River snail rice noodles
At the foot of the Black Bone Mountain Range, the Magic Council's temporary camp was a scene of ordered chaos.
Off-white medical tents lined the mountain path, while soldiers in silver-gray runic uniforms hurried back and forth with supplies.
The smell of disinfectant mingled with the scent of herbs and drifted far and wide.
The stretchers carried plague patients who had just been brought in from the surrounding towns. The blackness on their faces had faded considerably.
Riyao dragged Nildo Longra by the magic-sealing rope all the way to the entrance of the main tent. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed him like a ragged sack at the feet of Raymond, captain of the rune unit.
The captain, known for his stern and rigid manner, had been frowning over a disaster report. He looked down at the man by his feet and froze, his pupils trembling.
Was this the president of the Black Light Society, the man they had pursued for three years, with hundreds of lives on his hands? This guy whose hair was matted in clumps, whose face was covered in blood and mud, and whose eyes were as vacant as if a magical beast had just stomped on his head?
If not for that distinctive half-metal face, Raymond would have thought Riyao had dragged in a random vagrant to make up the numbers.
Nildo grunted when he hit the ground but did not struggle. He lay staring blankly up at the sky, his eyes as clear as a college student's. Raymond called his name three times, but he gave no response, only giggling foolishly.
Riyao stood beside him with his hands in his pockets and added insult to injury.
"Oh, I swung him around too much on the way here. He's got a mild concussion, but it won't affect the interrogation. If he really can't remember anything, call me and I'll give him a couple of needles. Treatment is charged per visit, so put it on the Magic Council's tab."
Raymond's mouth twitched. He was just turning to thank him when he saw that the blond youth standing behind Riyao had no intention of staying. He left without even a word of greeting.
Riyao was used to his tsundere personality by now.
With the Black Light Society's main base destroyed, the virulent plague that had raged for half a month lost its supply of magic, and its toxicity faded before their eyes.
Riyao was in no hurry to leave. He stayed for three days and joined the effort to develop a medicine specifically for the plague.
There were simply too many patients. If they treated them one by one with Healing Magic, those at the back might not survive the wait.
In less than a week, the plague was completely eradicated from the affected towns.
The residents who had been at death's door were all out of danger. Even the hidden damage the plague had left in their lungs was slowly repaired by the traces of life force Riyao dispersed into the air. All they needed now was to drink herbal soup for half a month to make a full recovery.
When Raymond personally handed Riyao the pouch containing his bounty, even his stiff expression had softened considerably. Until then, his impression of Fairy Tail had been nothing but "troublemakers" and "rule breakers."
He also handed over a document bearing the Magic Council's vermilion seal, with the words "Special Approval" stamped in gold on the cover.
"This is a certificate for permanent tax exemption. It applies only to land you use to grow medicinal crops. No matter how many acres you add later, you'll be exempt from property tax and crop transaction tax. The kingdom specially approved this exception in recognition of your disaster relief work."
Riyao's eyes lit up for a moment, but then he scratched the back of his head and quickly did the math.
Over the past two years, he had treated quite a few members of Fiore's old noble families for long-standing hidden magic injuries, and had also tended to old ailments suffered by several high-ranking members of the Magic Council.
Those employers had been generous. He had long since saved enough bounty money to buy five acres on the sunniest gentle slope on Magnolia's southern hillside.
The fruit and medicinal herbs he grew were enough for his own needs, and he couldn't be bothered to sell them.
Having thought it over, Riyao waved a hand.
"I've already got enough land. I wouldn't be able to look after any more, and I still have to go out on jobs."
"How about you help me exchange that tax exemption for some rare seeds from the Magic Council's stores? Grandma Porlyusica's been talking about snowfield edelweiss for almost half a year. She wants it for a new antidote, but you can't buy it anywhere. The Magic Council's herb storehouse must have some in stock, right?"
Raymond was taken aback. He had seen plenty of mages fight tooth and nail to acquire land and turn a profit using the kingdom's preferential policies, but this was the first time he had seen anyone give up permanent tax exemption for a few packets of seeds.
"All right. I'll put in a request when I get back and have someone deliver the edelweiss seeds to the Fairy Tail guild next week."
Riyao was so pleased that his eyes curved into crescents. He tucked the heavy bounty pouch into his clothes, waved goodbye, and ran toward the town's train station.
Sitting on the train, Riyao pondered how to make up for his lack of offensive ability. In his mind, a miniature Riyao crawled frantically about, crept through the shadows, and rolled all over the floor.
He wanted to learn Enchantment Magic, only to discover that the existing books on it were all incomplete. Riyao suspected Irene Belserion might have been responsible. After all, she was the founder of Enchantment Magic and was still alive. He couldn't afford to mess with her, no way.
Little Wendy had yet to travel through time and give it her all... Pah! She hadn't traveled here yet. That wouldn't happen until July 7, X777. Besides, all he knew was that she might be somewhere near Worth Woodsea, so he couldn't go looking for her.
Take Over Magic was pretty good too, but an ordinary takeover soul was inferior to his own physique.
If nothing else worked, he could only get a weapon to play around with.
He thought about it all the way back to Magnolia. He didn't go to the guild, instead planning to go home and sleep his fill.
The entire garden sat on the sunniest gentle slope on Magnolia's southern hillside, with a forest of verdant oak trees behind it and a view of the town's closely packed red rooftops ahead.
In the distance, the pointed bell tower of the Fairy Tail guild gleamed with gold paint. When the wind blew, the sounds of the guild's rowdy antics could be faintly heard.
Five neat, square acres of fields spread down the gentle slope. Around their edges ran a woven vine fence that Riyao had grown with life magic, covered in tiny pale-blue flowers. It effectively kept wild beasts out and sprayed itching powder at trespassing strangers. Once, a thief who had tried to steal medicinal herbs had been tied to the fence and laughed for three hours.
Three two-story cottages stood side by side on the high ground at the northern end of the garden. Their roofs were tiled, and yellow-flowered star jasmine climbed around the bases of their walls. When the wind blew, its fragrance carried a quarter mile.
The cottage in the middle was Riyao's own home. Half the terrace on the second floor was covered by a luxuriant grapevine.
It was furnished with many pieces Riyao liked and was very cozy.
The cottage on the left was reserved for guests. A long oak table on the first floor seated fifteen, enough room for that bunch of idiots to come freeload a meal. It also had several rooms.
The one on the far right was an experimental cottage. All its windows were made of special magic glass that prevented magic from leaking out. Inside, rows of clay pots sat on shelves, growing various magical crops on a trial basis.
Crooked growth records covered the walls, while a medical balance and a magic detector, gifts from Porlyusica, were piled in a corner.
A small cage also sat on the windowsill, housing medicinal green butterflies sent by Porlyusica. The powder their wings shed could speed up wound healing.
Beside the experimental cottage stood a drab solid-wood storehouse. Its door was made of thickened magic planks that kept out insects and moisture and were fireproof besides.
Half the interior was piled with farming tools, fertilizer, and various seeds.
The evening sun slanted down, stretching the shadows of the three cottages long across the ground. An enticing smell drifted from the chimney of the owner's cottage.
Riyao was cooking river snail rice noodles. The guild's bell rang occasionally in the distance, the wind stirred the rippling rice, and even the air carried a sweet scent.