(Heartfelt thanks to 'Liunian Chengshang Love' for the 1888 reward! And thanks to 'Qi Guanxuanqi', 'Bing Yue Ying', 'Jian Zhi Jiu Xiao Lin Cang Qiong', 'Er Ci Yuan Shi Wo Jia', 'Ai Kong Ye Ye De Gui Dao', 'Long Tiani', 'Qinxun Luopo', 'Xiong Mao A!', 'Diying', 'Yun Qi Qing Gu', and 'Sing Zai' for their rewards!)
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At that moment, Noah had already somewhat forgotten why he had come here. He walked up to the bushes where the little girl was hiding, crouched down, and gently parted the grass before him.
The next instant, the blue-haired little girl came into Noah's view again. She was hugging her knees, curled into a ball, and staring at Noah with terror in her eyes.
"----!"
Seeing Noah's face suddenly appear before her, the blue-haired little girl scrambled backward in panic, her face filled with fear.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not a wild beast, nor am I a Magical Beast. I don't mean you any harm." Noah tried to soften his tone as much as possible. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he extended his hand toward the blue-haired little girl.
"Come on, come over here."
Looking at the face before her that was full of gentle smiles, the blue-haired little girl's fear inexplicably lessened by more than half. Some color returned to her pale little face, but she still stared fearfully at Noah's outstretched hand, her tiny body trembling slightly.
Noah did not urge her. He simply kept his hand extended and maintained his smile, waiting for the blue-haired little girl to react. He showed not the slightest impatience as time slowly passed.
The blue-haired little girl secretly observed Noah. Seemingly deciding that he would not hurt her, she timidly stretched out her small hand and, trembling, placed it in Noah's.
The instant they touched, both Noah and the blue-haired little girl felt something different.
Noah felt that the tiny hand in his palm was far too cold, so cold that it seemed to have lost all the warmth a human body should possess. It left him deeply startled.
The blue-haired little girl felt the exact opposite. The hand enveloping her small one was so warm that she could not help feeling a trace of attachment to it.
Thus, the blue-haired little girl's hand tightened uncontrollably. Like someone clutching at a lifeline, she gripped Noah's hand tightly.
Under the night sky, in the forest, two children of different ages but equally young held each other's hands. With no one there to witness it, they formed a bond that was unknown to others and difficult to break.
Late at night, in one corner of the silent forest, a wisp of smoke drifted into the sky and was carried by the wind toward some unknown distance.
The blazing campfire gave off light and warmth that dispelled the darkness and chill. The game roasting beside it also released an aroma so enticing that it made one's stomach tighten.
Beside the campfire sat the blue-haired little girl. She wolfed down the freshly roasted meat in her hands, her tiny cheeks adorably puffed out from being stuffed with too much food. They moved bit by bit as she chewed, making her incomparably cute.
Clearly, the blue-haired little girl had not properly eaten a full meal in a long time.
Having reached that conclusion, Noah allowed her to continue eating in that ravenous yet oddly adorable manner. He sat quietly to one side, roasting the rest of the game he had just hunted while observing the blue-haired little girl.
The blue-haired little girl's name was Wendy Marvell.
Noah had only just learned that.
Surely, no one would believe that such a child could be a ghost.
Noah was no exception.
Therefore, as he watched Wendy feast heartily, Noah gladly continued observing her. Yet he still could not find even the slightest sign that this adorable little girl was a ghost.
Before he knew it, time quietly passed.
Although Wendy had clearly not eaten a proper full meal for some time, she was still only a child—and a girl at that—so her appetite was not all that great. After finishing the small piece of game in her hands, she seemed to be full.
Holding her little hands together, Wendy secretly glanced at Noah. After a long while, she finally gathered her courage and spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito's.
"Th... thank you..."
"Are you full?" Noah shook his head and lifted the game still roasting in his hand. "Do you want some more?"
"N... no..."
Noah shrugged indifferently, stuck the meat beside the campfire, then looked at Wendy.
"Then, Wendy, is it okay if I call you that?"
"Mm... mm!" Wendy nodded once, then nodded vigorously again.
"Can I call you Brother Noah?"
"If you don't mind." Noah scratched his cheek and asked, "Then, Wendy, why are you here? And why were you crying so sadly?"
"I... I've always lived here." A sorrowful expression appeared on Wendy's little face, and her watery eyes began to moisten. "I... I can't find my mother. I can't find Grandine."
"You can't find your mother?" Noah let out a sigh. "So, you got lost, right?"
"No." Wendy shook her head. "I remember the way home, but Grandine isn't there anymore. Grandine suddenly disappeared and abandoned me."
As she spoke, Wendy's moist eyes blurred over completely. Tear after tear rolled down her cheeks, and she began to sob.
No matter how well Noah usually controlled his emotions, he had never dealt with a crying girl before. He became slightly flustered and could only sit beside Wendy, patting her back and hurriedly comforting her as though soothing a child.
"Wendy, don't cry. Tell me what your mother looks like, and I'll help you find her, okay?"
However, the next moment, Wendy spoke through her sobs and said something that utterly stunned Noah.
"Grandine is a dragon, a very, very gentle dragon!"
A dragon!
Of course Noah knew what such beings were!
Wendy's mother was a dragon?
Did that mean Wendy, like Natsu, had been raised by a dragon?
"Y-you..." Noah immediately said to Wendy in astonishment. "You're a Dragon Slayer Mage too?"
"Too?" This time, Wendy looked at Noah in surprise through her tear-streaked face, and Noah understood.
The little girl before him, who was probably four or five years younger than he was, might be the second Dragon Slayer Mage besides Natsu. She might also have learned the ancient Lost Magic used to fight dragons—Dragon Slayer Magic!
Since when had such powerful magic become so commonplace?
Noah had only enough time for that thought to arise before a sudden anomaly interrupted his train of thought the next second.
"Rumble----!"
A deafening, terrifying clap of thunder suddenly rang out in the sky.
"Eek----!"
Timid Wendy let out a scream and, without hesitation, threw herself into Noah's arms.
Noah merely reacted instinctively, holding the slender, soft body that had rushed into his embrace. He raised his head and looked toward the sky, and his pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints.
"Rumble rumble----!"
Amid thunder-like booms, the clouds blanketing the sky in darkness suddenly began to churn. It was as though a vortex had formed at their center, drawing in the surrounding clouds and gradually spinning them around.
Gradually, the sky above the entire forest was replaced by a massive vortex of black clouds. Its center gave off a faint glow and emitted astonishing rumbling sounds.
The sight looked as though a hole had been torn open in the sky!
"A hole in the sky?" Holding Wendy tightly in his arms, Noah stared at the vortex-like sky with an uncertain expression. "Could this be the curse-like phenomenon the village chief mentioned, summoned by a ghost's crying?"
Thinking of that, Noah could not help looking down at Wendy, who was trembling in his arms with fear written all over her face.
It seemed Wendy did not know what this phenomenon was.
Moreover, Wendy had been crying earlier as well, yet she had not summoned any strange phenomenon then.
Therefore, this phenomenon definitely had not been caused by Wendy—at least, not intentionally.
Just then, the anomaly in the sky changed once more.
Before you continue