Bad Luck

Everyone gathered around to watch, and waves of astonished exclamations echoed through the guild.

Riyao curled his lip and said casually, "The different-colored eyes are only temporary. I poured in a little too much Healing Magic, which dyed her pupil emerald green. It'll fade on its own after a while."

Levy tilted her head curiously beside him and asked, "But when you treated everyone before, nothing ever changed color, did it?"

"That's because their injuries were relatively minor, so I hardly had to use my full power. This time, Erza's eye had almost 'withered,' and with the 'eye drops' I mixed up, I applied a little too much force, so it ended up dyed."

Makarov narrowed his eyes and studied him suspiciously.

"These 'eye drops'... were they prepared before Erza got here?"

Riyao's expression didn't change as he answered frankly, "That's just what I call them. They're actually... concentrated life force."

Makarov stared hard at Riyao, trying to find some sign on his face that he was lying.

Riyao wasn't about to sit there and let him scrutinize him. He promptly shot Makarov a flirtatious glance and blew him a casual kiss.

Makarov shuddered all over and, without a word, slapped Riyao flying.

Riyao crashed heavily into a barrel, which still held nearly half its wine. By the time he crawled out, he was wet and sticky all over, a complete mess.

He had just opened his mouth to complain loudly when he accidentally stepped on the ice Gray had left behind in the earlier fight. His feet slipped out from under him, and he fell heavily to the floor, even choking on his own spit and coughing repeatedly.

The guild fell deathly silent for a few seconds before erupting in deafening laughter.

Furious and embarrassed, Riyao berated the lot of them on the spot for being heartless, secretly plotting to tamper with their potions next time.

Just then, a huge, piercing alarm suddenly blared over Magnolia.

"All residents, please evacuate to a safe area immediately."

"Gildarts Mode activated!..."

"Gildarts Mode activated!..."

Erza and Gray both looked utterly bewildered. This was Gray's first time encountering such a situation: he had joined the guild after Gildarts had set out on his last long journey, and had never met the legendary mage.

Their eyes widened as they watched the entire street reshape itself, slowly revealing a straight avenue leading out of town.

In the distance, a sloppily dressed man with orange-red hair came strolling toward them, looking rather dazed.

Cana stood at the guild entrance and shouted in annoyance, "You bastard, Dad! What are you dawdling for? Do you want us to put up a banner to welcome you home or something?!"

Gildarts froze for a moment, then immediately broke into a broad grin and came bounding toward the guild.

The moment he entered, he ran straight into Riyao, who had just gotten back up. Riyao was sent flying again and crashed into the bar, leaving only his backside sticking out. He looked utterly ridiculous.

Paying no attention to anyone else, Gildarts grabbed Cana in a hug and nuzzled her wildly, mumbling with delight, "Cana, Daddy missed you so much. Hehehe."

Cana struggled desperately and shouted in disgust, "You stinking old man, let go of me! Your beard is so prickly!"

Makarov watched the father and daughter with a gratified smile, shaking his head cheerfully.

Riyao finally managed to pull himself out of the bar and shouted furiously, "Hey, feed me peanuts!"

Gray was laughing so hard beside him that he couldn't stand up straight, while Erza pressed her lips together, hurried over, and reached out to support Riyao.

"Hahahahaha, Riyao, you idiot! Are you putting on an acrobatics show for everyone?"

"Pfft... Senior Riyao, please be careful."

"Hahahahaha, it's been so long. What's this kid Riyao up to?"

After Cana pushed him away, Gildarts strolled over to Riyao and bent down to study him with interest.

Riyao rolled his eyes dramatically and complained, "Come on, guys, can you believe this? Gildarts is such a turnoff, picking on his junior the moment he gets back!"

Rather than feeling guilty, Gildarts slapped his thigh and roared with laughter, his beard sticking up.

"Hahahaha! After all these years, you're still the funniest kid around!"

Erza had just helped Riyao steady himself, but those words made him even angrier. He reached out, ready to argue with Gildarts.

"You've got the nerve to laugh? Would I be such a mess if you hadn't come charging in all of a sudden?"

No sooner had he stepped forward than his other foot landed in the wine spilled from the barrel earlier, and he slipped again.

Erza reacted quickly and reached out to grab him, but caught only the hem of his clothes. Riyao lost his balance and fell toward the dining table beside him.

With a clatter, an entire plate of freshly served pastries landed upside down on his head.

Cream, jam, and cookie crumbs smeared his face, making him look just like a scruffy cat that had rolled across a dessert table.

The laughter that had just died down erupted again. Even the usually composed Erza turned her face away, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Riyao froze, took a deep breath, and wiped the cream off his face. He was just about to blow up when his nose suddenly tickled.

"Aa↗choo↘!"

He let out an earth-shaking sneeze, sending the crumbs on his head flying straight onto Cana, who was watching the spectacle nearby with a glass of wine in hand.

Cana bristled at once. "Riyao! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"

Riyao hastily waved his hands. "I didn't! No, I didn't! It was an accident."

Before he could finish, his foot caught on something, and he stumbled forward, falling straight toward Gray.

Gray instinctively dodged to the side. Riyao grabbed at empty air and slammed face-first into the floor, nearly knocking out his front teeth.

Gray clutched his stomach, laughing until tears came out. "I can't take it, I can't! Has the goddess of luck abandoned Riyao today?"

Makarov stroked his beard and nodded with a smile. "Looks like today's Riyao's unlucky day."

Riyao covered his nose as he got up, his eyes a little red—not from pain, but from anger.

He angrily dusted himself off and decided to stay away from this bunch of lousy friends. Turning toward the bar, he went to find a glass of water to quench his thirst.

But just as he reached for a glass, the entire row of glasses came clattering down. Someone had bumped the corner of the table during the earlier laughter and commotion.

Riyao scrambled to catch them, but failed. Instead, a falling wine bottle struck the top of his foot, making him hop in pain on the spot.

"Argh, ow, ow, ow!"

Riyao flailed his arms and legs, looking both comical and pitiful. The whole guild was roaring with laughter; even the usually quiet Levy was hugging her book and laughing too hard to stand straight.

Riyao wilted completely. He stood there with his head hanging, covered in wine, soup, and pastry crumbs, looking just like a tramp who had crawled out of a garbage heap.

He raised his head and glared at the people around him, who were doubled over laughing, and protested weakly:

"You... you heartless lot. Who did I offend today...?"

Gildarts came over and threw an arm around his shoulders, grinning cheerfully. "It's all right, it's all right! Good luck comes after bad!"

A trace of anticipation had just appeared on Riyao's face when he slipped again. Carried along by Gildarts's arm, he plunged headfirst into the wine barrel beside them and vanished completely.

The laughter in the guild nearly blew the roof off.