Mira also couldn't think of any useful clues.
When it came to that church, she could only think of the Demon, but at that time, the Demon should have already been absorbed by her.
Could it be that after she left, another Demon appeared there? Is there something special about that church?
Mira asked, "What happened next?"
Granny An said, "That night, the whole village stayed awake. The three families who lost loved ones kept begging everyone to go to the church to save them. However... the young men who returned said they saw a Demon in the church, so no one dared to go again."
It sounds a bit heartless, but perhaps it's human nature.
When they thought of Mira as a Demon before, they only dared to throw things from outside without daring to rush in.
Granny An, feeling somewhat sorry, glanced at Mira and continued, "Everyone waited till dawn, and those three families begged again for everyone to take a look. Finally, someone suggested that they go with torches, so if there was a Demon, they could burn it to death.
"This method seemed feasible, so everyone in the village who could walk took a torch, surrounded the church, and even brought dogs with them.
"Since the dogs didn't show signs of fear, after some hesitation, they decided to get closer and have a look.
"In the end, there was only a pool of blood in the church, with no sign of those three young men—everyone said they had been eaten by the Demon.
"We searched until noon but saw no one, so ultimately, we hastily set up a memorial without bodies, then burned the church down.
"Later, some said they heard the pitiful cries of the Demon being burned, while others said they didn't hear anything. Anyway, after that, many people were too scared to stay in the village, so more than half moved away.
"With fewer and fewer people, the village became more terrifying, and about three years ago, I was the only one left."
Granny An's expression was somewhat sorrowful. Once a peaceful little village, it had ended up this way.
Rhode asked, "Why didn't you move away?"
Granny An seemed quite at peace with it: "I'm already at this age, anyway, I have no relatives and not many years left to live. If the Demon wants to eat me, let it come sooner rather than later."
"So, did anything strange happen at the church afterwards?"
"Probably not." Granny An shook her head, "With no one else in the village, I moved to the farthest house and never went near the church again. Besides, I don't have dogs or chickens at home, so even if something happened, I wouldn't know."
She thought that since she was still alive, nothing probably happened.
"Oh, if anything, last year a knight came to investigate. I remember him being quite a tough young man, clad in armor, looking very impressive."
At this point, the elderly lady nostalgically touched her face and said, "If I were a few decades younger, I'd definitely be attracted to that kind of charisma."
Reaching this point in the conversation, the elderly woman couldn't provide further clues, and Rhode and Mira decided to visit the church ruins the next day.
Mira then inquired about how Granny An managed to live on her own.
Granny An proudly said she planted many vegetables and herbs. She would sometimes hitch a ride on the main road to town to sell herbs and buy provisions; her life was manageable.
Splitting wood was challenging, but she often cut some grass and small shrubs to dry for use later.
After all, she had nothing else to do, and staying busy every day was fine.
After chatting for quite a while, seeing the sun about to set, Granny An stood up and said, "It's about time to head back. This house is no longer livable, so why not come to my place?"
Mira politely declined, "Sorry, I want to stay here. We brought a tent and sleeping bags, so it's not a problem."
Granny An's gaze swept between the two of them, then she smiled and said, "I know, I know, newlyweds, right? But be sure to come to my place tomorrow so I can host you properly."
Mira blushed at her knowing expression.
Rhode said, "We'll walk you back."
Granny An waved her hand, "No need, I'm not so old that I can't walk."
She walked steadily to the door, picked up her sickle, and slowly made her way home.
That night, Rhode and Mira stayed at the old, battered house.
They didn't set up a tent but leaned against the wall inside their sleeping bags, sitting in the corner where the three siblings once hid.
Mira snuggled in Rhode's arms, just as Lisana once snuggled in hers.
It was a bit cold at night, so Rhode pulled a blanket over them both, with a fire burning nearby and a Ghost discreetly tending the firewood for the night.
The next morning, Rhode yawned, gently pinched Mira's lovely face, and suddenly noticed something unusual.
Mira, woken by him, held his mischievous hand and sleepily said, "You're so annoying... Is it morning already?"
"Yeah..." Rhode asked, "Mira, did you practice all night?"
Mira pouted, trying to remember, "No, I think I fell asleep while chatting with you. Why?"
Rhode reminded her, "Don't you feel any changes? In terms of Magic Power."
"Magic Power?" Mira pulled off the blanket, feeling her Magic Power carefully, "Huh? Did it suddenly become this strong? What did you do to me?"
"...I'd like to know too." Rhode was sure there couldn't be any 'magic recharge' effect between him and Mira.
Plus, nothing happened last night.
Mira stood up and tried to release her Magic Power.
A fierce wind rose, her white hair fluttered, and her clothes billowed as the shabby house trembled, seemingly about to collapse.
Previously, this kind of power was only something she could unleash while using Satan's Soul.
Mira quickly restrained her Magic Power, preserving this half-ruined old house of the Strauss.
She looked at her unchanged small hands, "Seems like it's the Second Magic Source?"
Rhode countered, "Even if it's a Second Magic Source, this isn't right; these changes should take at least two months of continuous training to achieve."
"Really?" Mira tapped her chin, pondering for a moment.
Suddenly, as if she had realized something, she laughed, turned to hug Rhode, pressing her face against his chest, "As long as it's a happy thing."
This time, Rhode firmly grasped her shoulders, pushed her gently away, and looked at her face, "You figured it out, didn't you?"
"Yes." Mira giggled again and snuggled back into Rhode's arms.
Rhode held her shoulders again, curious, "Why?"
Mira just held him tightly, "Not telling you!"