How Do You Make a Little Thing Like This?

Riyao came to Wendy's side, knelt down, and raised his hand to conjure a bright green magic circle.

The light was soft and warm, like a pool of Hisui water being stirred, flowing slowly from his palm and enveloping Wendy's small body.

Wendy felt a warm current flow into her head, slowly coursing through her meridians. Her tired muscles gradually relaxed under the warmth, and the soreness slowly subsided.

Although it can't restore Wendy's magic, it can relieve Wendy fatigue.

Carla stood beside the two of them, watching Riyao unleash Healing Magic with a complicated expression.

Her gaze shifted back and forth between the emerald green light and Riyao's expressionless face, her cat-like eyes filled with indescribable emotions.

"Every time I see you use Healing Magic, it's like drinking water for you, without any burden at all."

Although both are healing mages, Wendy consumes a lot of magic power and stamina every time she uses Healing Magic.

But Riyao acted as if he were doing something perfectly ordinary, without even changing the rhythm of his breathing.

Riyao's lips curled slightly upward, his tone filled with undisguised smugness.

"Otherwise, how could I be known as the kingdom's number one healing mage?"

Wendy blinked, staring intently at the magic circle in Riyao's palm.

"I can sense that Mr. Riyao's Healing Magic is fundamentally different from mine."

Riyao's tail was practically wagging in the air, even though he didn't have a tail now.

"Hmph, go ahead and praise me."

Happy appeared out of nowhere, her two cat eyes sparkling, rubbing her paws together with a longing look on her face.

"Carla, Riyao and I just goof off and kill everything when we're on a mission."

Carla turned her head away from Happy, her fluffy tail twitching irritably.

Riyao withdrew his Healing Magic, and his expression became more serious.

He looked at Wendy with an unusual seriousness in his eyes.

"Lost Magic always has side effects, and the deeper you go in its application, the greater the side effects become. Wendy, you shouldn't research Healing Magic anymore; just stay at this stage."

Wendy nodded obediently, her voice soft, but her eyes showed no hesitation.

"I see."

Riyao ruffled Wendy's hair, his palm covering the top of her soft hair, and gently rubbed it twice.

He led them towards Lucy's direction, also worried that Lucy might have overturned her car.

This time we can bring Wendy back with us.

Thinking of this, Riyao's lips unconsciously curled up into a smile.

He tilted his head and asked in a seemingly casual tone.

How old is Wendy now?

Wendy counted on her fingers for a moment, then looked up at Riyao with her big, blinking eyes.

"Ah, I'm 12 years old."

Carla's fur stood on end instantly. She put her paws on her hips, widened her cat eyes, and her voice was as sharp as a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Hey! You cunning bastard, what are you plotting?!"

Happy also exploded, covering his mouth with both paws and looking at Riyao with a terrified expression, as if he had just said something outrageous.

Mira will kill you if she finds out!

Riyao's eye twitched, and he looked at the two cats speechlessly.

His lips twitched, and the veins on his temples throbbed twice.

"What are you thinking? Mira and I wanted to adopt Wendy as our little sister."

Happy scratched his face awkwardly, his cat eyes darting left and right, but he didn't dare look at Riyao.

Carla turned her head away from Riyao, her fluffy tail swishing even more violently, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.

Wendy's voice carried a hint of disbelief and surprise, along with a touch of apprehension that she might have misunderstood.

"Mr. Riyao, are you joking?!"

Her hands were clenched tightly in front of her, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

"My Mira keeps talking about Little Wendy, so she asked me to take extra care of you this time we're out."

Riyao's tone softened, and his eyes held a doting affection unique to an older brother.

Lisanna has also been saying she wants to play with Wendy.

As he spoke, Riyao casually patted Wendy's head again.

Wendy lowered her head, pursed her lips, and her cheeks were slightly flushed.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her lips curved into a shallow arc—an expression of her trying hard to suppress a laugh, yet unable to contain her joy.

Oh dear, how did this little thing come to be? I wonder if I'll be able to have one myself someday, hehe.

Riyao chuckled inwardly, but outwardly maintained a calm and composed demeanor.

After walking for a while, we cleared away quite a few miscellaneous fish along the way.

As if they had smelled fresh meat, the minions of the dark guild kept emerging from behind trees, bushes, and holes in the ground.

Then they were swatted back by Riyao and his group like flies.

"What were these things thinking, crawling into the pit and lying in ambush?"

This dark guild is mostly made up of weaklings. Occasionally, a minor elite monster like Erigor might pop up, but the vast majority are cannon fodder who can't even use magic properly.

Riyao stood with his hands in his pockets, showing no intention of making a move.

He tilted his head and nodded with his chin towards the group of small fry.

"Go ahead, Wendy! I'll stay here and watch over things. You go up and practice."

"Oh, okay."

Wendy was a little flustered, her hands unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes, but she still took a deep breath and bravely walked towards the group of small fry.

Although her steps were still somewhat hesitant, each step she took was more determined than the last.

Carla did not stop her.

She sat on Riyao's shoulders, her eyes fixed on Wendy's figure, her paws unconsciously gripping Riyao's collar.

Wendy was happy that someone was giving her experience, but she just didn't show it.

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly in a tiny arc, but she quickly suppressed it.

Her voice was icy cold.

"If Wendy gets hurt, I'll scratch your face."

Riyao patted Carla's head, his tone as relaxed as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

"It's alright, the Life Link is active, Wendy isn't losing any health."

[The Sky Dragon's Roar]

A white shockwave erupted from Wendy's mouth, carrying violent wind pressure and a deafening roar, sweeping towards the swarm of small fish.

Wherever the shockwave passed, bushes were uprooted and rubble was swept into the sky.

The group of small fry were swept away as if by a hurricane, their bodies flying out uncontrollably, tumbling several times in the air, before crashing to the ground with a series of thuds, each one more pathetic than the last.

Riyao clapped in praise, the applause crisp and loud, standing out in the quiet forest.

His tone carried the assessment of someone with experience, as if he were comparing the report cards of two students.

"Much stronger Natsu was when he was a kid."

Happy nodded in agreement, his two cat eyes looking extremely serious.

"Natsu was so useless; he couldn't even fish back then."

Seeing Happy's behavior, Carla couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"You silly tomcat, stop thinking about food all day long!"

Happy lowered his head in shame, his two cat ears drooping down—probably out of shame.

But if you look closely, there seems to be a subtle smile playing on his lips, like the expression "I get excited when I talk about fish."

After clearing out the henchmen, Wendy jogged back to Riyao's side, a thin layer of sweat beading on her forehead, her breathing slightly rapid.

But his eyes gleamed with the excitement of having accomplished a challenge.

Riyao then casually patted Wendy's head, gently rubbing her soft hair a couple of times.

Wendy pouted, her voice muffled, but she didn't dodge Riyao's hand. Instead, she tilted her head back slightly, making it easier for his palm to rub the top of her head.

"Mr. Riyao, stop touching your head, it'll... stunt your growth."

Carla launched a powerful punch, landing a series of cat-like punches on Riyao's head, the sounds of which were crisp and loud.

"Stop touching Wendy's head, you scheming jerk."

Riyao shrank back as he was beaten, but the smile on his face didn't diminish at all.

"You'll definitely grow taller, don't worry, not everyone is like the old man."

Makarov was far away in the guild, sneezed.

He was sitting at the bar drinking beer when suddenly his nose itched, and he sneezed violently, spraying beer foam all over the table.

He rubbed his nose and muttered, "Who's talking about me behind my back?"

Mirajane wiped the cup, smiling, and said, "It must be Riyao talking badly about you."

She wiped the cup without pausing, a sweet smile curving her lips, her gaze fixed on the direction outside the window—the direction Riyao had left in.