Irene chased after Little Erza, turning into a streak of red light. Her figure pierced through the clouds, her speed increasing under the boost of Enhancer Magic magic.
From the ground, it looked like two shooting stars—one large and one small—streaking across the sky.
Ten minutes later, Irene pulled the red meteor into her arms. Her eyes were rimmed with red as she carefully scrutinized Little Erza.
By now, Little Erza looked to be about two or three years old. Her large eyes were open, and as she was held in Irene's arms, she softly called out, "Mama."
That single "Mama" shattered Irene's defenses instantly. In a flash, tears streamed down her face; she had waited four hundred years for this one word.
She gently kissed Little Erza and whispered, "You little brat, making Mama cry the moment we meet."
"Come! Let Mama kiss you again!"
"Hehe!"
She pinched Little Erza's nose with a silly grin. "Call me Mama again, let me hear it."
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't cry, don't cry! I won't ask anymore! I won't ask!"
"Why are you crying even harder? Stop crying. As long as you don't cry, I'll call *you* mom if I have to."
"Your father said I don't know how to raise a child and told me to send you to the Fairy Tail Guild."
"Dammit, what does he mean I don't know how? I've finished reading all the Parenting Manuals!"
"I'll take care of you for a bit first. If I do a bad job, then I'll send you there, okay?"
"For you, little brat, it was just a blink of an eye, but Mama waited four hundred years. He says I can't raise you? I'll show him!"
She carried Erza and flew toward the edge of the continent, muttering all the way, and soon returned to the small wooden cabin.
Just as she was about to push the door open, she suddenly stopped as if remembering something. She slowly set Little Erza down at the entrance and walked inside with flushed cheeks.
She almost forgot—there was still a naked man lying inside.
If Little Erza saw that, it would leave a massive shadow on her soul.
Of course, Acnologia must never find out either, or he would definitely beat her to death!
...Two months passed in a flash.
"You brat, why are you so disobedient? No peeing on the bed! You even peed on your father!"
"Get down this instant! You're washing your father's pants yourself; I'm certainly not doing it!"
"Dammit, whose kid is like this? Why are you so naughty? Come here and drink your milk!"
"Aiyaya, you dare pull my hair? See if I don't spank you! I'll smack your butt into eight pieces!"
"What are you crying for? Stop it! Fine, fine, fine! I give up! I won't hit you, just stop crying!"
"Baby! Don't cry! Mama loves you! Mama will make you something delicious!"
"Aaaaaah! Cry then, just cry, you brat! Cry yourself to death for all I care! You weren't this much of a crybaby before you crossed over!"
In just two months, Irene had been driven to the brink of collapse by Little Erza. No sleep in the middle of the night, changing diapers, washing bedsheets... the girl was jumping and bouncing around every day, destroying everything. Irene didn't know where she got all that energy.
Wearing two dark circles under her eyes, Irene spoke with an expression of utter speechlessness. "It's all your dad's fault. What kind of crappy Parenting Manual did he write? Nothing in it matches you. Go shake him awake and let him take care of you."
"I might as well just send you to Fairy Tail. Anyway, I can see you whenever I want just by opening my eyes. Without you bothering me, your dad and I can finally have some alone time."
Irene suddenly felt that Acnologia's previous suggestion to send the little brat to Fairy Tail was such a brilliant idea.
Right now! Immediately!
She picked up the still-giggling Little Erza and said fiercely, "Your mom can't bring herself to hit you, so let's see if those people will. If you get beaten up, I'm not helping you hit back."
Soon, she was muttering all the way again as she arrived at Magnolia Town. She had heard the Fairy Tail Guild was located here.
She found a random person and asked about the specific situation of the Fairy Tail Guild.
How should she put it... it was a bit strange!
Although it was the strongest guild here, its reputation didn't seem very good?
It seemed to have some connection to Dark Guilds... "Whatever, a Dark Guild is fine. Your dad and I aren't exactly good people anyway. If you learn to be a bit bad, at least you won't get the short end of the stick in the future."
Irene arrived at the Fairy Tail Guild's base. What met her eyes was a castle in warm tones, with a flag hanging above it that looked like a wing with a small tail.
"Yep, this is definitely the place!"
She suppressed her aura, pretending to be a passerby, and stole a few glances inside. Her evaluation consisted of only one word.
Chaos!
People were fighting, people were drinking, and there was a balding old man sitting on a table.
Irene doubted if she had made a mistake. Was this really the guild Acnologia had chosen for Little Erza?
However... remembering that Acnologia said he had seen the future, Irene felt she should trust him.
She looked down at Little Erza, who happened to look up at the same time, her cute large eyes full of curiosity.
"Don't look at me like that. Trying to play the pity card again, are we?"
Irene pointed at the nearby Fairy Tail Guild and said, "Go over there yourself. That's where you belong."
Little Erza pouted and started walking over with her short legs, showing no fear at all.
"Dammit! You didn't even call me Mama before leaving. If you had, maybe I wouldn't have let you go."
Seeing that Little Erza didn't seem to miss her at all, Irene ground her teeth in anger. She had raised this brat for nothing.
Soon, Little Erza skipped to the entrance of Fairy Tail and walked right in as if she owned the place.
A female drunkard sitting at a table immediately ran over, shouting, "Oh my, where did this little kid come from? Are you lost?"
Just as she picked up Little Erza, she let out a burp. The thick smell of alcohol made Little Erza quickly cover her nose and struggle to jump back to the ground.
"Little squirt, where's your family?"
A white-haired little girl walked over, pressed her hand on Little Erza's head, and a mischievous grin appeared on her face as she pinched and rubbed the pink, chubby cheeks.
For some reason, from the first moment she saw this girl, she had an inexplicable urge to bully her.
How strange?
Slap!
Little Erza had probably had enough of her and jumped up to slap her on the forehead.
"Aya! You dare hit me?"
The white-haired girl was furious and was about to teach this little redhead a lesson when the balding old man stepped forward and pushed her aside. "Go on, go play somewhere else."
"My name is Makarov, the Master of the Fairy Tail Guild."
Makarov asked with a kind face, "Little one, what is your name? Is there something wrong?"
"Erza! My name is Erza!"
"My mama told me to join the guild."
Little Erza could already speak some simple sentences. Of course, if her mother's educational level were higher, she could handle the difficult ones too.
Makarov was stunned. What kind of mother was so reckless as to send a two or three-year-old child to a guild?
"Where is your mother?"
Little Erza said, "She's hiding outside peeking. She told me to say I'm an orphan."
In a distant corner, Irene felt her blood pressure spike. That cursed brat, not listening at all. She desperately wanted to pull Little Erza out and give her a good spanking.
She suddenly felt a gaze looking her way. Her figure flickered and vanished in an instant.
Makarov frowned slightly. He seemed to have felt a fleeting magical power just now. Was that Little Erza's mother?
He was truly baffled. Who wouldn't raise their own child?
He looked down at Little Erza, who looked back at him with big eyes and whispered pitifully, "Do you not want me either?"
Makarov saw those cute large eyes turning slightly red, as if she might cry at any moment. His heart melted instantly, and he hurriedly said, "We want you! We want you! From now on, you are a member of Fairy Tail. From this day forward, we are family."
"Thank you for taking me in!"
A smile appeared on Little Erza's face. She knew this little old man was soft-hearted; if she acted pitiful, he wouldn't be able to refuse.
As for that irresponsible mom and half-dead dad...
Enmmm... forget about them!
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