The Girl Possessed by a Demon

Night fell, and the streetlights began to flicker to life.

When Lu Chongwei stepped into this remote mountain town, the scene before him gave him pause.

He had expected to see a landscape of desolation and panic, or perhaps streets littered with broken walls and ruins.

However.

Everything here was peaceful.

The streetlights on both sides of the road cast a dim, amber glow, and warm light spilled from the windows of every home. Occasionally, a villager would pass by; though their faces bore a trace of weariness, there was none of the despair or terror one would expect in the face of an apocalypse.

This was completely inconsistent with the "demonic crisis, public panic" described on the mission request.

Did I come to the wrong place?

Lu Chongwei took out the mission request to confirm once more.

It was correct; this was exactly what was marked on the map.

Filled with doubt, Lu Chongwei stopped an elderly man passing by and asked for the location of the mayor's residence.

The mayor's house was located in the center of the town, a two-story building that looked quite imposing.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Lu Chongwei rapped on the door.

A moment later, the door opened.

A pot-bellied middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache poked his head out. He eyed Lu Chongwei warily, his gaze finally settling on the prominent Fairy Tail guild emblem on Lu Chongwei's chest.

"Are you... a mage?"

The mayor's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had seen a savior, and he hurriedly ushered Lu Chongwei inside.

"Wonderful! A mage has finally arrived!"

The mayor rubbed his hands together in excitement, his face wreathed in smiles.

"I am Lu Chongwei of Fairy Tail, and I have accepted the mission to subjugate the demon."

Lu Chongwei got straight to the point.

"However, the town seems quite peaceful to me. Where is the demon?"

At the mention of the word "demon," the mayor's face turned deathly pale, and his body shuddered involuntarily.

He glanced around, ensuring the doors and windows were tightly shut, before lowering his voice and speaking with a mysterious air:

"Mage, you don't know the half of it."

"That demon... was originally sealed in the church on the mountain behind us. For hundreds of years, there has been peace."

"But!"

The mayor's tone suddenly turned resentful.

"Just recently, a girl from a family in town, not knowing the gravity of her actions, actually ran to the church and broke the seal!"

"A girl?"

Lu Chongwei frowned slightly.

"That's right! That cursed girl!"

The mayor gritted his teeth.

"Not only did she release the demon, but she was possessed by it herself! I once saw with my own eyes that her arm... had actually turned into a demonic limb covered in scales and sharp claws!"

As he spoke, fear flickered in the mayor's eyes.

"The priest at the church said it was the mark of the demon! She is no longer human; she is a vessel for the demon!"

"As long as she remains in this town, the demon will eventually devour us all!"

Listening to the mayor's description, Lu Chongwei's doubts only deepened.

How could an ordinary little girl break a seal that even an S-Class mage would have to treat with caution?

Moreover, if she were truly possessed by a demon, why wouldn't it go on a killing spree instead of just changing one arm?

"So, where is that girl now?"

Lu Chongwei asked.

"Hmph, we certainly couldn't let a monster like that stay in town!"

The mayor snorted, speaking with righteous indignation.

"We drove her out, along with her younger brother and sister, who are also freaks!"

"You drove them out?"

Lu Chongwei's voice grew colder.

"That's right! We drove them into the deep mountains to fend for themselves! I expect they've already been eaten by wild beasts, or completely consumed by that demon by now."

The mayor, seemingly oblivious to the shift in Lu Chongwei's tone, continued to chatter on incessantly.

"This is also to protect the others in the town. My Lord Mage, you must go to the church and completely eradicate the source. As for that girl, if she isn't dead yet, you might as well..."

"Enough."

Lu Chongwei stood up abruptly, cutting the mayor off.

He looked at the man before him—fleshy-faced and self-righteous—and a wave of disgust surged in his heart.

They had driven three helpless children into the deep mountains based on nothing more than an unverified rumor?

Was this what they called "protecting everyone"?

"I will go and investigate this myself."

Lu Chongwei tossed the words out coldly and turned to walk away.

"Wait? My Lord Mage, won't you have a cup of tea before you go?"

The mayor shouted from behind, but Lu Chongwei didn't even look back.

Stepping out of the mayor's house, Lu Chongwei took a deep breath of the cool night air, trying to suppress the anger burning in his chest.

I'll head to the church first.

He oriented himself and prepared to set off.

Suddenly.

A commotion erupted from a street corner not far away.

It was accompanied by vicious curses and the sound of heavy objects striking something.

"Get out!"

"Monster! You aren't welcome here!"

"Beat her to death! Kill this accomplice of the devil!"

Lu Chongwei's heart skipped a beat, a bad premonition rising within him.

His figure flickered, and he vanished from the spot in an instant.

At the street corner.

A group of villagers had formed a circle, holding stones, rotten vegetables, and even wooden clubs, throwing them frantically toward the center.

In the middle of the crowd.

A little girl with short white hair, looking no more than seven or eight years old, was curled up on the ground.

She wore a tattered, thin dress covered in mud and vegetable scraps. A gash on her forehead, caused by a stone, bled down her pale, small face.

Yet she did not run, nor did she fight back.

She simply clutched a small bundle to her chest, kneeling on the ground, weeping as she kowtowed to the people around her.

"Please... I beg you..."

The girl's voice was hoarse and desperate.

"Sell me just a little food... and medicine... My sister is dying..."

"Just a little is fine... I have money... I really have money..."

She tremblingly extended a small, dirty hand, in which lay a few bent copper coins.

That was all she had in the world.

However.

The only response she received was an even more violent rain of stones.

"Who wants your filthy money!"

A burly man spat on the ground, raised a fist-sized rock, and hurled it viciously at the girl's head.

"Take your cursed money and get out of our town!"

The girl closed her eyes in despair, instinctively hugging the bundle in her arms even tighter.

That was the medicine to save her sister's life.

Even if she died, she could not let go.

Just as the stone was about to strike the girl.

"Bang!"

A dull thud echoed.

The stone suddenly shattered in mid-air, turning into a cloud of dust that drifted away.

A tall figure, like an iron tower, stood before the girl.

His black trench coat snapped in the night wind, and a terrifying aura instantly enveloped the entire street.

Lu Chongwei slowly raised his head, his dark eyes burning with rage.

He scanned the frozen villagers, his voice low and frigid.

"A Fairy Tail mage is here."

"Let's see who dares to touch her."