A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Besides the path he had taken, which led directly to the center of the mountaintop, there were two other paths: one leading to the meeting room, and the other to the secret chamber where the Sea Demon King was sealed.

This is outrageous! He managed to choose the last one out of three in a multiple-choice question! Kira once again felt a pang of anxiety about his bad luck in making the wrong choice.

Fortunately, as they say, practice makes perfect, and Kira won't make a mistake this time.

In the blink of an eye, the four of them arrived inside the cave. It was magnificent and full of dazzling displays. The gorgeous decorations inside the cave shocked Erza and the other two who were visiting for the first time.

"I never imagined there was such a place deep within Zonia..."

"Judging from the surrounding traces, this place has existed for a long time."

"They're actually a bunch of really rich demons, Harpy!"

"Hey!" Happy flew in the air, looking left and right, seemingly pondering something.

As for Kira, he was clearly in a better mood than when he first came yesterday, because soon these things would be his!

Although I was tempted when I came last time, I didn't think about it because I was worried that it might belong to someone else. But now... the devil's things are Kira's things!

Since they're going to be dealt with anyway, there's no point in leaving these jewels here. I might as well take them over!

The others weren't greedy, so at most they'd each get a gem as a reward. Hmm, perfect!

Chapter 76 Winter's Memories

"How about it, Natsu? Can you smell the scent of a demon?"

When faced with multiple paths and unsure which to take, that's when Natsu's nose comes in handy.

Natsu sniffed at each passage before returning and suggesting, "It seems like every passage smells of demons. Why don't we split up?"

"Should we split up? That's not a bad idea..." Erza lowered her head, pondering the possible combat strength of each side and the possible scenarios.

"Yoshi! Happy, let's go!"

"Hey!"

Before Erza could give the order, Natsu led Happy into the middle passage.

"Natsu! Wait... Seriously, this guy never listens before he acts!"

"Come on, you've known him for a while now. That's just his personality. The guild does need a bit of recklessness like that to keep things lively!"

Passionate young people are popular wherever they go. You might get angry when you're around them, but you'll never hold a grudge.

"Gray, please come with Natsu!"

Erza's idea was simple: there were three paths, and with four people on this side, there was bound to be one path that required two people to take.

In terms of strength, Natsu and Gray are relatively weak and would not have the upper hand if they encountered a demon capable of elemental transformation alone, so it would be best for them to go together; while she and Kira are stronger and have a greater chance of winning if they encountered a demon alone, so they would each go on their own.

"I understand!" Gray knew he didn't need to worry about the two people in front of him, so he quickly agreed and turned to chase after the passage Natsu had entered.

"Then, the enemies in the other passage are yours to deal with!"

"Leave it to me!"

After saying hello, Erza turned and walked towards the left passage, leaving Kira standing still.

One second... two seconds...

"Alright, alright, let's get started! Move everything out of here, hahaha..."

After everyone left, Kira finally revealed his true form, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. He then pulled out a backpack and began stuffing the gems and crystals from the wall into it.

"One, two..."

The backpack didn't look big, but it could hold a lot. Kira spent a full ten minutes taking it apart, but it still wasn't full; instead, it was still empty.

That's for sure, because the backpack was enchanted with spatial teleportation magic, connecting to Kira's underground vault on the other end, making it a portable treasure trove.

Of course, no one but him can activate the spatial teleportation magic; it can only be used as an ordinary backpack.

"What are you doing?"

The sudden, crisp sound echoed in the hollow, nearly scaring the porters who were working to death.

Unbeknownst to them, the girl Winter had quietly followed behind them, and now she was looking at Kira with a puzzled expression.

"Um... I'm creating wealth through my labor!"

Kira felt a little embarrassed to be seen like this by the young girl, but making money is nothing to be ashamed of!

"You said yesterday that adults have special fetishes, is this what you meant?"

Although his family owns a tavern, Winter is still young and has always lived in a remote, snowy mountain where even birds don't come, so he doesn't have much of a concept of money and doesn't quite understand Kira's behavior. He just thinks that Kira has a hobby of collecting things.

Oh, what kind of quirk? Did I say something to her yesterday?

This girl actually said something so innocent; isn't that a departure from her usual persona? I always thought she was a very mature person…

Kira decided to stop dwelling on these trivial matters and asked directly, "What are you doing here?"

Once back on topic, Winter clearly reverted to his original tone: "Dealing with demons is the responsibility of the Esisnew clan. I don't want to rely on you all alone; I want to fight alongside you!"

Wow! Such high level of awareness at such a young age!

"It's very dangerous!" Kira crouched down to look her in the eye. "You didn't inherit the Demon Slayer Technique, so you'll be at a disadvantage against those guys who have lived for decades or even hundreds of years!"

"I received the power of a demon. Even if I can't help much, I won't be a burden!" The girl's attitude was firm. "On the day my father died, I promised him that even without inheriting that magic, I could still shoulder the responsibility of the Esisnew family!"

Kira stood up and continued carrying things, asking without turning his head, "Is this your father's dying wish, or your own attitude?"

Winter didn't know what Kira was trying to say, and simply answered truthfully, "It was my own idea!"

“I see…” Kira thought for a moment, then asked, “But perhaps your father doesn’t want you to inherit these responsibilities at all?”

"I know! Because the Ice Demon Slayer Magic can only be inherited if the person willingly chooses to inherit it!"

What? There's such a thing?

Kira turned around in surprise: "So that means..."

“Yes, this is a secret that only those who receive the inheritance can know, even my uncle doesn’t know it,” Winter said, revealing a secret he had never told anyone before. “Back then, the magic of the Eisnew family wasn’t stolen, but rather given to him voluntarily by my father!”

"No wonder you didn't seem to have much hostility towards the person who stole the magic. What about your father's death..."

"When I was very young, my father said that those who hunt demons will eventually be devoured by demons. At the time, I didn't understand, but later I learned that his consciousness had already been largely consumed by the power of demons!"

Winter recounted his story to Kira word by word, while Kira silently watched.

Two figures, one large and one small, stood in the snow.

"Father, how did your body become like this?"

"So that's what it means that those who hunt demons will eventually be devoured by demons..."

Looking at his mostly blackened body, the man knelt down and said to his daughter, "Winter, this is a responsibility that our clan must bear. If possible, I hope you will never have to accept this power."

……

Inside the small shop, two men sat facing each other.

"You say you want this magic? This is a power that can devour a person's will!"

"I need it to fight an even more powerful demon. Please lend it to me! Before I die, I will return this power to your daughter!"

"No... It would be best if you were willing to accept it! Although the elders of the tribe have always said that it was used to guard against a certain powerful demon, no one has ever seen it for a long time. On the contrary, many tribesmen have died because of this magic."

"It's good that the magic is passed on like this; at least it can serve its purpose. In the future, you don't need to deliberately return the magic to my daughter; just find a suitable person to inherit it!"

"I am extremely grateful!"

Where they couldn't see, Winter listened silently to their conversation.

……

On the snowy mountain, demons and wolves surrounded the father and daughter.

"Damn it... I never expected to run into the legendary demon right after passing on my magic. What bad luck!"

"Father!"

The man is dying, and at the critical moment, the man who has been taught magic arrives to help...

"You... are you the legendary demons? Die!"

……

Men and girls kneel in worship before the grave.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't expect this to happen because of my arrival!"

“Father spread the magic because of me, it’s not your fault! I will prove to Father that even without this magic, I can still live a good life! I can still shoulder the responsibilities of the Eisnew family!”

……

Inside the cave, Winter reminisces about his past to Kira.

"The Ice Demon Slayer Technique may seem like the glory of the Esisnu clan, but in reality, only those who inherit it know that it is not a glory at all, but rather a power that will put us in danger."

To prevent me from being consumed by the demonic power and to spare me the responsibilities of my clan, my father passed on the magic to a man who happened to come here, hoping to end the nightmare of the Esisnew clan!

Unexpectedly, I was attacked by water demons afterward. Although that man later avenged my father, I still want to personally end the curse on the Esisnus clan for hundreds of years!

Interesting, interesting, I didn't expect this kind of development...

Kira ate the snacks he had brought with him while listening to Winter's recollections.

"Therefore, so that my father can rest in peace, and so that future generations will not have to bear the same responsibility, I want to personally eliminate the culprit who has dragged down the Esisnew family for hundreds of years!"

“I understand your determination!” Kira said, wiping his hands. “But this could very well lead to death!”

"I'm not afraid!"

Kira chuckled: "But I'm scared!"

Chapter 77 Kira VS Ace

"Uh... what did you say?!" Winter was speechless, clenching his fists as he shouted, "You're the strongest among you, right?! How can you say something like you're afraid of dying!"