The mass of shadows hovered above Nicole’s body, writhing as if it were a living entity.

  Its torn maw gaped open, revealing an abyss even deeper than darkness itself.

  Higher up, flickering violet light shimmered within the shadows—two unevenly sized, eerie eyes, barely visible, pulsing in and out of existence.

  It thrashed against the world outside, clawing and tearing as if trying to break free from an unseen prison.

  "Everyone, get back!" Eddie shouted, quickly moving to the front alongside the mercenaries.

  At the same time, Rivern and Vanessa both completed their spells simultaneously.

  Under Vanessa’s guidance, holy magic condensed into a hexagonal prism, enclosing both Nicole and Shinya inside.

  The radiant barrier severed the connection between the shadow and its source, reducing it to a restless, wavering form desperately attempting to meld into the night sky.

  But Rivern didn’t give it the chance.

  Three golden lances shot through the air, piercing straight into the shadow, tearing it apart within the radiant light.

  It let out a faint, anguished screech before fading into nothingness—

  Erased completely.

  The crisis seemed to have passed, but the three members of Dawn Prayers present remained on high alert.

  Vanessa gestured for Shinya to put the girl down.

  He complied without question.

  Meanwhile, Rivern and Eddie remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings for any lingering threats.

  Vanessa’s spell continued to unfold.

  The prismatic barrier gradually shrunk, swirling around Nicole as it compressed.

  Finally, it locked onto her right wrist, settling there before slowly fading away.

  Vanessa immediately reached out, rolling up Nicole’s sleeve—

  And there, just as she had feared the most, was what she dreaded to find—

  A black pentagram, inverted, etched onto Nicole’s wrist.

  Without hesitation, Vanessa quickly pulled the sleeve back down, covering the mark from sight.

  "Pick her up. We're going back to the church."

  Vanessa spoke simply, as if the disturbance just now had been nothing of serious concern.

  But Shinya couldn't remain as composed as the calm priest.

  Holding Nicole in his arms, he kept questioning himself—why had he let this happen to her? The demon had been after him, so why was Nicole the one caught in the crossfire?

  The murmurs in the crowd grew louder, with some demanding an explanation from Vanessa.

  Reluctantly, she had to stop.

  Sighing, she admitted, "Yes, this is indeed a demon's mark. This girl has been marked by a demon."

  A stir rippled through the crowd, but before panic could spread, Vanessa continued, "However, this type of mark is a very low-tier form of dark magic. I know how to remove it completely, so there's no need for alarm. It poses no threat to any of us."

  Even so, not everyone was convinced.

  It wasn’t that they doubted Vanessa’s words—under the priest’s purification, the mark on the girl posed no immediate threat to them.

  But who could guarantee that someone marked by a demon wouldn’t bring disaster in the future?

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  "Whose child is this, anyway?"

  "I don’t think she’s from our town."

  "Get her away from here—far away!"

  "If she stays, who knows when misfortune will follow?"

  "Make her leave! We don’t want her here!"

  "She’s with that werewolf, isn’t she?"

  "...That explains it!"

  "Throw them both out!"

  The voices of protest rose one after another. Eddie tried to defend Nicole, urging the crowd to calm down, but this time, it was not as easy as when he had spoken up for Rivern.

  The townspeople had suddenly become firm and indifferent, their only goal to drive Nicole and Shinya away.

  To Shinya, this scene was painfully familiar.

  What had happened to him decades ago was now unfolding before his eyes, this time with Nicole as the target.

  Back then, however, he had not been rejected by the human world because of a "demonic mark." To them, he was an outsider from beyond the Black Jade Sea—an outcast, a foreigner.

  "Get him out of here! We don’t want him!"

  "Look at those eyes—they reflect light! It’s creepy as hell."

  "I saw him turn into a panther that day."

  "A monster… how terrifying."

  Back then, the young Shinya had not understood what he had done wrong.

  At that time, he had not even learned to shift into his werewolf form, yet his innate Shapeshifter bloodline already allowed him to seamlessly transition between his human and beast forms.

  To him, it was as natural as eating or sleeping.

  But to humans, who lacked such abilities, he was nothing short of a monster.

  The situation was slightly better in Seagull Town, as it was closer to Hermit Bay, the passage to the Black Jade Sea. Occasionally, outsiders would stop here for a short stay.

  However, in towns closer to the continent’s center, those who were not "one of their own" were far less welcome.

  Shinya’s father, Aoshi, had never allowed him to travel to Acorn Town or anywhere farther for this exact reason.

  Fortunately, Shinya had met Irene from Acorn Town.

  Unlike the others, she had accepted him for who he was, never treating him as an outsider.

  That was why Shinya had felt so close to her.

  But because of their friendship, some townspeople had protested, refusing to let Irene become a teacher at the town’s school.

  They also forbade Shinya from entering the school, calling him a man-eating beast—even though he had never once harmed them.

  Now, decades had passed, yet humans were still the same—rejecting everything they deemed different.

  Outsiders.

  Even their own kind, if they saw them as a threat.

  Shinya didn’t blame them.

  At least, not now.

  He understood that this was not just a flaw of humans—werewolves were the same.

  When he returned to his homeland, the werewolf kingdom of Togekaze, his own kind had shunned him just as fiercely—all because he carried the scent of humans.

  For a long time, he had believed that he had no home in the human world.

  But when he returned to the werewolf kingdom, he found that he still had no home.

  It took him years to learn how to coexist with his own kind, to find his place among them, to finally be accepted.

  That was why he understood the value of belonging more than anyone.

  Back then, Irene had been ostracized by her own people because of him.

  Now, Irene had become Nicole, and once again, because of him, she had been marked by demons—rejected by her own kind as if she carried a plague.

  He never cared about being cast out by humans, but he didn’t want Nicole to lose the place that should have rightfully been hers.

  If Nicole lost her footing in the human world because of him, it would be his fault.

  If he had never approached her, would all of this misfortune have never fallen upon her?

  Had his selfishness been the very thing that had truly hurt her?

  Shinya wavered, deeply uncertain.

  The protests grew louder, and Rivern could no longer stand by and watch.

  He stepped forward and sighed, choosing to compromise.

  "This girl is my family. Please, for my sake, show her some tolerance. She was separated from us due to an accident and ended up in Seagull Town. I apologize on her behalf for any trouble she may have caused. I assure you, she will be leaving Seagull Town soon."

  "It's not that we dislike her," an elderly man stepped forward, speaking politely yet firmly.

  "But you understand, Exorcists as exceptional as yourself are rare. And beyond that, you are not from our town, nor do you reside here permanently. If something like this happens again, what are we supposed to do then? Don’t you think that’s a fair concern?"

  But not everyone was as polite.

  A sharp voice cut through the crowd, demanding, "So when you say soon, exactly how soon?"

  "Within a week," Rivern reluctantly promised.

  But the townspeople were far from satisfied.

  "A week?"

  "A week is too long!"

  Vanessa stepped in, adding, "One week. During that time, I assure you, she will not leave the church."

  With both an Exorcist and a priest vouching for her, the protests finally began to subside.

  Some people cast pitying yet distant glances at the unconscious Nicole, while others looked at her with nothing but rejection and disdain.

  "This poor child…"

  "Stop staring. You don’t want to attract anything unclean."

  With that, the crowd finally began to disperse.

  Vanessa turned to Eddie and gave him simple instructions.

  "Stay behind and check if the barrier and alarm system sustained any damage. While you're at it, make sure they’re fully recharged."

  Eddie nodded. "Understood."

  Rivern was just about to speak when Vanessa cut him off.

  "Rivern, you should stay too."

  Following her gaze, Rivern noticed the small group of people gathered around the innkeeper—and immediately understood what she meant.

  After everything that had happened today, what could possibly reassure the townspeople more than having an Exorcist stay at their inn?

  With no other choice, Rivern agreed.

  As he watched Vanessa and Shinya quickly leave with Nicole, a wave of conflicting emotions surged within him.

  Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder.

  "Come on, Exorcist."

  Rivern turned to see one of the mercenaries from earlier.

  Robin grinned and gestured with his thumb toward the inn.

  "Kyle says he’s treating us to dinner later. You have to come."