What Shane couldn't help admiring was that their shady-looking little old man was surprisingly good at calming kids down.
"I'll personally teach you magic!"
Just those two lines were enough to flip Lisanna and Elfman from trembling in fear to starry-eyed, and then to grinning from ear to ear.
"I wanna learn! I wanna learn Take Over magic!"
Elfman clenched his fist, eyes sparkling.
"I wanna learn cool magic like Shane-bro and my sister! I wanna become a real man who protects his family!"
Without realizing it, he'd started calling Shane "Shane-bro," just like Lisanna did.
"Me too!" Lisanna raised her hand, not to be outdone. "I wanna learn too! I wanna be like everyone!"
"Your sister? Your sister can use Take Over magic?"
Makarov instantly caught the word and turned a puzzled look toward Mira.
"Um… my sister took over a really powerful demon…" Lisanna said.
Lisanna was simple-minded—she spilled everything like pouring beans, recounting what had happened earlier.
But as she talked, Makarov's friendly expression slowly stiffened… then hardened into something grave.
And finally, the way he looked at Shane—already not exactly warm—became even more "nuclear-friendly."
"You let a child with zero magical training… Take Over a demon at full power… without any protection measures?"
"And you stood there watching like it was a show?"
The pressure radiating off Makarov—still not fully gone from disciplining Gildarts—condensed again.
"Shane, you little brat. With that half-bucket of magical knowledge, you're teaching nonsense—are you joking with your comrades' lives?!"
"Oh no."
Shane's heart sank.
He knew the old man too well.
If it was anything else, maybe it could be negotiated—but the moment a guildmate's safety was involved, Makarov's attitude became serious to the point of zero tolerance.
With that look…
Master was probably angrier than when he'd just punished Gildarts.
If Shane got caught, it wouldn't just be a lecture.
"Uh… this was also to confirm Mira's potential!"
Shane forced a laugh—while his body very honestly moved on its own.
He grabbed Mira, who hadn't even figured out what was happening yet, yanked her in front of him as a shield, and greased his feet toward the door.
"Anyway! They're new to Magnolia and don't know the place—I'll take them to find somewhere to stay!"
"I won't interrupt you teaching the newbies!"
Thirty-six stratagems: running is best.
He spit out the line at machine-gun speed, and before Makarov could explode, he vanished out the entrance in a blur.
Only then did Gildarts—still lying on the floor—finally react, slapping his thigh.
"Damn it! I forgot to stop that little shit!"
…
Magnolia, Central Avenue.
Shane dragged Mira at a sprint until they blended into the bustling crowd. Even then he kept nervously looking back several times.
Once he was sure Makarov hadn't turned into a giant and come after him to "clean house," he finally let out a long breath and collapsed into a random café's outdoor chair.
"Whew… that was close."
"Hey. Wait."
Mira yanked her hand free, straightened her rumpled collar, and glared at him.
"Why did I have to get dragged out here too?"
She didn't know much about the magic world, but even she could tell from Makarov's harsh tone that Shane's "let's fully unleash demon Take Over" idea had been reckless and dangerous.
Sure, it was over now, and she wasn't planning to make a thing of it—but that didn't mean she liked being used as a human shield.
"Well… I do have something else to talk to you about."
Shane scratched his head, dodged her eyes, and smoothly changed the subject.
"I'll rent a place for you guys to stay, like I said. Consider it a thank-you gift!"
He'd insisted on dragging Mira out here for more than just shield duties—there was a bigger reason.
His "deal with the demon" trial still hadn't cleared.
"Don't need it."
Mira lifted her chin and refused stiffly.
She had pride.
She already felt like she'd received too much help: breaking her mental knot, teaching the villagers a lesson, restoring her arm…
All that was one thing. But even lodging? She couldn't swallow that.
"Don't need it?"
Shane raised an eyebrow and pointed mercilessly at the pocket that was cleaner than her face.
"You got money?"
"…."
Mira's raised chin froze.
"You don't even have money to pay my medical bill, and you're talking about rent? What, you gonna threaten the landlord with your demon hand?"
"Ugh…"
Mira's face turned bright red. She stammered and couldn't get words out.
Poverty: the ultimate weapon against pride.
Shane leaned back with his hands laced behind his head and kept twisting the knife.
"And yeah, the guild can arrange dorms for kids with no income… but they're separated by gender."
"So you and Lisanna would be in the girls' dorm, and Elfman would be alone in the boys' dorm."
He leaned forward, looked her straight in the eye, and asked deliberately:
"First time in a strange city, leaving your clumsy little brother alone… you'd feel uneasy. You'd worry, wouldn't you?"
"…."
With every sentence, Mira's glare weakened, her confidence leaking out like air from a punctured tire.
Family was her weak point.
The three of them had survived together and never been apart. Splitting up in a strange city—she couldn't accept it.
After a long silence, Mira bit her lip, shoulders drooping as she looked away toward the street.
"Fine… j-just treat it as payment for using me as a shield."
Her voice was small but stubborn. "But I won't thank you."
"Way too easy."
Shane laughed under his breath and shook his head.
Compared to a villain like Ultear, Mira was basically a kitten with brand-new baby teeth—looks fierce, acts tough, but give her a little fish and a few head pats and she's totally manageable.
"Boss, two signature coffees. Milk and sugar."
Shane waved.
Not long after, two steaming cups arrived.
It was Mira's first time seeing the city drink called "coffee." Curious, she lifted the delicate porcelain cup like Shane did and took a tiny sip.
"Ugh!"
Her pretty eyebrows scrunched into a knot.
"It's so bitter!"
Even with plenty of milk and sugar, the coffee's bitterness hit her hard.
She stuck out her tongue in disgust and pushed the cup away like a kid forced to take medicine.
"Do people really like drinking this stuff?"
Shane didn't notice her cute misery.
He absentmindedly stirred his cup while his brain ran through the problem.
Where did the trial go wrong? Why won't it clear?
He still had one "permission" left unused, sure—but permissions that let him summon Heroic Spirits were always better in bulk.
He reread the trial condition in his head:
[Carry out your will and deal with the "demon" infesting the village.]
"My will…" Shane muttered internally.
He was sure his actions had been true to himself: he hated the villagers, so he taught them a lesson; he didn't want Mira to rot in that pit, so he brought them to the guild.
He'd done what he wanted to do, without regret.
"So it has to be the second half I didn't complete."
"Deal with the 'demon' infesting the village."
His gaze drifted to Mira, who was frowning at the coffee like it had insulted her ancestors.
Taking Mira out and settling her… wasn't enough?
A flash of insight struck.
"Is it because… the 'demon' inside Mira hasn't actually been fully 'dealt with'?"
She was calm now, her arm looked normal—but that was just temporary suppression.
As long as she hadn't fully mastered that power, the "demon" still existed as an unstable risk, still capable of running wild.
"So 'dealing with it' doesn't just mean removing her from the village. It means helping her fully master demon Take Over and eliminate the risk."
In other words, for the trial's judgment, the danger still wasn't gone.
"So I still have to see it through and help Mira completely control her demon form before the task is truly finished."
Shane blinked. It felt almost certain.
He couldn't think of any other explanation.
"Guess we test it first."
Decision made, he snapped back to the present and looked at Mira—who, not wanting to waste money, had pinched her nose and was gearing up to down the coffee like it was a punishment.
"Let's go."
"Huh?"
Mira paused mid-sip. A ring of milk foam clung to her lips as she looked up, confused.
"Where? And… aren't you drinking? This is expensive, right?"
As the big sister who'd raised her siblings, she couldn't stand seeing food wasted.
"Who said I'm not drinking?"
Shane smiled.
That was just how he was—if it wasn't too much trouble, he didn't mind doing small things to make people feel better.
He lifted the cup and tipped his head back.
Glug, glug.
He drained the bitter, scalding coffee in one go without even frowning.
"Hah…"
He set the empty cup down and wiped his mouth.
"S-so cool!"
Mira's eyes went wide. She stared at the empty cup and sincerely praised him.
"That stuff's so bitter… and you just finished it in one gulp!"
"…."
Shane looked back at her with a weird expression.
When I spread dragon wings to fly people around, when I turned into Muramasa and handed out justice punches, you didn't say a word—just acted annoyed.
But I drink one coffee and now you're genuinely impressed?
~~~
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