The Strange Cat from Fuuto

"Let's go, that old guy needs to talk to us!"

Miku, mounted on the dog, rode Iggy and followed the three-headed dog into the woods within the park, where the White Mage, draped in a white robe, stood quietly in a clearing.

"What do you want?"

Miku grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck, causing Iggy to stop not far from the White Demon. The White Demon then opened its palm and retrieved the Cerberus shapeshifter.

"You've gotten into a conflict with Phantom's executives?"

"Is there a problem, or do you think I shouldn't have done that?!"

Miku, with his cold voice, didn't give the guy in front of him a friendly look. Miku had kept a detailed account of everything this old guy had done back then.

"No, you did very well!"

Bai Mo rarely exclaimed in praise. Miku looked at Bai Mo with surprise. Had this old guy taken the wrong medicine?

According to Miku's opinion of him, this old man had never shown Miku any interest beyond his research.

"I heard you recently acquired a magic gem!"

"Hmm, I planned to make it into a ring, but Shigeru Wajima of Menkagedo refuses to make it for me!"

"In that case, I'll recommend a better ring maker to you. You can get a stronger ring from her!"

"Oh, I don't believe you're that kind!"

"Don't get the wrong idea, this is just a reward for you!"

Upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashed in Miku's eyes as he roared, "I am not your pet!" As Miku spoke, a powerful burst of magic erupted in all directions.

"Ha, whether you want it or not is your problem!"

As he spoke, the White Demon flicked his wrist, and a golden magic circle appeared beside him. Reaching inside, the White Demon retrieved a dark box.

"Snapped!"

The White Demon tossed the box in front of Miku and said coldly, "This is your reward, a divine artifact I unearthed from ancient ruins!"

I hope you won't let me down!

After saying that, the white demon, who had created another magic circle behind him, went into it and disappeared into the forest. Miku waited until the white demon left before calming down after a while.

"This old man, he really intends to raise me like a pet!" Miku revealed a mocking smile, his eyes filled with deep disdain.

"Return the divine artifact?"

"I don't believe you're that kind-hearted!"

This old guy had ill intentions towards him from the very beginning. The six months he was locked in the cave were to tame him, and he also conducted a lot of research on Miku.

Miku, wanting to avoid a Game Over right from the start, temporarily held back, but in doing so, he began to hold a grudge against Miku.

"I'd like to see what you're up to!"

After opening the box, Miku saw a letter inside. "Why do people always like to do this kind of thing these days!"

After reading the letter for a moment, Miku tore it to shreds.

"Just as I expected, Wajima Shigeru does indeed have this lineage, and he wasn't the only one who learned the skill of ring making back then!"

"I think I've figured out why the White Demon would rather go to Wajima Shigeru than this one!"

"You've really given me a tough problem!"

Miku, staring at the scraps of paper, peeled back the packing material covering the contents of the box, revealing a jet-black weapon.

Inside the box, the artifact was thicker at one end and narrower at the other, with a curved blade at the top that gleamed with a cold light, and a flat bottom.

Its unassuming appearance carries a restrained arrogance, while its unique design exudes a distinctive domineering presence.

Men fall silent upon seeing her, and women go crazy for her!

After seeing the thing, Miku remained silent for a moment before putting the lid back on.

"Truly a divine artifact!"

Chapter Twelve: The Ageless Lolita - Serena

Miku carefully put away the artifact given to him by the White Demon. His eyes were somewhat unfocused. Although he didn't know how powerful it was, just the fact that it looked so impressive that it could cause a stir on the spot made Miku think that it would take a lot of courage to use it!

The dog was curious about what was inside the box and tried to get closer, but Miku hit it on the head with its tail.

"Let's not dwell on that. Our top priority right now is to find that ring maker who shares the same master as Wajima Shigeru!"

Miku, who had just climbed onto the dog, tightly gripped the long box with his tail. He, who had previously looked down on the wizard's gun and sword, was now incredibly envious of the wizard's weapon.

"Pee-Pee Dog, let's go!"

Miku, clinging to Iggy's back, buried himself completely in the saddle. According to the information given by the White Demon, the ring maker lived in the eastern part of Torii-zaka, near the sea, and his residence was very distinctive; he would recognize it as soon as he arrived.

Just as Miku was heading to the East District, inside Menkage-do, Wajima Shigeru was still staring blankly at the magic gem.

"Hey, Uncle Wajima, what are you looking at so intently!"

The mage, who had his hand on the door frame, curiously craned his neck to look at the wooden box in Wajima Shigeru's hand, and then he saw the irregular emerald green magic gem.

"Wow, Uncle Wajima, you actually have such a wonderful treasure!"

Just as the mage, who had patted Wajima Shigeru on the shoulder, was about to reach for the magic gem, Wajima Shigeru put the gem away again.

"Uncle, don't be so stingy, let me see it!"

Facing the mage who was feigning anger, Wajima Shigeru sighed softly and said, "It's not that I don't want to show it to you, but this is a cursed magic gem!"

"Cursed?"

Upon hearing this, even Alex, Shunpei, and Rinko curiously gathered around, and Uncle Wajima's eyes were filled with memories as he reopened the box.

"That's right, the cursed magic gem!"

"This magic gem was originally my teacher's treasure. It was discovered and unearthed by my teacher at the same time as another magic gem."

"What does that curse refer to?" Nara Shunpei bent over, curiously examining the magic gem in Wajima Shigeru's hand.

"This magic gem will devour the magic power of mages, and those without magic power will have their life force devoured. My master almost lost his life because of this!"

"That's really scary!"

Rinko Daimon glanced at the magic gem with fear. The mage touched his lips and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Since it can devour magic power and even life force, why are you holding it without any problems?"

"Because it lost its other half, which is the most crucial piece of the curse, the symbiotic stone that stores life force and magic."

"After that incident, my teacher conducted many experiments on the twin magic gems and discovered that one of the stones would devour and absorb magic power and life force, while the other stone, which coexists with it, is responsible for storing it."

"But when the two are separated, they lose their effectiveness."

"So it's like the symbiotic relationship between some animals in the animal kingdom!" Alex stared blankly at the magic gem, while the mage leaned closer and curiously poked the gem with his finger.

"And what about the other one?"

As soon as the mage uttered those words, a look of sadness appeared in Wajima Shigeru's eyes. "I made the other piece into a ring and gave it away!"

"You made it into a ring and gave it away?!"

The three of them exclaimed in unison, and Wajima Shigeru slowly nodded and said, "That's right, I gave it to my junior sister, Serena."

"So what is the power of that ring?"

"May you stay young forever!"

After Wajima Shigeru uttered those four words, albeit slowly and deliberately, Alex and Daimon Rinko exchanged a glance.

"Really!?"

"It's true, my junior sister looks exactly the same now as when she first wore that ring!"

"Uncle Wajima, how old is your junior sister now?!"

"She's two years younger than me!"

"Two years younger!" The mage recalled Wajima Shigeru's age, then suddenly realized, "So, your junior sister has maintained the same appearance for the past few decades!?"

"Ok!"

"That's so enviable!" Rinko Daimon cupped her hands to her heart, her eyes filled with longing. "To be able to stay young forever, to always retain a youthful appearance, is just so enviable!"

Is that really true!?

After listening to Rinko Daimon's words, Shigeru Wajima carefully put the magic gem away again and placed it at the very back of his workbench.

"Perhaps this kind of thing should never have existed in the world!"

...........

"It really is extremely recognizable!"

Riding on the dog's back, Miku stared in disbelief at the Gothic castle, thinking to himself, "I've never heard of any architecture like this in Japan. Aren't they usually only found in anime and manga?"

At this time, Miku was located in the eastern part of Torii-zaka. The eastern part was originally an undeveloped forest area. The locals preserved it to serve as a windbreak and green belt, and it could also replenish timber resources from time to time.

However, a Gothic castle with a pointed roof sits in this area, backed by a forest and facing the sea.

"This is the life that so many people dream of!"

"But that's all there is to it!"

Miku, slightly surprised, composed himself. Back in Fuuto, the old man bought all the land in that area to study the Well of the Earth and used it to build a manor. Strictly speaking, from an aerial view, the former Sonozaki manor could no longer be measured simply by money!

Miku, who comes from a prestigious family, found a secluded spot, materialized his Driver, transformed into a Rider, and slowly walked towards the castle gate.

It's called a castle, but it's actually just a large villa built in the Gothic style. I don't know what the owner was thinking, building it in such an... extravagant way.

It's like a fairytale paradise.

Miku was surprised to find that the door had opened by itself before she even rang the doorbell. After looking around thoughtfully for a few moments, Miku walked straight into the house.

The courtyard was filled with violets, and at a glance, Miku felt as if he were in a purple ocean.

"Violet, huh?" Miku muttered to himself, taking in the surrounding scenery with great interest. "I remember the word for violet is something like..."

"May you stay young forever!"

A husky voice with a hint of allure reached Miku's ears. Not far in front of him, at the entrance of the large house, stood a little girl wearing a dark-colored gothic dress and holding a parasol.