"Gildarts is back—!"
Magnolia was in chaos again today.
The newcomers who had never met Gildarts all asked curiously, only to learn that this man was the guild's strongest S-Class wizard.
"So that guy's strong, huh!"
Natsu had not understood a single other thing, yet he was already rubbing his fists together without knowing his own limits.
Gildarts walked into the guild looking half-asleep. Before Natsu could even get a good look at him, he charged over shouting:
"Gildarts! Let's have a match! AUV—!"
"Mm? What was that?"
Gildarts yawned, vaguely feeling as though he had swatted away a fly.
"Oh! Hey, everyone, I'm back!"
"Gildarts! Come have a drink!"
"Hahahaha! Gildarts, you just sent the new kid in the guild flying!"
"What!? Is the newcomer okay!?"
"Don't worry! Natsu's tough as nails. He isn't afraid of getting beaten up."
The guild quickly became noisy again. After Natsu pulled himself out of the wall, he bore no grudge and simply hovered around Gildarts.
With his overwhelming strength and straightforward personality, Gildarts was indeed very popular in the guild.
But after a few rounds of drinks, Gildarts sensed that something was off. Then he spotted Aibo and Cana hiding in a corner of the guild.
Several books and stacks of notebooks sat on the table before Aibo. He himself was hunched over it, writing nonstop, while Cana stood beside him without moving.
Hmm? Why wasn't Aibo coming over to greet him? And hadn't Cana always admired him the most?
Gildarts was unhappy. Carrying a bottle of liquor, he staggered over.
"Aibo! Cana! Long time no see!"
The enthusiastic welcome he had expected never came.
Aibo raised his head, dark circles under his eyes, glanced at him, murmured, "Oh," then lowered his head and continued scribbling.
Cana merely huffed and turned her face away, completely ignoring him.
Gildarts felt deeply wounded. Cana's little huff in particular made his heart inexplicably race, as if he had committed some terrible sin.
Gildarts instinctively sat up straight. After all, Aibo was the child he had brought back to the guild. Either way, he ought to take more initiative in looking after him.
"What's going on with you two? Aibo, you don't look too well. Have you run into some trouble lately?"
"I've been researching a troublesome spell lately, got a little too into it. It's nothing serious... Ah, right, Gildarts, it's good that you're back. The guild doesn't have any books related to Gravity Magic. Do you know anyone who can use it? Or you could bring me a book..."
"I can use Gravity Magic. I'm not especially skilled at it, but I can teach you the basics. More importantly, though, I'm worried about your mental state, Aibo."
"That would be perfect. Me? I don't think there's anything wrong with me. Haven't I always—"
"Aibo! You can't keep doing this!"
Cana finally could not hold back any longer. She reached out, pinched Aibo's cheeks, and stared seriously into his eyes.
"You've been like this for two weeks already! You haven't been writing your novel, you barely sleep, you don't even dress properly, and you forget to eat! All day long, you just hold those notebooks and write and draw. You have no idea how worried I've been! If this is for creating some new magic, then I don't want to learn it either!"
Aibo noticed the faint redness around Cana's eyes, and only then belatedly realized... he really had been a little obsessed lately.
Because he had thrown himself completely into magical research, he could not even hear the side effects of Telepathy Magic anymore. The world had become quieter than ever.
His mind had been filled with thoughts like, This design is so ingenious, Would it be better if I changed this? and So magic can be used like this too. Inspiration Points had been bursting out in waves, a storm constantly raging in his head while his body ran on autopilot.
Aibo felt as though he had entered some mysterious state. He had even been secretly delighted with himself, unable to shake that exhilarated feeling of I've made it as a mage.
Yet he had never expected to overlook the concern of those around him.
Once his mind relaxed, the sounds around him flooded back into his thoughts.
[I have to stop Aibo from going on like this. He can't wreck his body! He's still so young. As his big sister, I have to take good care of him.] [Heh, I really did pick up a treasure back then. This kid is actually the scholarly genius type. I've only ever seen people like that at the Magic Academy. Should I tell the old man and send Aibo to the Magic Academy for a few years?]
"Sorry, Cana... I made you worry. It was my fault. It won't happen again."
"You said that yesterday too. Hmph, I'll be keeping an eye on you these next few days!"
Gildarts suddenly laughed heartily, walked behind Aibo, and lifted him up by the back in one motion.
"Gildarts, what are you doing!?"
"Come on! Aibo, let's go have some fun outside town!"
"No, let go first. I can teleport there!"
Aibo struggled free and jumped down. One hand grabbed Gildarts's arm while the other held Cana's little hand. In the next instant, the three of them appeared in an open area west of town.
"Whoa! Incredible. Aibo, your Teleportation Magic has really reached a respectable level."
"It's nothing special. I still have lots of room to improve... So why did you bring me out here? Are you going to teach me Gravity Magic?"
Gildarts released Aibo, walked about ten meters away, and curled his fingers at him.
"Come on. I'll practice with you."
Aibo blinked his large eyes and pointed at himself in confusion.
"Huh? Me?"
"That's right. Attack me with everything you've got. As far as I know, Aibo, you've been in the guild for over a year, but you haven't taken a single job or fought anyone, right? You can't improve by shutting yourself away. Come on, let me test how much you've improved this past year."
Aibo was a little numb. He had absolutely no desire to volunteer to get beaten up. Cana, on the other hand, was incredibly excited and kept cheering him on.
"Go, Aibo! Show Gildarts what you've got! Beat him to death!"
"..."
Aibo also heard Cana's outrageous inner thoughts.
[I knew it, Aibo really is my little brother! That scumbag father probably knows everything! He'd rather secretly give him special training than admit the two of us. That bastard!]
What a mess. What does any of that have to do with this? Maybe I should find a chance to explain things to Cana...
"Aibo, come on. Don't hold back. You can't hurt me."
"All right, then I'll give it a try..."
This really was Aibo's first time proactively using magic in battle. He knew many spells, but he was purely a theory expert with zero combat experience.
Besides, Aibo did not think any of his Level 1 skills could affect Gildarts. The skills he currently possessed above Level 2 were:
[Telepathy Magic LV4], [Meditation LV3], [Space Magic LV2], [Word Magic LV2], [Mana Control LV2], [Enhancement Magic LV2]
Ah... I can't think of any way to fight Gildarts at all. One Crush Magic from him and I'll be torn apart.
Forget it. Let me see which elemental magic has the most experience... Oh, so it's you. Add points!
[Light Magic LV1: 6245/10000] → [Light Magic LV2: 1/100000]
He glanced at his mana bar again.
[Mana: 620/626]
"Then here I come, Gildarts."
"Bring it on!"
Close combat offered no chance of victory, nor was there any point in it. He could only make use of his strengths and act as a turret.
Once he finished thinking, Aibo raised a hand. Three magic circles appeared in the air behind him.
Light Magic: Thermal Ray, which continuously emitted scorching laser beams by gathering light elements. As long as the mana did not run out, it could keep firing. It was extremely fast, though its power was average.
"Good casting speed. The power isn't bad either, but it won't work on me."
Gildarts punched at the incoming beams, smashing the light before him into countless small fragments.
But Aibo knew Crush Magic too and understood its properties. His attack was not a single burst, but a continuous assault.
The shattered beams dispersed into mana, while those behind them immediately filled the gap, ultimately striking Gildarts's arm.
"Hiss, that's pretty hot~"
Naturally, an attack of that level could not break through his defenses, but Aibo had already achieved his goal.
He constantly monitored Gildarts's thoughts with Telepathy Magic, ensuring that his actions went smoothly.
Another characteristic of Light Magic was that it was bright!
With the beams shining on Gildarts, he could not see what was happening on Aibo's side, giving Aibo room to act.
"Word Magic, Eastern script: [Duplicate]."
A huge Chinese character appeared above Aibo's head. This Word Magic could mass-produce magic circles through duplication. As long as he had enough mana, he could theoretically replicate thousands of magic circles in a short time.
So when Gildarts threw another punch and shattered the beams before him, he looked up—and was instantly stunned.
Over a hundred magic circles had appeared behind Aibo, all gathering terrifying beams of light at the same time. One or two such beams might not do much damage, but over a hundred striking the same spot was no joke.
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you serious!?"
"I'm firing now, Gildarts!"
"Wait, wait a second! Aibo!? AUV—!"
Before Aibo had even finished speaking, the beams had already fired. Gildarts tried to dodge, but he could not outrun light. And Aibo's Mana Control was no decoration—he kept chasing Gildarts with the attack.
Over a hundred scorching rays pierced straight through the cloak Gildarts threw out. They struck his body and made him jolt from the heat.
Gildarts stomped hard, shattering the entire ground beneath him. He instantly hid underground, and the ground where Aibo stood also crumbled apart. Aibo blinked twice in quick succession, taking Cana back to the guild.
By the time Gildarts gloomily climbed out of the dirt, Aibo had already teleported back with Cana.
Seeing the hole-riddled shirt and Gildarts's bright red chest, Aibo grinned.
"Hehe, I surrender. I'm out of mana."
"You brat... that fighting style of yours... is really shameless..."
"Isn't that how mages are supposed to fight? The savages in the guild who use their fists are the weird ones, aren't they?"
"...Not everyone can use Teleportation Magic like you."
Gildarts sighed, dusted off his filthy clothes, and began giving Aibo a post-battle assessment.
"I think I've figured out your fighting style, kid. Let me briefly point out a few things..."
Before you continue