“W-well, the thing is…
I actually don’t know that many words either.” Cana looked a bit embarrassed.
She felt a pang of regret, wishing she hadn’t constantly zoned out when her mother had tried to teach her how to read.
Cain didn’t mind at all.
After all, Cana looked even younger than him; the fact that she could read anything at all was already pretty impressive.
Unlike him, who was currently completely illiterate.
“It’s fine.
Just teach me whatever you know.” Seeing Cain’s earnest expression, Cana felt it would be rude to refuse again.
She nodded.
“O-okay.
Let me go grab something first.” Soon, Cana returned carrying a thick, heavy book.
Cain had assumed she would bring back paper and a pen.
“This book teaches you how to read.
First, you have to learn the basic alphabet.
Uh, this letter makes a…” Cana set the book down, briefly explained the concept, and officially entered ‘teacher mode.’ However, her tenure as a tutor lasted exactly one morning.
It wasn’t that Cain gave up.
It was simply because he had perfectly absorbed everything Cana had to teach him.
She literally had nothing left to show him.
Even Cain was shocked by his own learning capacity—or rather, his newfound eidetic memory.
He originally thought it would take him at least a week, maybe longer, to master the basic alphabet and its phonetic rules.
But in just a single morning, he had completely memorized the pronunciation and structure of the basic letters.
Come to think of it, these basic letters functioned very similarly to the phonetic alphabets and pronunciation guides from his past life.
Once you mastered the foundational phonetic rules, learning to read actual words became a breeze.
Soon, the guild began to fill up and become as rowdy as usual.
But for Cain, who was entirely immersed in his studies, the noise might as well not have existed.
He grabbed a quick bite for lunch and immediately dove right back into the book.
Sitting beside him and watching this unfold, Cana felt like she was looking at a monster.
She couldn’t fathom how Cain found any of this interesting.
Studying was incredibly boring!
Playing with her cards and Shiro was much more fun.
“Woof!” Noticing his little owner’s gaze, Shiro let out a happy bark and affectionately rubbed his small head against Cana’s leg.
At that moment, Cana noticed Cain putting down his book.
Thinking Shiro’s bark had broken his concentration, she quickly apologized, “Did Shiro disturb you?
I can take him to play somewhere else.” “Huh?
Oh, no.
I’ve just been staring at the pages for so long that my brain feels a bit stuffed.
I needed to take a breather.” It took Cain a second to process her words before he quickly explained.
He scooped Shiro up into his arms.
The little white pup was absolutely thrilled to be held, happily licking Cain’s cheek with its small pink tongue.
Seeing Cain happily playing with Shiro, the slight worry in Cana’s heart vanished.
She then voiced the question that had been bugging her all day.
“Cain, don’t you get bored staring at a book all day?” Cain blinked.
Bored?
Why would he be bored?
The sensation of new knowledge flowing into his brain, being perfectly understood, and permanently absorbed was absolutely intoxicating!
Cana simply couldn’t comprehend Cain’s explanation.
Seeing her blank stare, it suddenly clicked for Cain.
Cana’s expression was the exact same look the chronic slackers and underachievers had in his past life.
Hell, he used to have that exact same look in his past life!
So this is what it feels like to be an academic genius?
It’s absolutely wonderful!
“By the way, Cana, can I take this book back to my room?” “Actually, I borrowed this book from the guild’s library.
Once you’re done reading it, just make sure to put it back.” “Library?” Seeing Cain’s confused expression, Cana remembered that he had only joined the guild yesterday and obviously didn’t know about the library yet.
She took Cain by the hand and led him to a specific room in the guild hall.
“This is the guild’s library.
You can read in here as much as you want.
If you want to borrow a book to take to your room, you just need to sign it out at the front desk.” “Thank you so much, Cana!” “Hehe, it’s no big deal.” Cain’s sincere gratitude made Cana feel a little bashful.
To her, this was just common knowledge.
Even if she hadn’t told him, he would have discovered it on his own eventually.
From then on, Cain fell into a highly disciplined daily routine.
He woke up early, ran a lap around Magnolia, and headed to the guild for breakfast.
After eating, he would grab that thick book and study.
In the afternoon, he would check the request board for simple jobs—like picking up trash, clearing debris, or acting as a temporary waiter for local restaurants.
Though the pay was meager, the jobs were easy and entirely risk-free.
The money he earned was more than enough to cover his daily food expenses.
His evenings were entirely dedicated to cultivating his magic power.
Speaking of which, Cain noticed that his magic reserves had grown significantly since the day he awakened them.
He wasn’t entirely sure why, but since his body felt perfectly fine, he just let nature take its course.
The truth was, this rapid growth was a direct result of the Demon Factor implanted into him back at the Bureau of Magical Development.
After his Light Magic had completely purified the dark taint of the Demon Factor, the remaining pure, potent energy was slowly being absorbed by his body.
Because of this, both his physical constitution and his magic capacity were set to experience a massive, continuous surge in growth over the coming period.
One morning, after finishing his daily run and returning to the guild, Cain was just about to open his book.
He was already a third of the way through it and figured he could finish the rest in about a week.
“Cain, I’m taking you to meet someone.” Makarov’s voice cut through his thoughts.
Cain suddenly remembered the Master mentioning this a few days ago.
Was it finally time?
Cain felt a flutter of excitement mixed with a bit of nervousness.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Master, who are you taking me to see?” “An incredibly skilled medical wizard.
She’s also an old teammate of mine.” Thinking of Porlyusica’s infamous misanthropy, Makarov added with an awkward laugh, “Her…
her temper can be a little difficult to deal with, but she’s a good person at heart.
Ha, haha…” The moment Makarov mentioned an ‘incredibly skilled medical wizard’ with a bad temper, Cain knew exactly who they were going to see.
Fairy Tail’s medicinal advisor.
The Edolas counterpart of the Sky Dragon, Grandeeney.
Porlyusica.
To be fair, Granny Porlyusica’s medical skills were nothing short of miraculous.
From what Cain remembered of the anime, she was the one who managed to successfully heal and replace Erza’s blinded right eye.
She was also the one who saved Makarov’s life after he was ambushed by Phantom Lord’s Element 4, an attack that completely drained his magic and left him at death’s door.
Following Makarov’s lead, Cain left the city limits of Magnolia and ventured deep into the East Forest.
Soon, a massive tree—so thick it would take ten men linking arms to circle it—appeared before them.
Built seamlessly into the base of the giant tree was a wooden door.
Clearly, the inside of the tree had been hollowed out.
Makarov opened the door and led Cain inside the treehouse clinic.
The moment they stepped inside, the potent scent of various medicinal herbs washed over them.
It wasn’t an unpleasant smell; in fact, it was quite refreshing and seemed to clear the mind.
The treehouse was lined with shelves neatly packed with countless unknown herbs, dried roots, and pre-brewed potions.
Before Cain could take a closer look, a voice laced with blatant annoyance rang out.
“Is this the little brat you wanted me to examine?
Hurry up, and once we’re done, get the hell out of my house.” The speaker was a middle-aged woman with long pink hair, wearing a dark cape adorned with dragon teeth.
It was Porlyusica.
“Haha!
It’s been a while, Porlyusica.
I see your temper is just as explosive as ever!” Makarov laughed heartily, trying to smooth things over.
Porlyusica completely ignored him.
She shot a sharp look at Cain and gestured for him to come closer.