Chapter 64: Mira & Jenny

Seeing Jenny's gloomy expression, Mira slowed her pace to walk beside Jenny. She turned her head, showing a warm smile as she met Jenny's gaze. "Your name is Jenny, right? I'm Mirajane, Mirajane Strauss. You can call me Mira or Mira Sis."

Twelve-year-old Jenny was quite developed for her age, almost as tall as Mira.

Perhaps Mira's smile brought genuine warmth to Jenny, who was an only child. She pursed her lips and softly said, "Mira Sis."

Seeing Jenny willing to speak, Mira continued, "I know it's very sad. When I was eight, my parents left me forever, too. If it weren't for the church's nuns helping us, my siblings and I might have..."

Mira shook her head as she reached this part of her story. "Well, let's not dwell on that. It's in the past. Let me show you your room first, and then we can go to Magnolia to buy some things."

Mira spoke of her past with a squinting smile, but Jenny could tell she wasn't lying.

Mira led Jenny to the backyard, where over twenty mares were roaming freely.

They were referred to as mares, but they had been transformed into dragon-blood horses using the blood from a stegosaurus heart that Aegon had obtained earlier. These horses were robust, enduring, and capable of traveling long distances.

As for the stegosaurus heart, it was preserved just like the heart of a Dragon, which Aegon had killed the previous year—a dragon that could fly at speeds exceeding Mach 1.

The heart was said to be able to create Dragon Slayer Magic Crystals, but since they hadn't found anyone capable of crafting them, Selene was temporarily keeping the heart safe.

The person capable of creating these Dragon Slayer Magic Crystals was a mysterious figure in Ishgar, known to terrify even children into silence but with no fixed residence.

Mira mounted a horse and smiled at Jenny, extending her hand, "Come on, get up."

Looking at the towering white horse, Jenny was a bit scared.

Mira gently stroked the mare's mane. "Don't be afraid; she's very gentle."

The mare snorted under Mira's touch.

This was the horse Mira rode most often. Mira was probably the one who went to Magnolia the most, even more than Erza, who frequently returned to the guild to take on tasks, because Mira needed to buy groceries every day.

The bustling atmosphere of Magnolia somewhat dispelled Jenny's sadness, at least enough to make her less silent than before.

She had always loved shopping. She was delighted when her parents took her to town, which was when she learned about "Blue Pegasus."

"Mira Sis, what do you do at the manor?"

"Well... I'm sort of a housekeeper, I suppose."

Mira wasn't sure how to describe it. The maids, endowed with artificial personalities, technically worked under her, but they didn't need her orders to do their jobs. They worked diligently, sometimes wiping a table three times in a row, so Mira, as a nominal housekeeper, was really only responsible to Aegon.

She had essentially become Aegon's personal chef, going to Magnolia to buy ingredients for East Continent dishes for him.

"Let me introduce you to the people at the manor..." Mira said.

Mira gave Jenny a detailed introduction to everyone in the manor, except the maids.

Jenny was full of surprise and curiosity, "You're saying... those maids aren't real people?"

Recalling the enthusiastic greetings from the maids as they headed to the backyard, she asked in genuine disbelief, "How can that be?"

"Yes, it's unbelievable, isn't it?" Mira replied. "They were created by Lady Irene's magic."

"Mira Sis, what's your magic?" Jenny asked.

"Take Over Magic, specifically Take Over: Satan Soul."

"Demons..." Jenny echoed.

All of Jenny's clothes, dolls, and other belongings had been lost in the fire, so aside from large items, everything needed to be bought anew. Mira and Jenny shopped for hours, drawing closer as they went.

On the way back to the manor, seeing Jenny in better spirits, Mira said what she had wanted to say earlier:

"Your sorrow should be short-lived, but let your longing for your parents be etched in your heart forever. Live on with a smile, cherishing the memories of your parents."

Jenny blinked her big eyes in puzzlement. "Mira Sis... is that what you're doing? But..."

Mira shook her head with a smile, making a loose fist and shaking it gently, "No, it's hard... I'm still trying to do it. Let's work on it together!"

Mira chose to be honest with Jenny. It was easier said than done, and it had taken her a lot of time and a strong resolve to care for her younger siblings to come to terms with her loss.

"Okay!" Jenny agreed.

---

Although Aegon said Jenny could rest for a few days, she didn't want to.

"Mira Sis, I'd like to find something to do. Being idle every day will just make me keep thinking of my parents..."

Mira thought this was a good idea since she had done the same back then.

At Jenny's insistence, Mira took her back to Aegon's suite.

The air still carried a faint scent of heather flowers.

Fortunately, Jenny didn't seem to notice, so Mira ignored it. After explaining Jenny's wish, Mira asked:

"Aegon-sama, what should we have Jenny do next?"

A suggestion from Selene while playing pool had intrigued Aegon, and he had already decided.

Having two figures like this wouldn't hurt.

"Let her follow you and learn, and you can also teach her magic."

In Earthland, about one-tenth of the people could use magic, but the vast majority had magical potential and could learn if they wanted to.

At most, the difference was in talent. Aegon didn't expect much from Jenny's talent since she wouldn't need to fight.

After leaving Aegon's room, Jenny's eyes were full of anticipation. "Can I... learn magic too?"

"Of course, you can learn any magic you want," Mira replied.

"Take Over, I want to learn Take Over," Jenny said.

Mira was taken aback, "Huh?"

While shopping in Magnolia, Mira had introduced Jenny to many types of magic, including Dragon Slayer Magic and Spatial Magic. Among them, Take Over seemed rather ordinary, but Mira didn't expect Jenny to choose it.

"Why Take Over?" Mira asked.

"I want to be like Mira Sis!" Jenny answered.

"But my Take Over: Satan Soul is unique to me," Mira explained.

This had been confirmed by both Selene and Irene; they had never seen or heard of Take Over magic that could absorb demons.

"It's okay, any Take Over magic will do!" Jenny insisted.

"Alright," Mira agreed.

Seeing Jenny's determination, Mira decided to respect her choice.

After all, there was no rule that one could only learn one type of magic. If Jenny didn't excel in Take Over, she could always learn something else later.

...

..

.

To Mira's surprise, Jenny turned out to be quite talented when it came to Take Over magic.

Among the Beast Soul... Animal Soul, and Machine Soul, she had a particularly strong affinity with the Machine Soul.

Mira had long since devoured several books on Take Over magic, and the Machine Soul was considered one of the strongest in this category.

The Machine Soul originated from the Mechanical Tribe in the Western Continent. If someone could receive the magic of the Mechanical Tribe from the Western Continent, they would gain access to powerful firepower.

If Jenny were learning to receive the Machine Soul on her own, Mira wouldn't have had much faith in her success. But given the environment Jenny was in now, obtaining a member of the Mechanical Tribe would be as easy as snapping her fingers.

All she had to do was act cute around Aegon, and she'd get one…

After spending a few days with Jenny, Mira began to understand her better: Jenny was a very affectionate, clingy, and lively girl.

Whenever she spoke, her pitch would unconsciously rise, and her voice had a bright, clear tone, which made her seem even more energetic.

As for being clingy, she would frequently throw herself on you mid-conversation, clutching your arm with both hands, rubbing her face against your body continuously...

Even someone as oblivious as Mira couldn't help but notice...

Take now, for example. Jenny was holding onto Mira's arm, leaning against her. "Mira-sis, is Aegon-sama easy to get along with?"

Mira suppressed the smile on her face and pretended to frown, appearing to be in deep thought for a while. "Hmm..."

"Ah…" Jenny immediately looked nervous.

Mira's face took on a playful expression as she grinned at Jenny. "Yes, he's very easy to get along with."

Mira raised an eyebrow slightly, adding, "You'd probably be someone he'd really like."

Jenny, completely confused by Mira's words, stared at her with bright, inquisitive eyes under the light. "Why?"

Mira blinked her eyes mischievously, "He likes cute girls."

…

Selene and Irene took Erza and the others out for two weeks before they returned.

By this time, Jenny had mostly moved past the shadow of her parents' deaths and now stood with Mira, one on each side of Aegon.

As soon as they returned, Katherine began complaining. "You've been out playing for so long... I've been feeling so sore these past few days, thank goodness I learned Dragon Slayer Magic…"

"..." Erza clenched her fists, trembling with anger, her face flushed red as she glared at Igneel. "Can't you guys be more considerate about where you say things like this?!"

Aegon remained expressionless as he stared back at Erza. "Why are you yelling at me for something katherine said?"

Katherine awkwardly averted her gaze, scratching her cheek with her finger. "Sorry, it's just that these past few days…"

Erza's chest heaved with anger as she glared at Aegon. "It's all your fault for setting such a bad example!"

What a shame, her armor blocks everything! Curse that armor!

Aegon calmly withdrew his gaze.

Irene interjected with her antler staff, stepping between the bickering pair. "Enough, let's go talk in the study."

"Wouldn't it be better to talk in a room?"

"I'm afraid things might get off-topic if we talk there."

"Mistaken… we could get off-topic in the study too."

"Ugh, you're impossible, come on, let's go!"

Selene, exasperated, pushed Aegon toward the study.

The reason Selene and Irene had gone out for several days was partly to give Erza and the others some training, and partly for leisure while also searching for someone.

Being around Aegon came with its perks for Mira and Jenny. They got firsthand information that even Erza and the others couldn't access, but there were drawbacks too...

Even though they were having a conversation, Aegon's hands were not idle, which fully lived up to Irene's assessment of him.

Jenny, standing on tiptoe, sneaked a glance while Mira pursed her lips and subtly shook her head at her.

Their actions were, of course, not unnoticed by Aegon, Selene, and the others, but none of them paid it any mind.

"Judging by your expressions, I assume you still haven't found where he is?" Aegon asked.

Selene sighed helplessly. "It's not that easy to find him. If it were, the Council would've caught him long ago."

The person they were looking for wasn't a woman but the leader of the dark guild Grimoire Heart, Hades.

In Ishgar, and perhaps in the entire world, Hades was currently the only known person capable of creating Dragon Slayer Magic Crystals.

Misaki had once seen this magic user, who could create Dragon Slayer Magic Crystals, with her own eyes.

Based on her description, he wore a horned helmet, had a black eyepatch over one eye, suggesting he was a one-eyed man, and was a tall, white-bearded old man.

Using the information they had gathered from Misaki, along with various rumors, Irene and Selene quickly reached a conclusion.

Previously, the president of the Diabolos, Georg Reizen, had been in collaboration with Hades. Georg Reizen provided dragon hearts, while Hades worked his magic, and together they created numerous Dragon Slayer Magic Crystals. From what Irene had been able to find out, there were at least ten such crystals that had been sold.

Thus, during their travels, they had been keeping an eye out for Hades' whereabouts.

If they could locate Hades, they could train more Dragon Slayer mages.

The method of devouring dragon flesh to create Dragon Slayer mages wasn't suitable for everyone. Misaki had mentioned that several children in the Diabolos had gone mad after devouring dragon flesh, eventually dying from severe internal hemorrhaging.

Therefore, Irene and Selene had immediately dismissed that method.

Moreover, those created through the dragon-flesh devouring method couldn't achieve dragonification, so the disadvantages were too great.

While Dragon Slayer Magic Crystals also had their shortcomings, they were far superior by comparison.

Irene furrowed her brows as she pondered. "I still can't figure out how he manages to transform dragon hearts into Dragon Slayer Magic Crystals. And what was he even thinking when he came up with this? The most baffling part is that he actually succeeded."

Selene made a guess, "His guild is called Grimoire Heart. Maybe there's a connection with hearts."

"Dragon hearts? Incredible…" Jenny muttered to herself in disbelief.

Selene turned her head toward Jenny, nodding slightly. "Yes, dragon hearts."

Mira's expression shifted slightly.

Oh no… I forgot to mention that they have excellent hearing.

"I…" Jenny looked a little flustered, a hint of panic in her eyes.

Selene chuckled softly and shook her head. "It's alright, it's not exactly a secret. In fact, it concerns you."

Jenny pointed at herself, her mouth opening silently as her face quickly grew tense.

Selene raised an eyebrow slightly. "If you're interested, we'll have a Dragon Slayer Magic Crystal ready for you."

As for Mira, she wasn't part of Selene's plans. Her ability to receive demon gods would be enough for her to work on.

Mira and Jenny exchanged complicated, confused glances before looking back at Selene.

Irene explained, "After all, since you two are always with him, you could be considered his public face."

Of course, this was just the official explanation Selene and Irene used. Their real concern was that if they didn't prepare a Dragon Slayer Magic Crystal for Jenny, she might not be able to handle things later.

Still, they did take her combat potential into account.