At the very instant that sharp ice spear had yet to fully take shape, Riyao's figure suddenly flashed like a ghost, crossing the distance between them in an instant to appear before Gray. He unceremoniously slammed a punch into Gray's defenseless stomach.
"Gray, you're too slow. Remember, in the world of martial arts—oh wait, in the world of magic—speed is the only thing that cannot be defeated."
"Ugh—" Gray let out a muffled groan. The intense pain caused him to instantly curl up like a cooked shrimp, clutching his stomach as he knelt on the ground.
Before he could even cry out in pain, Gray looked up with a dazed expression, his eyes filled with confusion as he rubbed his stomach.
Riyao didn't even give him a second glance. He patted the dust off his hands and walked straight out of the guild doors to elegantly head off on his commission, leaving behind only the silhouette of a man who hides his merits and fame.
At that moment, little Cana poked her head out from behind the bar, her eyes squinting into two curved crescents as she laughed: "Gray, did it feel like your stomach hurt like hell one second, and then suddenly felt very comfortable the next?"
Gray nodded blankly.
"That's Brother Riyao's Healing Magic at work," Cana giggled, covering her mouth. "He can cast Healing Magic while beating people up. He always says he has a healer's heart and can't bear to see others in pain, so he heals as he hits."
"But... this feels even worse than just getting beaten up!" Gray complained with a frustrated face. "That half-and-half feeling—I was clearly prepared to roll on the ground in pain, but then it felt comfortable in the blink of an eye. I don't even know how to vent my emotions anymore!"
Makarov stroked the tuft of white beard on his chin and roasted him mercilessly: "That kid did it on purpose. You only took one punch just now, so the feeling isn't deep yet. Just think, if he gave you a dozen or a hundred punches at extreme speed, healing you while hitting you, your brain wouldn't be able to react to whether it should scream in pain or feel comfortable. In the end, you'd just completely give up passive defense and be at his mercy."
Macao and Wakaba, those two old hands, also leaned over with their wine glasses, expressions of lingering fear on their faces as they continued: "That's not even the most wicked part. That feeling of pain stopping abruptly followed by the comfort of being healed—I almost peed my pants from the beating. What kind of decent person focuses their attacks on the lower body during a fight! That kid plays dirty."
Cana blinked her big eyes and said innocently: "Didn't Brother Riyao explain it? He said he's too short right now and can't reach the upper parts, so attacking the lower body is purely a choice made out of helplessness."
"Cana, you're still too young and too naive; you don't understand the dangers of this world at all." Macao patted Cana's shoulder with deep sincerity.
"Exactly, didn't you hear him shouting 'Jingle bells, jingle all the way' while he was hitting? That was clearly mockery!" Wakaba added indignantly.
Gray rubbed his chin, seemingly realizing some truth from this conversation. He suddenly looked up, the flames of hot-bloodedness reigniting in his eyes: "I get it! As long as I don't let his fists hit my body, it'll be fine. Next time I'm definitely going to give that bastard a beating and avenge this humiliation!"
"Gray, your clothes..." Cana pointed at Gray's bare upper body and reminded him helplessly.
"Ah? When did I take them off?!" Only then did Gray react, and he began frantically looking for his clothes.
Meanwhile, Riyao, who was out on a house call on the other side of town, suddenly let out a huge sneeze. He rubbed his nose and muttered to himself: Someone must be badmouthing me behind my back.
He decided that he must find another excuse to beat Gray up when he got back. For no other reason than the fact that the new sandbag really felt good to hit. In this hot summer, what a wonderful and pleasant thing it was to have a human sandbag with its own cooling property.
Riyao calculated happily in his heart: When that hot-tempered guy Natsu arrives in the future, I can hit Natsu in the winter to keep warm and hit Gray in the summer to cool down. Wow, life would be absolutely fantastic!
"Grandma Grace, try lifting your hand and see if the joint still hurts?" Riyao pulled back his thoughts and put on a gentle, professional smile as he spoke to the kind old lady in front of him. A soft green light was radiating from his hands, seeping into the old woman's joints like the warm spring sun.
Grandma Grace lifted her arm as told and moved it slightly. A smile appeared on her face as she said warmly: "Oh, it really doesn't hurt anymore! I don't feel a thing. Little Riyao's magic is getting more and more miraculous and powerful."
After carefully giving a few instructions on daily maintenance, Riyao moved on to the next house. Along the way, the town residents greeted him warmly, and various fresh fruits and homemade snacks were shoved into his arms.
It made sense; on this continent filled with magic, people capable of using magic for healing were as rare as phoenix feathers. In the memories of the original story, the only ones who could do this seemed to be Granny Porlyusica, who lived in seclusion deep in the forest, and Wendy, who would join the guild later—and both of them had intricate connections to the Sky Dragon's heritage.
Every time the guild members had a fierce battle, the main cast would return covered in injuries. They usually just slapped on some bandages and relied entirely on their monster-like physical constitutions to pull through and recover. As long as they weren't missing any vital parts, they'd be up and jumping again after a while.
In the Oración Seis arc, even Wendy, who hadn't fully grown yet, held the prestigious title of 'Priestess of the Sky.' This showed just how rare Healing Magic was in this world.
By the time Riyao finally finished all the healing commissions in Magnolia, he was sweating profusely from exhaustion. However, looking at the large bags of fruit and snacks in his arms, he still felt a sense of accomplishment. He dragged his heavy steps back to his dormitory room behind the Fairy Tail Guild.
He had just heavily placed the bags on the table and hadn't even had time to catch his breath when that little girl Cana poked her head in the door. Her sneaky big eyes scanned the room, and after seeing the "spoils" inside, she unceremoniously strode in and skillfully opened a bag of snacks, stuffing them into her mouth and eating with great relish.
Riyao's eye twitched slightly. Looking at Cana's entitled manner, he suddenly felt that this little girl already showed the faint shadow of the future bold and unrestrained drunkard Cana.
It must be the fault of all those drunks in the guild! Especially that chief drunkard, the old man.