A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"Why choose me? Since you've established a private magic academy, wouldn't it be better for you to run it yourself? Even if you don't run it yourself, Lord Makarov is a better choice than me."

Ah, you're right!

Actually, you're just a backup option; my first choice was the student council president...

Kira, of course, wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal his true feelings. He simply feigned admiration and flattered her, saying, "Senior is the person I've ever met who has mastered the most magic! And with your management experience, you're absolutely the perfect candidate to be the dean!"

"I want Magnolia's future children to have a more solid foundation in magic, to become stronger mages than our generation, and for the next generation of mages to have talents like Natsu and the others..."

"If you were the dean of the magic academy, you could guide their training in real time..."

As the two chatted, Kira casually brought up his proposal from many years ago, but since it was just a draft, the promises he made weren't very appealing, and August wasn't hungry at all, so it didn't sway him.

After the conversation, Kira deduced from August's words that the other person just wanted to lie in his parents' arms all day, be a cute and silly child, and let them kiss, hug and lift him up high, and had no intention of doing anything.

No one can say that an eighty-year-old cannot have a heartbreaking experience. Kira saw that his suggestions were ineffective, so he didn't insist. Anyway, things were already a pretty good ending.

Compared to the original story where he vanished into thin air without anyone knowing, August is now completely happy and fulfilled, his wishes fulfilled.

Jelf and Mavis's private conversation ended quickly. It was normal that they had a lot to talk about since they hadn't seen each other for decades, but from the time they left to the time they returned, it took less than three hours, which was much faster than Kira had imagined.

Therefore, his gaze toward Jelf became one of pity.

When people get old, all they have left is a stubborn mouth.

I've given you all the chances, but you can't even hold hands or kiss. How are you going to win back your girlfriend? Even a hobbyist would shake his head if he saw this.

"So...you've reached an agreement?"

Kira scanned Mavis and Zeref, who had arrived together, to make sure nothing had happened between them before asking a question.

Jelf looked at Mavis with affection, then at the anxious August, and nodded, saying, "Yes."

What was the result?

"I will not pursue your actions in the Alvarez Empire, and I will turn a blind eye to the Twelve Shields who have deserted their posts. Finally, I guarantee that we will not start a war between the two countries unless absolutely necessary."

"Hmm... what are the conditions?"

“I need an item that can suppress the ‘Curse of Ankhseram’.”

Jelf's gaze fell on the crystal pendant around Mavis's neck, his eyes filled with amazement. "This is also for Magnolia's sake! Because I plan to settle here temporarily for the next period of time."

"You don't want my curse to turn this town into a death zone, do you?"

Kira was instantly horrified: This guy dared to talk to me like that?! That's unacceptable!!

"Where is August?"

"He is my son, and also my most trusted and capable subordinate. Whatever decision he makes, I will not blame him!"

Kira noticed that August's hands trembled slightly after Zeref said those words.

She won over August with just one sentence. Although the emotions were genuine, her rhetoric was truly impressive!

Abandoning the powerful empire of the Western Continent, the family of three settled in Magnolia. It seems that Zeref has given up his career for his family this time!

Kira's face twitched imperceptibly. He hadn't expected Zeref to make such a decision so quickly and decisively. Was Mavis really that charming?

However, despite the complaints, seeing them all so happy together, Kira still felt a sense of healing.

This family... has finally seen their hardships come to an end.

"Okay! I agree!"

The crystal pendant that thwarted the curse of the god Ankhseram was already being mass-produced when Kira determined it to be effective, and there are still many in the warehouse today.

It wasn't entirely made for Mavis and Zeref. The principle behind this crystal pendant is to neutralize the negative magic power on the wearer, so its users aren't just these two 'cursed' people, but also others with similar dubuffs. Therefore, there's no fear of not being able to sell them if we make a lot.

After handing the matching crystal pendant to Zeref, the three of them said goodbye to Kira and returned to their temporary residence.

The so-called temporary residence is actually property belonging to the guild.

Over the years, at Kira's urging, Makarov, in the name of the guild, purchased some properties from the mayor of Magnolia and built residences exclusively for the guild on them.

Some are dormitories where a group of people live together, like in the original work, while others are detached houses, such as the small villa that Kira got for the second time last year.

Unfortunately, these residences are registered under the guild's name, and Kira has no shares, so he can't be a landlord.

These residences served as the guild's reception area, and people like Mebius and his mother, Precito, and Volod had been staying there for some time.

But now that Jelf, Mebius, and August have decided to settle in Magnolia, they can no longer live in the 'guesthouse', otherwise it would be considered 'misuse of public housing', so the three of them need to buy a house as soon as possible.

Kira wasn't worried about anything going wrong, since they had plenty of money.

On the street, Jelf, Mavis, and August walked side by side, chatting and laughing. Sunlight shone on their faces and bodies, reflecting a kind of awkward happiness.

Although the three people were unfamiliar to the locals, the people of Magnolia assumed that the group of teenager, young girl, and elderly man were simply grandfathers with their grandchildren or grandchildren and granddaughters-in-law on a trip, and greeted them with smiles and warm welcomes. The three of them returned the smiles in kind.

In a daze, Kira seemed to see three phantoms on them, a family of three consisting of a couple and their eight-year-old child.

It seems there was never any curse or death; they were just an ordinary family of three, living in harmony, health, and happiness.

Chapter 645 The Melancholy Gray

"Huh?! Are you serious?"

"That Zeref is actually in Magnolia??"

Fairy Tail, Guild Tavern.

A gasp rang out from the group, followed by a series of hissing sounds of gasping for breath.

A group of mages gathered together, chatting about the latest gossip in town.

"Really?! This is unbelievable!!"

"That's the legendary Black Mage, the guy who created countless demons! Living so openly among us feels really dangerous..."

The fact that Jelf had settled in Magnolia could not be kept secret from gossip news and was eventually revealed by an unnamed person.

Apart from the guild master and the S-rank mages, only Lucy's small group knew about Zeref's relationship with Mavis and August, so everyone else found it very strange.

"Is that the legendary, extremely evil mage? What if he suddenly goes on a killing spree one day? Will we be able to stop him?"

"This place is terrifying! I've decided to start working like crazy in a few days and get as far away from Magnolia as possible!"

"Forget it, I don't believe you have that kind of determination!"

Natsu didn't sit in his special chair, but in a regular seat, right next to Lucy.

In his view, that chair was just for showing off to his rivals like Gray and Gajeel. Compared to being special, it was more comfortable to sit in an ordinary seat. So after showing off, he threw the chair decorated with dragon bones aside.

"Zeref... is he the one who created the 'Tether'?"

To this day, Natsu still doesn't have much of a concept of Zeref's existence, only knowing that he is a very important person to the first guild master Mavis and August.

With his intelligence and emotional intelligence, he couldn't fully comprehend the complexities of cohabitation and having children. However, after comparing it with the people around him, he guessed it was probably similar to his relationship with Lucy.

Yes, it's him.

"So that means they're enemies!"

Low emotional intelligence doesn't mean poor memory. Natsu hasn't forgotten the 'Tartars Gate' that suddenly attacked the guild on Tenrou Island.

The reason Precito was accepted to return to Fairy Tail was because he was originally a member of the guild and the guild hadn't suffered too many losses in that battle, but Zeref was definitely out of the question.

Since they've attacked the guild, they're enemies! No matter who they are, they can't be let off!

"Although the members of 'Tartars' are demons created by Zeref, it was Maldor who created and managed this guild, and their actions have little to do with Zeref."

Maldo Gil?

Natsu thought for two seconds before remembering this demon. After he and Gray defeated him on Tenrou Island, he was captured by Kira and dissected for research.

"But if it weren't for Zeref, there wouldn't be these demons, right? So in the end, it's still his fault!"

Gray's expression was somewhat grim. The mention of 'Tartars' reminded him of his father, the 'Book of End' still in Kira's hands, Deliora, his destroyed hometown, and Uru who had died before his eyes.

My mood became gloomy very quickly.

Because it was Zeref who created Deliora, Gray's hometown, relatives, and mentor died, so if you were to ask who in this guild dislikes Zeref the most, it would undoubtedly be him!

Previously, even after learning about Zeref and Mavis's relationship, he was able to clearly distinguish between the two, because at that time Zeref was still the emperor of the Alvarez Empire and had ambitions to conquer Ishgar, so they were clearly enemies.

But now, they're openly shopping and dating in Magnolia, and even living together!

They're living together!

Is this an attempt to ignore the mistakes they've made? Do they think that those who died and suffered because of the demons created by Zeref can be so easily forgotten with the excuse, "Their mistakes have nothing to do with me, their creator"?

How could such a thing be possible?!

How could I possibly accept something like this so easily?!

He promised his father that he would personally eliminate the root of evil. Natsu is the one who ends up knowing nothing, so he can be left alone. But Zeref, the creator, is undeniably culpable!

But... Gray can't beat Zeref!

Moreover, with Mebbs and August in charge, going directly to them might not yield good results.

After much thought, Gray could only temporarily numb himself with statements like "It was Deliora who destroyed our hometown, not Zeref," "My parents and teachers don't want me to live in revenge," and "If Zeref goes on a killing spree, the people of Magnolia will be in great danger"—though he didn't know how long these statements would work.

"Damn it! This is so annoying!! Keep drinking..."

After downing another half-bucket of wheat beer in one gulp, a noticeable blush appeared on Gray's face.

At times like these, only getting completely drunk with drinking buddies like Kana can slightly alleviate the pain in one's heart.

"Lord Grey..."

Juvia, who was standing nearby, noticed that Gray was in a bad mood and stayed by his side without leaving him for a moment, her eyes full of worry.

Kira looked at Gray, who was drowning his sorrows in alcohol, and Natsu, who was unusually well-behaved today and hadn't argued with him, and suddenly felt a mix of emotions in his chest.

In a sense, Natsu and Gray are different; compared to Natsu, Gray is closer to the 'protagonist template'.

When he was young, his village was destroyed, his teacher died because of him, and his senior brothers and sisters developed their own careers and had bright futures.

Now I have someone I like, teammates I can rely on, and elders to guide me in life.

The magic she uses is inherited from the will of her master and father; she possesses icy abilities but a passionate heart, and she also has a powerful move that allows her to fight to the death with her enemies…

He once carried a deep-seated hatred, but through the successive teachings of his master, the chairman, and his father, he developed correct values ​​and was guided towards a brighter future, possessing a great, righteous, and just life goal...