As he spoke, Xi Feng picked up the Longsword he had kept beside him and handed it to Kagura.
"This..." Taking the sword, Kagura hesitated, unsure what to do.
"..." Seeing her indecision, Xi Feng frowned and spoke again. "Kagura, did you know? I killed your brother."
"What... my brother..." Xi Feng's words left Kagura stunned, disbelief filling her face. The figure she had spent all these years searching for resurfaced in her mind. That familiar word had been what kept her going. Simon... Xi Feng was the one who killed him!?
"Your brother's name was Simon, right? He tried to steal something from me. I accidentally killed him," Xi Feng said coldly, releasing faint traces of magic power to keep provoking Kagura.
"Ah!!! No... no! I'll kill you!! Kill you!" Kagura gripped the sword with both hands. Magic power suddenly erupted from her body, bursting outward to form a force field around her.
"This is... magic!?" Seeing the magic power erupt from Kagura, Xi Feng was both startled and delighted. He had actually drawn out her magic power.
Flickering sword light clung to the Longsword's blade, flaring and fading. "You deserve to die! I'll kill you! Vengeful Blade, No Common Sky! Unsheathed Longsword Form!" Kagura turned into a streak of black light and charged at him. Suddenly, a sharp flash of white burst from within it, slashing toward Xi Feng.
"Hm?"
Xi Feng casually caught the blade sweeping toward him from the side between his fingers. It had been aimed at his neck. The impact swept away all the dust in the air, leaving the sky clear. He looked at the Longsword caught between his fingers, its sword light completely gone, as a few black hairs drifted down before him.
"Not bad."
Looking at the now-unconscious Kagura, Xi Feng walked over and scooped her up.
"Mm..." Kagura woke after an hour. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Xi Feng sitting by the river, fishing.
"Big Brother Xi Feng..." Kagura walked over and murmured uneasily. She had vaguely guessed why he had done that earlier, but...
"Hungry? There's grilled fish over there."
Xi Feng pointed at the grilled fish beside the fire and spoke softly.
"Kagura, congratulations. Your swordsmanship has improved a lot, and you've awakened your magic too. From now on, your training will be up to you."
"Oh, mm... thank you..." Kagura was quiet and not good with words, so she had few ways to express herself. Still, her sweet appearance, with her neatly trimmed bangs, was enough to endear her to anyone.
"Um... Big Brother Xi Feng..."
"Hm?"
"My brother... you didn't kill him, did you?" After eating, Kagura sat beside Xi Feng and asked uneasily.
"No. I made all of that up to draw out your potential. You don't blame me, do you?" Xi Feng looked at Kagura and spoke gently.
"No." Kagura shook her head, all her worries dispelled.
"All right, get some rest. What happened earlier took a lot out of you."
"Mm."
Over the next few days, Xi Feng continued teaching Kagura as usual. As for her magic, he knew little about it and could only tell her what he did know.
Sure enough, Kagura was exceptionally gifted. After a few days of practice, she could use her magic. It turned out to be Gravity Magic. Though it was not as absurdly powerful as that gravity user from Grimoire Heart's, Kagura used her Gravity Magic only as support; her main strength remained her swordsmanship.
Xi Feng watched Kagura practicing her sword swings nearby. He had trained her for a month, and she had grown stronger. Though she still could not compare with Erza, she was capable of protecting herself.
"Kagura, come here for a moment."
"Hm?" Hearing Xi Feng call her, Kagura paused briefly before walking over.
"What is it, Big Brother Xi Feng?"
"Kagura, would you like to come back to the guild with me?"
"Huh?" Xi Feng's words left Kagura stunned, but then she hesitated. Finally, she shook her head. "Big Brother Xi Feng, I'm sorry. I'm very grateful for the invitation, but I still have to find my brother."
"All right." Though a little disappointed, Xi Feng respected Kagura's choice and did not force her.
That night, Xi Feng left. Kagura was deeply saddened, but she did not dare ask him to stay, knowing it would do no good. In the end, she could only keep pretending to sleep.
Xi Feng knew she was pretending too. After stroking her long hair, he disappeared into the night.
Chapter 21: Red Mill
After parting with Kagura, Xi Feng naturally returned to Fairy Tail. But as soon as he got back, Erza, Mira, and the other girls gave him a scolding. After all, he had been away for a month without contacting them. How could they not be angry?
Knowing he was at fault, Xi Feng could only endure the girls venting their anger.
And so, four years passed in a flash. During those four years, Erza and Mira both passed the S-Class Exam and became S-Class Mages. Levy also joined during that time.
"Is the caramel mousse here really that good?" Looking at the town ahead, Xi Feng felt rather helpless. Erza could not come herself because of work, so she had asked him to come instead.
Since she was his beloved little sister, Xi Feng had agreed. After two days of traveling, he had finally arrived.
Once he entered the town, Xi Feng looked around but had no idea where the dessert shop was. In the end, he decided to ask a passerby.
Walking up to a fruit stall, Xi Feng politely asked, "Excuse me, where is the dessert shop?"
"Oh, the dessert shop? It's..." The fruit stall owner was just about to give Xi Feng directions when he spotted the emblem on his arm. Instantly terrified, he shouted.
"The wizard guild, Fairy Tail!!"
After the fruit stall owner shouted, the pedestrians also looked terrified and fled in every direction, leaving Xi Feng bewildered.
"What's wrong with all of you? I am a Fairy Tail mage, but surely there's no need to be this frightened!"
"Stay back!!" the fruit stall owner said fearfully, retreating again and again.
"Please spare me! It's my daughter's birthday today!"
"What on earth is going on?!" Xi Feng frowned at the people who were so afraid of him.
"You're one of Red Mill's companions too, aren't you?!"
"Red Mill? Who's that?" Finally getting a lead, Xi Feng grabbed the fruit stall owner and questioned him.
"Don't play dumb! She's your companion, isn't she?!" the fruit stall owner said fearfully.
"No, I really don't know." Xi Feng shook his head. "Tell me, what exactly does Red Mill do?"
Seeing that Xi Feng genuinely seemed not to know, the fruit stall owner was bewildered too. Then he explained, "That's the name of the bandit who's been attacking this place. I heard they came over from the mainland recently."
"A bandit?!"
"They've made everyone in town miserable!"
"They're absolutely terrifying. Apparently, they have a companion named Sani too."
"They suddenly showed up one day and robbed a train five days ago. But that wasn't enough for them, so four days ago they robbed a bank too."
After hearing this, Xi Feng finally understood what had happened. Someone was using Fairy Tail's name to commit crimes.
"Quite a few people have challenged them to put a stop to it, but every last one was beaten back."
"We've had enough of being tormented."
"No one here can beat them."
"We've never seen anyone so terrifying."
"If that's the case, you could have come straight to Fairy Tail to complain," Xi Feng said with a frown.
"How could we?! That's a guild with monsters like them in it!" the fruit stall owner said fearfully. "If we angered them and they brought their companions, our town would disappear from the map!"
"Right, right! They're famous," a nearby townsman chimed in.
"They destroy half a street and call it work."
"The council members all hate them."
"More wizards join every year, and their influence keeps growing."
"..." The townspeople's remarks left Xi Feng deeply embarrassed, his eyebrows twitching nonstop.
Once I get back, I'll have to straighten out the guild, especially Gray and Natsu!
"Anyway, with one of the continent's top guilds backing them, we have no way to resist."
"Unforgivable!!" A powerful aura erupted from Xi Feng, frightening the fruit stall owner out of his wits. "How dare they use Fairy Tail's name to commit crimes everywhere!"
"Wait, something's wrong. From what you're saying, Red Mill isn't a Fairy Tail wizard at all?" By now, the fruit stall owner had also realized that Red Mill was not from Fairy Tail.
"Fairy Tail would never do something like this to ordinary people." Xi Feng glanced at the fruit stall owner and asked flatly, "Where is that thug, Red Mill?"
"They... they should be at the dessert shop right now."
"Well! What a coincidence." Hearing the townsman's answer, Xi Feng smiled.
With the townspeople leading the way, Xi Feng finally reached the dessert shop. After glancing at its sign, he pushed the door open and entered.
"Welcome."
As soon as he entered, a server approached him. "Is there anything you'd like?"
"Not for now." Xi Feng shook his head and scanned the entire dessert shop. Just then, he heard someone complaining.
"What is this?! It's way too sweet!"
"Um... that's the dessert you ordered."
Xi Feng looked over and saw a girl with short, choppy green hair.
"There's no way I can eat something this sweet!"
"B-but this is a dessert shop..." the server said fearfully.
Before you continue