Arcadios's back was as tense as a fully drawn bow, his chest heaving like a bellows about to burst, with bits of wood debris still clinging to his brow. He took three deep breaths while staring at Riyao's retreating back, finally managing to suppress the surging anger in his gut, and spoke in a low voice: "Lord Riyao, could you please explain exactly what happened here?"
Riyao was facing away from him, pulling on his shirt. He didn't even notice he'd misbuttoned one, and after scratching his messy hair, he waved a hand dismissively, his tone incredibly perfunctory: "Oh, it was just this and that, so and so..."
The entire forest instantly fell deathly silent.
The air grew heavy as lead, and the pressure was so low it was suffocating. A vein pulsed on Arcadios's forehead with a "thump," and he ground out each word through gritted teeth: "Lord! Ri! Yao! Please! Speak! Properly!"
Riyao, who had been acting dismissively, paused. He finally sensed the terrifyingly low temper nearby and laughed sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head. He quickly straightened his crooked collar, forced a serious face, and cleared his throat: "Alright, alright, I'll talk. Basically, a bunch of Punks were used by Nibu Longra to kidnap me and bring me here. They planned to kill me to avenge his brother, Nirdo Longla. That's all there is to it."
He paused and looked at Arcadios with a raised eyebrow: "That group of Punks belonged to the Dark Guild Zangai Family. Have you heard of them?"
Arcadios's face was as dark as the bottom of a burnt pot, and he spoke in a deep voice: "I haven't. They must be an insignificant, low-rate guild."
"Exactly, just a bunch of small fry," Riyao said dismissively, waving his hand. "Those Punks have been wiped out. Nibu Longra was just using them as human bombs anyway. The poison gas here should dissipate by tomorrow, so there's no need to send anyone to clear it."
Arcadios pressed down on his throbbing vein and nodded: "Understood. What are your plans now, Lord Riyao?"
"Going home! See ya!"
Before his voice could even settle, Riyao vanished as if his feet were coated in five hundred pounds of lubricant. He was gone in a flash, leaving only a swirl of fallen leaves behind.
Half the forest is gone. If they pin the property damage fees on me, I won't even have my underwear left after paying! Gotta run, gotta run—if I stay a second longer, I'll definitely be extorted!
Riyao's voice drifted back from the distant forest path, still carrying the sound of his heavy breathing from running: "Hey~ Black-faced uncle! Remember to say hi to Hisui and Leo for me!"
Arcadios stared at the empty intersection, his knuckles cracking as he gripped his sword hilt. The vein on his forehead throbbed as if it were about to pop, and the low pressure he radiated caused the leaves on the nearby trees to rustle and fall.
...
The steam train chugged along, puffing out white clouds as Riyao returned to Magnolia.
Riyao sauntered to a stop in front of the guild's main entrance, hands on his hips, lost in deep thought. Returning to the guild required a grand entrance—would it be cooler to kick the door open, or to lean against the frame and shout with his chin held high? He had one foot halfway up, but his pose wasn't quite set yet.
Bang!
A loud crash sent half of the wooden door flying, and a black shadow shot out like a gust of wind!
Good grief, Riyao hadn't even kicked the door yet, and Gray had already flown out!
Riyao reacted quickly, reaching out to catch him firmly in his arms. Gray, who had just been knocked dizzy, rubbed his eyes and managed to start saying, "Than—"
"Off you go!"
Riyao flipped his wrist and threw the boy right back through the door like a shot put. It was a clean and decisive move, truly a testament to the loving daily life of Fairy Tail!
"Than... Thank you my foot, you bastard Riyao!!" Gray's angry roar drifted out along with a cloud of dust.
Riyao scratched the back of his head with an indifferent smile: "Hey, no need to be polite! We're close, aren't we?"
He pushed the door and stepped inside. A heatwave mixed with the sounds of fighting immediately hit his face. As expected of his guild, the hall was in the middle of another daily brawl: tables were overturned in corners, wine glasses rolled across the floor, and magic light zipped through the room, making enough noise to lift the ceiling.
Riyao leaned against the doorframe and scanned the room, raising an eyebrow as he immediately understood. No wonder things were so out of hand today; the two big shots who usually kept order were absent: the Master was nowhere to be seen, and Erza, the new Disciplinary Committee Member, was also missing. Naturally, there was no one to keep these wild monkeys in check.
He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and bellowed: "Ahem~ The Master is back!"
The chaotic hall instantly fell silent. Fists were frozen mid-swing, cups remained raised, and those dodging spells stopped in their tracks. All hundred-plus members turned their heads in unison to stare at the door.
They saw Riyao leaning against the doorframe with a piece of foxtail grass in his mouth, smiling broadly. There was no sign of the Master at all.
Macao was holding up half of the guild's sign that had been knocked crooked, his loud voice as warm as ever: "Riyao! You're back, kid!"
Riyao curled his lip: "Sigh, don't even mention it. I almost didn't make it back."
"You bastard Riyao! You actually threw me back in just now!" Gray emerged from the crowd covered in dust, his face flushed red as he roared loud enough to shake the whole building.
"I already said no need to thank me, why so polite?" Riyao said, waving his hand nonchalantly.
"You brat! You lied to us again!" Wakaba crouched on the ground to pick up his fallen pipe, his cheeks puffed with anger as he cursed indignantly.
"How can you call this lying? I'm building up your anti-fraud awareness!" Riyao placed his hands on his hips, sounding perfectly justified.
Levy squeezed to the front clutching her notebook, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the book cover peeking out from Riyao's coat: "Riyao! What book is that in your coat?"
Riyao smiled gently and patted the corner of the magic book: "Oh, this? It's 'Postpartum Care for Sows'."
The guild members: ㅍ_ㅍ
Cana raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly, rubbing her hands together: "Stupid Riyao, I heard you had a great time in the capital. Did you bring me any gifts?"
Riyao waved his hand, his voice loud enough to rattle the ceiling: "Nope!!!"
As soon as he said that, the members who had been bickering around him surged forward. They grabbed his arms and tugged his collar, naturally dragging Riyao into the swirling torrent of Fairy Tail's daily brawl.
He had only just finished two rounds of the brawl when he caught something out of the corner of his eye at the door, and his movements came to a sudden halt.
He jerked his chin toward the door and said in a tone as flat as if he were saying the apple juice today was pretty good: "The Master is here."
Gray was charging forward fiercely with an icicle in hand. Hearing this, he didn't even stop. The veins on his forehead bulged as he roared loud enough to shake the whole building: "Who'd believe that! Don't think we haven't heard the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf! You just lied to us, and you want to do it again?"
Well, it seemed the entire guild wasn't falling for it. The brawl, which had paused for half a second, instantly exploded with even more noise. Magic and fists flew as they nearly brought the ceiling down, and not a single person looked toward the door.
Riyao didn't offer a single word of explanation. He shrugged and slipped out of the fray like he was greased, settling comfortably behind the bar. He propped his chin on his hand on the counter, leisurely becoming a spectator while swiping a glass of iced juice from Macao.