Everyone gathered around to watch the excitement, their exclamations echoing through the guild one after another.
Riyao curled his lip and said nonchalantly, "The Heterochromia is only temporary. I injected a bit too much Healing Magic, which dyed her pupil emerald green. It'll fade naturally after some time."
Levy tilted her head curiously and asked from the side, "When you treated everyone before, there was never any dyeing, was there?"
"That's because the previous injuries were relatively light, and I didn't use my full power. This time Erza's eye was almost 'withered,' and combined with the 'Eye Drops' I prepared, I used a bit too much force, so it got dyed."
Makarov narrowed his eyes, looking at him suspiciously. "These 'Eye Drops'... were they prepared in advance before Erza even arrived?"
Riyao remained unfazed and spoke frankly, "That's just a name. In reality... it's a Concentrated Life Force Solution."
Makarov stared intently at Riyao, trying to catch a hint of a lie on his face. Riyao wasn't about to be scrutinized so easily; he immediately winked back at Makarov and blew him a light kiss. Makarov shuddered all over and, without a word, slapped Riyao away. Riyao crashed heavily into a wine barrel that still had a bit of leftover wine. When he climbed out, he was soaking wet and sticky, looking quite pathetic.
Just as he was about to shout a complaint, his foot accidentally slipped on the ice Gray had left from the previous fight. He fell hard to the ground and even started coughing repeatedly after choking on his own saliva.
...
The guild was deathly silent for a few seconds before erupting into deafening laughter. Riyao was both angry and embarrassed, denouncing the group on the spot for being heartless, while secretly planning to tamper with their potions next time.
Just then, a piercingly loud alarm suddenly blared over Magnolia.
"All residents, please retreat to the safety zones immediately."
"Gildarts Shift, activate!..."
"Gildarts Shift, activate!..."
Erza and Gray were both bewildered. This was Gray's first time encountering this situation; he had joined the guild after Gildarts had left on his long journey and had never met this legendary Mage.
The two stared wide-eyed as the entire street began to transform, slowly revealing a straight path leading out of town. In the distance, a sloppily dressed man with orange-red hair wobbled toward them, looking quite dazed.
Cana stood at the guild entrance and shouted dissatisfiedly, "You old bastard, what are you dawdling for? Do you expect us to hang a banner to welcome you back?!"
Gildarts was stunned for a moment, then immediately broke into a grin. He came running toward the guild, skipping and jumping. As soon as he entered, he crashed straight into the newly risen Riyao. Riyao was sent flying again, smashing into the bar counter with only his rear end sticking out—a truly ridiculous sight.
Completely ignoring everyone else, Gildarts pulled Cana into a tight hug and nuzzled her face frantically, muttering joyfully, "Cana, Daddy missed you so much, hehehe."
Cana struggled desperately, shouting with disgust, "Stinky old man, let me go! Your beard is stabbing me!"
Makarov watched the father and daughter with a gratified smile, shaking his head with a chuckle.
Riyao finally managed to pull himself out from the bar counter and shouted fuming, "Hey! Why me?!"
Gray was doubled over with laughter, while Erza pursed her lips and quickly stepped forward to help him up.
"Hahahaha, Riyao you idiot, are you performing acrobatics for the public?"
"Pfft... Senior Riyao, please be careful."
"Hahahaha, haven't seen you in so long, what kind of tricks is this kid Riyao up to?" After being pushed away by Cana, Gildarts walked slowly over to Riyao, leaning down to look at him with interest.
Riyao rolled his eyes hard and complained, "Can you believe this, guys? This total turn-off Gildarts starts bullying his juniors the moment he gets back!"
Instead of feeling guilty, Gildarts slapped his thigh and laughed loudly, his beard twitching. "Hahahaha! It's been years, and you're still the funniest kid!"
Riyao had just been steadied by Erza and got even angrier upon hearing this. He reached out to argue with Gildarts: "You have the nerve to laugh? If you hadn't suddenly charged in, would I be in such a mess?"
No sooner had he taken a step than his foot landed on the wine spilled from the barrel earlier, and he slipped again. Erza was quick and reached out to pull him, but she only caught the corner of his clothes. Riyao lost his balance and fell toward a nearby dining table. With a "clatter," a whole plate of freshly served snacks landed right on his head.
Cream, jam, and biscuit crumbs covered his face, making him look like a calico cat that had just rolled over a dessert table.
The laughter that had just died down erupted again. Even the usually composed Erza turned her face away, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Riyao froze in place. He took a deep breath and wiped the cream off his face. Just as he was about to explode, his nose suddenly twitched.
"A-choo!"
A thunderous sneeze escaped him, sending the snack crumbs on his head flying, splashing right onto Cana, who was nearby watching the scene with a glass in hand.
Cana instantly bristled, "Riyao! You did that on purpose, didn't you!"
Riyao waved his hands frantically, "I didn't, I'm not, it was a total accident."
Before he could finish, his foot tripped on something, and he lunged forward, right toward Gray. Gray instinctively dodged to the side, and Riyao fell flat on his face, nearly knocking his front teeth out.
Gray clutched his stomach, laughing until tears came out. "I can't breathe... has Riyao been abandoned by the Goddess of Luck today?"
Makarov stroked his beard, nodding as he laughed. "It seems today is Riyao's unlucky day."
Riyao climbed up clutching his nose, his eyes slightly red—not from pain, but from anger. He indignantly brushed the dust off himself and decided to stay away from this group of bad friends, turning toward the bar to find a glass of water to quench his thirst.
But as soon as he reached for a glass, someone must have bumped the corner of the table while laughing, causing a whole row of glasses to come crashing down. Riyao scrambled to catch them, but instead of catching a glass, he was hit on the foot by a rolling wine bottle, making him hop in pain.
"Hiss~ Ow, ow, ow!"
Riyao flailed his arms around, looking both hilarious and pitiful. The guild was in stitches; even the usually quiet Levy was doubled over, clutching her book.
Riyao was completely deflated. He stood there with his head hanging, covered in wine, soup, and snack crumbs, looking like a hobo who had just crawled out of a trash heap. He looked up at the circle of people laughing hysterically and complained weakly:
"You... you heartless lot. Who on earth did I offend today..."
Gildarts walked over and threw an arm around his shoulder, laughing heartily. "It's fine, it's fine! After bad luck comes good luck!"
Just as Riyao showed a hint of anticipation, his foot slipped yet again. Carried by Gildarts' momentum, he plunged headfirst into the nearby wine barrel and vanished completely.
The laughter in the guild almost blew the roof off.