Chapter 25
Elior POV
"You are a kind child."
Cornelia looked at me with a warm, almost motherly smile.
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
I never really knew how to respond when someone called me kind.
So instead, I simply smiled.
We continued talking for a few more minutes.
It was actually quite comfortable.
Cornelia was easy to talk to, and after seeing how much she cared about Cana, I could understand why the little girl was so attached to her.
Eventually, a question came to mind.
"What do you plan to do after you get discharged?"
Cornelia looked at me curiously.
"Cana told me that her father is also a Fairy Tail mage."
I paused deliberately.
"If you don't mind me asking… who is he?"
I already knew the answer.
But Cana had never actually told me her father's name, so I couldn't exactly reveal that I knew it.
Cornelia smiled.
"It's Gildarts Clive."
"Oh."
I pretended to be surprised.
"Him."
I nodded thoughtfully.
"I've heard a lot about him."
I had to be careful.
"He's apparently one of the guild's aces."
I shrugged.
"I haven't met him yet, though. I only joined the guild recently."
Cornelia nodded.
Then I remembered something.
"Hey, Aunt."
"Hmm?"
"Why don't you and Cana join the guild?"
She blinked.
"The guild?"
"Fairy Tail."
I smiled.
"I think you'd fit in perfectly."
She hesitated.
"But…"
She looked down at herself.
"I can't use magic."
Then she looked at Cana.
"Neither can Cana."
"So?"
I tilted my head.
"That doesn't mean you can't be part of the guild."
Cornelia looked confused.
"There are plenty of jobs in a guild that don't require magic."
I continued.
"Administrative work, helping around the guild, cooking, cleaning, taking care of supplies…"
I counted them off on my fingers.
"And I can introduce you to my family."
I smiled.
"You can even stay at our house if you don't have anywhere else to go."
Cornelia looked at me in surprise.
"And Cana…"
I looked toward the sleeping girl.
"She's Gildarts' daughter."
I grinned.
"With those genes, she probably has incredible potential."
Cornelia laughed softly.
"Genes?"
"Never mind."
I waved my hand.
"Anyway, I think it would be good for her to grow up around other mages."
Cornelia still looked hesitant.
I could tell she was considering it.
She just needed one final push.
So I pulled out my ultimate weapon.
I clasped my hands together.
"Pretty please?"
I looked at her with the best puppy-dog eyes I could manage.
Considering my face was apparently unfairly cute for a seven-year-old, I had high hopes.
Cornelia stared at me.
I stared back.
She sighed.
"…Fine."
My eyes immediately lit up.
"You win."
She smiled and reached over.
"But only because you asked so nicely."
She pinched my cheeks.
"Ouch!"
"You really are a cute child."
"That's not fair!"
She laughed.
"Sigh…"
She released my cheeks.
"We'll join Fairy Tail."
"Yes!"
I quietly celebrated.
Mission accomplished.
A little while later, Cana finally woke up.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"Mommy?"
"I'm here."
She hugged her mother.
I smiled.
Then I told her the news.
"Cana, you and Aunt Cornelia are joining Fairy Tail."
Her eyes widened.
"Really?!"
She looked at her mother.
"Really."
Cana's entire face lit up.
"Yes!"
She jumped off the bed.
"I get to play with Brother El every day!"
She then froze.
"And I'll be able to meet Dad!"
She began bouncing around excitedly.
I laughed.
"Looks like she's happy."
"Very."
Cornelia smiled.
That evening, I took food out of my spatial ring and served dinner for everyone.
Luna had been hiding inside my pocket for most of the day.
But the moment she smelled the food…
"Kyuu!"
She immediately poked her head out.
Cornelia froze.
Cana froze.
They both stared at the tiny white fox emerging from my pocket.
"What's that?!"
Cana's eyes sparkled.
"This is Luna."
I picked her up.
"She's a Moon Fox."
"A Moon Fox?"
I nodded.
"I found her during my mission."
Luna looked at Cana.
"Kyuu~!"
Cana immediately smiled.
"She's adorable!"
I introduced Luna properly to both of them.
Cana gently stroked her fur.
"She's so soft!"
Luna seemed to enjoy the attention.
Then she looked at me.
"Kyuu~?"
"Yes, you can stay there."
I smiled.
"Just don't steal her food."
"Kyuu!"
After dinner, I explained that Luna had been hiding in my pocket earlier when I first met Cana.
"She was supposed to surprise you."
I shook my head.
"But she forgot and fell asleep."
I gave Luna her milk.
She happily drank it.
Cana laughed.
"She's funny."
"She is."
After dinner, I stood up.
"Good night."
"Good night, El."
Cornelia smiled.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
"Meet me at the hospital entrance in the morning."
"We will."
I left the room.
Since I hadn't booked an inn for the night, the hospital staff offered me a room in their guest house.
Apparently, the head doctor's guest was treated quite well.
They gave me one of the best rooms available.
I wasn't complaining.
I took a shower, changed into my night clothes, and went to sleep.
(Next Day)
I woke up early the next morning.
After breakfast, I met Cornelia, Cana, and Nike.
It was around nine in the morning when we began walking toward the town's gate.
Nike had decided to escort us.
We had almost reached the gate when I suddenly stopped.
"Hmm…"
I looked at the wall.
Something felt wrong.
My magical perception spread through the area.
There was something strange hidden inside the structure.
Dark energy.
It was faint.
But it was there.
I walked toward the wall.
"What's wrong, El?"
"Something is here."
I placed my hand against the stone.
Then I applied a small amount of force.
Crack.
A fracture appeared.
Everyone stared at me.
I increased the pressure slightly.
The stone broke apart.
A hole about the size of my fist appeared in the wall.
I reached inside.
My fingers touched something cold.
I pulled it out.
An old bell.
It was ancient-looking, covered in strange markings, and dark energy was leaking from it.
Nike's face changed immediately.
"That…"
I narrowed my eyes.
"So this is the source."
I immediately surrounded the bell with Light Magic.
The dark energy hissed as it came into contact with my magic.
I quickly sealed the entire object and placed it inside my spatial ring.
"What was that?"
Cana asked.
I turned toward them.
"That was the source of the curse affecting the town."
Nike's eyes widened.
"The entire time…"
"The dark mage must have hidden it here."
I looked toward the town.
"Removing it will stop the source, but there's still dark energy spread throughout the area."
I couldn't leave that behind.
I walked toward the center of the gate.
Then I crouched down and placed both hands against the ground.
"Stay back."
Light began spreading from beneath my palms.
It moved through the earth.
Then through the streets.
Through the buildings.
Through every corner of Cranks Town.
My magical perception guided it toward every trace of dark energy.
I began purifying it.
The process was much harder than healing a single person.
The curse had spread throughout the entire town.
Every house.
Every street.
Every contaminated area.
I pushed my Light Magic through all of it.
My mana began dropping rapidly.
Fifty percent.
Sixty.
Then seventy.
My breathing became heavier.
Sweat formed on my forehead.
But I continued.
'Come on…'
I pushed a little harder.
'Just a little more.'
Finally, the last trace of dark energy disappeared.
I slowly removed my hands from the ground.
I was exhausted.
Around seventy percent of my magical reserves had been consumed.
But it was worth it.
I looked at Nike.
"The dark energy affecting the town has been purified."
I pointed toward the wall.
"And without that thing, there shouldn't be any more cases like before."
Nike stared at me in disbelief.
I smiled.
"Your town…"
I looked around at the people beginning their day, completely unaware of how close they had come to disaster.
"…and everyone living in it is safe now."
Nike's eyes became watery.
"Lord Elior…"
I sighed.
"Not again."
He smiled through his tears.
"Thank you."
I couldn't help but smile.
Maybe being called Saint-sama wasn't so bad after all.