A magic water mirror appeared in a village that was not very peaceful at the moment—Kikyo Village.
"Is this the place?"
Aegon smelled a faint scent in the air that did not belong to humans.
Selene, in a not-so-friendly tone, commented, "Yes, this is the place. Do you know how much effort we had to put in just for you to say a word?"
Aegon had given only the description of white hair, possibly related to demons, and let Selene and Irene help him search.
The Kingdom of Fiore had a population of only 17 million, but its area was larger than expected, covering over 10 million square kilometers. Finding one person in such a vast area was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Irene's Eye of Investigation would have to cast its gaze across the sky to scan such a large area, inevitably causing a giant eye to appear in the sky, which would draw unnecessary attention. Thus, the task of using the magic water mirror for small-scale reconnaissance fell to Selene.
With the help of Mera's ancient magic book, Selene, bearing this responsibility, finally found Kikyo Village after a considerable amount of time.
Observing the situation of Mira and her siblings, Selene frowned, "Their situation doesn't seem too good."
The scene she saw was a group of villagers brandishing farm tools, shouting at a house with its doors and windows tightly shut. Inside was a white-haired girl with her head down, one of her arms replaced by a demonic claw.
"Get out!"
"Demon!"
...
"Leave the village!"
"Plague!"
As Aegon and Selene approached, the villagers' abusive words became clearer.
For Aegon, who was accustomed to the keyboard warriors and in-game insults that often escalated to attacks on one's ancestors, these words were nothing new.
But for a thirteen-year-old girl who had never anticipated such a situation, it was evidently hard to accept.
Selene's expression gradually turned cold, covered in frost. She empathized with the girl, recalling the curses of the dragons in the Northern Continent and the humans who didn't welcome her. She just wanted to live peacefully as a human, but there were always those who wouldn't let her...
A warm hand intertwined with her fingers, calming her anger...
Looking up slightly, she saw Aegon smiling at her, "Didn't you raise a pet? Give them a big gift."
Selene understood, casually waving her hand. From the magic water mirror, a white paw stepped out first, followed by a large tiger head yawning and emerging. Upon seeing Selene, it excitedly placed its paw on her shoulder, licking her cheek.
This was Selene's pet, a six-meter-long, two-meter-tall female white tiger, a metal-attributed magic beast with the intelligence of a five or six-year-old child. Originally one of the rulers of the eastern forest, it was taken in by Selene because of its beautiful appearance.
"Alright, Snowball, I have a task for you."
Selene pointed at the villagers in front of the house.
Snowball's copper bell-like eyes looked into the distance, its large head nodding before letting out a roar that echoed through the mountains.
Roar—
The white tiger ran like a white sword.
"Magic beast!!"
"Run!!!"
At the sight of the white tiger, the villagers, who had been seething with anger, immediately scattered, abandoning their tools and fleeing in all directions. A few old people who couldn't run fast met their end under the tiger's claws.
"Help... don't... kill me..."
A middle-aged man, who had tripped and fallen, trembled uncontrollably and couldn't stand up. He could only crawl backward with his hands, yellowish liquid seeping from his pants...
Snowball had no interest in eating humans but played a cat-and-mouse game, slowly approaching the man.
"Stop!"
Snowball tilted its head, full of question marks, at the sudden appearance of the girl.
At this moment, the man, who couldn't stand up earlier, suddenly got up and fled as if possessed by the god of speed.
Looking at the corpses lying in disarray at the door, the blood-stained ground, and the white tiger that looked even more imposing after being splattered with blood, Mira gulped nervously. The white tiger let out a low growl, sensing the strange fluctuations from Mira's demonic arm, warning her.
Mira's face tensed, but after taking a deep breath, her expression became determined.
'Since my arm has become like this, I might as well... Elfman and Lisanna are still inside, I can't back down... I need to buy them some time...'
Aegon and Selene didn't intervene, watching from a high place. Selene frowned, "I don't understand, why did she stop Snowball from killing that man?"
"Kindness. It's probably because of her kindness that she's in this situation now."
Selene nodded thoughtfully, "Kindness... is that so?"
Snowball, following Selene's command, didn't kill. Although Mira successfully took in the demon Satan's soul, she obviously didn't know how to use it.
After a few rounds with Snowball, Mira was barely holding on, panting heavily.
Snowball's paw struck Mira in the abdomen, sending her flying into a wall, a streak of blood trickling down her mouth.
Mira felt like her bones were going to fall apart. Struggling to stand, her tightly knitted brows didn't relax, breathing heavily...
"So strong... definitely not a beast I can handle."
But Mira didn't retreat at all. She wanted to buy time for her younger siblings.
As the white tiger charged at her again, like an armored tank, she held her breath, her nerves on edge, ready to fight to the death for a chance at survival!
But she clearly underestimated the huge white tiger before her. The tiger's roar, combined with its own pressure, made her body tremble uncontrollably, unable to muster any fighting spirit or lift her arm.
Unwillingly, she glanced back at her home, then closed her eyes, 'Forget it...'
"Mira!"
Unexpectedly, Lisanna and Elfman appeared by her side, grabbing her clothes and closing their eyes.
"You..."
She had told Elfman and Lisanna to escape through the window.
Seeing this, she had no time to hesitate. The giant white tiger had already reached her. Her legs, which had been trembling just now, seemed rooted to the ground. Her expression became resolute, fearless, as she raised her demonic claw!
Elfman and Lisanna closed their eyes, clutching Mira's clothes, but the scene Mira imagined—her being sent flying by the white tiger's paw, blood splattering—didn't happen...
In her field of vision, a young man with red-brown hair and a smile suddenly appeared, casually holding her wrist.
The once ferocious white tiger came to a sudden halt, lying on the ground like a kitten, licking its paws and fur, as if it were a completely different creature from before.
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Mira
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