Riyao recalled his constant streak of bad luck in the guild and, after some mental calculation, took the initiative to offer to lead Erza on her first request.
"Old man, Erza hasn't done her first request yet, right? According to our guild's old tradition, a veteran always leads a newcomer through their first mission. Why don't you let me take her?"
Makarov squinted and stroked his beard, finding the arrangement perfectly suitable. He nodded immediately. "In that case, I approve. Erza, go pick a suitable request."
With the Master's approval, Erza instantly straightened her back, her expression incredibly solemn and her tone powerful. "I will not fail the Master's trust!" After speaking, she walked briskly toward the request board with a hint of excitement in her step.
Riyao, meanwhile, hunched his shoulders and cautiously hid behind Gildarts, grumbling to himself, "There's always some peasant out to get me."
Gildarts looked at his cowardly state, raised an eyebrow helplessly, and teased, "Riyao, you brat, did you do something wicked out there? Like breaking some girl's heart? You're so unlucky today."
Riyao looked up and gave him a massive, blunt eye-roll. "Stinky old man, do you think everyone is like you, flirting everywhere only to have their own daughter show up at the door to claim them?"
Cana, standing nearby, immediately chimed in, sighing with feigned grievance. "Yeah, yeah. Poor me, all alone, traveling across mountains and rivers to find the guild, only for that bastard father of mine to not recognize me at all. He only realized it after someone else pointed it out. It's truly heartbreaking."
Gildarts was suddenly at a loss, frantically trying to coax his daughter. He then turned and glared fiercely at Riyao. Under that glare, his powerful magic power leaked slightly out of control, and an invisible pressure suddenly fell, pinning Riyao hard against the ground. Yet, instead of feeling guilty, Gildarts put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly.
"Hey, hey, hey! Stinky old man, you did that on purpose, didn't you! Pull back your magic! Are you trying to murder the future pillar of the guild?"
"Pillar? You look more like an unlucky idiot to me."
Riyao finally managed to pull his upper body out from under the magic pressure and brushed the dust off himself, looking indignant. "I've been staying in the guild minding my own business. Today is just inexplicably weird. What can I do about it!"
On the other side, Erza had already picked out a request and quickly handed it to Makarov. The Master took the request form, squinted at it for a moment, and finally nodded in approval.
While Riyao was still bickering with Gildarts on the floor, Erza walked over with the request. He had no choice but to stop, and he happily followed Erza out the door toward the mission location.
Riyao took the request first and quickly scanned the contents: Clear out the magic beasts in the abandoned mine outside the city; known inhabitants include Shadow Spiders and Ore-Eating Giant Rats. Because the mine had been abandoned for a long time, it had been overrun by magic beasts that would emerge at night to attack passersby. The reward money wasn't particularly generous, but it came with a set of armor and a matching longsword as a bonus.
Riyao finished reading and handed the request form back to Erza, while simultaneously sidestepping to narrowly avoid sewage being thrown out of a nearby shop. The shopkeeper, Wyndham, poked his head out and waved his hands apologetically. "Sorry, sorry, little Riyao! I didn't notice someone was passing by."
Riyao waved it off casually, his tone easygoing. "It's fine, Uncle Wyndham."
As the two walked side-by-side toward the outskirts of the city, Riyao vigilantly dodged the small accidents that popped up from time to time while asking casually, "First time on a request, nervous?"
Erza gripped the sword at her waist, her eyes serious but also carrying a hint of greenness. "A little, but I'm more excited. I want to complete a Fairy Tail mission using my own strength."
"Don't worry, with me here, the Shadow Spiders and Ore-Eating Giant Rats won't stand a chance." Riyao patted his chest, but just as he finished speaking, his foot slipped, and he nearly stepped into a roadside puddle, barely steadying himself.
The smile on Erza's lips grew a bit wider. "Senior seems... even busier than the magic beasts."
"Hey, that's not my fault. My luck is just off today," Riyao pouted. "Once we get into the mine, you'll see what I'm like when I'm being reliable."
"Yes, I believe you, Senior." Erza nodded gently, her gaze fixed on the gray mine in the distance. "Let's hurry. Clearing the magic beasts sooner will give peace of mind to those traveling at night."
Riyao felt uneasy all over, as if he were being watched intently. Unfortunate events kept finding him one after another. Fortunately, he was prepared and managed to dodge most of the senseless disasters.
The outskirts of Magnolia.
Erza deliberately kept a distance of about three meters from Riyao, stifling a smile as she spoke softly, "Senior Riyao, do you want to go to the nearby stream and clean the dog poop off your shoes?"
"You're clearly laughing, I saw it. I never expected you to be this kind of Erza," Riyao replied crossly.
He really couldn't figure out the reason. From the moment they stepped out, his bad luck hadn't stopped. He even started to secretly speculate if some fellow transmigrator had brought a Golden Finger specifically to mess with him. The key was that he hadn't investigated any fellow transmigrators; could the person behind Nirdo Longla be one? If so, he was doomed—he didn't know how to use a boomerang.
Riyao shook his head and stopped overthinking. If it were true, there were no clues now; if not, there was even less reason to waste his thoughts.
Just then, as Erza turned around, the old longsword hanging at her waist suddenly swung out and hit Riyao's vitals without missing a beat. Riyao's legs went weak, and he instantly knelt on the ground, his eyes vacant and glazed over as he muttered weakly, "May broken things bring peace..."
Erza panicked immediately and rushed forward in a fluster, asking repeatedly, "Senior Riyao, are you okay? Are you okay?"
Am I going to have to call her'sister' from now on... like hell I am! Riyao roared inwardly, quickly circulating the Healing Magic in his body. He barely managed to recover and stood up steadily again.
He stood up, pretending to be as calm as a breeze, and forced himself to act composed. "I'm fine, just chilling. A minor fatal wound like this is nothing."
"It's just that you almost got the chance to be my older sister. No big deal."
Erza cautiously stepped forward to support him, promising with a face full of guilt that she would be more careful from now on.
The two finally arrived at the entrance of the abandoned mine. The inside was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and it exuded a sinister chill.