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

The old priest became excited upon hearing this.

"Okay! We'll definitely apologize to those two children!"

He nodded repeatedly, thinking that the matter was over.

Upon hearing this, the residents who had been bowing their heads all breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing relief.

Does this mean they've been forgiven?

Ron looked at all the residents who were relieved to have been forgiven and shook his head helplessly.

As expected, the villagers remained ignorant, completely oblivious to the fact that Mirajah had not yet said he would forgive them.

Ron turned around and said something as he approached Mirajane.

"Let's go."

Mirajane turned her head to the side and nodded.

She took one last look at the priest and the residents, her eyes filled with disappointment and sorrow.

What disappointed them was the way the residents treated them, and what worried them was where their younger siblings would go in the future.

She ignored the residents and the old priest, turned around and followed Ron back to the inn.

The two remained silent the entire way, their only thought being to get back and feel the warmth of the hearth.

After hiking for a while, Ron and Mirajane finally returned to the warm inn.

The fire in the hotel room was still burning brightly, and Elfman and Lisanna were still fast asleep on the bed.

Ron casually picked up a match and put it into the fire to make it burn brighter.

Mirajane walked to the bedside, and after making sure her younger sister-in-law hadn't kicked off the covers, she turned around to face Ron by the fireplace.

"You've healed my hand, so you know what happened to me, right?"

After dealing with everything outside, Mirajane began to question himself.

After adding the firewood, Ron stood up and turned back to his chair.

"That wasn't treatment, and you weren't actually sick."

After Ron settled in, he continued answering Mirajane's questions.

"This change is due to the awakening of magic within you."

That's a kind of magic that can absorb the power of living beings and make it its own. You weren't possessed; rather, you absorbed a portion of the demon's power when you awakened your magic, which is why your hands turned out that way.

Mirajane paused for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.

"Will you accept magic?"

"Then when I cast this spell in front of the residents in the future, the same thing will happen, right?"

Ron nodded upon hearing this.

"That demon's power was too great, which is why your right hand became uncontrollably transformed into that form."

I sealed all this magic power inside your body before, so you won't lose control and become like that again.

Once you've mastered the receiving magic, and this power is readily available to you, the magic circle will automatically dissipate.

Mirajane touched the magic circle on her stomach. So this is how she got this magic circle?

Ron continued:

"You saw it very clearly just now; they only accepted you back after confirming that the demon had disappeared."

I didn't explain these things to them because they couldn't understand magic.

They can no longer tolerate your existence, and you haven't chosen to forgive them, have you?"

Upon hearing this, Mirajane trembled and bit her lower lip.

"Yes, I understand that one day I will have to leave here, but..."

Mirajane turned to look at her younger siblings who were still fast asleep and shook her head helplessly.

"Now is not the right time to leave. Elfman and Lisanna are still too young, and I also need time to adapt to this new power."

Mirajane turned around and looked at Ron, her eyes unintentionally pleading for help and hoping for an answer.

"I'm sorry, I can't take you with me."

Ron took a deep breath and finally interrupted Mirajane's thoughts.

"I actually have another mission to take me north, which is more dangerous than here, so I can't take you with me."

Once Ron learned that the undead demon Deliora was still in the north, it was impossible for him to take them any further into danger.

This does not guarantee their safety and will also increase the danger of their own journey.

When Ron refused to take them away, Mirajane lowered his head and smiled helplessly, closing his eyes and feeling speechless at himself.

Yes, this benefactor has helped her so many times, how come she has subconsciously become dependent on him?

This doesn't sound like me at all.

Just as Mirajane opened her eyes, a folded piece of paper was handed to her.

Mirajane looked up in surprise and saw Ron placing the note beside her.

"When you have mastered the control to receive magic, or when you find that the residents have reverted to their old ways, come to the place written on the paper."

This place is in Magnolia Town, and it's a mage guild called Fairy Tail.

Ron gave a gentle smile.

"Although this place is much noisier than this remote village, believe me, it's a place where all three of you can laugh without worry."

Mirajane picked up the note and glanced at the route marked on it.

She looked up at Ron's gentle and tolerant smile again, and her eyes unconsciously welled up with tears.

But the thought that there was still a place in the world that could accommodate the three of them made her originally tense lips curl into a smile.

Her eyes sparkled, turning into crescent shapes, and the moonlight streaming through the window made the tears in the corners of her eyes appear crystal clear.

Bathed in the moonlight, she revealed a long-lost smile, tears of joy streaming down her face.

……

Despite her exhaustion, Mirajane finally leaned against the bedside and fell asleep with her siblings.

This was the most peaceful and restful sleep she had had since her parents passed away.

She was still slowly waking up when the first rays of morning sunlight streamed into the room and fell on Mirajane's face.

She opened her sleepy eyes and subconsciously looked at Ron's wooden chair, only to find that the chair was already empty.

The fire in the stove was reduced to warm embers, but a cozy warmth still lingered in the room.

Mirajane stood up and noticed a bulging little cloth bag on the table.

Upon opening it, I found a heavy bag of J coins inside, with a simple note pressed under the bag.

"I'm taking my leave now. I look forward to the day you all come to the Mage Guild."

Mirajane looked at the note Ron had written and was moved, but she didn't cry again.

She carefully put away the note and the paper with the route map drawn on it, tucking them close to her body.

She was no longer confused; her eyes revealed a determined look, and she had only one goal in mind.

Quickly become stronger, master your magic, and then find a chance to leave this place.

She looked at Elfman and Lisanna, who had just woken up, and smiled back at them as she had last night.

"Elfman, Lisanna, let's go home together."