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

The boundless desert was scorching hot under the blazing sun. The air distorted and rose in waves of heat. Even the wind carried scalding sand that stung our faces.

Riyao and Mirajane walked side by side on the soft sand. The sand under their feet was so hot from the sun that it didn't make either of them frown.

A faint golden magical aura floated on their arms, providing magical insulation and sun protection to completely keep out the high temperatures.

Adding magic is really wishful thinking.

Riyao kicked at the pebbles at his feet, gazed at the lonely hill in the distance, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Ugh, was it four or five days? My legs feel like they don't even belong to me anymore."

Mirajane, barefoot, gently rubbed her fair toes against the cool sand, looked up at the sky, and muttered to herself while counting on her fingers.

"Five days! I've almost forgotten what meat tastes like... How come there isn't even a rabbit in this desolate desert, but there are tumbleweeds growing in heaps."

As soon as she finished speaking, a round tumbleweed rolled past their feet with a "gurgle gurgle," as if in response to her words.

The two were no longer as glamorous as when they set off. Their hair was a mess, stuck to the back of their necks, with split ends like withered grass. Their clothes were covered in dust, and even their faces were covered in a layer of ash.

If it weren't for water magic, they would have died of thirst long ago, having not been able to find fresh water along the way. Taking a bath was out of the question, since they would be dirty the next day anyway, and they would have to save their magic for the trouble of the evening.

Speaking of trouble, I've had my share of annoyance from those little monsters these past few days. These guys hide in the sand during the day to escape the heat, but come out in droves to hunt for food at night, making it impossible for anyone to sleep peacefully.

They wanted to catch up on sleep during the day, but the scorching sun made it hard to open their eyes, so they could only force themselves to keep going. Both of them had faint dark circles under their eyes, revealing an undeniable fatigue.

Riyao smacked his lips, his tongue still tasting the dryness of the dry rations.

"How about we try grilling some insects? I heard that desert sandworms are rich in protein and taste really good grilled."

"don't want!"

Mirajane immediately wrinkled her nose, exaggeratedly shrank back, and waved her hands like a small fan.

"I'd rather die than eat that stuff! Just thinking about it makes me sick!"

"Sigh, if only I knew spatial magic, I could create a portable space and fill it with steaks and cakes before I set off."

Riyao sighed with a blank expression.

Mirajane glanced at him sideways and retorted without hesitation.

"Yeah, why don't you learn spatial magic? Think about it!"

"Well said, but don't say it again."

Riyao rolled his eyes and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"Ugh! My hair is already messy enough!"

Mirajane slapped his hand away, and the two bickered for a while before continuing to move towards the hill.

As he walked, Sunshine suddenly stopped, his fingertips rubbing the Virgo Celestial Key at his waist. The cool metallic touch invigorated him.

He cleared his throat and held the keys high.

"Baru-ko, come out!"

A golden star spirit array suddenly unfolded at her feet. After the light dissipated, a pink-haired girl dressed in a classic maid outfit appeared out of thin air. She bowed gracefully, her skirt sweeping across the hot sand with a crisp sound.

"Boss, what are your orders?"

Mirajane immediately perked up, her steps quickening as she approached, her eyes shining like two small lamps as she stared intently at Baluga—clearly placing all her hopes for a meat-eating meal on the Protoss.

Sunburst rubbed his hands together, a hint of anticipation in his eyes, and asked, "Baruga, can we bring food from the Celestial Spirit Realm here? Like... roast chicken, steak, or something?"

Barug spread his hands, looking apologetic: "Sorry, boss, food from the Protoss Realm can't be brought to the human world."

"Ah~"

Mirajane's shoulders slumped instantly, and the light on his face went out, making him look like a punctured balloon.

Riyao hung his head, looking disappointed: "Sigh, I guess I can't exploit bugs after all..."

"Does the boss have any other instructions?" Baluge tilted her head and looked at the two of them, her face as expressionless as ever.

Riyao waved his hand: "It's alright, you can go back now."

The Celestial Spirit Array lit up again, and Balgo's figure quickly disappeared into the halo.

After fading for a few seconds, Riyao took out an inconspicuous seed from his pocket, and a pale green life energy emanated from his fingertips as he gently infused it into the seed.

He threw the seed into the sand, and the tender shoots burst out of the soil with a "whoosh," growing wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye. The trunk grew thicker and thicker, and new buds soon sprouted from the branches, blooming with small white flowers. Before long, the branches were full of bright red apples, which weighed down the branches.

"More fruit, I'm so tired of it." Mirajane leaned listlessly against the fruit tree.

Riyao picked the two biggest apples, tossed one to Mirajane, sat down against the tree trunk, and took a bite. The sweet juice instantly soothed his dry throat.

"Sit down, Mira, rest for a while before you go."

These are disposable fruit tree seeds; they wither after bearing fruit, saving you a lot of magic power.

Mirajane nodded, brushed the sand off his clothes, sat down next to him, and started taking big bites of an apple.

The sweet fruit melted in her mouth, and she squinted her eyes in satisfaction, then suddenly poked Riyao's shoulder.

"Hey, Riyue, could you research disposable chicken, duck, or pork next time? I haven't had meat in ages..."

Riyao shrugged, a rare serious expression on his face: "No way, researching that would easily touch on taboos."

Mirajane paused in her apple-eating motion, tilting her head to look at him: "What taboo?"

Riyao leaned against the tree trunk, gazing at the distant sand dunes, his voice softening: "The taboo of Ankhseram, the god of life and death."

"god?!"

Mirajane sat up abruptly, her mouth agape in an "O" shape, forgetting to throw away the apple core in her hand.

"You mean God really exists?"

"Yes, there are scattered records on the mainland. You arrived late. Gildarts mentioned this in the guild before."

Riyao nodded and picked up a small pebble to draw circles on the ground.

"It's fine if I use my life energy to bring plants to life, but if I use it to bring animals to life, it's equivalent to interfering with the birth of life, and it's highly likely that I'll violate the rules of the god Ankhseram."

Mirajane's surprise gradually turned into worry after hearing this. She gripped Riyao's wrist tightly, her fingertips digging into it, her eyes filled with tension.

"Then... won't it be dangerous for you to force the fruit trees to grow? You used your life energy to fight before, were you alright?"

Riyao smiled and patted her hand reassuringly: "Don't worry, plants are different from animals. As long as it doesn't involve reversing life and death, it's fine. The seeds of plants have already given birth to life; I'm just accelerating the growth process. Using life energy to fight is just a matter of consumption."

As they spoke, the apple tree behind them began to turn yellow, its trunk withering at a visible rate, soon becoming a pile of dry branches that blended into the color of the desert.

Riyao stood up and patted the sand off his bottom.

"Have you rested enough? We should reach our destination in another day or two. After defeating the Stone Titans, we'll go to a nearby town for a good meal!"

"Okay! Ten steaks, please!"

Mirajah immediately put his earlier worries aside, clenched his fists, shouted, and his eyes blazed with fighting spirit again.

The two smiled at each other and continued walking towards the distant hills under the scorching sun. Their footsteps were particularly clear in the vast desert.