Chapter 26
"Using Light Magic as your main offense, Script Magic to amplify it, and Teleportation Magic to maintain mobility... The idea itself is sound, but you’re still far too naïve, Marshall."
Gildarts sat down beside him and ruffled his hair.
"That’s a very typical academy-style approach. You calculate every spell and every drop of magic power as precisely as possible, aiming for maximum damage with minimum waste. You’re basically an artillery-type Mage who treats overwhelming offense as his defense."
"What’s wrong with that? That’s how a proper Mage should fight!"
"I never said you were doing it wrong." Gildarts chuckled. "It plays perfectly to your strengths, so you should keep developing it. But you can’t ignore your weaknesses either."
He tapped Marshall on the forehead.
"My advice? Start training your body properly."
"Are you serious? Why would a Mage need physical training? Reinforcing my body with magic power should be enough..."
"I wouldn’t lie to you about this. To be blunt, that fighting style will crush ordinary Mages, but it won’t help much against powerful Magical Beasts."
Gildarts’s expression grew more serious.
"A lot of Magical Beasts have extremely high resistance to magic. Most of the time, physical attacks are far more effective against them."
"Wait, seriously?"
"Heh. Do you know why I learned Crush Magic?" Gildarts flexed one arm proudly. "Because it deals both magical and physical damage. It’s ridiculously useful! Maybe you should stop learning every random spell you come across and focus on Crush Magic with me instead."
"I’d rather not destroy an entire city because I tripped over my own feet."
"Well... ahahaha!" Gildarts scratched his head awkwardly. "The stronger a spell becomes, the harder it is to control. There’s no helping that."
Marshall could solve the problem simply by learning another magic suited for physical damage.
It was not as though he had ever complained about knowing too many spells.
"Even assuming you’re right, what does any of that have to do with training my body?" Marshall asked. "Do Fairy Tail Mages have some rule saying we have to punch everything?"
"Of course not. Physical training is about increasing your chances of staying alive."
Gildarts held out his muscular arm and shamelessly showed it off.
"You already know Healing Magic has been lost in this era, right?"
"I’ve heard. I’ve spent nearly a year studying pharmacology too, but potions don’t seem nearly as effective as I hoped."
"You really have been busy..." Gildarts sighed. "You mean Porlyusica’s potions, right? Those are already considered top-class. You won’t find many pharmacists anywhere near her level."
He shook his head.
"But potions have limits, and you can’t expect to have the perfect medicine available every time you get hurt. What I’m trying to tell you is simple: you can’t deal damage if you’re dead.
"In an era without healers, most Mages rely on their own magic power to recover from injuries. The stronger and healthier your body is, the better that natural recovery becomes—and the less likely you are to die from a serious wound."
"...That really is a miserable state of affairs. Has nobody tried recreating Healing Magic?"
"Well, saying it has completely disappeared isn’t exactly accurate." Gildarts rubbed his chin. "As far as I know, there’s still one form of Lost Magic capable of healing injuries. The problem is that practically no one can learn it."
"What?! Why didn’t you lead with that?"
Marshall’s eyes lit up instantly.
"What magic is it? Where can I learn it? I want it!"
"Sky Magic. But its requirements are absurdly strict. Almost no one has succeeded in learning it for several centuries, so eventually people stopped trying."
Gildarts shrugged.
"I don’t know where you’d find any surviving books on it, but I’ll keep an eye out if you’re interested."
"Thank you, Gildarts! I’ll remember this kindness forever!"
"Don’t get excited yet. Even if you somehow learn Sky Magic, I’d still recommend continuing your physical training."
Gildarts began counting on his fingers.
"A strong body raises your magic-power capacity, improves the efficiency of absorbing magic from the environment, strengthens your resistance to magic, enhances your natural recovery, and can even improve your di—"
He noticed Cana sitting quietly nearby and abruptly swallowed the rest of the sentence.
"Ahem. Anyway, the benefits are endless. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience!"
[...He’s still too young. Better not teach the kid anything inappropriate.]
Marshall’s eyes gleamed as they shifted from side to side.
He had heard every word Gildarts had stopped himself from saying.
Now that he thought about it, he really had overlooked that particular benefit.
For the sake of his future happiness, Marshall decided that the first thing he would do after returning home was raise Body Conditioning to Level Three.
"You’re right, Gildarts. I’ll start exercising properly from now on."
"Good, good~ There’s one more thing I should tell you, though." Gildarts’s smile softened. "Stop rushing so much."
"Huh?"
"You’re already far ahead of nearly everyone your age. I hadn’t even begun learning magic when I was seven."
He placed a hand on Marshall’s head again.
"You don’t need to spend every moment of your life studying spells. There are things around you that matter more than magic.
"You can always relearn knowledge you missed, but if you miss certain people or certain moments, you may never get another chance."
"...You know, every once in a while, you actually say something that sounds intelligent."
"You little brat! Is that how you speak to the man who saved your life? Show some respect!"
Cana sat silently beside them, watching the strangely harmonious scene with complicated emotions.
[That bastard clearly knows how to act like a proper father. So why won’t he acknowledge us?]
"..."
Marshall realized Cana was still enthusiastically building an entire story in her own head.
He finally could not take it anymore and awkwardly changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, Gildarts... is there anyone important you haven’t visited in a long time? And I don’t mean someone from the guild."
Marshall did not know what else to do.
Cana had never wanted to reveal her identity herself, so he could not simply announce it for her.
Meanwhile, that hopeless bastard Gildarts appeared to have no idea he even had a daughter.
How was Marshall supposed to hint at something this ridiculous?
"Ahem. What I’m saying is... look at Cana. Don’t you think she’s beautiful? And adorable?"
"Marshall, you..."
Cana looked at him with a complicated expression before lowering her gaze and falling silent.
Gildarts, meanwhile, looked suspiciously between the two of them.
Then his face brightened with sudden "understanding."
"Oh! So you have a crush on Cana!"
He slapped Marshall on the back and laughed.
"Not bad, kid! You’ve got some of charm! But you’re still far too young for that kind of thing~ Anyway, that’s enough training for today. Let’s head back!"
"..."
’It’s over.’
’There’s no saving this man. He should just lie down and wait for his death.’
Marshall could not bear to look at him anymore.
With a slap of Spatial Magic, he sent Gildarts straight back to the guildhall, leaving himself alone with Cana—and with his scalp prickling from dread.
"Marshall..."
"Ahem. I’m here, Cana."
"You heard it a long time ago, didn’t you?" Cana asked quietly. "You knew I was his daughter."
"...Yes."
"So I was wrong."
Her voice grew increasingly bitter.
"He never recognized either of us. He completely forgot that he had a daughter and a son..."
"Cough! Cough, cough!"
Marshall hurriedly interrupted her.
"I’m not Gildarts’s son! I swear I’m not! I don’t even know who my parents were!"
He assumed that explanation would finally resolve the misunderstanding.
Instead, Cana stared at him and asked, "But you can’t guarantee that Gildarts isn’t your father, can you?"
Marshall froze.
’Wait.’
’Hold on.’
’Damn it... she’s actually right!’
He had absolutely no memories of his parents!
As absurd as it sounded, Gildarts truly could have been his father.
’How did I somehow trap myself in this mess?’
"That scumbag slept with women everywhere he went," Cana continued darkly. "He probably can’t even remember how many lovers he had. How could he possibly know how many children he left behind?"
Her face clouded over, and she clenched her teeth.
"Marshall, promise me that you’ll never tell him I’m his daughter. Promise me!"
"O-Okay..."
Marshall could feel the situation heading in a terrible direction, but it already seemed far too late to stop it.
"I’m done wasting my time on pointless fantasies. I won’t forgive him easily either."
Cana’s hands curled into fists.
"My mother never blamed him for anything, but he still owes me!
"I’ll become stronger—stronger than he is. Then I’ll defeat him face-to-face and tell Gildarts that he failed as a father! He never took part in his child’s life at all."
Her gaze hardened.
"That will be my revenge."
"Cana, I really don’t think you need to go that—"
"Help me, Marshall!"
"..."
"Marshall... you’re the only person I have now."
Faced with Cana’s sincere, burning gaze, Marshall could not bring himself to refuse.
’Gildarts, look at the disaster you created.’
’It isn’t that I don’t want to help you, my dude.... you’ve made it impossible.’
"All right. I’ll help you."
Cana immediately stepped forward and wrapped him tightly in her arms.
"Thank you, Marshall."
"This is enough. As long as I have you, I don’t need anyone else..."
Marshall carefully comforted her, but his heart was growing colder by the second.
He had looked away for only a little while.
How had his sweet Cana started showing signs of turning dangerously yandere?
’No! This isn’t how it was supposed to go!’
’It’s all that bastard Gildarts’s fault!’