Fairy Tail: This Healing Mage's hits hurt so much!

An elegant and luxurious Western European-style hall is nestled in the mountains, surrounded by beautiful scenery, with sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on the stone steps.

A long table was set up in the hall, piled high with food and drinks, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of roasted meat and aged ale.

The guild leaders were drinking to their hearts' content, their boasts rising and falling amidst the clinking of glasses.

Makarov stood in the center of the crowd, his short frame barely reaching the tabletop even with his foot on a chair, yet his presence was in no way inferior to the others. He had one arm around Riyao's shoulder and held up a wine glass larger than his head in the other, his face flushed as he proudly showed it off to those around him.

"Hahaha! This is our guild's top star! The kingdom-renowned healing mage!" Makarov patted Sunrise on the back with such force it was like beating a drum. "What guild wouldn't have lived in vain if it didn't have such a junior!"

Riyao staggered forward after being hit, his lips twitched, but he still managed a polite smile and nodded to those around him.

Bobu, the president of Blue Pegasus, approached with elegant steps. His slender fingers, adorned with delicate orchid-like gestures, gently poked Riyao's arm, his eyes and brows brimming with laughter: "Oh dear, when will little Riyao come visit Blue Pegasus? Or how about experiencing being a male escort? He'd definitely be our star attraction!"

As he spoke, he drew a circle on Riyao's shoulder with his fingertip, his eyes full of calculation.

Riyao reflexively took two steps back, crossed his arms in front of him, and his smile instantly froze: "Forget it, if Mira knew I dared to become a male escort, she would definitely hang me up and beat me for three days and three nights... no, at least a week."

He subconsciously touched the back of his head, as if he could already feel the pain that might come, and shrank his neck.

Barnabas, the leader of the four-headed hounds, squeezed in from the side, his wild, long gray hair swinging with his movements. He stretched out his calloused hand in a rock and roll gesture, his voice booming like he was at a concert: "Wild!!! Sunshine Bro's physique is getting stronger and stronger! Look at those muscles! Look at that build!"

Riyao got a little carried away by the praise, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up. He bent his arm crisply and bulged out his not-so-large biceps, and even turned the angle so that the light would shine on the muscle lines, and showed off by shaking it a couple of times.

President Auba, with her mermaid heels, walked over holding a wine glass. Her voluptuous figure swayed gracefully, and she swung her bright red nail polished fingers, letting out a series of hearty laughs: "Oh ho ho—the youthful energy is truly..."

Goldman of Snake Scale crossed his arms, raised his chin slightly, and said with a hint of smugness, "Hmm... he's about on par with that brat Jura from our family." His tone was clearly praising someone, but he insisted on adding "brat," though the pride in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Many guild leaders took the opportunity to approach him, some patting him on the shoulder, some offering him drinks, and some even grabbing Riyao's hand and shaking it vigorously, all trying to become acquainted with him so that they could ask Riyao for help in the future if any of their guild members got injured.

Riyao welcomed everyone with a smile and responded to each one, but his eyes would occasionally sweep across the venue, as if searching for someone.

He looked around, his gaze sweeping across every corner, and finally frowned slightly, but he couldn't find the old man Joseph.

"He didn't come this time..." Riyao stroked his chin, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. He muttered to himself, "Looks like I can't let him pull my pants this time. Did he get caught the last few times? That shouldn't be the case; he was pretty discreet..."

In the Ghost Guild's restroom, Joseph, clutching a tissue, struggled to get up: "Why do I get diarrhea every time I attend that damned meeting? Now, I feel like I need to go to the toilet whenever I hear about a meeting."

Riyao shook his head, refocused, and joined the boasting crowd.

"Let me tell you, I almost became sworn brothers with the Celestial King!" Sunshine leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, rested one hand on his knee, and casually twirled his wine glass with the other. His tone was nonchalant yet tinged with regret. "Unfortunately, the other Celestials didn't want another boss, so they ruined it. Sigh... what a pity."

He sighed, but his expression clearly said, "I'm someone the Celestial Spirit King has his eye on."

Bob leaned closer, lowered his voice, and gently touched Riyao's wrist with his delicate fingers, his tone unusually devoid of playfulness: "Leo...are you alright?"

Riyao paused in his swirling of the wine glass, his fingertips resting on the rim, his smile slowly fading. He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath them, and remained silent for two seconds before speaking.

"It's disappearing... I can't help it, it's the power of the contract."

Makarov sighed as well, his short frame leaning back in his chair, a hint of heartache flashing in his cloudy old eyes: "Loki, that boy..."

Riyao glanced at Makarov, a slight smirk playing on his lips, and said with utter contempt, "Old man, how dare you call someone a kid? They're way past their age."

Makarov's beard bristled instantly, his face flushed with anger, and he jumped off the chair, kicking Riyao with his leg.

"You brat!"

Riyao was prepared. With a quick turn of his feet, his body spun smoothly halfway around as if carried by the wind, easily dodging Makarov's flying kick.

He relaxed his back slightly, slowly tilted his head back, raised his chin to a just-right angle, and casually raised one hand, his slender fingers brushing back through the stray hairs on his forehead. The movement was casual yet flamboyant, as if he was too lazy to even bother to dodge properly.

His lips curled into a crooked smile, exuding a roguish charm and a hint of smugness. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked down at the furious Makarov.

"this one?"

Makarov nearly choked on his breath. His short body swayed, and he fumbled in his pocket for a while before pulling out a crumpled little medicine bottle. He poured out two Vitamin C tablets, swallowed them dry, and then patted his chest hard, his beard twitching.

Don't get angry, don't get angry. It's not worth ruining your health. We're in a meeting right now, with so many old friends watching. I have to maintain the chairman's dignity... I can beat up this brat when we get back!

He muttered to himself, the redness on his face slowly fading, but his glare at Riyao remained fierce.

Riyao shrugged, looking like a scoundrel who said "do as you please," and even thoughtfully handed over a glass of water.

Makarov took the water glass and gulped down a large mouthful before his heartbeat finally calmed down.

Goldman, Barnabas, and Bob, who were standing to the side, burst into laughter at the same time.

"Hahaha! Old Ma is still as energetic as ever!" Barnabas slapped his thigh, his rock-and-roll gestures almost flying off, his long gray hair shaking violently with his laughter. "His temper hasn't changed a bit!"

Bob laughed so hard he forgot to even bother with his delicate fingers, clutching his stomach and bending over, tears welling in his eyes: "Oh my, seeing this scene suddenly makes me miss the days in Fairy Tail! Back then, every day was so lively!"

Goldman crossed his arms, a nostalgic smile playing on his lips, his gaze becoming distant: "Yeah... back then, the guild was in constant chaos, the walls were being smashed every few days..."

He paused, a hint of wistfulness in his voice: "Thinking about it now, it really brings back fond memories."

The three of them smiled at each other, a warm light flashing in their eyes.

The three of them were once members of Fairy Tail.

Back then, the guild was noisy, chaotic, and completely disorderly, but it was also the warmest and most humane place. Every morning when you opened the door, you were always greeted by a cacophony of noise, the sound of wine glasses being smashed, and the commotion of two people fighting each other.

Later, they each left and founded their own guilds. Blue Pegasus was elegant and gorgeous, Four-Headed Hound was wild and unrestrained, and Boa Hancock was calm and reserved. Each guild had its own style, but deep in their hearts, there was always a corner reserved for those days in Fairy Tail.

Bob straightened up, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his fingertips, and looked at Riyao with a smile: "Little Riyao, come visit Qingse Tianma sometime! We have lots of handsome men and beautiful women there!"

"Wildness!!! Bring four hounds! We'll have more fun here!" Barnabas slammed his fist into his palm, his voice so loud it made the wine glasses on the table tremble.

Goldman coughed lightly, raising his chin slightly: "Ahem... The tea and snacks at Snake Princess Scale are quite good. Jura's tea-making skills are getting better and better."

As Sunrise watched the three former Fairy Tail members vying to invite him, his lips twitched, and he thought: Are they trying to steal him away?

Makarov, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but chime in, "Hey, hey, hey! You three, don't poach our guild members!"

The three of them turned to look at Makarov in unison and said, "Better than you? You're out picking up kids every day."

Makarov was speechless, his beard twitched, and in the end he could only groan and turn his head away.

At that moment, a staff member from the venue ran over carrying a crystal ball.