Mystogan

The guild was still as noisy as ever, with guild members playfully fighting.

Thump~ Thump~

One by one, guild members collapsed and fell asleep—a godsend for insomniacs!

In the blink of an eye, only Riyao remained awake in the guild hall.

He swallowed the bread in his mouth, tiptoed behind Mirajane, caught her as Mirajane fell, and carefully adjusted her head so she could lean against him more comfortably.

The guild door creaked open.

Mystogan walked in, wrapped in a thick cloak, the hood covering most of his face, and several staffs behind him swaying gently with each step.

He saw Riyao standing next to the chair, paused for a moment, but didn't show any surprise; this wasn't the first time the two had met like this.

Speaking of how they met, it was only six months after Mystogan joined the guild that Riyao discovered him, and at the time, both of them were completely bewildered.

He was completely bewildered. When did Mystogan join the guild?

Mystogan was clearly bewildered as well. Seeing that there was still someone awake, he tightened his grip on his staff, his eyes asking, "Should we increase the hypnotic intensity?"

Riyao proactively raised his hand and greeted everyone with a smile.

"Mystogan, long time no see."

Mystogan nodded, his voice coming through the cloak, slightly hoarse and deliberately lowered.

"Lord Riyao, it's been a long time."

He walked straight to the order board, took the order form down, and stuffed it into his cloak.

Looking at the staffs behind Mystogan, Riyao patted Mirajane's head and fell into thought.

It seems that Edolas's magical artifact crafting techniques are better than Earth-land's? No, they're more... suitable for solo combat.

After all, the Earth-land Magic Council also had the Etherion and Face, who could attack them without making a sound.

Mystogan walked over and knocked on the bar.

"Riyao Sunshine, I was just about to replenish my potions."

"Five bottles of regular healing potion and five bottles of fast-acting healing potion, right?"

Riyao turned around and took out two sets of medicine from the cabinet under the bar.

Mystogan took the potion and was about to put it into his cloak when he heard Riyao ask casually.

"Old Mys, you're not Earth-land, are you?"

Mystogan's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes beneath the hood instantly sharpening, and his fingers gripping the potion tightened slightly.

"Chairman Makarov told you?!"

Riyao rested his chin on Mirajane's head, gently shook his head, and put on a profound and inscrutable expression, just like when he tricked Cana into thinking he could see through the essence of life.

"No need for the guild leader to say it, I can see your life essence, which is different from our Earth-land people, but somewhat similar to Granny Porlyusica."

Mystogan's tense shoulders slowly relaxed, and he tucked the potion into the inside pocket of his cloak, his voice lowering.

"Yes, I come from Edolas, a world very similar to this one. I hope you can keep it a secret."

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm known throughout the guild for being tight-lipped."

As Riyao spoke, he almost laughed at himself.

Mystogan didn't pursue his insincerity; he simply nodded and turned to walk out the door.

As his cloak swept across the threshold, he paused, whispered "Thank you," and quickly disappeared outside the door.

Not long after Mystogan left, the guild members began to wake up one after another. Natsu was the first to spring up, touch his face, and shout.

"Where's my grilled fish?!"

Gray rubbed his eyes and sat up, staring blankly at the ice shards on the ground for a long time.

Mirajane stirred in Riyao's arms, opening one eye first. Seeing it was Riyao, she simply closed her eyes, snuggled closer to him, and planned to doze off for a while longer.

Riyao chuckled softly, "Oh, good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

Mirajane reached out and patted his restless hand that was pinching her waist, her tone tinged with a slightly confused reproach.

"Good heavens, what's going on? I think I've suddenly fallen asleep a few times before."

"Mystogan is back."

Riyao explained casually, gently running his fingers through her long hair.

"That guy always uses magic to lull you to sleep whenever he comes back. He's very mysterious; I guess he doesn't want anyone to see what he looks like."

Cana, holding a beer mug, leaned closer, her eyes sparkling.

"What does he look like? Is he someone you can't show your face to? Is he ugly?"

Riyao immediately raised his head, looking smug. "Anyway, no one's as handsome as me."

Cana rolled her eyes dramatically. "Narcissist."

"Where's the narcissism? Mira is in love with me."

As he spoke, Riyao deliberately hugged Mirajane even tighter.

Gray, who was lying on the ground, rolled over and moved away from the two of them, muttering, "Cana, why did you provoke him? Don't you know he's love-struck right now?"

The guild quickly returned to its usual noisy state. Natsu and Gray were already fighting over "who would fall asleep first," Erza stood with her hands on her hips scolding the two of them, and Levy was taking notes in her notebook.

Happy, perched on the chandelier, shouted, "Aye! They're fighting again!"

Riyao held Mirajane in his arms and looked at the bustling crowd, his gaze darkened slightly.

He pondered to himself: This time, the curse of fate, "Aha Moment," was not triggered. It seems that the reason for the trigger was simpler than he had originally thought.

However, just to be on the safe side, we should find another opportunity to test it again.

The ruins we visited last time—no, I should call them wastelands—were completely clueless unless we kidnapped Sister Tears. We could only guess.

It just so happens that several people have been on their way to S-Class in recent years. According to the original storyline, it seems like it's Laxus's turn this year. Why not beat him up and block his promotion to see if it triggers a curse?

We must figure out the pattern of the curse before X782. Although gentle Mira is also very good.

But the thought of what might happen in the future made his heart clench; he absolutely did not want to see Mirajane in tears.

Mirajane, who was in his arms, seemed to sense something and looked up at him.

"What are you thinking about? You look so silly with that furrowed brow."

Riyao immediately put aside his thoughts, squeezed her hand, and put on a playful expression.

I examine myself three times a day: what to eat for breakfast, what to eat for lunch, what to eat for dinner, and what to eat for a late-night snack.

Mirajane rolled her eyes and poked his stomach. "All you ever think about is food."

"You're still on my mind." Riyao lowered his head, a gentle smile playing on his lips, and lightly touched her forehead.

Upon hearing this, Gray, who was on the ground, immediately used Ice Magic to make himself an ice pillow, buried his head in it, and resolutely refused to look at them.

Cana and Erza had already turned around in unison, one going to rummage through the president's stash of liquor, and the other cleaning up the overturned table.

Natsu's fist suddenly burst into flames, and he felt something was off.

Happy flapped his wings and flew down, landing on Riyao's shoulder, and cheekily clicked his tongue. "Aye! We've got something going on~"

Riyao chuckled and reached out to pinch Happy's cheek. Mirajane couldn't help but laugh out loud, leaning against him and listening to the familiar commotion in the guild, feeling a warm glow in her heart.