A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Clang—!

The flames were bound by chains, and the residual heat even distorted the space, but they still failed to gain the upper hand in the battle.

"Skill level met, try again!"

Another time? No, not anymore!

"Over the years, I've been confident that my strength surpasses my master's, but I still can't defeat you!" The dove took a few steps back, temporarily stopping its attack, and let out a reluctant snort. "With such swordsmanship talent, it's not surprising that you can defeat my master."

Dispel nodded: "I'll gladly accept your praise!"

"That was my strongest move, one I've never lost to. It's a pity I still can't beat you, but it's a fitting end to all these years of perseverance."

Her voice was somewhat desolate, somewhat indignant, somewhat unwilling, somewhat sorrowful, and somewhat lonely.

"Hey, hey, hey, are you just going to admit defeat already?" Dispel scolded. "You don't even trust the sword in your hand? Can you even be considered a swordsman? How can you win if you fight with this kind of mentality? And how can you go far in the path of swordsmanship?"

Chapter 125 Flying Cherry Blossoms

These two short sentences struck the heart of the turtledove like a wake-up call.

Has her long-held obsession swayed her will? Is that it?

Did her long career as an assassin affect her initial passion for swordsmanship? Is that it?

Is it true that her first defeat in kendo shattered the confidence she had built up over the years?

The turtledove asked itself, "Is that really the case?" As it pondered this, the sword in its hand began to waver.

Just then, Dispel spoke again: "What's wrong? Are you wavering?"

The dove didn't react, and Dispel ignored her, continuing to say to himself, "I've been called a swordsmanship genius since I was a child. Everyone who has seen me wield a sword says that I'm the strongest swordsman they've ever seen, that I'm self-taught and was born to become a legend in swordsmanship!"

Dispel's words caught the dove's attention.

"But the talents they mentioned are, in my opinion, quite ordinary and not worth mentioning at all."

These words were somewhat Versailles-like, but the dove listened patiently, wanting to hear what Dispel had to say.

"Draw your sword, swing your sword, sheathe your sword. Until I was 12, I always used these three moves to fight. At first, I used a tree branch that I had broken off, then a thick wooden stick that I found, then a harder iron bar, a broken sword... By the time I realized what was happening, they were already calling me the kingdom's number one swordsman!"

"They make me sound like a god, but I don't know anything about swordsmanship. I just wield this weapon to survive!"

After listening, the turtledove remained silent, thinking to himself that it was no wonder this guy's swordsmanship was so unique; it turned out that it had been honed through countless life-and-death battles.

"The more I fight, the more confused I become. After each victory, I ask myself, 'What am I wielding this sword for now?' At first, it was to survive, then it was for the title of 'Number One Swordsman,' but is that really what I want? It doesn't seem so!"

"If I can't get the answer by asking myself, I'll ask others, but they can't answer my questions either. So I can only keep searching and asking, asking and searching at the same time..."

At this point, Dispel suddenly became somewhat excited, as if his entire body was filled with light: "It wasn't until I met those arrogant guys who didn't treat people like human beings that I began to suspect that perhaps my sword existed for love and justice!"

turtledove:"……"

Isn't your thinking changing a bit too quickly? Also, love and justice—are you a child?

What she didn't know was that Dispel was indeed going through a rebellious phase at that time.

"With that in mind, I taught those guys a lesson, and I didn't care about the punishment I received. During that time when I had a goal to strive for, I could feel my sword becoming sharper!"

"Unfortunately, I soon lost my purpose again, because I realized that I am not the kind of person who would wield a sword to protect peace, so I came here to find the answer."

Dove: 'Hey, that's giving up way too quickly! And which way is this?'

"The strong here all use magic; there are very few pure swordsmen. But this novel fighting style gives me a genuine sense of joy, and even my sword-wielding speed has increased. It wasn't until that moment that I finally understood why I was still swinging my sword!"

The turtledove asked, "What is it?"

She felt that the person in front of her had said so much just to set the stage for what was to come.

"There's no particular reason, I just find swordsmanship fun!"

After listening, the turtledove fell silent again. Swordsmanship is fun? Is that why you're still wielding your sword? What nonsense!

"Do you find it incredible? Or do you think this reason isn't sufficient?" Dispel laughed. "But it really is that simple a reason."

"It's not a means of survival, not a prestigious reputation, not for love and justice, and not to leave a legend in the way of the sword. I just find it fun, so I continue to use the sword."

"I laughed at my own idea at the time, but then I thought about it and realized that this is what those guys always talk about: the original intention of swordsmanship?"

The turtledove seemed to understand, but not quite, and muttered to itself, "So this is the original intention of the way of the sword?"

Is this person trying to tell himself, through his own experience, that he has lost his original passion for using the sword?

“I don’t know either!” Dispel said. “Anyway, after that I felt that my strength had improved significantly. I enjoyed every battle. It felt like I had let go, figured it out, pulled myself out, and broken free of my restraints. It made me feel completely refreshed.”

'Wait, did something weird sneak in just now?'

Unaware of the strange look in the eyes of the dove, Dispel remained engrossed in his speech: "In order to show off... no, to show respect to my opponent, I started giving my sword-wielding techniques one name after another, such as Limitless, Endless, Silent, Sun Mark, Moon Severing, Starfall, and Fire Refining, Water Chaotic, Wind Soul, but actually these move names are not fixed. I just call out whichever one comes to mind during the battle."

turtledove:"……"

"By the way, your sword move names aren't just random names, are they? Up until now, it seems that everyone else except me has a move name that corresponds to a single move. I don't know why they have to put in the effort to think about which move to use in battle."

Ignoring the second half of the sentence, Ikaruga replied, "Yes, the sword techniques of Mugetsu-ryu each have their own names. These sword techniques were created after countless battles and were learned only after sweating it out. So remembering the name of each technique is both a respect for our predecessors and a responsibility to ourselves."

"Hmm...I understand—so, after all I've said, have you rediscovered your original aspirations?"

The turtledove closed its eyes, its breath restrained, and said, "No! Absolutely not!"

Dispel: "..."

What a waste of breath!

"But... now, I can face the failures ahead with equanimity!"

When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with determination and openness—a completely different look from before!

Dispel exclaimed in admiration, "That's the look a swordsman should have!"

The dove strode forward, its elegant gait gone, and it completely abandoned the pride it had shown up to.

'Why am I wielding this sword now? My deceased mentor? The mission of the Mugetsu-ryu school? Years of perseverance? Or the sword in my hand? It doesn't seem to be any of these reasons…'

As his opponent approached, Kira slowly sheathed his longsword, the two emitting a clear friction sound.

"The Moonless Flow..."

I saw it!

"Sakura Slash!"

As if traversing space, the three-meter distance was leaped in an instant. The two figures were facing each other one moment, and the next moment they had switched positions.

With its back to Dispel, the dove leaned forward in a slashing motion, its longsword seemingly cutting out countless cherry blossoms.

Dispel, with his back to the dove, remained motionless, as if he hadn't moved an inch from beginning to end. The longsword was completely sheathed, the tsuba and scabbard making a crisp clinking sound, the final step in the "drawing the sword, swinging the sword, sheathing the sword" sequence.

"One sword style, Iai, kill everyone!"

Stab it!

A sword mark appeared on the pigeon's body, running from her left shoulder to her right abdomen, more than two inches long, tearing through her chest-length kimono and leaving a cruel wound on her snow-white skin, from which blood spurted.

"Beautiful cherry blossoms!" Dispel exclaimed, then walked forward without looking back. The book says that a real man never looks back at the spoils of war.

"Thank you for the compliment! Uh—"

With a thud, the dove collapsed. Before losing consciousness, a scene from many years ago flashed through her eyes—her first day learning swordsmanship.

In spring, cherry blossoms dance in the air.

Chapter 126 How about I become Zeref's follower?

"I looked absolutely awesome just now!"

After leaving, Dispel was overjoyed, secretly pleased with himself for his words and actions, only regretting that he hadn't borrowed a magic crystal from Kira to record it.

"I think the battle we just fought would make a great movie! Especially that last line, 'Beautiful cherry blossoms,' ah, I was blown away by how cool it was!"

Dispel muttered to himself as he walked, his body contorted as if he were having an epileptic seizure, "I can't believe I could say those words! Those two days of reading novels definitely paid off!"

Dispel thought that if he were the protagonist of the novel, he might have already captivated the female swordsman named Ikaruga, even though his heart was only for swords... oh, now it also includes novels.

He hadn't walked two steps when he ran into Erza, who had just arrived.

"Hey, Erza! What a coincidence!"

"Dispel? Uh, what's going on?"

Erza couldn't help but be puzzled, because Dispel's expression was rather strange. How should I put it? If she were to describe it using a novel she had borrowed from Levy, it would be "That guy is so cool"... or maybe "That guy is so bad"?

"Oh, nothing. I just faced a very promising swordsman. It felt great to crush a noob!"

Erza knew who he was talking about as soon as she heard it: "Is it the last of the Three Crows? It seems that Jellal is the only enemy left!"

After saying that, she quickened her pace, and Dispel immediately followed.

"By now, Kira should already be fighting Geralt, right? If you rush over now, they might already be done fighting..."

"That's why I need to hurry. Gerald and I must settle things!"

Dispel scoffed, "Tch! Come on, you're the one who wouldn't be able to do it!"

"I can do it! I will personally end Gerald's crimes!"

However, Erza's feigned firmness did not change Dispel's mind.

"The feeling of love and hate intertwined must be unpleasant! I know that feeling very well. These past few days, I've had mixed feelings about novels. I love that they've shown me a wider world, but I hate that they've ruined my sword heart."

"Honestly, how could I possibly bring myself to destroy those precious books!"

Erza: "..."

"Hey, it must feel terrible to have your love nipped in the bud, right?" Dispel said tactlessly. "When hope is right in front of you, but the person you like gets brainwashed and their personality changes drastically, that feeling of loss must be really painful!"

"So Kira was right, humans shouldn't set flags, otherwise it will only lead to tragedy."

"Shut up!" Erza yelled, then suddenly remembered something, "What did you mean by brainwashing?"

Dispel slapped the back of his head: "Oh right, you didn't know any of this! Kira told me a few hours ago that the reason Jellal is so obsessed with resurrecting Zeref in the Tower of Heaven is because..."