Chapter 37

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"Shouldn't you tell me what's going on now?"

Noah's words echoed clearly in the small cave, transforming the oppressive atmosphere into a heavy one.

Regarding the encounter with the Strauss siblings, Noah had initially considered it a mere coincidence. Even though he was curious about why the Strauss siblings were trying to steal his job, he had no intention of delving deeper into their affairs.

However, now, Noah realized that he could no longer treat these three as mere passersby.

Not for any other reason, but because the dark, gloomy, sad, and heart-wrenching emotions on the faces of the Strauss siblings were impossible to ignore.

"Big Brother Noah..."

Beside him, Lisanna, with a somewhat anxious expression, tried to say something but was immediately interrupted by Mira's cold voice.

"Lisanna!"

Lisanna immediately shut her mouth, her anxious expression turning into one of gloom, even tinged with a hint of sorrow. Elfman also displayed the same reaction.

Only Mira, who had initially appeared like a delinquent girl, now exuded a coldness like ice, all traces of her former self gone.

Seeing this, although Noah did not know what the Strauss siblings were hiding, he understood.

Even though they were young, Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna, like Erza, had a past that was painful and hard to forget.

"Ah..." Noah sighed, his voice light but echoing clearly in the silent cave, reaching the ears of Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna.

"Although I don't know what you're hiding," Noah directed his gaze to Mira's hand hidden under the cloak.

"I think it has something to do with your hand, doesn't it?"

Mira did not speak, instead hiding her face under the hood of her cloak, concealing her expression.

"Noah..." Elfman spoke hesitantly, his voice trembling.

"Aren't you... afraid of my sister?"

"Big Brother Elfman!" Lisanna tugged at Elfman's clothes, seemingly scolding him for saying such a thing, but her eyes remained fixed on Noah, filled with pleading.

Pleading for what?

Pleading for him not to be afraid of their sister?

Noah furrowed his brow deeply, a thought flashing through his mind.

"Could it be that you don't know why your sister's hand is like that?"

This time, Elfman, Lisanna, and even the silent Mira all raised their heads, their faces lighting up after a moment of shock.

"Big Brother Noah!" Lisanna, unable to contain herself, ran to Noah's side, tightly gripping his hand, her face a mix of anxiety and hope.

"Do you know why Mira's hand is like that?"

"That's not quite right!" Noah's furrowed brow slowly relaxed as he looked at Mira, their gazes meeting.

"Only you know what your sister went through to become like that, but it seems you only know part of the story!"

"Part of the story?" Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna murmured in unison.

"I don't have the habit of prying into others' secrets or pasts I dislike mentioning!" Glancing at the Strauss siblings, Noah chuckled, as if he had guessed something.

"However, if you're willing to share with me, I think I can be a good listener, confidant, and problem solver."

The Strauss siblings fell silent.

"Sister Mira..." Both Elfman and Lisanna turned their gazes to their sister, their expressions hesitant.

Seeing this, Mira lowered her head, saying nothing. Only when the two siblings became impatient did her low voice finally speak.

"In the church of the village where we used to live, there was a very powerful demon. Because it always made the villagers feel fear and despair, I thought about eliminating it and approached the church..."

"Sister Mira was possessed by the demon while trying to eliminate it!" Perhaps sensing something from her sister's voice, Lisanna bit her lip and spoke loudly.

"But the villagers treated my sister, who had eliminated the demon, as a demon and drove us out of the village!"

"Sister did nothing wrong!" The usually timid Elfman also spoke up indignantly.

"Even though she eliminated the demon, she was treated like that by everyone; it was too much!"

"Enough, Elfman." Mira's voice, devoid of emotion, rang out again.

"Talking about it now is useless; we can never return to the village."

Elfman and Lisanna's faces fell, and Noah also understood what had happened.

Putting the bag containing the knight's sword aside, Noah stood up and approached Mira under the watchful eyes of the Strauss siblings. He squatted down and extended his hand to Mira.

"Give me your hand!"

Mira frowned, about to turn away and ignore Noah, but then she heard Noah's voice rise sharply.

"Give me your hand!"

The slightly forceful and inexplicably calm tone reminded Mira of the giant bull that was cut in half in the forest, her eyes trembling slightly. She involuntarily extended her hand.

Apart from the night he met Wendy, this was the second time Noah had touched a woman's hand.

However, compared to Wendy's cool and tender little hand, Mira's hand gave Noah only one feeling: roughness.

But it couldn't be helped; it wasn't Mira's original hand.

Whether it resembled a crocodile, a lizard, or both, Mira's hand was covered in scales, with sharp fingers that looked like a demon's claws, and an unusually grotesque shape.

Combined with the faint dark aura emanating from it, it was understandable that no normal person would not be afraid of such a hand.

Placing such a hand on a girl who was otherwise very cute, it was not only a mismatch but also cruel. Even Mira, upon regaining her senses, quickly tried to withdraw her hand.

However, Noah firmly held Mira's hand, gently caressing the grotesque scales without any disgust. This gentle and tender action made Mira's heart, which had been overshadowed by her experiences, relax, and her movements slowed.

Noah first touched the scales on Mira's hand, using his excellent sensing ability to feel the dark aura. Only after sensing a trace of Mira's magic power in the aura did he confirm his suspicions.

"First, I need to tell you that your hand didn't become like this because you were possessed by a demon!"

These words made the Strauss siblings' hearts tremble.

"R-Really?" Lisanna couldn't help but stand up, her voice trembling with excitement.

"So, Sister Mira wasn't possessed by a demon, right?"

"Then, why did Sister's hand become like this?" Elfman quickly asked.

"Can you help Sister restore her hand?"

Mira also stared at Noah, her eyes filled with both hope and fear.

"Help your sister restore her hand?" This time, it was Noah's turn to be confused, looking at Elfman with a puzzled expression.

"Can't her hand be restored? But when I met you at the inn, your sister's hand seemed normal, didn't it?"

"That was just the effect of a magic item." Lisanna explained.

"It's a magic item that can deceive the eyes. We obtained it by chance, but it can only be used once. When the monster attacked, Sister Mira removed the effect to protect us, and now we can't use it anymore."