A few days later, at the Fairy Tail guild.
Cana was half-sprawled across the tabletop, shrouded in gloom and looking utterly listless.
“…Hey, Gray, don’t you think… Erza and Aibo seem to have gotten a little too close?”
Gray was sprawled on the other side of the table, wrapped in the same oppressive gloom.
“Are they? I didn’t notice. All I know is that Erza’s incredibly strong. I’m wondering whether I really can’t beat her…”
“Do you even have to wonder? One punch from her and you’ll be flat on the ground, you useless piece of— Eek! Ahhh! Damn Erza! She’s actually holding hands with Aibo! When did they get so close? I’m clearly Aibo’s big sister!”
As Cana spoke, she began biting her handkerchief, staring fixedly at the two “siblings” who had returned to the guild behind Makarov.
“Erza?! This time, I’m definitely going to beat you!”
The moment Gray jumped in front of Erza, he noticed that she wasn’t wearing her eye patch:
“Huh? Erza, your eye’s healed? Congrats… Now fight me again!”
“You really are stubborn. Fine, I’ll take your challenge seriously. Aibo, give me a sword.”
Erza wasn’t wearing armor at the moment, but a simple dress, making her look like a beautiful young noblewoman.
A longsword suddenly appeared in Aibo’s hand, teleported from his house in Little Garden through Requip magic.
“Here.”
Five seconds later, the fight was over, and the guild wall had a black-haired spiky head stuck to it.
Erza smiled and handed the sword back to Aibo:
“Your magic is really useful. It pairs perfectly with mine. You have to teach me next time.”
“No problem. With a talent like yours, Erza, you’ll learn it in no time.”
The magic Erza had awakened was called [Knight Magic], though Aibo preferred to call it [Sword Control Art].
It was a magic that used magic power to control and amplify weapons.
Aibo had learned a little of it too, and then…
[Magic Control LV1: 3708/10000], [Knight Magic LV0: 3/1000]
This Knight Magic had actually appeared after the Magic Control skill, which showed that it was a strengthened application of magic power, a specialized version specifically for metal weapons.
Aibo guessed that Knight Magic itself was also a composite magic.
After leveling Knight Magic up to LV1, it would most likely convert into Magic Control experience plus a metal-control-type skill.
Magic Control itself was an extremely versatile skill.
A higher level in it would comprehensively improve one’s control over all kinds of magic.
The “Knight Magic” Erza had awakened was at least LV3, which was equivalent to her possessing LV3 Magic Control plus LV3 metal manipulation.
That was why she could use magic power to amplify her body so effortlessly and almost instinctively—equivalent to awakening with a free LV1 enhancement magic.
And that was on top of Erza’s already powerful magic power and keen combat instincts.
Even without systematic magical study, Erza could easily trounce Gray with sheer stats.
Honestly, Aibo was a little envious of Erza’s talent:
Though she had no LV4 skills, one LV3 composite skill was worth several, and it came with innate combat talent besides.
Her starting stats were even more lavish than his.
It was as if the heavens themselves were chasing her down to spoon-feed her.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was the protagonist.
“Wow, Gray lost that easily. Looks like Erza will have to shoulder the next generation of our guild.”
“How scary. Kids these days just keep getting stronger.”
Listening to everyone’s discussion, Makarov, leaning on his staff, was grinning so widely that his mouth nearly reached his ears, his eyes gleaming with delight.
[Wakakakaka! Those old geezers are going to die of envy! In a few years, I’ll take Erza to the regular meeting and show her off! Hahahaha!]
Today, Aibo had gone with Erza and the Master deep into the eastern forest to meet the Master’s old flame, Porlyusica.
She was an eccentric pink-haired old woman with extremely advanced pharmaceutical skills, a formidable apothecary.
She was the one who had healed Erza’s eye.
Though there were still some minor imperfections, it no longer interfered with everyday use.
Erza was very grateful to Porlyusica, and Aibo was more than a little envious of her potion-making skills.
But when Aibo asked her to teach him potion-making, she drove him out.
Apparently, the old woman didn’t like humans.
Still, Aibo wouldn’t give up.
He had been in this world for so long and had seen all kinds of strange magic, yet he had never encountered healing magic.
Whenever he asked, he was told that it had been lost.
Legend said that this world once had gods, and that the priests of the gods’ churches all knew healing spells.
But later, the gods all died, and healing magic was lost.
As a result, people today could only rely on bandages and doctors for treatment.
There wasn’t a trace of magic in it—it was pure science.
Porlyusica’s “potioncraft” was the most useful healing technique Aibo had encountered so far.
In any case, Aibo had already left a coordinate at Porlyusica’s place.
He planned to drop by and pester her from time to time, hoping that one day he would manage to learn some new techniques.
After Aibo had talked things through with her, Erza had emerged from her confusion.
She no longer hid alone in a corner, huddled up, but instead carried herself with striking poise.
Erza was the kind of serious-minded person who enforced what she considered right, but she tended to be strict with herself and didn’t impose her own standards too heavily on others—a bit like a “discipline committee member.”
For example, right now she had caught a certain spiky-headed fellow on the wall and was pulling clothes over his head, landing a couple of punches now and then to remind him to keep his clothes on.
Poor Gray trembled under Erza’s iron fists, his eyes practically beaten clear.
“Little Aibo, come sit with your sister.”
Cana took the opportunity to pull Aibo aside, pouting with a hint of jealousy:
“Aibo, tell me, who’s your favorite big sister? Between me and Erza, who do you like better?”
“…”
Aibo broke into a sweat.
Little girls were impossible to deal with.
Could they really get jealous over something like this?
“I like Big Sis Levi more.”
Cana: “?”
“Haha! I heard that! I heard it! I like little brother Aibo best too!”
Levi suddenly sprang out from behind Aibo, wrapped him in a hug, and pressed her cheek against his.
“No! Don’t do this! Not this! Damn Levi, give Aibo back to me!”
Aibo was engulfed in soft warmth and fragrance, passed back and forth as the two girls tugged him between them—he was having the time of his life.
“Enough fooling around, Sis Cana. Can I see your guild mark?”
“Huh?”
Cana’s pretty face flushed.
A little bashfully, she lifted the hem of her dress, revealing her slender waist:
“Here, if Aibo wants to look, then look… Eek! Little Aibo, what are you doing?”
Aibo had pressed his hand against the guild mark at Cana’s waist, and wave after wave of magic power radiated from his palm.
When Aibo removed his hand, the black fairy emblem on Cana’s lower abdomen seemed to have gained a faint pink outline—so faint that you would miss it unless you looked closely.
“This is the [Aibo’s Flying Thunder God Space-Time Flash, First-Form Mark] I came up with after studying script and spatial magic on my own. Of course, you can also call it [Aibo’s Mark].”
“?”
Cana stared blankly for a moment, blood rushing to her face as she stammered:
“W-what kind of weird name is that? Does that mean Aibo put his mark on me?”
“It’s actually just a spatial coordinate. As long as you activate it with magic power, Sis Cana, I’ll be able to sense your location, and then—whoosh!—I’ll be at your side.”
Aibo made a V-sign, wiggling his little fingers back and forth:
“My current teleportation range is nearly fifty kilometers. As long as you’re within that range, I can sense the mark’s fluctuations on you and come straight to your side. Pretty amazing, right?”
Actually, even without activating it with magic power, Aibo could roughly sense the coordinates of nearby marks, but there was no need to mention that, and he had no intention of telling her.
Cana touched the mark at her waist.
Feeling Aibo’s concern, warmth filled her heart, and she couldn’t keep the corners of her mouth from rising:
“I-is that so? But I, your big sister, would never ask my little brother for help. I should be the one protecting Aibo! Still, since it’s Little Aibo’s thoughtful gesture, I’ll accept it~”
Levi’s eyes lit up when she heard that, and she asked, clearly envious:
“Aibo! I want one too!”
“Okay, okay, don’t rush. Everyone gets one~”