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Of Aura and Ethernano (Fairy Tail/ Jaune Arc SI): Chapter 12
🕑 Added 2025-06-12 08:16:05 +0000 UTCX778. Somewhere in the Western Mountains.
“…Welp, it's official. We are lost.”
“Grrr”
I smiled as Juniper continued growling beneath me, making me pat her head to comfort her.
“Hey now, no need to be so grumpy. We’ll just have to reorient ourselves from the air again.”
My baby girl, who grew up to the size that was a little bit larger than an adult horse, once again growled at my words.
Two days ago, I received an invitation from old man Greyson to join in on their celebrations since it was the anniversary of their village’s founding, something that I was inclined to join in since the last year had been quite hectic.
No thanks to the Magic Council.
During one of my quests last year, I caught the attention of a guild called Phantom Lord who wanted to recruit me. However, I was not inclined to join them, especially since there had been a lot of rumors going around about the conduct of their members.
Unfortunately, Jose Porla is a petty man. So he pulled a few strings and made my life miserable for a week before the Knights Order caught wind of the situation.
Then, things became worse when Dawn, instead of using his brain like always, somehow lost his IQ points and escalated the issue to the fucking king of Fiore!
Suffice to say, it was a complete clusterfuck for nearly a month until the Magic Council finally intervened and forced the Guild to back off.
However, my problems did not end there.
Somehow, the Magic Council managed to sniff out that my ‘magic’ was unique and different from anything that they ever knew, including Lost Magic.
Lo and behold, I had the attention of the Magic Council just after we got rid of Phantom Lord.
Thankfully, the King put his foot down and forced the council to back off (the little dude can be a real spitfire once he gets going. I have never heard such a diverse collection of swears and curses as I heard that day)
Ever since then, I’ve drowned myself in quests after quests, chasing harder and harder bounties.
Because that situation reminded me that, no matter how beautiful, this was still a fantasy world. And in such a world, power is everything. Without sufficient power, I cannot hope to protect myself and what I care about, and protect myself from becoming a toy or pawn in the hands of someone else.
And truthfully, my efforts did pay off.
Already, I had the power and skills equivalent to a high-rank mage at least, and it is only a matter of time before I reach the famed S-Rank.
Granted, the level of skill and power for an S-Rank differs from guild to guild, but it still counts.
It was in celebration of this achievement and to relax that I decided to accept the old man’s invitation.
Unfortunately, things never go my way.
As Juniper and I were flying over to the village, a sudden thunderstorm rolled in, forcing us to go around it.
If Juniper were at least a year older, she would have easily flown over the storm, but she doesn’t have that kind of strength just yet.
However, as we flew around the storm, we ended up losing our way, forcing us to land to reorient ourselves.
Looking at the magical compass in one hand (which was now spinning wildly because of the higher Ethernano concentration in the area) and the soaked map that I couldn’t make heads or tails of due to the damage, I sighed and leaned on Juniper while scratching her chin.
“Well, the compass is useless, and the map is done for. Might as well go to that village we saw earlier. At least we can reorient ourselves from there and maybe even get a new map.”
Juniper huffed before nudging my hand with her snout, showing her acceptance of my plan.
With a roar that sounded very immature for a Wyvern, but still terrifying enough for the wildlife in the area, she took to the air again as I held onto the saddle that Owen gifted us on her birthday.
Made with the hide of a Lizardman and enchanted to be breathable and comfortable for Juniper, the saddle was something that Owen commissioned from a renowned tailor, which cost upwards of 5,00,000 Jewels. A truly expensive gift.
Soon, we were flying above the tree line as Juniper circled southwards, where the village we had seen was located.
It did not take us long, merely a few minutes of flying, before we found the village and landed near the guarded entrance, making the militia panic.
However, the moment they saw me dismount from Juniper’s back, they relaxed considerably.
Strangely enough, they sported a rather happy look on their face the moment they saw my armor and sword.
Did these guys think I was a knight from the kingdom? If so, why are they so happy? Is there a problem here?
“Greetings, I am an independent mage. Do you guys have a magic shop or any such facilities where I can buy a map?”
“Y-Yes. But, we need-“
“Shush!”
The other guard stopped the younger one from speaking with a smack on his head before giving me a suspicious glare.
“We do have a store nearby. You can go in, but the Wyvern stays-“
“No need. Good day to you, gentlemen.”
Fucker. You want me to leave Juniper behind? Dream on!
Suddenly, the suspicious look on the man was replaced by shock as the younger man looked even more panicked.
Interesting. There is definitely something going on here, and given the power games that the guard was trying to pull, something significant, but not really life-threatening.
Whatever it is, it has nothing to do with me anyway.
I decisively turned around and got ready to leave with Juniper when the younger guard couldn’t hold on anymore.
“Please, Sir! Kill the demon and save our village!”
“James!”
That gave me a pause as I turned to stare at the two men seriously.
Demons are serious business and not something to be ignored, ever.
While most of them are rather friendly and only wish to live their lives, it is an undeniable fact that Demons are inherently born with a special kind of magic that is weird to say the least.
Sometimes, it is something mundane, like giving them the ability to swim faster or fly higher than a regular demon.
Other times, however, their powers manifest in a rather devastating way.
Not to mention the special breed of headaches known as the Demons from the Books of Zeref.
So, if there really is a demon here, and they really are hostile, I will need to investigate and give the data to the Knights as soon as possible.
‘Great! More work! In the middle of my vacation as well. Why does this remind me of my time back on Earth-?’
“AAAAAHHHHH!!”
“Kill the demon!”
“Come out and die!”
“Give me my son back!”
“You monster! Get out of our village!”
The sudden, terrified shriek of a child, followed by a rather large commotion from within the village, made me fall back on my instincts and boost myself straight to my current limit of eight boosts.
With a burst of speed that would leave behind even a speed magic user, I ran through the village streets, finding that the place was suspiciously empty save for a large collection of people that I could feel from my Aura sonar on the other side of the village.
Right behind me, I could feel the guards rushing in as well, along with Juniper, who was flying behind me with all her might but still falling behind.
In a matter of a couple of seconds or so, I arrived at the source of the noise, and felt my blood boil at the sight that I witnessed.
A large group of adults, ranging from old men and women to young adults, and even teenagers, were throwing stones at a rather dilapidated house, breaking the windows that were not already shattered and cursing out some ‘Demon’ to die.
However, the thing that caught my attention and made me see red was the sight within the house that I could see with my enhanced sight.
Children.
One boy, who looked maybe 12 years old, and another girl, who looked even younger, were shielding a slightly taller form behind a blanket with tears streaming down their faces.
Their clothes were slightly dirty and worn, showing that they were not all that well-to-do. But what caught my attention was the blood flowing down a gash on the boy’s forehead.
A very fresh wound, given the blood flow and the shallowness of the gash. Which meant it was a recent development.
The source of which was clearly one of the stones that were being thrown about.
For a split second, I saw two different figures overlap the two children.
A scene that I had never wished to witness ever again as long as I lived.
And my rage exploded along with my Aura.
My Aura, which was boosted with my Semblance eight times, manifested in a physical wave of power that shoved all the people back, like leaves caught in a hurricane.
The tidal wave of power was so strong that even the guards that had arrived were forced off their feet and a good few feet into the air before they all crashed back to the ground.
Given the sickening cracks I heard across the area and the shrill screams, it was a given that many of these people had at least broken a bone due to the combination of the force behind my Aura and the physical impact of falling from at least ten feet in the air.
‘Good! Serves them right for harming defenseless children!’
With my burst of Aura as the signal, Juniper was on them in seconds as she howled and loomed over the downed people, daring them to so much as move.
“You all should be ashamed of yourselves. Attacking defenseless children-“
“They are protecting the demon! They deserve it!”
A teenager screamed, interrupting my words.
“….Still, what you’ve done is inexcusable. Now, all of you will stay here. If anyone dares to move, well, I don’t think I need to say anymore, right?”
With the clear threat hanging in the air, I turned around and headed towards the ruined house while forcefully suppressing my anger and outrage.
People like these were the reason why Salem won against humanity so easily on Remnant.
Unfortunately, I cannot really blame these people.
After all, I have seen what happens when a hostile Demon is not contained before it is too late.
I still remember how shaken up Owen was when he returned from his expedition all those months ago, where he and his unit failed to reach that village in time before the Demon massacred the people in it for some kind of ritual.
Shaking my head to get rid of those depressing thoughts, I opened the door to the house (the lock was already ruined after my outburst, as was the rest of the house since it was ground zero for my Aura explosion)
Walking in, I spotted the two children from before, now huddling with the blanketed figure and shivering in fright as they stared at me.
‘Good Job! Jaune! You’ve now terrorized the children. What’s next? Stealing candy from toddlers?’
With a sigh, I raised my palms slowly, making the siblings (given their similar facial features and hair color, I’ll eat my sword if they aren’t siblings) flinch a little before they realized I was not going to attack them.
“Hello. I am Jaune. Can I know your names?”
The little girl was so frightened that no words escaped her while her eyes never strayed from my sword, even though it was still in its scabbard.
The boy, on the other hand, was a little bit braver.
“P-Please don’t kill Mira-nee. She is not a demon. These people are wrong.”
“Y-Yes! Please don’t kill us! We will leave the village! Just let us go. Please”
I felt my heart break a little as the two children started to plead for their lives, while my anger at the villagers rose even more.
‘Ok. Calm down, Jaune. Now is not the time to be consumed by emotion. You have potential patients and a potential Demon in front of you. Deal with that first. Think about eviscerating the idiots outside later.’
With another deep breath, I suppressed my emotional turmoil and slowly reached for my sword, making the siblings tense up as the huddled figure started to move in a protective way.
Oh? So whoever this is has no hostile intention towards the siblings.
That’s good. Makes things easier.
Unlike what the siblings might have thought, I did not draw Crocea Mors. Instead, I unslung the sheath from my belt, put it on the floor, and knelt near the siblings.
“I will not harm you or your companion as long as they don’t show any hostile intent. That aside, I would like to know your names.”
“…Elfman.”
“L-Lisanna.”
“I see. And what about your companion?”
Finally, the figure pushed past the siblings, who immediately tried to push the figure back again, only to fail since the figure was clearly stronger than the children.
Then, the blanket fell off, and I felt my words stop in my throat.
Silver hair, same face shape and eye color as the girl called Lisanna, and slightly taller than the boy. It was clear that this was another sibling of the children.
However, the thing that caught my attention was her hands and parts of her exposed shoulders, which were clearly those of a demon, given the dark magic power I could feel rolling off these parts.
The interesting part is that this magic power is only flowing out of these changed body parts, while the rest of her body was giving off a regular magical energy signature.
Combined with her appearance, I already realized what was going on and could not help but curse those stupid villagers even more.
Take Over magic. That is what this was. Not some demon in disguise, but a potent form of magic that allows the user to take over anything that their affinity allows them to.
In the case of this girl, her affinity appears to be that of demons.
The girl held a saddened and resigned look before bowing towards me.
“Please leave my siblings alone. I am the problem, so I will leave this place. Let them live in peace-“
Before she could continue her words, I placed my palm on her head and ruffled her hair a bit.
Honestly, she couldn’t be older than a year compared to her siblings, but the weight behind her words and the resignation in her tone are not things that a child her age should ever use.
Granted, she looked like she was maybe 13 or 14 years old, an age at which I was already hunting monsters and earning my keep, something that I’ve kept up for the past four years, but the point stands since I am an anomaly and should not be taken as the standard.
A child like her should not have to take on such a burden just because of her magic.
“Like I said, I am not going to harm you. Especially now, since I can already tell that you are not a demon.”
The girl looked bewildered at my words before I saw a little bit of hope blossom in her eyes.
“H-How would you know?”
I smirked at her words.
“Trust me. I know exactly what a real demon looks and feels like.”
I sat up a little straight and pulled up my rusty acting skills.
With my back straight and nose in the sky, I spoke in a haughty voice.
“I might not look like it, but I am a really powerful mage, ya know? I have killed demons, dragons, monsters, and one day, even a god! So you better believe when I say you are no demon. Just a little brat who thinks too highly of herself!”
“Hey!”
My plan worked as the girl instantly fumed at my insult before finally giggling a little at my act.
‘Good. Looks like all those years of suffering where I had to look after my little sisters have paid off!’
I smiled before staring at the girl with a smile and extending my hand forward.
“Once again, may I know the name of this little lady?”
“…..Mirajane. And I am not little.”
The moment the girl finally took my hand hesitantly and introduced herself, I couldn’t help but smile.
Yup. Definitely a child despite her apparent maturity.
Looks like I need to give up on my vacation for now.
With a plan already forming in my mind, I looked at the three siblings.
‘Yup. Definitely canceling the vacation. Damnit Dawn! This is why you don’t jinx a journey by saying ‘What can go wrong?’. I will skin you alive once we get back to Crocus.’
…….That reminds me, I still don’t have a map.
‘Once again. Fuck you! Dawn!’
Comments
Aeden Emrys
Yes! Mirajane 😍! Best girl in Fairy Tail!
