"Anbei Village... does a rundown dump like this really need a church?"
Ankh stared unimpressed at the rotting building in front of him.
He scoffed while muttering, "Not a single worshipper in sight. What kind of church is this?"
Beside him, the elderly Village Chief was sweating bullets, nervously wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.
"Everyone is... well, usually quite busy with work..."
He couldn't look Ankh in the eye.
The young mage wasn't just unnaturally handsome; he carried a heavy, intimidating aura that made the old man want to shrink into the ground.
Ankh side-eyed the nervous elder. "So... what about this demon? The request said it was trapped inside."
The old man forced a stiff, ingratiating smile. "Ah, well, you see... just a few days ago... that demon... for some reason... escaped."
Ankh raised an eyebrow.
Escaped?
The request form from Master Makarov was specific: a demon had appeared in the church, claimed the church as it territory, and refused to let anyone enter.
It was supposed to be bound to the grounds.
Demons like that don't just vanish.
Frowning, Ankh walked up to the entrance and kicked the door open.
He strode into the dilapidated hall without hesitation.
Behind him, the Village Chief trembled, his old legs shaking as he reluctantly followed.
Ankh scanned the room.
It was a standard, if shabby, church interior. But the air was thick with aggressive Magic Power—a faint, lingering evil.
[There is a residual scent of a soul here.]
"A soul?" Ankh whispered. "The demon's?"
[Likely. But the entity itself has definitely left the area.]
"Chief! The demon! It's in the village!"
Just as Ankh was processing this, a disheveled man burst through the church doors, screaming at the old man.
The Village Chief's face went white. He collapsed to his knees, his lips quivering.
"What... how is that possible..."
Ankh stepped around the groveling old man with disdain and looked at the newcomer.
"Where is it? Take me there."
The villager froze, staring blankly at Ankh's face for a second before snapping back to reality.
"Y-Yes! Mage sir, please follow me!"
Ankh followed the man out, leaving the Village Chief sitting in the dirt, muttering like a madman.
"Why... those people promised... Satan would bring me endless wealth..."
...
Anbei Village had been quiet when he arrived, but now the streets were chaos.
Mobs of sturdy men rushed out of their homes armed with rusty blades, spears, and clubs.
Their eyes were bloodshot, driven by a frenzy to hunt down some filthy creature.
Ankh stood at the center of the turmoil, watching the villagers scream for blood.
"What exactly is going on here?"
His guide, pale with fear, explained, "It's the Chief! He said if we offered live sacrifices to the demon... it would bring us riches. But people just died! We got nothing! And now the demon is loose—it's going to slaughter us all!"
The man was nearly insane with terror, but Ankh felt zero sympathy for them.
He only felt a sense of absurd amusement.
'No wonder this place felt so wrong', Ankh thought. 'They're all controlled by greed. Feeding a demon for money, only to be destroyed by it? Sounds like poetic justice.'
"Well, that explains the atmosphere," Ankh smirked, stretching his arms. "Though I still have questions, let's catch this thing first."
A magic circle flared beneath his boots.
An immense gravity field launched him into the sky, giving him a bird's-eye view of the village.
"Oh. There."
The layout was simple.
A massive group of armed men was closing in on a narrow alleyway, cornering their prey.
Ankh squinted. In the shadows of the alley sat a small figure huddled in a heavy black cloak.
'That's the demon?'
'You've got to be kidding me. Its aura is pathetic.'
Disappointed, Ankh adjusted his gravity and dropped like a stone toward the alley.
...
"Dammit..."
A soft, melodic voice, cracked with frustration, came from beneath the hood.
The figure was slumped against the wall, breathing hard.
She braced herself against the ground to stand, revealing a terrifying arm—a grotesque, hardened beast-hide with glowing purple spikes.
It looked like the limb of a true monster.
"Why... Why did it have to come to this!"
She slammed the demon fist into the ground, cracking the brick pavement.
The girl collapsed back to her knees, unable to hold back quiet sobs.
Ankh landed silently behind her.
He leaned against the brick wall, crossing his arms as he watched her cry.
The shouts of the villagers were getting louder. Finally, the girl wiped her tears and forced herself up.
"I need to hurry back... Lisanna and Elfman are waiting for food!"
Ankh's heart skipped a beat.
'Wait.'
'Lisanna? Elfman? Those are future Fairy Tail members.'
If that was true, then this girl's identity...
"Your name," Ankh said calmly.
The girl whirled around, startled.
She stared at him in alarm, pulling the cloak tighter.
"Who are you?"
Ankh lifted his right sleeve, flashing the guild mark on his skin.
"A Mage from Fairy Tail. I'm Ankh."
The girl clenched her monstrous fist, fear spiking in her chest.
'A Mage? Here?'
Ankh saw the panic in her eyes. He kept his voice soft. "I'm here to kill the demon."
Beneath the hood, her expression crumbled into bitterness.
She tucked the demonic arm deeper under her cloak and slowly lowered her hood.
"So... you're here to kill me."
In the faint light of the alley, Ankh saw her clearly.
Snow-white hair cascading over her shoulders.
Large, expressive eyes filled with sorrow and resentment. Even covered in dirt and tears, her features were delicate and striking.
Ankh smiled faintly.
'Bingo.'
"Answer the question," he said. "What is your name?"
She hesitated, her voice trembling. "Mirajane... Mirajane Strauss."
'The She-Devil herself.'
It was exactly who he thought it was.
Mirajane—the future S-Class powerhouse of Fairy Tail. The woman who would one day rival Erza Scarlet in destructive power.
Ankh stepped closer, staring directly into her eyes with genuine interest.
"Interesting," he murmured. "This trip was actually worth it."
He looked at her hidden arm, then back to her face.
"So that's how it is," Ankh said, his tone shifting from hunter to observer. "These idiots mistook your Magic for a demon..."