"Everything… all water-based lifeforms…"
Winter's words caught the Fairy Tail members off guard. They hadn't expected a magic like that.
Only Kira was inwardly freaking out. Seriously? There's actually a magic like that?
"Be it magical beasts, animals, plants, demons, or humans—as long as they're primarily driven by water-based magic, I can absorb them," Winter explained. "That includes ice, snow, and other related attributes. Of course, successfully absorbing them requires a certain level of magic power and compatibility."
She continued, "A few years ago, a water demon was killed by a man wielding Demon-Slaying Magic. I absorbed its soul and gained its magic. That's how I was able to save you from that mist-using demon. But my magic power doesn't compare to his. In a drawn-out fight, I'd definitely lose."
"That's still pretty impressive!" Natsu said.
"So, you could absorb a ton of souls, right?" Kira mused. "Even if it's limited to water-based ones, Ishgar's huge, and Fiore alone has plenty of water-based magical beasts. Absorb a few, and your power would skyrocket. Plus, there are some strong water mages out there, even if they're rare…"
Winter cut him off, her small face stern. "What are you saying?! Souls, especially human ones, should be allowed to rest in peace after death! How could I toy with them just for power?"
Whoa… this girl's got some serious morals! Kira thought, momentarily speechless. After a pause, he grinned at his teammates. "What a kind kid, huh?"
"Yeah, who'd have thought you'd get schooled like that!" Gray snickered.
Seeing Kira get put in his place felt oddly satisfying, and the others only wished they'd been the ones to do it.
Kira just laughed off their teasing, joining in with a chuckle.
Amid the laughter, the tavern door swung open. Erza and Gray walked in.
"Hey! You guys finally made it!" Kira greeted them casually, as if he owned the place.
"Everyone… you're all here…" Gray started, but Erza cut him off ruthlessly.
"Natsu! Lucy! Happy! So you are here!" she barked.
Natsu, Lucy, and Happy all thought the same thing: We're so screwed.
Erza's aura was intimidating, and the trio broke into a cold sweat. Kira and the others quietly watched the scene unfold, as if they were back at the guild's tavern.
Ten minutes later, Erza's temper finally cooled. With some egging on from Kira's group and calming words from Puru, she let Natsu, Lucy, and Happy off the hook.
Well, "let off" meant: The guild master will deal with you when we get back!
Afterward, they shared their recent encounters.
"So, you guys ran into an enemy too?" Kira said. "A demon using snow magic? That's interesting. Seems like all the demons gathered here are water-based. Quite the coincidence!"
Kira shot a subtle glance at Winter, half-joking to himself that these demons seemed like experience points tailor-made for her. Could she be a transmigrator too?
Erza explained, "I sensed a magical fluctuation from this direction and thought we should check it out. Halfway here, we found this tavern."
Addressing Puru, she added firmly, "Don't worry. Our guild will definitely complete the mission to drive off the demons!"
Puru seemed a bit intimidated by Erza's commanding presence, clearly preferring Kira's laid-back vibe.
"Please, we're counting on you!" he said.
Erza turned to the immobilized Chloe. "Before that, let's get some answers about these demons. Kira…"
"Got it!" Kira stepped forward, understanding her intent. He removed the blindfold and gag from Chloe. "I don't think she's gonna talk that easily, though…"
Erza smirked confidently. "Don't worry. I have my ways."
Nearby, Loki, Gray, Elfman, and Natsu whispered among themselves.
"Does Erza have any interrogation experience?" Loki asked.
"Never seen it," Gray replied.
"But knowing her personality, you can probably guess how it'll go," Elfman said.
They all pictured Erza holding a sword to their throats, glaring menacingly as she demanded answers. A collective shiver ran through them.
"That's terrifying…"
"Absolutely horrifying…"
"No way I'd want to go through that…"
"From now on, I'm answering every question Erza asks…"
Chloe, finally able to see again, looked drained. Though Kira hadn't sealed her ears, she'd been blind, mute, and unable to use magic, but she could still hear their conversations.
"You can give up now! I'm not saying a word!" Despite her exhaustion from depleted magic and fear of unknown punishments, Chloe held firm.
"Oh? Different species, different sides, but you've got some conviction for a demon!" Erza said, pressing her sword to Chloe's throat. "If that's the case, I won't force you. But… if you dare attack Fairy Tail, you'd better be ready to face the consequences!"
The group exchanged glances. Yup, classic Erza.
Erza raised her sword, and Chloe's eyes trembled with fear.
Swish!
The blade flashed, but instead of striking Chloe's neck, it sliced off a few strands of her hair.
Erza wasn't heartless enough to kill her. She'd meant to intimidate Chloe into talking, but the demon didn't budge.
Kira could tell Chloe was too scared to speak—maybe she wanted to, but Erza's non-lethal strike and grudging respect made her hold back to save face.
Seeing Erza sigh in frustration, Kira teased, "What, your big 'method' was giving her a haircut?"
Happy piped up, stepping in front of Erza. "If Erza can't get her to talk, maybe ask Lucy! She seems like she'd be good at this!"
"What kind of misunderstanding do you have about me, you dumb cat?!" Lucy snapped.
Kira patted Lucy's shoulder, grinning. "No worries, we're all adults here. A few quirky hobbies are normal. I get it!"
Lucy blushed, flustered. "No… you don't get it!"
Erza, ignoring Lucy's protests, nodded seriously. "Really? That's great! Lucy, we're counting on you."
Lucy froze, mortified. "Uh…"
"Alright, alright, enough joking. Leave the questioning to me," Kira said, stepping in. "You guys would take forever to get anywhere."
Erza raised an eyebrow. Since when did Kira learn interrogation techniques?
"You sure you can get her to talk?" she asked.
"Talk? I don't need to ask," Kira said with a confident smirk. He stepped up to Chloe, placed a hand on her head, and released his magic. A dazzling blue magic circle unfolded before him as he cast a new spell.
"Memory Read!"
Word Magic was an evolving magic, and its growth came from learning other magics. Mastering a specific magic amplified its power when used through Word Magic. For example, learning fire magic made his [Burn] spell stronger, and in turn, [Burn] enhanced his fire magic. The two fed into each other.
Since Kira could use rock magic, gravity magic, and even healing magic, it was no surprise he could wield memory magic too.
A creature's memories were like a database, and memory magic allowed for four operations: adding, deleting, modifying, and searching. Searching memories was the simplest; the other three were far more complex.
Ten minutes later, Kira stopped the spell, letting out a long sigh. He wasn't fully proficient yet and could only pick up fragmented memories.
"Well? Did you get anything?" Erza asked.
"Yeah, not much, but enough to piece some things together."
Kira began recounting what he'd seen…
The earliest fragment dated back fifty years. Chloe was already a fairly strong demon, her appearance much like it was now, which made Kira marvel at the longevity of her kind.
"Skip the useless stuff and get to the point!" Erza interrupted, frowning at Kira's rambling.
"Ahem… fine…"
As a young demon, Chloe had been a wanderer, drifting aimlessly but thriving in human lands thanks to her strength. That life continued until she met another demon.