My Savior Was a Scumbag

Aibo wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone right now. Any movement only made his headache worse.

Still, the little girl's inner voice caught his attention.

"Dad? Could this girl be Gildarts's daughter?!"

Aibo's gaze naturally fell on the girl named Cana.

The little girl had delicate features and would definitely grow into a beauty. However, she didn't look much like Gildarts, and even her hair color was completely different.

But inner thoughts generally didn't lie. Maybe she took after her mother?

Still... Gildarts hadn't gone out of his way to greet this daughter of his just now. That was a little strange.

"Oi, newbie, what are you spacing out for? We asked your name!"

"Idiot Gray! Be more polite when you talk! Don't scare him."

The little girl named Cana chopped Gray on the head with her hand. They seemed to be pretty close.

"My name is Aibo..."

Since this concerned his benefactor Gildarts, Aibo had no choice but to perk up a little. Then he pointed at the pair of underwear Gray had taken off behind him and tugged awkwardly at the corner of his mouth.

"Um, shouldn't you put your clothes back on...?"

"Huh?! When did that happen?!"

"..."

Honestly, Aibo had been a little startled when he watched the boy named Gray walk toward him while expressionlessly taking off his pants.

Judging from Gray's reaction, he apparently hadn't noticed that he had taken his clothes off himself.

And Aibo could testify that Gray hadn't been aware of it at all in his head, either.

Developing such an incredible quirk at such a young age... this poor kid...

As Gray put his underwear back on, he stiffly changed the subject.

"Aibo, right? Um, do you have a surname?"

Aibo wanted to say that his surname was Ai. His memories from twenty years in his previous life were far clearer than the six years of this one.

"A surname? I'm not really sure. I've been called Aibo since I was little."

"Huh? Aibo, then you—"

[What is your relationship with Gildarts?]

Aibo "heard" what Cana wanted to say before she could speak, but at that moment, guild master Makarov and Gildarts happened to come down from the second floor, leaving the little girl without the chance to voice her question.

Everyone's attention was drawn over there, and Cana reluctantly stopped asking.

"Brats, all eyes on me! I have an announcement!"

Makarov leaped onto the bar counter on the guild's first floor. Raising both hands, he smiled with narrowed eyes.

"First! Let's welcome our guild's newest member—little Aibo!"

Makarov's small hand suddenly grew larger before Aibo's slightly terrified eyes. It grabbed him and simply "placed" him atop the counter.

[Giant Magic], one of Guild Master Makarov's signature magics. It could enlarge his body or any part of it.

"Little Aibo is a naturally awakened mage with limitless potential. Make sure to look after our little genius in the future!"

"Whoa! What an incredible newcomer!"

"The guild's future is in your hands! Hahahaha!"

"Newbie, show us a talent!"

This guild was really noisy...

Aibo rubbed his temples, which were throbbing from all the enthusiastic voices, and gave them an awkward yet polite smile.

"And then, I'll be heading to the Council for a few days to handle something. Keep an eye on the guild and Gildarts for me! All right, that's it! Dismissed!"

"Hey, old man! What do you mean by that?"

"Don't worry, Master! We won't let Gildarts cause trouble!"

"Goodbye, Master! Gildarts, come have a drink!"

"Hahahaha!"

"..."

Without a moment of worry or curiosity over the guild master's imminent departure, the guild members quickly went back to causing a ruckus.

Makarov was clearly used to scenes like this. He turned to Aibo beside him and gave him a kindly smile.

"Haha, don't mind them, little Aibo. They may seem unreliable most of the time, but they're dependable when it counts. You'll get used to them slowly. From now on, just think of this place as home!"

[He seems like a good kid. I just hope he doesn't learn bad habits from this bunch of idiots.]

Hey, hey, even you don't believe what you just said, Guild Master...

Aibo's inner thoughts were quite active too, but unfortunately, no one could hear his complaints.

"Airo! Come put a guild mark on our newcomer!"

Makarov called out to the guild's hostess. A well-endowed young woman came over, holding what looked like a stamp.

"A mark... Is that some kind of tattoo? Do I have to get one?"

Aibo shrank back, instinctively resistant.

Besides, this guild mark looked strangely familiar. He felt like he had seen it somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where no matter how hard he thought.

The hostess, Airo, smiled as she explained.

"It's not a tattoo. A guild mark is a special kind of imprint magic, and it can be removed. All right, where would you like it?"

"...Then... put it on the back of my shoulder."

Somewhat unwillingly, Aibo pulled down the clothing over his right shoulder, exposing half of it.

He didn't really want to see a "tattoo" on his body, so he could only put it somewhere out of sight.

"Got it~"

With a quick motion, Airo stamped a pink mark onto Aibo. Then, still somewhat excited, she pinched the little boy's soft, pale arm and let out an exaggerated laugh.

"Children's skin really is so nice~"

[So cute, hehe. I really want to take him home and raise him~ This kid is definitely going to grow into a handsome young man, hehehe~]

Miss, those thoughts are dangerous.

Frightened, Aibo edged closer to the guild master.

Makarov nodded in satisfaction.

"Airo, I'll leave Aibo with you for now. I'm not comfortable leaving a child in Gildarts's hands."

"No problem~ Guild Master, I love children the most."

Airo excitedly scooped Aibo up in her arms and spun around in place.

"Ah~ What a good child. He's much cuter than Gray!"

Gray: ???

His whole body suddenly sank into something soft, and his nose filled with a young woman's fragrance.

Aibo blinked. He suddenly realized...

Being a child again didn't seem so bad after all.

At that moment, Gildarts, who had already downed several drinks with the others, swayed over again and complained to Makarov in dissatisfaction.

"Hey, hey, hey! Guild Master, I can't just pretend I didn't hear that! I've lived with Aibo for several days! How am I not able to take care of a child?"

Hearing that, Makarov ignored Gildarts and instead looked at Aibo with a guilty expression.

"Child, you've really suffered. It must not have been easy getting here."

"..."

Nestled in the hostess's arms, Aibo showed a sorrowful yet resigned expression.

Who could understand the days of sleeping rough with a sloppy, lecherous middle-aged man?

"You brat, I obviously took good care of you."

Gildarts curled his lips and didn't seem to mind. Leaning against the bar, he spoke flirtatiously to the hostess.

"Airo~ You've become even prettier since I last saw you. Want to go on a date with me tonight?"

"No, I have a boyfriend now, Gildarts."

"What?! Since when?! Damn it! Which bastard... no, I mean, which lucky son of a—"

Aibo's gaze shifted between them before landing on Cana, who stood to the side with an unreadable expression.

He wanted to know what the little girl was thinking at this moment...

[Dad is very strong, but he's way too flirtatious... No, he's just a womanizer!]

[Dad seems to take good care of Aibo. Could he be my little brother?]

[Forget it. Today, I have to tell him about Mom! I need to ask whether he even remembers...]

[But... but... what would be the point of asking? Mom said he was a wanderer who would never stay for anyone...]

[If I acknowledge him as my father, would he stay for me?]

[But Dad is such a powerful mage, while I... I'm so weak. Would he acknowledge me? I'd only hold him back.]

[Mom, what... should I do?]

"..."

The girl's tangled thoughts flooded into Aibo's mind all at once. Their heavy emotions made him suck in a cold breath.

What a sin, Gildarts.

Who would have thought that his lifesaver was an old scumbag?

Ah~ I really didn't want to know this kind of secret...

At that moment, Aibo's eyelid suddenly twitched—

[Telepathy Magic LV4, 214→230/10000000]