Do You... Mind It?

Jiang Bai had barely materialized at the edge of the square when a harsh clamor filled his ears.

In the center of the village, more than a hundred villagers held torches and farm tools aloft, surrounding a small wooden platform so tightly that not even water could have flowed through.

In the light of the flames, every face was filled with fervor and twisted "justice."

A burly man who appeared to be their leader stood on the platform, his torch burning brightest of all. Spittle flew from his mouth as he roared at the crowd below.

"Everyone! You all know that a demon has taken over our village, don't you?"

"Now! We've caught that demon's little brother and sister, those two demon spawn!"

He spun around and pointed his torch behind him.

Two trembling children were tied to a pair of rough wooden stakes.

They were Elfman and Lisanna.

"Tell us! What should we do with these demon bloodlines?"

The burly man's incitement instantly set off the powder keg of ignorance in the crowd.

"Burn them! Burn them alive!"

"Purify the village! Burn the demon spawn!"

The thunderous shouts joined into a vicious wave of sound that battered the two children's bodies and minds.

Tied to a stake, Elfman, who stood a head taller than his sister, was already so frightened that tears and snot streamed down his face. He sobbed ceaselessly, unable to get a single complete sentence out.

Lisanna, though younger, kept her little body as far in front of her brother as she could, biting her lip hard. Her small face was deathly pale, her body trembled like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind, and tears welled in her eyes.

"Brother... don't be scared... Sister... Sister will come and save us..."

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's whine and thick with tears, yet it carried a trace of strength beyond her years.

Jiang Bai couldn't stand to watch any longer.

The last trace of warmth vanished from his eyes, replaced by icy frost.

The next moment, an indescribably terrifying magical power descended upon the entire square with Jiang Bai at its center, crashing down like the immense pressure of the deep sea.

Hum—

It was as if the world had been muted.

All the fanatical shouting and vicious curses stopped dead in that instant.

The expressions on the faces of the hundred-odd villagers froze at their most grotesque, like a paused image.

An invisible force suppressed the flames of their torches until only tiny, bean-sized flames remained, flickering feebly.

Everyone remained frozen with their mouths open in a roar, but their eyes bulged wildly with sheer terror, and not a sound could escape their throats.

They felt as if they had been filled with cement. From the tips of their hair to their toenails, they couldn't move an inch of their bodies.

A tremor from the depths of their souls made them realize that a being far more terrifying than the "demon" they had imagined had descended.

Jiang Bai walked slowly out of the shadows, his footsteps sounding especially clear in the deathly silent square.

He didn't spare the immobilized villagers a glance, looking straight at the two children on the stakes.

With a slight movement of his mind, he acted.

The coarse hemp ropes binding Elfman and Lisanna fell away, as if severed by invisible blades.

A gentle force caught the two children before they could fall, carried them away from the stakes, and set them steadily on the ground in front of Jiang Bai.

Still shaken, Lisanna looked up at the big brother who had appeared out of nowhere and subdued everyone with such swift, overwhelming force. Her little face was filled with confusion and a hint of fear.

"Who... who are you?"

"I'm a mage from Fairy Tail." Jiang Bai's voice calmed as he dispersed the magical pressure around him.

At the word "mage," Lisanna and Elfman, who had just recovered his senses, became more tense rather than relaxing.

The two children held hands and watched Jiang Bai warily, like a pair of frightened animals.

"Our sister isn't a demon!" Elfman finally mustered the courage to shout, his voice thick with tears.

"Please, don't hurt our sister!"

Lisanna's tears finally broke free and rolled down her cheeks. "She only became like that to protect the village! She isn't a bad person!"

Watching the two children desperately defend their family, Jiang Bai felt a trace of warmth pass through his cold heart.

He crouched down to meet the children's eyes, his voice growing gentle.

"I know."

Looking them in the eyes, Jiang Bai said earnestly, "I'm not here to get rid of anyone. I'm here to help your sister."

Just as the two children's voices fell, a piercing, tearful cry came from the entrance to the square.

"Elfman! Lisanna!"

Mirajane had finally arrived.

She rushed into the square like a madwoman and immediately saw the mountain of firewood, the blazing torches, and the two empty stakes.

Her heart seemed to stop beating at that instant.

Then she caught sight of her younger brother and sister standing not far away, crying in each other's arms.

Mirajane was no fool.

Seeing the scene before her and recalling Jiang Bai's earlier warning that "something feels off," she understood what had happened.

If it hadn't been for the young man who had suddenly appeared, her brother and sister might already have been burned alive by these crazed villagers.

The overwhelming fear and relief of having escaped disaster instantly shattered her taut nerves.

Tears poured uncontrollably from her eyes and streamed down her pale cheeks.

"Elfman! Lisanna!"

She rushed over with a sobbing cry and pulled the two children tightly, tightly into her arms, as if she wanted to press them into her own body.

"Sister!"

"Sister, you finally came!"

With their sister there to rely on, Elfman and Lisanna burst into tears in her warm embrace, letting out all their fear.

"Sister, we're all right..." Lisanna sobbed, lifting her little face and pointing at Jiang Bai. "He... this big brother saved us!"

Only then did Mirajane raise her tear-blurred face and take a good look at the young man, whose expression had remained calm the entire time.

She released her brother and sister, walked over to Jiang Bai, took a deep breath, and bowed solemnly.

"Thank you."

Her voice still trembled, but it was full of sincere gratitude.

Mirajane straightened and wiped the tears from her face, a faint, embarrassed blush appearing on her cheeks.

"And... about what happened before... I forgive you."

Jiang Bai knew she meant the time he had rashly barged into her room.

Jiang Bai scratched his cheek, thanking her for understanding.

Just then, the old village chief came running over, leaning on his cane and panting as he squeezed through the crowd still held down by the magical power.

"Honored mage! Weren't... weren't you here to help us get rid of the demon?"

At the sight of the chief, Mirajane's body immediately tensed. She instinctively spread her arms to shield Elfman and Lisanna behind her, holding her uninjured arm toward the chief in warning.

Jiang Bai glanced at the self-righteous old chief and said evenly, "I came to get rid of the demon. But the demon has already been dealt with."

"Dealt with?" The chief froze, then looked past Jiang Bai and pointed at Mirajane behind him, his voice rising with fear. "Then... that... that she-demon behind you..."

"That's magic, you ignorant fools."

Jiang Bai's voice turned cold. He couldn't even be bothered to look at them again.

He no longer wanted to waste another word on these hopelessly ignorant villagers.

Jiang Bai withdrew the magical pressure he had placed on the villagers and said one last thing. "Since you can't accept them, let me take them away."

With that, he turned to Mirajane and the other two, his voice growing gentle again.

"Would you like to come with me?"

Mirajane froze and instinctively held her brother and sister even tighter.

She looked at the unfamiliar young man before her, then glanced back at the villagers, whose eyes were still filled with disgust and fear. Her lips trembled slightly.

"Where?"

"To my guild, Fairy Tail."

Jiang Bai's voice was clear and firm, full of unquestionable confidence.

"There, no one will mind your arm."

Those words flowed like a warm current straight into Mirajane's long-frozen heart.

She stared blankly at Jiang Bai and, without knowing why, found herself asking a question that even she thought was abrupt.

"Do you... mind it?"

Jiang Bai was taken aback at first. Then a gentle smile spread across his face, like sunlight dispelling all the gloom.

"No."

His gaze settled openly on Mirajane's fearsome demon arm. There was no pity or sympathy in his eyes, only pure admiration.

"I think you're very powerful."