Taking Mira and Her Siblings Away from the Village

Phew...

Hughes took a deep breath, then let it out heavily...

That was right. She was just an ignorant thirteen-year-old girl whose parents had died young, leaving her to raise her younger brother and sister on her own.

"If you trust me, come with me. I know a place that can solve your problem."

Hughes met her blue eyes, his expression serious.

"Go to Magnolia and join Fairy Tail!"

After confirming that he had transmigrated into the world of Fairy Tail, Hughes had decided to join the Fairy Tail guild.

First, there was Makarov. Not only was he powerful, but he also treated the guild members as family and kept all sorts of magic freely available in the library, letting members study it without conditions.

With a major figure like Makarov, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, watching his back, traveling through this world would undoubtedly be a bit safer.

Second, there was Porlyusica. Hughes wanted to see if she could cure his mental illness.

He had suffered from illness for a long time and was in urgent need of a good teacher.

The girl in the corner gazed at Hughes for a long time, her eyes somewhat helpless. Then she looked at Elfman and Lisanna behind him, bit her lip hard, and finally pulled her cloak tighter around herself and stood up straight.

"We'll go with you!!"

She didn't want Elfman and Lisanna to go through that kind of life again because of her.

If the person before her hadn't stepped in just now, Lisanna might already have been gone. She would never allow something like that to happen again.

When the two small figures behind Hughes heard Mira's answer, the unease in their eyes vanished, replaced by resolve.

"Then what are we waiting for? Pack your things and wait for me to come back!" Hughes turned and said in a low voice.

Before leaving, he put a hand on Elfman's head. "Kid, if you call me uncle again, I'll strip you down to your underwear."

"Then what should we call you?" Lisanna asked curiously from the side.

"Dad... no, Hughes. You can call me Hughes or Brother Hughes!"

Hughes, who had already walked some distance away, waved as he answered.

"Brother Hughes, come back for us soon!" Lisanna's gentle voice drifted through the air, but Hughes was already nowhere to be seen.

"Sister Mira, did you see? Brother Hughes made really, really big flames and chased everyone from the village away. He must have a way to make your arm normal again!"

Lisanna hopped over to Mira, hope shining in her bright blue eyes.

Mira's gaze rested on her little face for a long time before she pulled her into an embrace.

"Lisanna, don't take risks like that again." Mira's voice trembled, and glistening tears quietly slipped down her face.

"Mm!" Lisanna narrowed her eyes, a warm smile appearing on her lips as she nodded firmly.

"Sister Mira, you can finally move on..."

Meanwhile, the villagers who had fled back to the village, supporting one another along the way, didn't even stop to tend their injuries. They stood rooted to the spot, staring at the village entrance.

A young man in worn blue-and-white striped clothes was striding toward them, tossing a fireball from his palm into the air and catching it again. The frightened villagers huddled together.

"I'm not interested in your petty affairs. I'm heading to another town, but I don't have any food, and I'm short on money too!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the fireball he had tossed into the air drifted in front of them, then slammed down.

The villagers swallowed repeatedly and backed away several steps in unison before they dared look at the scorched patches on the ground.

"I'm in a hurry. You have three minutes! I'll remember anyone here who doesn't give me anything."

Hughes pointed at the dark crowd before him. They were all people who had gone to threaten Mira and her siblings earlier.

"My lord, it's all here..."

Cold sweat streamed down Village Chief Ed's forehead as he brought over two large bundles, bowing and scraping.

"You know what to say, right?" Hughes picked up the two bundles and shot him a piercing glance.

Village Chief Ed nodded repeatedly. "A gift! This is a gift from the village to you, my lord!"

Hughes nodded and swung the bundles over his shoulder. For some reason, though, there was a little accident in the process.

One of the bundles knocked Village Chief Ed unconscious. Hughes walked straight away without even looking at the unconscious chief on the ground.

"Oh, you three were pretty quick!"

When Hughes returned to the house where Mira and her siblings lived, he saw that the three of them had already finished packing and were waiting for him, each carrying a bundle.

Hughes casually added his two bundles to Elfman's load.

As a man, he ought to carry a heavy load as he moved forward.

Why wasn't Hughes carrying them himself, you asked?

Oh, he had an excuse. What if his flames burned the stuff up?

"Keep a close eye on them, Elfman! You're a man. If this money and food go missing, I'll hold you responsible!" Hughes patted him, his tone not threatening in the slightest.

Overburdened, Elfman looked helplessly at the tightly wrapped-up Mira.

Mira frowned and took the burden Hughes had placed on Elfman. As she moved, her cloak fell open at the side.

Hughes caught sight of an arm with sharp claws, its surface as rough as dried tree bark. The arm was a dark, dull color, covered in purple, eyeball-shaped crystals.

[Ding! Oars the Demon detected. Please challenge him!]

Clatter!

Noticing that her arm had been exposed, Mira instinctively let go of the two bundles she had just taken.

She lowered her pretty face and shrank back into her cloak like a quail, gripping her demonized arm tightly with her fair hand and hiding it deep inside the cloak.

The previously cheerful atmosphere changed in an instant.

"You saw it, didn't you? This demonic arm. If you want to leave, then leave!" Mira said in a low voice.

Before the villagers saw her arm, they had been just as friendly as he was. But afterward, they had all fled in panic, and it was common for them to hurl abuse at her.

Hughes could hear the fear, sorrow, and helplessness in her voice.

"Sister Mira isn't a demon. She's never hurt anyone!" Lisanna and Elfman looked up at Hughes, their expressions a little tense.

They were afraid Hughes would be just like the villagers, that his attitude would change completely after seeing their sister Mira's arm and he would abandon them.

Hughes, however, stood there looking as calm as ever. He stepped forward and picked up the two bundles from the ground.

"There's food in these. If it gets crushed, I'll make you eat the damaged bits, Mira!"

The bundle containing food was a little heavier, so he placed it on top of the bundle on Mira's back. The one containing money was a little lighter, so he tossed it straight to Elfman.

"I'm very fair. One for each of you!"

Hughes placed a hand on Mira's lowered head and, without saying anything more, gave it a thoroughly unceremonious ruffle through her cloak.

Mira's problem was in her heart, and that required a cure for the heart. There were some things she had to move past herself. It was better to rely on herself than on others!

"Let's go! We're setting off!!"

With no load to carry, Hughes led the way, taking long strides with an extremely swaggering gait.

"Brother Hughes, wait for me!" Lisanna whispered a few words to Mira, then smiled brightly and hurried after him on her short little legs.

Mira's fingers tightened around her demon arm, her fair, slender fingers turning bloodless from the pressure.

After struggling with herself, she finally stepped forward, though it was only a tiny step...

"Sister Mira, you can do it!"

Elfman, at the very back, spoke softly, clutching the straps of his bundle against his chest with both hands, his face full of unease.

"We can't go back to the village anymore... Lisanna and I both want you to get better! We should go see that wizard guild Brother Hughes told us about."

Elfman's trembling voice, tinged with pleading, made Mira's fingers tighten further, as though she meant to pinch that demon arm clean off.

With her head bowed, she took one firm step forward... then two... then three, slowly beginning to match Lisanna's pace.

Elfman's tightly furrowed brows relaxed. He wiped his face twice with the crook of his arm, broke into a smile, and hurried after Mira.

The sunlight ahead was just right, falling through the sparse trees in patches, while a gentle breeze blew from behind, beckoning them onward.

Everything was moving in a better direction.