Fairy Tail: You said you were just acting, are you serious

Ron calmly surveyed the shocked residents and priest, then shook his head.

"You guys haven't seen magical artifacts before, this is one of them."

Mirajane was dumbfounded. How could this traveler named Ron know so much?

How powerful must a mage be to possess such magical artifacts?

The residents were shocked by the various amazing abilities the child displayed. First, he showed them scenes from the story while telling tales, and then he even sucked away the farm tools from their hands. They began to be a little afraid of the child.

The unarmed residents began to lose their confidence, and then all their eyes focused on the old priest, hoping that the priest who was leading them could give an answer.

The old priest had the same shocked expression. He was just an ordinary person, except that he had lived in the village longer and had seen more people than the residents.

Seeing that all the residents were looking at him, the old priest finally gritted his teeth and walked towards Ron.

He swallowed nervously, sweating profusely, and cautiously asked Ron.

"You... could you be the legendary mage?"

Ron nodded slightly when he saw that they had finally stopped arguing and were finally willing to communicate.

"That's right, I also dealt with the demon in the church."

"Speaking of which, I'm actually your village's savior."

Everyone present gasped when they heard Ron's statement.

The residents didn't immediately believe the outsider; instead, they started gossiping about him.

"Didn't the priest say that a demon possessed Mirajane? What's going on?"

"Yeah, isn't Mirajane still standing there?"

"Is he trying to protect her?"

Ron then heard these remarks and glared at the person who made them.

The residents trembled at Ron's glare and immediately fell silent.

The old priest paused for a moment, a look of confusion on his face.

"But I saw it with my own eyes: Mirajane was possessed by a demon."

"Saw it with your own eyes?"

How did you determine that?

Ron countered with a question to the old priest, who then took a few steps closer to Mirajane and pointed to Mirajane's right hand.

Fearful, Mirajane turned to the side and retreated, grabbing her right arm with her left hand as she did so, dodging the priest's instructions.

"I saw it, her right hand was...?!"

The old priest stared in shock when he saw Mirajane's right hand.

At this moment, Mirajane's right hand no longer resembled the Demon Hand at all; the small, white hand outside the sleeve left the old priest speechless and dumbfounded.

At this moment, some residents who were closer to the front also noticed Mirajane's hands, which did not appear to be possessed by a demon as the priest had said.

Ron smiled triumphantly when he saw that the old priest had stepped forward but could not prove his innocence.

"What happened to her right hand, or did the old priest mistake you for something else?"

The old priest blushed instantly upon hearing Ron's words.

"Are you implying that I would joke about something like this?"

Ron looked puzzled, glancing at Mirajane's right hand before looking back at the old priest.

"Is it possible that you woke up from a coma?"

Isn't it normal for someone his age to have blurred vision for a while?

Upon hearing this, the residents began to discuss it amongst themselves, whispering and asking what was going on.

The old priest frowned, then looked at Mirajane's hand again, confirming once more that it wasn't the devil's hand, and his face instantly turned pale.

Could it be that I made a mistake and wronged Mirajane?

Seeing the priest caught in self-reproach, Ron turned to the residents and questioned them.

"As for you, I said I dealt with the demon, so why did you question me immediately?"

"Does this mean there's someone in your village who can defeat the demon?"

Upon hearing Ron's question, the residents stopped whispering and began to look at each other in bewilderment.

The outsider is right. There is indeed no other mage in the village who can deal with demons. They only escaped this disaster because of Ron's help.

Ron then proceeded to question all the residents present.

"In a way, I was your savior, the one who got rid of the demon for you."

But after the problem was solved, instead of being grateful, you listened to the priest's nonsense and surrounded the Strauss family, who were orphans, with torches in the middle of the night.

Are you only brave enough to fight against a few helpless children?

Mirajane looked up at Ron, who had spoken her mind, and felt a touch of emotion.

The fear in her eyes disappeared, and her tightly clenched left hand gradually loosened.

Ron got emotional at this point, and couldn't be bothered to look at them anymore, so he added another sentence.

"How foolish."

The residents, who had been so aggressive, were now speechless.

They looked at Mirajane hiding behind Ron and felt a surge of shame.

Yeah, what exactly are they doing?

While the demons were still at large, they acted like madmen, bullying the three children who had lost their parents.

The old priest seemed struck by lightning; all his strength was drained, and he looked several years older.

He recalled how Mirajane had helped him avoid the demons' first wave of attacks before they arrived, but he had wronged her because of his own confusion.

He recalled that after waking up, all he thought about was running away if he saw that Mirajane was in trouble, and a strong sense of self-blame made him look remorseful.

"What have I done? Why did things turn out like this...?"

He approached Mirajane and began to apologize in a trembling voice.

"I'm sorry, Father is getting senile. I mistook you for a monster. I'm so sorry."

The old priest lowered his head in shame, no longer daring to look Mirajane in the eye.

Seeing the old priest admit his mistake, the surrounding residents also lowered their heads, feeling guilty and not daring to look Mirajane in the eye.

Seeing the old priest kneel down to admit his mistake, the surrounding residents also lowered their heads, some even taking a few steps back guiltily, not daring to look Mirajane in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Mirajane..."

"We made a mistake..."

Ron, seeing these belated apologies, didn't say anything, but silently retreated behind Mirajane.

Mirajane watched calmly as Ron stepped behind her before turning to the bowed residents.

Looking at the residents before her, the worry and weariness between her brows deepened.

"I have heard your apology."

However, you still need to apologize to Elfman and Lisanna; it's your fault that they can't go home and sleep peacefully.

After saying that, Mirajah stopped looking at the residents with their heads down and looked up at the bright moon in the night sky, bathing in its pure light.

"It's already late at night. If you have something to say, say it to them tomorrow."