Raizel brought the four of them into the living room and poured a glass of water for himself and Wendy.
"Have you been waiting here for me these past few nights?" Raizel had noticed the clothes drying in the yard earlier.
Ultear leaned back on the sofa and said, "Yes, the three of us have been sleeping here for the past three days. We already informed Granny Hilda. Ur is still training in Hargeon."
"That's good. For tonight, you can all sleep here temporarily. I'll take Wendy to the Guild tomorrow."
It was still too early to sleep, so Ultear and the others wanted to ask Raizel what he had been doing these past few days and also inquire about Wendy's situation.
In front of Wendy, Raizel certainly couldn't say he had specifically gone to look for her.
He merely said he had encountered Wendy on his way to the forest, learned about her situation, spent a few days helping her search, and after failing to find anyone, decided to bring her back.
Ultear felt Raizel was definitely hiding something but didn't expose him.
She knew that if Raizel used his Archieve Magic to search for someone, it wouldn't be that troublesome, especially if the range was limited.
It was strange that Raizel had gone to such lengths to search something.
They had even planned to help Wendy create some missing person posters.
Only after Wendy explained at great length did they learn from her that Grandeeney wasn't a person but a genuine dragon.
Both Ultear and Erza found it very strange.
Dragons had disappeared for over 400 years; apart from the Black Dragon from the Apocalypse and the legendary Dragon King Festival, there had been no news of any dragons.
For someone Wendy's age, such a massive creature shouldn't have remained completely unheard of.
They made several guesses, but none seemed reasonable.
The best way to deal with a difficult problem is to avoid it... After failing to figure it out, they decided to stop thinking about it.
They would deal with it if they ever actually encountered a dragon.
Since they had decided to have Wendy join the Guild, Ultear had even planned to start teaching Wendy writing and meditation.
Unexpectedly, Wendy said she had already learned writing and knew magic, though her description wasn't very clear—sometimes she called it healing, sometimes detoxification, and other times Dragon Slayer Magic.
In reality, however, Wendy didn't know much.
What she did know was related to her Sky Dragon Slayer Magic; she lacked general knowledge and understanding of most written language.
Finally, Raizel summarized it for them, "What Wendy is referring to is probably Sky Dragon Slayer Magic, likely taught by her mother, the Sky Dragon Grandeeney."
"Sky Dragon Slayer Magic? Isn't that a lost Magic like Laxus?" Ultear was visibly shocked upon hearing about Sky Dragon Slayer Magic.
"Not only that, but healing magic as well. So, does that mean Wendy's ability is healing?"
Healing magic was exceptionally rare.
Apart from Porlyusica, whom Erza had seen use proper healing magic, she had only heard of Ichiya's fragrance from Blue Pegasus, which could only relieve pain and provide minor relief, far from true healing
"No, Dragon Slayer Magic is meant for combating dragons. Healing should only be one aspect of it."
Ultear asked Wendy to demonstrate her abilities in the courtyard.
At present, Wendy couldn't use offensive spells like Roar or Wing Attack.
However, she had mastered her support enchantments.
"Troia!" (Balance/Anti-Motion Sickness) "Vernier!" (Speed Boost) "Arms!" (Attack Power Boost) "Armor!" (Defense Boost)
And, of course, her healing magic.
"Is this the power of Lost Magic?"
Ultear watched as Erza moved around the yard.
Under the effect of Vernier, Erza's speed had increased noticeably.
It wasn't a massive jump yet, but considering Wendy was only five years old and had low magic power, the potential was terrifying.
Erza was already fast; with these buffs, she would be untouchable.
Even if she couldn't attack, Wendy would at least become a superb support in the future.
Seeing this, Ultear could mostly guess that Raizel's trip was for Wendy's sake—she was a formidable asset.
She glanced at Raizel with an "I've seen through you" expression, making him quite embarrassed.
He scratched his nose to hide his reaction.
"It's too late tonight. Let's take Wendy shopping tomorrow."
Ultear checked the time—it was already 11 PM. They had been chatting without realizing how late it had gotten.
The day after Raizel flew with Wendy to search Grandeeney, he took her to town to buy two sets of clothes.
Wendy had come from 400 years ago with only one outfit, and the summer heat made it uncomfortable not to change.
However, considering they were outdoors, he hadn't purchased daily necessities, so they needed to stock up properly upon returning to Magnolia.
Wendy was already getting sleepy.
For a five-year-old, staying up this late was quite an effort—she wasn't as energetic as Natsu, that lively troublemaker.
Ultear and Erza took Wendy for a bath, but an issue arose when assigning rooms.
"Wendy, how about sleeping with Sister Ultear or Sister Erza?" Raizel patted Wendy's head as he spoke.
"No! I want to sleep with you!" Wendy's voice grew louder as she tightly gripped Raizel's arm.
He had been by her side these past few days.
Despite trying to persuade her for over ten minutes, Wendy wouldn't agree.
At just five years old, children could be quite stubborn!
"You should stay with her for now. You've been with her these past few days—it's normal for her to depend on you." Ultear looked at Wendy and remembered her own childhood—back when she first returned to Ur and was terrified her mother would disappear if she looked away.
Ultear reorganized the sleeping arrangements.
She asked Kagura to sleep in the room with Wendy and Raizel.
Since Kagura had been the "little sister" for so long, Ultear thought it would be good for her to practice being a "big sister."
...
In Raizel's room—
"Alright then. You sleep first. I'll stay right here."
Wendy lay on the left side of the large futon, with Kagura beside her.
Wendy turned on her side, clutching Raizel's hand with both of hers.
"You can't leave," she whispered.
"I won't. Go to sleep." Raizel used his free hand to gently pat her head.
Wendy was exhausted.
Within minutes, her breathing evened out, and she fell fast asleep. Raizel slowly, carefully, extracted his hand from her grip.
Kagura wasn't asleep yet. Hearing Raizel move, she opened her eyes.
Raizel pointed to the door.
He mouthed silently: I'm going to the living room. Keep an eye on her.
Kagura nodded slightly.
Raizel smiled. He really wanted to praise her. Even though she was young, Kagura was reliable and required no extra care.
Wendy was a deep sleeper.
Raizel had checked on her multiple times during their journey, and she never kicked off her blankets. Asking Kagura to watch her was just an extra precaution.
Raizel backed out of the room and closed the door without making a sound.
He grabbed a blanket from the closet and lay down on the living room sofa.
From here, he had a clear view of the hallway. If Wendy woke up and came looking for him, she would see him immediately.
He wasn't tired, so he lay there staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
'She needs combat training', he mused. 'But there's no rush.'
He didn't need to worry about teaching her Dragon Slayer attacks like Sky Dragon's Roar or Wing Attack. N
atsu could teach her the basics of how a Dragon Slayer fights later; the principles were similar enough.
As for the advanced Secret Arts (like Shattering Light: Sky Drill), they could visit Porlyusica once Wendy had mastered the basics.
Since Porlyusica was the Edolas version of Grandeeney, she would possess the knowledge Wendy needed.
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