The morning sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, scattering spots of golden light across the bedroom floor. Riyao was stirred awake by the warm rays. His eyelashes fluttered, and with a lazy fatigue, he twisted and squirmed on the bed like a maggot.
His movements were too vigorous, causing him to stumble and tumble right off the bed. With a "thud," he hit the floor, the dull sound muffled by his half-asleep daze.
Before the sound of his impact on the cold floor had even faded, Riyao was already grumbling and cursing as he pushed himself up. His lower back slammed hard against the sharp corner of the bed frame, making him hiss in pain. He staggered a few steps, only to stub his toe on the bed leg, letting out a sharp "ow!"
He slipped into his dusty slippers and walked to the coat rack by the bed. Pulling on a white lab coat stained with traces of reagents, he bent down to stuff a dog-eared experimental notebook into his canvas bag. Before heading out, he didn't forget to give the wobbly bed leg a kick, muttering, "I've got to replace this piece of junk bed sooner or later."
When he had encountered Nirdo Longla last time, the man's transformation had truly been eye-opening. As a modified human, he was indistinguishable from an ordinary person when not transformed, with no visible signs of modification; however, once he transformed, a pair of physical wings would manifest.
This change looked like a bodily mutation brought about by Take Over Magic, yet it also resembled a metamorphosis triggered by Transformation Magic. It even seemed as if physical wings hidden within his body were being forcibly forced out.
But upon closer reflection, none of that seemed right. It was a chaotic mess with no discernible logic. He really didn't know how those Dark Guilds had managed to cook up such an absurd thing.
Riyao clicked his tongue, suddenly thinking of Tartaros. That was the gathering place for demons from the Book of END, and they were the most skilled at body modification. They could produce a resilient, battle-ready body in a short time, performing all sorts of common-sense-defying modifications with ease.
"This is bad, this is really bad. I hope I haven't been targeted by Tartaros. I have no way to defend myself right now."
If Tartaros were to show up now, the guild would be wiped out in minutes.
The current Gildarts could take on one at most, Makarov could handle another, and everyone else combined would just be there to take a beating.
How is that place any different from a scam compound? Being electrocuted, soaked in water... holy shit.
"No~ I still want to have an ordinary growth period."
He could only hope that Tartaros didn't want to expose themselves yet, focusing instead on infiltrating the Council to find the Councilors linked to "Face."
Riyao sighed and took out the samples he had collected from Nildo Longla. He hadn't had time to study them while dealing with the aftermath of the plague, but now he could give them a proper look.
He placed them into the Magic Detector to see if it could analyze anything.
Before starting his research, there was one more thing to do. Riyao skillfully took out three sticks of incense, lit them, and bowed toward the heavens.
"God Ankhselam, I'm not desecrating life, okay? I'm not trying to resurrect anything. This is purely for academic research."
"Praise be to life!"
How could Riyao not be afraid? There was once a blue-haired guy who used plant magic and begged him to see if he could resurrect his lover. At that moment, the hair on Riyao's neck stood up, and he felt as if something was watching him. He was so terrified that he immediately issued a statement: "I do not have the ability to resurrect anyone, nor will I ever research resurrection."
The analysis instrument finished its task. Riyao put on his speed-reading glasses and began to review the report.
He rubbed his chin and muttered, "He's already a different life form from humans. A demon? No, that's not right. Demons use Curses, but Nirdo Longla was using magic."
"Someone must be trying to replicate demons. Thank goodness, it's not Tartaros! It's likely the work of the Magic Development Bureau remnants." Riyao chuckled. "Oración Seis hasn't grown powerful yet, so I can rest easy for now. But I still need to keep a low profile in the future."
"The wings weren't forcibly stuffed into the body. What's the principle? Take Over Magic?"
"It's very similar, but what's certain is that those wings weren't 'taken over'; they literally grew out of his body." Riyao scratched his head frantically.
"Take Over Magic involves taking over other creatures to gain their original abilities and enhance one's physical attributes."
"Transformation Magic can simulate other creatures. Ordinary Transformation Magic is useless; it only changes the form."
"Gemini of the Zodiac's Twelve Gates can simulate someone a hundred percent, even gaining the memories of other beings."
"Enchantment Magic can reconstruct things. Living beings can also be reconstructed. Aside from Irene, probably no one can reach that level."
"My Healing Magic was given by that cheating goddess. Its essence is Life Magic. I could actually give it a try."
Riyao muttered to himself while scribbling on a piece of paper. The most prominent words on the page were "Healing Magic: Life Mimicry," with dense magic formulas and even biological knowledge from his previous life written below.
Knock, knock, knock.
Riyao was startled and shouted dissatisfactorily, "Who is it? I'm not signing up for cards, I don't want insurance, leave the delivery at the door!"
Gray's voice came from outside the door. "Riyao, the Master wants you to come over. There's a new red-haired member with an eye problem."
"Red hair? Is it a girl?"
"How did you know? Open the door first. Are you doing something shameful in there?"
Riyao had just stood up and was about to walk over when Gray used Ice-Make to craft a key, opened the door, and walked straight in, looking around and sniffing the air. Riyao looked at him with disdain and said expressionlessly, "What exactly are you expecting to find? Were you hoping to find a beautiful, fair-skinned girl in my room?"
Riyao walked out, kicking Gray out along the way. He grabbed a vial from a nearby shelf labeled "Eye Drops." He had been waiting for Erza to join the guild for a long time.
He had wanted to look for the Tower of Paradise where Erza was, but he only remembered from the original story that it was in the waters near some resort. He had searched but couldn't find any 'Akane... whatever' resort. Moreover, the current Fairy Tail lacked the strength to Face the power behind the Tower of Paradise—Tartaros. It appeared to be led by Ultear and Jellal, but it was actually manipulated by Tartaros; after all, Jellal's mind had been corrupted by a demon. Thus, Riyao could only suppress the urge to search.
Gray rubbed his butt and said grumpily, "You never know. You and the old man are always squatting by the entrance watching the girls pass by."
"What do you know? I'm observing the flow of life force. Think about it—if I'm going to observe anyway, why wouldn't I pick something beautiful to look at?"
"Then why do you steal the Master's magazines? Don't tell me you can observe life force through paper too?"
"You don't understand that either. That's observing the structure of life."
Riyao casually picked two apples from his own fruit tree, tossing one to Gray while taking a big, juicy bite out of his own. Gray didn't stand on ceremony; he came here to pick fruit often, as the fruit here was exceptionally delicious.
The two of them bickered as they walked, roasting each other all the way to the guild.