Cana's Anger

"...Use Light Magic for your main offense, Script Magic to boost its power, and Teleportation Magic to ensure mobility. The idea is good, but Aibo, you're still too naive."

Gildarts pulled Aibo over to sit down and rubbed the child's head. "Your approach is a very typical academic style. Through precise calculations of magic and magical power, you pursue maximum output efficiency, turning offense into defense as a turret-type wizard."

"What's wrong with that? I think that's what a real mage should be!"

"Well, I'm not saying you're wrong. This is your strength and your advantage, and you can keep developing it. But you also need to make up for your weaknesses. Here's my advice—you should work on your body properly."

"Seriously? Wizards need physical training too? Isn't reinforcing myself with magical power enough..."

"Of course I wouldn't lie to you. Let me put it bluntly: that fighting style of yours can only bully ordinary wizards. When you encounter powerful magical beasts, you'll be out of options. Many magical beasts in this world have strong magic resistance. Against them, physical methods are more effective than magic most of the time."

"Ah, really...?"

"Heh heh, do you know why I learned Crush Magic? Because that magic deals both magical and physical damage. It's insanely useful! How about it, Aibo? Stop learning all that miscellaneous stuff and train in Crush Magic with me instead!"

"I don't want to trip and destroy an entire city."

"Well... ahahaha. The more powerful the magic, the harder it is to control. That can't be helped."

Aibo could solve that problem by learning another magic that dealt physical damage. Besides, he didn't mind knowing more spells.

"Even if everything you said is right, what does that have to do with training my body? Do Fairy Tail wizards have to fight with their fists or something?"

"Of course not. Training your body is to improve a wizard's chances of survival."

Gildarts stretched out his muscular arm and showed off his biceps to Aibo. "You know that healing magic has been lost in this world."

"That's true. I even studied pharmacy for a year, but the effects of potions seem rather underwhelming..."

"You're really keeping yourself busy, kid... You're talking about Miss Porlyusica's potions, right? Those are already top-tier magical potions. You won't find a potion maker as skilled as her anywhere else."

Gildarts shook his head. "But potions have their limits. You can't expect a potion to conveniently save your life every time you're injured. So what I want to tell you is this: only the living can deal damage. Once you're dead, you've got nothing. In this era without healers, wizards basically rely on magical power to heal themselves. The better your body, the more effective that self-healing is. That's how you avoid dying so easily."

"Ah... Then this really is a tragic era. Has no one tried researching healing magic?"

"Well, if you insist on saying healing magic has been lost, that's not entirely true. As far as I know, there is still a type of Lost Magic with healing abilities. The problem is that no one can learn it..."

"Seriously? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Aibo's eyes lit up. "What magic is it? Where can I learn it? I want to learn it!"

"Sky Magic... But the requirements for aptitude are too high. Practically no one has been able to learn it for centuries, so it gradually fell into obscurity. I don't know where any related magic books might still be either. If you're interested, I'll keep an eye out for you."

"Thank you, Gildarts! I'm grateful!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Even if you really do learn Sky Magic, I still suggest you don't neglect physical training. A good body can increase your magical power limit, improve the efficiency with which you absorb magical power, strengthen your magic resistance, enhance your self-healing, and it can even..."

Gildarts noticed Cana quietly sitting nearby and swallowed the words that had reached his lips. "Ahem. Anyway, there are simply too many benefits. This is all from my personal experience!"

...This kid is still young. Better not lead him astray...

Aibo's eyes lit up, and his gaze darted around. He had heard every word Gildarts had almost said.

Come to think of it, Aibo had forgotten about that. For the sake of his future happiness, he decided that once he got back, he would raise the [Body Training] life skill to LV3...

"You're right! Gildarts, I'll make sure to exercise from now on."

"Mhm~ Besides that, I also need to advise you not to be too impatient."

"Huh?"

Gildarts smiled and scratched his head. "You're already stronger than most people. When I was your age, I hadn't even started learning magic yet. There's no need to spend all your time on magic. There are many things around you that are more important than magic. Knowledge can be learned again if you miss it, but if you miss certain people or certain things, there's no getting them back."

"...You do occasionally say something human after all."

"You little brat! Is that any way to talk to the person who saved your life? Show some respect!"

Cana sat quietly to the side, watching the extraordinarily harmonious scene before her with complicated feelings.

That bastard father can be a proper father after all, can't he? Then why is he unwilling to acknowledge us?

"..."

Aibo noticed that Cana was still wildly imagining things and really couldn't hold it in any longer, so he changed the subject. "Speaking of which, um, Gildarts... Do you have someone... very important... whom you haven't visited in a long time? I don't mean guild companions..."

Aibo was out of ideas too. Cana was unwilling to bring up her identity herself, so he couldn't say it outright either. That scumbag Gildarts seemed completely unaware that he had a daughter, and Aibo had no idea how to remind him...

"Ahem, what I mean is, look at Cana. Isn't Cana beautiful? Isn't she cute?"

"Aibo? You..."

Cana gave Aibo a complicated look, then lowered her gaze and bowed her head without saying a word.

Gildarts, on the other hand, looked left and right suspiciously before suddenly seeming to realize something. "Oh! So you like Cana, Aibo? Good lad, you've got a bit of my flair from back then! But this is still too early for you~ All right, let's stop here for today. Let's head back!"

"..."

We're completely screwed! There's no saving this. Just wait for death.

Aibo couldn't bear to look. With one slap, he sent Gildarts back to the guild, leaving himself to face Cana with his scalp tingling.

"Aibo..."

"Ahem, Cana, I'm here."

"Did you hear it a long time ago? You knew I was his daughter."

"...Yes."

"So I was wrong. He didn't recognize us at all. He even forgot that he had a daughter and a son..."

"Ahem, cough, cough!"

Aibo forced himself to interrupt. "Well, I'm not Gildarts's son. Really, I'm not! I don't even know who my parents are..."

Aibo had thought that once he explained, Cana would understand. But to his surprise, Cana said, "But Aibo, you can't guarantee that Gildarts definitely isn't your father, can you?"

Aibo froze.

Wait, no, damn it... that could actually be true!?

He had no memory whatsoever of who his parents were. Even if Gildarts really was his father, it wasn't impossible.

Damn it, how had he actually talked himself into this?

"That scumbag father gets involved with women everywhere. He can't even remember how many lovers he has had, so how could he possibly know whether he has children?"

Cana's face darkened as she gritted her teeth. "Aibo, promise me that you'll never bring up the fact that I'm his daughter in front of him again. Promise me!"

"Okay... okay."

Aibo realized that this was heading in a bad direction, but it seemed like there was no way to undo it now.

"I won't indulge in pointless fantasies anymore, and I won't forgive him so easily. Mom never blamed him, but he owes me! I'll become stronger—stronger than him. Then I'll defeat him head-on and tell Gildarts that he's a failure as a father, that he never took part in his children's lives. That will be my revenge!"

"Cana, I don't think that's necessar—"

"Help me, Aibo!"

"..."

"Aibo, you're all I have now..."

Faced with Cana's sincere, burning gaze, Aibo simply couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Sigh, Gildarts, just look at the sins you've committed... It's not that I don't want to help you, man...

"All right, I'll help you..."

Cana stepped forward and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Aibo."

"This is enough. As long as I have Aibo, that's enough..."

Aibo carefully comforted her, but his heart had turned ice-cold. He had only looked away for a while—how had his adorable Cana started showing signs of going dark?

No! No! This wasn't how it was supposed to be!

It's all that bastard Gildarts's fault!