Erza's fingertips lightly touched her eyelid, and a wave of guilt washed over her heart. A possibility took shape in her mind, making the tip of her nose sting slightly. She immediately stood up straight and bowed deeply to Riyao, her eyes lowered with solemnity, her voice carrying an unmistakable sincerity: "Thank you, Senior Riyao."
The corners of Riyao's eyes twitched uncontrollably. He quickly stepped aside to avoid her overly formal posture, his tone carrying a hint of helpless teasing: "Oh? I'm a'Senior' again? It's not that big of a deal, don't worry about it."
The honest Riyao added: "Besides, it might not even be because of that. I don't have the ability to foresee the future, so maybe it's for some other reason."
Makarov stroked his white beard, his brow furrowed in deep thought. He suddenly remembered that bottle of "eye drops" that had been prepared long ago.
Others in the guild whispered among themselves, their faces showing looks of half-belief and half-doubt; after all, the 'idiot attribute' here had always been quite contagious.
But there was still a smart one. Levy pushed the glasses up the bridge of her nose, the lenses reflecting glints of light, her tone certain and full of confidence: "According to the records just now, precognition magic should have helped that Mage avoid danger, yet he only lasted one day."
The truth is always one! That Mage saved his entire hometown; the number of people affected was vast and the impact too great, so the accident he encountered was also stronger."
"Brother Riyao unintentionally altered the future of Erza's eye. The scope of influence was much smaller, so the accident was also much weaker."
Riyao immediately gave a thumbs up, his eyes shining with approval as he nodded vigorously. Then he rubbed his hands together, his eyes filled with a sort of mischievous anticipation: "By the way, the records didn't mention the name of this curse, did they?"
Gildarts raised a hand to scratch his messy hair, tilted his head for two and a half seconds, and answered vaguely: "I didn't see one. Maybe there was one originally, but the records are incomplete. What I just said was mostly filled in by me based on the context."
"Why not call it the 'Aha Moment'?" Riyao grinned, his eyes flashing with cunning.
Cana carelessly toyed with the cards in her hand and rolled her eyes hard, her tone full of disdain: "What kind of messy name is that? And why name it at all? Aren't you afraid God will give you another'surprise'?"
Makarov looked at Riyao with a complex expression. He knew it definitely wasn't 'unintentional,' but since Riyao didn't want to say, he didn't plan to expose it.
While everyone was still arguing incessantly about the topic of "God," Erza carefully took out an exquisite strawberry cake box. The moment the lid opened, a faint scent of cream mixed with the sweet fragrance of strawberries drifted out. She held the cake, her eyes showing a hint of reluctance yet utter sincerity. Her fingers gripped the cake plate tightly, and after hesitating for a long time, she finally handed it to Riyao:
"This is my thank-you gift."
Riyao reached out without hesitation to grab the cake plate, his fingertips already touching the cool porcelain edge, a successful grin on his face: "Then I won't be polite. Let go."
"You must treat it well." Erza pursed her lips, not yet letting go.
"Don't worry, it will live a happy life in my stomach." Riyao raised an eyebrow.
"I specifically lined up for half an hour to buy this limited edition!" Erza emphasized, her tone full of treasure.
"Yes, yes, I know. I'll enjoy it thoroughly." Riyao nodded like a woodpecker.
"I didn't even have the heart to taste a bite myself," Erza's voice softened, carrying a hint of aggrieved expectation. "After you finish it, you must tell me in great detail what it tasted like!"
(ー_ー)!!
Seeing her look like she was about to cry, Riyao's mouth twitched. He helplessly let go and sighed with feigned distress: "Forget it, I won't eat it. I've had a toothache lately."
Erza's eyes instantly lit up like stars, and her reluctance vanished. She quickly pulled the cake back, her tone carrying an uncontrollable surprise: "Really? No, I mean, you really shouldn't eat sweets with a toothache. I'll treat you again when you're better!" As she spoke, she happily hugged the cake back into her arms and couldn't wait to scoop out a large spoonful and stuff it into her mouth, not even caring to wipe the cream from the corner of her lips.
Gray and Cana turned their backs, their shoulders shaking as they held back laughter until their cheeks were flushed red and even their ears were hot. Riyao rolled his eyes irritably and picked up the request form on the table to read it seriously.
On the surface, he was staring at the handwriting on the request form, but his mind was in turmoil: There are actually other deities? The trigger for this curse is definitely not as simple as altering the future. Otherwise, when Igneel and the others traveled from the past to the year X777, they should have suffered this curse too.
If they hadn't traveled, Natsu and the others would have died of old age in the past long ago. It would have been impossible for them to defeat the Black Dragon in the future. That is a massive change affecting the entire world.
He couldn't figure out the trigger conditions at all. Fortunately, it's only for seven days. If it were endless like Zeref's, he might as well find a hole to bury himself in, with a tombstone inscribed: "Ill-fated in later years, do not disturb."
That bratty goddess... she probably didn't know this would happen, right? Is that why she just casually gave me Healing Magic? Holy crap, thinking about it makes my hair stand on end.
Damn, I actually forgot to ask her name! Otherwise, I could at least offer a prayer for some peace of mind.
Bratty... ahem, Lady Goddess, please protect me!
A certain little loli, referred to as the "Bratty—ahem—Lady Goddess," suddenly slammed the thick book in her hand onto the floor. The loud "bang" made the corporate drone in front of her—who had just died from overwork and hadn't yet recovered—shudder, nearly sliding off his chair.
"Tha-that, Bra..." The corporate drone swallowed hard, the words stuck in his throat.
The little loli narrowed her eyes, her gaze sweeping over dangerously: "Hmm? What did you call me?" →_→
"La-Lady Goddess!" The corporate drone quickly changed his tune, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
On Riyao's side, he had already packed up the medical request forms and stood up to walk out of the guild gates. While he was down on his luck earlier, Makarov had quietly adjusted the pricing for medical requests. Previously, when Riyao was young, he needed to take small jobs step-by-step to practice. Now that the kid's strength was sufficient, taking on trivial minor ailments was a waste of talent, so he simply filtered out more than half of them.
However, the local residents of Magnolia still followed the old rules. It was thanks to their long-standing tolerance; in any other town, the fact that Gildarts occasionally got distracted and crashed into people's houses would have been enough for the guild to receive a mountain of complaints.
Riyao happily returned to his residence to pack his luggage, giving the fruit trees and medicinal herbs in the garden a good tending. After finishing all this, he walked toward the Magnolia train station. On the way, he happened to resolve two medical requests from families and was stuffed with many snacks along the journey.