Previously, Jasmine enjoyed the gazes from the men, but now, all that was left was anxiety and horror.
She hastened her footsteps again as though she was being chased by Feysacians.
Finally, before the men could get close to her, she rushed into the apartment and got rid of them.
Phew... The girl patted her chest and secretly decided to stay out less at night.
Only then did she realize that extraordinary beauty had its disadvantages.
After calming down, Jasmine went up the dimly-lit stairs to the third floor and returned home. She used the key she carried with her to open the door.
She carefully approached her parents' bed and used the moonlight to examine their faces.
Compared to when she left the house not too long ago, her parents' faces were rather ruddy. Their white hair and wrinkles had lessened significantly, and their snoring was almost non-existent.
Their health has really been restored... Jasmine couldn't help but smile, clearly relieved.
Sensing the commotion, her mother's eyelids twitched as she slowly opened her eyes.
Jasmine held her breath and restrained her smile, preparing to give her mother a surprise.
Her mother sat up and looked over, her expression suddenly becoming extremely terrified.
"Who are you?" asked the woman with a shrill voice as she shoved her husband forcefully.
Who am I? Jasmin was stunned by the question and didn't know how to answer the simple question.
At that moment, her father woke up as well. He looked at the beautiful girl in front of him with suspicion and vigilance.
"Get out! Otherwise, I'll call the police!" Jasmine's mother left the bed and picked up a candle stand beside her, using it as a weapon.
"We don't welcome burglars." Jasmine's father rather politely issued an order for Jasmine to leave.
He knew that he had to do his best not to pressure the burglar. Otherwise, it easily led to extreme responses from the other party.
If not for his wife and daughter, he wasn't too afraid of fighting the burglar. But now, his entire family was at stake.
Jasmine finally snapped out of her daze and hurriedly said, "Daddy, Mommy, I am..."
Before she could finish her sentence, her mother started to shove her repeatedly as she was pushed out of the room by her father.
No one cared about what she said. Under such circumstances, no one cared.
Thud!
The door to her apartment closed before her very eyes. It left her feeling lost and helpless.
She wanted to knock on the door and use the key she carried with her to prove her identity, but at that moment, she heard her mother shout to a patrolling police officer downstairs, "There's a burglar, a burglar!"
Burglar... Daddy and Mommy don't recognize me anymore... Will they think that I've murdered myself... Will the police believe the Fully Automatic Wishing Machine... Jasmine's heart tightened, and she subconsciously decided to leave the apartment first to avoid the police. She would then find her father and mother to explain to them carefully at dawn and use their common memories to convince them.
Tap. Tap. Tap. She bowed her head and, under the watchful gazes of her neighbors, walked down the stairs and rushed out of the building.
She ran all the way to a nearby alley and avoided the approaching police officer from the main street. Gasping for air, Jasmine stopped in her tracks. Tears uncontrollably rolled down her face and fell to the ground.
Suddenly, a hand reached over and covered her mouth, dragging her to a secluded corner of the alley.
"How much? I'll pay however much it costs..." A voice filled with drunkenness rang in Jasmine's ears. It was as if he had mistaken her for a prostitute and could no longer resist her allure.
Jasmine tried her best to struggle, alarmed, afraid, and desperate.
Just as she was about to break down, the drunkard released his hand.
"Miss, are you alright?" A hoarse male voice sounded.
Jasmine dashed away from the drunkard before turning around to see a police officer in a black-and-white checkered uniform.
"He... He..." As Jasmine spoke, she began to cry.
The policeman looked at her sympathetically and said, "We will take legal action on him. However, Miss, you'll need to return to the police station with me to record your statement."
Jasmine was in a state of extreme panic and extreme helplessness. She subconsciously nodded.
Not long after, she sat in the police station's testimony room nearby. Facing her was the same police officer and his colleague.
The policeman deliberated over his words and asked, "So you're telling me, he didn't ask you if you were a prostitute, and you didn't do anything that might come off as soliciting customers?"
He was worried that his words would hurt the beautiful girl in front of him.
Jasmine held a coffee cup and lowered her head to take a sip.
"Yes, I just reached the alley."
"Alright, let's end it here. Miss Jasmine, can you tell us where your house is? We will get someone to send you back." Another policeman tried to get in her good books.
Recalling his parents' reaction and the disgusting gazes, Jasmine couldn't help but shudder. She said in tears, "I had a quarrel with my parents and can't return home for the time being. Perhaps you can take me to the nearest hotel..."
At this point, she remembered that she was only left with a few pence. There was no way she could stay in a good hotel, and the cheap motels were practically dangerous to her.
The first policeman was taken aback.
"Okay."
On the way to the nearest hotel, the policeman hesitated several times before finally saying, "If, I mean if—you plan on becoming a street girl, you can come to me. There's no need for you to go through that much effort..."
Upon hearing this, Jasmine felt on the brink of mental collapse. It was just different from when she first saw her face after the fire.
This made her feel extremely insecure and she remained silent.
Fortunately, the police officer didn't force her and sent her to the entrance of the nearest hotel.
"There's no need to go in with me. I'll go by myself." Jasmine rejected the policeman's suggestion of sending her to her room.
After the police officer left, she quickly walked out of the hotel without completing the check-in procedures.
She wanted to go to the municipal square, to the place where the Fully Automatic Wishing Machine was to cancel her previous wish.
Such beauty was terrifying!
After taking a few steps, Jasmine removed the scarf around her shoulders and wrapped it around her face in layers, just like how she left her home that very night.
Back then, there were still burn scars on her face. Her missing nose and damaged lips made her look like a devil.
When she arrived at the municipal square on a trackless carriage, she entered the street once again and saw the brass Fully Automatic Wishing Machine.
Jasmine's heart immediately calmed down. She quickened her pace and arrived in front of the machine.
Then, she was at a loss. She didn't know how to cancel her last wish.
"Your first wish was a free trial, and it wasn't counted in the three wishes. So you have one more wish." Jasmine suddenly heard Mr. Merlin Hermes's voice.
She turned her head and saw that across the street, under the dim yellow light of the street lamp, the magician wearing a tall hat was looking calmly at her.
"Good, good." Jasmine hurriedly took out a copper penny and inserted it into the Fully Automatic Wishing Machine.
"I hope my previous wish is canceled," she said with her eyes closed as she gripped the wrench and spun it.
Tak!
She heard the dull thud once again.
When she opened her eyes, she rushed to a nearby shop. She stopped in front of the glass window and removed the scarf wrapped around her face.
She saw herself again. She was no longer a pretty girl.
Jasmine instantly relaxed, and instinctively turned her head to look at the Fully Automatic Wishing Machine, but found that it had disappeared along with Mr. Merlin Hermes.
"Praise the Lady. Thank you, Mr. Hermes." Jasmine sincerely tapped her chest four times in a clockwise manner.
She used her last copper penny to head home on a trackless public carriage.
Along the way, no one gave up their seats to her.
When her figure vanished from the street, Klein appeared again, holding a silver mirror with ancient patterns.
"Great Master, why didn't you add the line that ‘excessive greed will only turn something good into something bad' or ‘wishes always have a price?' This will make the whole matter seem even more philosophical. It will be elevated into a fable." On the surface of the mirror, silver words appeared.
Klein smiled and said, "The biggest problem was that I couldn't use normal methods to satisfy her ‘extremely, extremely, extremely beautiful' wish. Lie can only adjust her looks to a certain extent.
"Therefore, I had no choice but to use one of the effects of a Sealed Artifact that originated from a Demoness to ‘Graft' it onto her. That resulted in her stunning beauty and terrifying charm. This made the surrounding men unable to resist her."
The Sealed Artifact belonged to Xio, a relic of Demoness Shermane.
Due to a problem with Xio's storage abilities, Shermane's Beyonder characteristic fused with the box containing it, becoming a Sealed Artifact with shockingly negative effects. This caused Xio's younger brother to look at the box strangely.
In order to resolve this problem, Xio made a wish for Mr. Fool to seal the item for her.
After saying that casually, Klein looked at the magic mirror.
"Arrodes, are you consoling me?"
"No, the main problem was that she's too greedy. If she only wanted to become beautiful and didn't add so many ‘extremely's to the wish, then the result would've been pretty good." On the surface of the mirror, silver words quickly appeared.
"Indeed. That will be within the extent that can be achieved by Lie." Klein nodded and said to Arrodes, "Lie's adjustments can indeed be permanent, but it's a structure that is ultimately different from the original muscles, skin, and bone structure. After more than a decade, when she's gradually showing signs of age, the adjustments and the differences will slowly magnify, making her face appear rather strange and stiff. That can only be fixed periodically by becoming a Faceless."
Having said that, Klein smiled and shook his head.
"A lie is ultimately a lie."
Then, he walked towards the other end of the street and continued, "Besides, even if she really becomes beautiful, it's still uncertain whether she will lead a better life in the future. It's true that beauty allows her to obtain a lot of resources and allow her to marry a ‘prince.' However, her personal upbringing, character, and knowledge are unlikely to support such a lifestyle.
"Yes, I can't rule out the possibility that she's good at studying, being capable of using all kinds of experience to fully enrich herself, and ultimately direct herself to possibly having a good life. However, that's a whole other story.
"Heh heh, miracles are only for a moment, but fate is often a long-lasting event."
In the conversation with Arrodes, Klein gradually vanished from the end of the street.
His understanding of Miracle Invoker had deepened again.
...
After returning to her family apartment, Jasmine didn't attempt to open the door. She used a lot of courage to knock on the door.
The door opened and her mother appeared in front of her.
"Oh, you're finally back." Her mother first heaved a sigh of relief, then asked in an abnormally horrified manner, "Y-your face?"
Jasmine forced a smile and said, "I've been cured, by a mister who's good at creating miracles.
"Mr. Fully Automatic Wishing Machine."
Just as her parents suspected that their daughter had been influenced by demons, a few policemen in black-and-white checkered uniforms walked up the stairs and came over.
Leading the policemen was a lady. She had light blue eyes and a smile that quietened others.
"Miss Jasmine, we have some questions for you," the lady said politely.
