Chapter 117

[Lisanna said this and was about to pull her sister to climb out through the back window.]

[But, at this very moment!]

[Knock, knock, knock...]

[The tightly closed door was slowly knocked upon.]

[The three siblings' gazes instantly locked onto the doorway where the sound came from.]

[The little boy Elfman's body trembled even more violently.]

["Have they come..."]

[Mirajane's brows were tightly knitted together.]

[She bit her silver teeth tightly.]

[Her right hand, and her left hand which had already turned into a demon arm, blocked her younger brother and sister behind her.]

["You guys stay here safely, I'm going out!"]

["They are coming for me. As long as I go, you will be safe."]

[Mirajane said in a deep voice.]

[The knocking on the door became gradually more urgent.]

[This also made sweat beads ooze frantically from Mirajane's forehead.]

["What are you talking about! How could I let Sister Mira go out and face them alone?"]

[The white-haired girl Lisanna was the first to disagree.]

[Even Elfman, who had been shivering, nodded heavily.]

["Those are mages outside. If Sister goes out alone... she will die..."]

["Stop talking! Just stay here safely, I'm going out to see what they want."]

[Mirajane made the final decision and pushed her brother and sister to the back.]

[She went toward the doorway alone.]

[Taking a deep breath, she looked at the door that kept making noise.]

[Mirajane slowly reached out a trembling hand and gripped the doorknob.]

[Ignoring Lisanna's calls from behind, she pushed open the door and darted out...]

[Then she immediately closed the door tightly and leaned against it.]

[Ensuring that her brother and sister in the room wouldn't be harmed,]

[Mirajane then forcibly steadied her heart, which was almost jumping out of her chest.]

[Her gaze began to size up the two figures in front of her who were about her age.]

["Are these... mages?"]

[Mirajane muttered to herself.]

[These two people didn't seem to have anything powerful about them.]

[And at this moment, Erza, who was knocking on the door, was also stunned.]

[Mirajane's beauty was indeed stunning; even someone as beautiful as Erza couldn't help but appreciate Mirajane's appearance.]

[Or rather, Erza never expected that the person so hated by the villagers would be such a beautiful young girl?]

[Unlike Erza, there was Black Natsu.]

[At this moment, he was also staring fixedly at Mirajane.]

[Or rather, the moment Mirajane came out, his gaze had already locked onto the other arm Mirajane was hiding in her cloak.]

[Although it was covered by the cloak, Black Natsu seemed to feel something, his gaze locked straight onto it.]

[Perhaps Black Natsu's gaze was indeed too sharp.]

[Mirajane's hand hidden in the cloak retracted again, hiding behind her back.]

[She feigned composure and scolded angrily.]

["What... is your purpose?!"]

[Erza's gaze collided with Mirajane's.]

[Unexpectedly, Mirajane immediately glanced elsewhere, clearly trying to hide her panic.]

[Erza didn't mind and said:]

["As you can see, we are mages."]

["As expected... they are mages..."]

[Mirajane's face instantly became dim, and the aggressive momentum from before disappeared.]

[Her figure seemed to shrink a bit.]

[It was like... a pitiful, down-and-out young girl.]

["You all saw it, right? That's right, the demon is on me!"]

["You... come and subjugate me."]

[Mirajane's voice trembled, but her figure didn't retreat a single step.]

["However, this has nothing to do with Lisanna and Elfman!"]

["Don't involve them! Otherwise... I will fight you to the death!!!"]

[Mirajane bit her teeth tightly, and the moment she mentioned her brother and sister,]

[Her trembling voice seemed to disappear completely.]

[Her tone also became incredibly fierce!]

[Just like a cat with its fur standing on end.]

[Her unyielding eyes stared fixedly at the two people in front of her.]

[Erza was a bit confused by this sudden roar.]

[She looked at Black Natsu and blinked.]

["You seem to have misunderstood."]

[Just then, Black Natsu finally spoke.]

[With his arms crossed, he moved his gaze away from Mirajane's cloak.]

[He said: "The demon doesn't need to be subjugated, but it's a pity, you must leave this place."]

["Eh? What's the situation?"]

[Erza looked at Black Natsu curiously.]

["Specifically, let's go inside and talk."]

[Black Natsu said while looking at Mirajane.]

["So, you don't intend to just stand here and talk, do you?"]

["Aren't you going to invite us in to sit for a while?"]

[Inside the dilapidated room.]

[The group was sitting around a campfire.]

[It was a stove piled up with simple bricks.]

[Firewood was burning in the stove, and a kettle was hanging above it, with hot water boiling inside.]

[It made a gurgling sound.]

[In the whole room, apart from the sound of bubbling water, there was no other sound.]

[Lisanna sat by the stove, hugging her sister, her eyes vigilantly watching the two people sitting cross-legged in front of her, Black Natsu and Erza.]

[Elfman was the same, his body leaning toward Mirajane, clearly somewhat afraid.]

[As for Mirajane, her heart was not calm at this moment either.]

[She didn't know if agreeing to let these two mages in was a mistake.]

[What if... they had some bad intentions?]

[Then wouldn't she be sending her brother and sister into the tiger's mouth?]

[But, thinking about it, these two were both mages.]

[They both had miraculous abilities far beyond ordinary people.]

[Just on this point, she was definitely not their match.]

[If things really fell apart, she still wouldn't be able to protect her brother and sister.]

[Incredibly conflicted thoughts played out in Mirajane's mind.]

Erza: "Mirajane when she was little... I have never seen her show such an expression before."

Gray: "Yeah, in my memory, Mirajane when she was little was always fearless. I didn't expect... sigh..."

Happy: "It's so depressing to watch. I still like the Mirajane who can argue and mess around with Erza."

Wendy: "Sister Mira at this time... must be very painful, right?"

Charle: "That goes without saying. Sigh, she clearly helped the villagers drive away the demon out of kindness, only to end up being spurned by everyone."

Mirajane: "These things have all passed. Honestly, I'm actually very grateful for the heartlessness of those people back then."

"Otherwise..."

"I might not have met you all, and I wouldn't have come to such a gentle place."

Mirajane looked at the sky screen, a smile on her lips.

She spoke gently and softly.

A palm rested on her shoulder, making Mirajane turn her head to look.

Her smile seemed to brighten a bit: "Of course, I wouldn't have met you, my rival, either."

Erza smiled brightly: "Ah, that goes without saying."

She looked at the sky screen again: "I believe that in that world, we would still be the same."

[As for the two people opposite.]

[Erza was curiously looking around; it was her first time seeing such a simple environment.]

[And Black Natsu was unhurriedly blowing on the hot water in his cup, then taking a small sip.]

[Although there was no tea in the cup, this posture was already that of a seasoned tea drinker.]

[In this dull atmosphere,]

[Mirajane, who felt so suffocated she couldn't breathe, finally couldn't hold back and spoke first.]

["By the way... what exactly did you mean by what you said just now?"]

[Black Natsu raised his head upon hearing this.]

[Then he placed the cup in his hand on the ground.]

[He spoke slowly: "It means exactly what it says. The demon has already been eliminated by you, so there is no talk of subjugation."]

["The demon... has already been eliminated?"]

[Lisanna looked at Black Natsu excitedly upon hearing this.]

["Really? But my sister..."]

["Can I take a look at your hand?"]

[Black Natsu said.]

[Hearing this, Mirajane reflexively hid her hand behind her back again.]

[But, under Black Natsu's persistent gaze, she still lost.]

[She tremblingly... reached out that palm.]

["You can look, but I'll say first, it's very disgusting."]

[Black Natsu and Erza both looked at the arm Mirajane extended.]

[That was not a hand a human could possess; the entire arm presented an unnatural brownish color.]

[On the back of the hand, the wrist, and the arm, dark purple bumps grew, just like gemstones.]

[The fingertips were exceptionally sharp, and the entire arm had uneven protrusions, as if to signal the danger of this arm.]

[Black Natsu narrowed his eyes slightly.]

[Then, amidst the strange gazes of everyone, Black Natsu suddenly reached out and grabbed Mirajane's arm.]

Gray: "Hands-on?!!"

Gajeel: "Eh? This development seems a bit off!"

Makarov: "Ah? Why did the art style suddenly change??"

Gildarts: "Oh oh oh, the Black Natsu of that world seems very savvy. The me of that world would definitely like that kid, hahaha."

Erza: "Gildarts! What are you stirring up trouble for??"

Hades: "By the way, what kind of development is this? It was so dull just a moment ago, why did he suddenly get hands-on?"]

Brain: "If Irene from that world saw this scene, she'd probably be numb, right?"]

Irene: "Brain! If you don't speak, no one will treat you as a mute!"

August: "Ho ho, someone must be able to wake up laughing even in their sleep, right?"]

Ur: "Someone? Who??"

August: "I don't know, I don't know. The time hasn't come yet. When it does, you'll know."]

Zeref: "August, you seem quite free lately, don't you?"]

August: "Cough cough... no, no, I'm just watching and expressing my opinion along the way."]

Zeref: "Keep watching. I feel that Black Natsu must have some purpose."]

[Zeref's guess was quickly verified.]

[Everyone present was a bit confused by Black Natsu's sudden move.]

[Erza's eyes widened in that instant.]

[Her gaze was locked onto the two hands held tightly together.]

[Her silver teeth bit together involuntarily.]

[Mirajane was also very confused.]

[She had thought that after seeing this arm, the two people in front of her might show looks of disgust or fear.]

[However, she never expected that this guy not only didn't do that,]

[Instead, he grabbed her hand and... closed his eyes??]

[Lisanna was shocked!]

[She looked at Black Natsu at this moment with incredulous eyes.]

[A thought gradually emerged in her mind.]

[This Black Mage... could he be trying to hit on her sister?]

[For this... he didn't even care about the demon arm?]

["Eh??? What... are you doing?"]

[Feeling the temperature coming from her hand, Mirajane finally came back to her senses.]

[Following that, Mirajane, who was having her hand touched by a strange man for the first time, felt her cheeks flush red.]

[She spoke stammeringly.]

[Watching this scene, Erza's eyes on the side even began to fill with bloodshot veins.]

[What... is going on here??]

[At this moment, Black Natsu, who was being watched by everyone, had his eyes tightly closed.]

[His brows were tightly knitted.]

[His complexion was a bit off.]

[In Black Natsu's sensing, he could clearly feel the demonic power sleeping within Mirajane through that demon arm!]

[Thump-thump... thump-thump... thump-thump...]

[At the same time! That feeling of his heart accelerating and his fighting spirit boiling surged into his mind again.]

[It even gradually made Black Natsu feel somewhat excited.]

[Hum... hum...]

[Just as Mirajane wanted to speak up to interrupt Black Natsu.]

[A strange feeling surged into her heart.]

[Her heartbeat also began to accelerate rapidly, and her body began to heat up.]

[Her already flushed cheeks turned even redder.]

[Her breathing began to become rapid.]

[Her eyes... also gradually began to turn scarlet.]

[This strange feeling made Mirajane's face begin to twist.]