longer has this magic, which is why we cannot stop the invasion of magical beasts."

……

"Ice God-Slaying Magic?" Erza blurted out after hearing Kira's news. "It sounds very similar to Natsu's Dragon Slayer Magic. Could it be magic used to fight gods?"

Gray's expression changed: "It's actually an ice-attribute annihilation magic? This is the first time I've ever heard of it."

"Yes, unlike the Dragon Slayer Magic taught by dragons, God Slayer Magic is recorded in books and can be learned. It is said that a certain teacher in the Council has a book on how to learn God Slayer Magic, but no one has been able to learn it yet." Kira continued to share his information.

"Ice-based God-Slaying Magic, no wonder this place has turned into a snow mountain."

"If the black celestial maiden uses god-slaying magic, then could the white celestial maiden be a god?"

"But the battle resulted in the White Fairy's victory."

"What's so strange about that? Natsu might not even be able to defeat a dragon!"

The group discussed amongst themselves, making one guess after another.

Suddenly, Kana realized something: "Wait a minute, wasn't our original purpose to investigate the man that the celestial maidens were fighting over? Didn't you find any relevant information about that?"

Kira closed his eyes and shook his head regretfully: "Absolutely not! I searched through all the relevant books I could find, and even contacted Hibiki of Blue Pegasus—his ancient text magic is very good at intelligence gathering. But even he couldn't find any records about this man; it's as if they were deliberately erased."

Erza asked, "You were only gone for a short while, how did you manage to do so much?"

"Of course, speed is the most important thing when gathering intelligence!" Kira said with a hint of pride.

"It is worth mentioning that during my research, I discovered that there are many versions of the legend of the Heavenly Maiden, but none of them mention the existence of that man. In some versions, the reason for the Heavenly Maiden's battle is also very strange."

"However! There's one version that I find quite interesting."

"What is it?"

"Other versions of the legend of the Heavenly Maiden? I've never heard of them before."

“Yes, it’s the only story that’s different from all the other versions.” Kira chuckled. “In this story, the Black and White Fairies are sisters who have been separated for many years. They were adopted by two opposing forces after they were born, and after the two forces went to war, the Black and White Fairies became enemies.”

"During the battle here in Zonia, due to the connection of blood, they sensed each other's identities, but they were unable to stop, and in the end, they both suffered heavy losses. There was no man who was not recorded, and even the outcome of the battle was different."

"Um...this story..."

Kira's tone was somewhat gloating: "How does it feel to suddenly turn a romantic love story into a clichéd and mundane family drama?"

Gray: "Absolutely boring."

Kana: "Absolutely no interest."

Erza: "So disappointing!"

Elfman: "Not manly at all!"

Rocky: "Ah~ Sisters? I'm even more excited!"

Kira frowned in disgust: "Loki, you're disgusting..."

“Wait a minute… if we go by this version, then what are we even arguing about?” Gray suddenly realized.

"Exactly! How are we going to settle our bet?"

For the bet, they even placed a wager: the winner could enjoy a day of unbridled eating, drinking, and merrymaking within Magnolia, while the loser would pay the bill.

We can't miss such a great opportunity!

Kira thought for a moment and said, "This is indeed a bit difficult. How about this, since I provided the information, why don't we just consider it a win?"

"Think beautifully!"

"dream!"

"This must be fake!"

Several people surrounded Kira, punching and kicking him...

Erza watched silently as Kira dodged and weaved through the group's encirclement, when suddenly a sense of crisis washed over her: "Stop!"

The others asked curiously, "What's wrong, Erza?"

Erza's eyes were serious: "Did you hear anything?"

The air suddenly became still...