The Magic Merchant in Fairy Tail

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: The Devil Who Calls Herself a Princess



Inside the dimly lit cave, Kira was quietly maneuvering through the passages, his mind keen on discovering the truth behind the mysterious snow wolves. At the same time, in the vast snowy mountains outside, two separate teams were carrying out their own missions.

Erza and Gray's Team

"Where should we start searching now?" Gray asked Erza, trailing behind her as she moved purposefully through the thick snow.

Without turning around, Erza replied in a firm tone, "We're not focusing on the angel Kira mentioned for now. Our priority is to find Natsu and Lucy!"

Her resolute words left no room for argument.

Gray sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I figured you'd say that. You didn't come out here to investigate the legend, did you? You just want to drag Natsu and Lucy back to Kira's airship, right?"

Erza stopped abruptly and turned to face Gray, her piercing glare sending a shiver down his spine. "Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"

Gray raised his hands in surrender, cold sweat forming on his forehead. "Nope! No problem at all! But if you're going to punish Natsu, let me help!"

Erza considered his words for a moment before nodding. "Fine. Just this once. But after that, I expect you two to get along!"

"Y-yes, ma'am…" Gray muttered, silently cursing Natsu for the impending confrontation.

The two continued their search, moving deeper into the snow-covered terrain.

Cana, Loki, and Elfman's Team

"Honestly," Cana complained, taking a swig from her flask as she trudged through the snow. "We agreed to stick together, but Kira just ran off the moment we landed. He always does this!"

Loki chuckled, adjusting his sunglasses against the glare of the snow. "That's Kira for you. I bet he's practicing skiing somewhere. He's been salty ever since he lost the competition last year. This trip is probably just an excuse for him to train secretly."

"Haha, yeah, sounds about right," Cana said, laughing. She raised her flask again, taking a deep gulp to stave off the chill.

Elfman, who was plowing through the snow like a tank, joined in the laughter. "A man should be straightforward like that! Kira's easy to figure out—what you see is what you get!"

"True," Loki agreed, his tone light. "Even when he's worried about Natsu and Lucy, he can't just say it outright. Instead, he comes up with this whole 'exploration' excuse."

If Kira could hear them now, he'd likely feel a mix of relief and frustration. On one hand, he'd appreciate how well they thought of him as a dependable older brother figure in the guild. On the other hand, he'd be baffled by how far off the mark they were—after all, Kira wasn't worried about Natsu at all.

Natsu, Lucy, and Happy's Mission

Meanwhile, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy were venturing deeper into the snowy mountains in search of the demon wolves mentioned by Poole, the tavern keeper.

"I'm starting to think there aren't any wolves around here," Lucy grumbled, brushing snow off her coat. "We've been walking forever and haven't seen a single one!"

Happy flew down to her shoulder, shaking his head. "I didn't see anything from the sky either."

"But the uncle said there were wolves," Natsu insisted, sniffing the air. "Besides, I caught a strange scent from that girl at the tavern. It didn't smell human."

Lucy froze, her face paling. "N-not human?!"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. It must've been the wolves the uncle mentioned. And there's also the smell of blood."

Lucy furrowed her brow, recalling the stoic girl named Winter. "But she didn't seem injured. Could she have been hunting wolves? That's incredible!"

Suddenly, Natsu's nose twitched. "Wait! I smell it again—it's the same scent as that girl!"

Without warning, he bolted in the direction of the scent.

Lucy flushed with annoyance and embarrassment. "Ugh, could he stop talking like some kind of pervert?!"

"Is Lucy jealous?" Happy teased, curling his tongue mischievously.

"Absolutely not!" Lucy snapped, grabbing Happy and shaking him furiously. "You cheeky little cat!"

By the time she caught up with Natsu, he was standing at the edge of a snow cliff, staring silently below.

"What is it?" Lucy asked, stepping closer. When she looked down, her breath caught.

Below the cliff was a grisly scene—a mountain of wolf corpses, their bodies piled haphazardly, and the snow stained red with blood.

"This… Did Winter do all this by herself?" Lucy whispered in awe.

The stark contrast between the pristine white snow and the crimson blood was both haunting and beautiful, like an artist's vivid brushstrokes on a blank canvas.

Before Lucy could fully process what she was seeing, Natsu jumped down the cliff without hesitation.

"Wait, Natsu!" Lucy cried, hurrying after him with Happy carrying her down.

When she landed, she took a closer look at the massive corpses, each wolf towering over her in size. "She took out all of these? That girl is stronger than half the people in our guild!"

"Are these the wolves Poole mentioned?" Happy asked, flying in circles above the carnage. "It looks like she already dealt with them."

"But if the wolves are already defeated," Lucy said, turning to Natsu, "then what's left for us to do?"

"Don't forget—there's still the demons that created these wolves!" Natsu said, his fists clenching. "We'll hunt them down!"

"But how are we supposed to find them?"

"I can still smell the scent of the wolves that escaped," Natsu replied, pointing toward the faint trail. "If we follow it, we'll find the demons too!"

As the three prepared to set off, a sudden whoosh broke the silence. White spears of ice rained down from above, hurtling straight toward Lucy.

"Look out!" Natsu yelled, leaping toward her. He grabbed Lucy and shielded her with his body, the two sliding across the snow to safety.

Lucy looked up, her face flushed from both fear and Natsu's warmth. "What just—"

"Foolish humans!" a voice called from above.

They turned to see a girl with twin ponytails, standing atop the mountain of corpses. She had her hands on her hips, a smug grin on her face, and an air of superiority about her.

"Who are you?!" Natsu demanded, glaring at her. "Why did you attack Lucy?"

The girl smirked. "Listen closely, you insignificant mortals! I am Princess Klaue of the Clouds, ruler of this icy kingdom!"

"Princess syndrome?" Natsu muttered, glancing at Happy.

"No, Kira said it's called Chuunibyou," Happy corrected, nodding sagely.

"Does it matter? It's the same thing!" Natsu shot back.

Their casual banter only enraged Klaue further. "You dare mock me?! Insolent fools!"

But before she could finish her tirade, a burst of flames from Natsu's fists flew toward her.

"Then prove it, 'Princess'!" he shouted, charging forward.

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