Chapter 57: I

“She’s Mirajane, our new teammate.”

Facing Erza’s question, Mo En smiled in reply.

“This girl is amazing—she uses Takeover Magic, capable of harnessing demonic power! Another magic prodigy!”

Makao chimed in from the side, his expression filled with awe.

Though he was barely in his early thirties and had just become a father, he felt as if he were about to be crushed by the tide of younger generations.

These kids in the guild were all outstanding—one more talented than the next—making the elders like him seem utterly ordinary.

“Is she that strong?”

Erza’s gaze sharpened; the strange sense of déjà vu grew stronger—she was powerful, sitting alone by herself.

“Of course! She’s taken over a demon!”

Wakaba gave a firm affirmation from beside him.

Two old men in the guild, like NPCs, one drinking, the other smoking, chatted loudly without any regard for Mirajane sitting in the corner. Mo En sighed inwardly but said nothing.

In truth, Makao and Wakaba meant no harm—they were praising Mirajane, their tone tinged with envy.

Mirajane had awakened her magic at such a young age and could absorb demonic power—she was undoubtedly a seed for an S-class wizard.

Of course Makao and Wakaba felt envy; they were already set in their ways, unlikely ever to become S-class wizards in this lifetime.

So they saw no issue in loudly discussing Mirajane—praising her strength and youthfulness—why would they whisper behind her back?

But Mirajane, who internally despised this demonic power, heard it all differently—what others envied, she abhorred.

Mirajane rose and walked away, passing by them.

She kept her head down; no one could see her face, only her tightly pressed lips. She’d been here for over ten days, yet no one in the guild had ever seen her smile.

Not even a smile—no one had ever successfully spoken with her.

If not for that first day when she’d spoken to Macao, everyone would’ve assumed she was mute.

“Hello, Mirajane, I’m—”

Seeing Mirajane pass by, Erza spoke up, wanting to introduce herself to the new teammate.

She smiled, suppressing that inexplicable irritation—she thought she could get along well with her.

But her friendly gesture left Erza disappointed, even slightly annoyed.

Mirajane kept her head down, clutching her cloak, walking straight past Erza as if she hadn’t heard—she quickened her pace, almost fleeing.

Mirajane’s impolite behavior made Erza frown.

“Hey!”

That inexplicable irritation began to overwhelm her; Erza called out to Mirajane with a sharper tone.

At the same time, she reached out to grab the fleeing Mirajane.

“Snap.”

Mo En grabbed Erza’s arm, forcing her to stop—this calmed her down.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Erza turned to Mo En, her expression puzzled, with a faint hint of grievance—she had only been kind in greeting Mirajane.

“Don’t mind it, Erza. She’s been like this since she arrived—never speaks, never smiles, always looks terrifying. If Itachi want to make friends, try her younger siblings instead.”

Before Mo En could speak, Makao and Wakaba chimed in again—this time whispering openly.

“.”

Mo En glanced at the two old men, clearly disgusted.

“Itachi two talk too much.”

His blunt remark made Makao and Wakaba burst into laughter.

“We’ve just been bored lately—once we go on a mission in a couple days, Itachi won’t hear us babbling anymore!”

Makao and Wakaba didn’t care about Mo En’s jab; they started drinking together—they both loved alcohol.

In fact, hardly anyone in the guild didn’t drink.

Macao, Gildarts, Makao, Wakaba—all drank. Mo En sometimes worried the guild would raise a bunch of little drunks, so he was especially careful not to let the kids get near alcohol too early.

The legal drinking age in Fiore Kingdom was fifteen; Mo En thought that was too young—should be at least adulthood. It wasn’t just about causing trouble; drinking too young harmed development.

“Mirajane—”

Makao and Wakaba’s words softened Erza’s expression—now she at least knew the girl wasn’t targeting her, but treating everyone the same.

“Mo En, are Itachi helping her?”

Erza stared at Mo En with wide eyes.

“Uh—”

Mo En paused.

“Do Itachi need help?”

Erza asked again, blinking earnestly—her moods changed quickly.

Mirajane’s state reminded Erza of her own past, so she truly wanted to help Mirajane integrate into the guild, just as Mo En had helped her.

As for how to help, Erza had no idea—but she knew Mo En must have a plan, and likely was already acting on it.

“Not yet.”

Mo En shook his head with a smile; Erza was making this so formal—he’d thought she had some complaint.

“Oh.”

Hearing she didn’t need help, Erza nodded, slightly disappointed.

Seeing her expression, Mo En thought for a moment, then spoke:

“If Itachi can, keep an eye on Mirajane for me—don’t let her slip away quietly. Otherwise, my plan won’t work.”

To give Erza a sense of involvement, Mo En decided to assign her to watch Mirajane—after all, Mirajane was a girl, and he wasn’t comfortable constantly staring at her.

“No problem! Leave it to me! I won’t let her run off!”

With her mission assigned, Erza perked up instantly, eyes gleaming. She patted her chest, the armor clanging loudly, then without waiting for Mo En to say more, she dashed out after Mirajane, who had just left the guild.

“.”

Mo En grimaced—Erza’s demeanor made her look like she was hunting a vile criminal.

He also sensed something—Erza and Mirajane’s auras didn’t seem to mesh at all.

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(End of Chapter)