Chapter 23
Elior POV
'Hoh… Cana Alberona.'
I looked at the little girl in front of me.
'So she really is the same Cana from the canon.'
'Which means… she must be Gildarts' daughter.'
I looked at her again.
She certainly didn't seem like the daughter of one of Fairy Tail's strongest mages right now.
At the moment, she was just a hungry little girl sitting alone in an alley.
I decided not to think about it too much.
"Come on, Cana."
I offered her my hand.
"Let's get you something to eat."
She hesitated for a moment before taking it.
We soon arrived at a rather expensive-looking café.
Cana stopped outside and looked at the building.
"Are you sure we can eat here?"
"Of course."
"But it looks expensive."
I smiled.
"Don't worry about the price. Today is my treat."
She still looked a little nervous when we entered, but after I reassured her several times, she slowly relaxed.
We found a table and sat down.
"Order whatever you want."
"Really?"
"Really."
She looked at the menu.
Her eyes widened.
Then they started moving faster and faster across the page.
I already had a bad feeling about this.
"What are you thinking?"
"Nothing!"
She immediately closed the menu.
I laughed.
"Go ahead."
She opened it again.
A few minutes later, the table was filled with food.
'…How is such a small girl going to eat all of this?'
I decided not to question it.
I ordered a simple pudding for myself.
I had a sweet tooth, after all.
Cana, on the other hand, attacked her food like she hadn't eaten properly in days.
She didn't even stop to talk.
One plate.
Then another.
Then another.
I watched in amazement.
'She really was starving.'
I wondered how long she had been going without a proper meal.
Eventually, the mountain of food disappeared.
Cana leaned back in her chair with a completely satisfied expression.
Her stomach had swelled slightly from how much she had eaten.
She looked down.
Then she suddenly remembered that she wasn't alone.
Her face turned bright red.
"Hahaha!"
I couldn't help myself.
"It's fine."
She looked embarrassed.
"But…"
"Like I said, this was my treat."
She lowered her head.
"Thank you for treating me, Elior-san."
I stared at her without blinking.
"Brother."
"Wh-what?"
"Call me brother El."
I pointed at myself.
"I call you sister, so it's only natural for you to call me brother."
She looked at me for a moment.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Yes, El…"
She hesitated.
"Brother El."
"Good."
I nodded with satisfaction.
"Now, tell me something."
Her expression became slightly nervous.
"What happened?"
I leaned forward.
"Do you need help with something?"
The moment I asked that, the color drained from her face.
Her eyes became watery.
She lowered her head.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she began speaking in a quiet voice.
"My mommy is sick."
I listened silently.
"She's been sick for a long time."
Her little hands tightened around the edge of her clothes.
"We've taken her to lots of doctors, but…"
She sniffed.
"They all say the same thing."
She wiped her eyes.
"They can't do anything."
Her voice cracked.
"They said she's only got a little time left."
Tears began rolling down her cheeks.
"My mommy is going to die."
I immediately stood up.
Cana tried to wipe her tears, but there were too many.
I walked around the table and crouched beside her.
Then I pulled her into a warm hug.
"Don't worry, sis."
She buried her face against me.
"I'll heal your mom."
Her crying stopped for a moment.
She slowly looked up.
"Just leave everything to this brother of yours."
I smiled reassuringly.
"R-really?"
"Of course."
I gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"You might not believe me…"
I placed my hand over my chest.
"But I'm the best healer in the world."
'Probably.'
I wasn't sure whether there was anyone in the world who could surpass me in healing.
After all, my healing magic could restore people to perfect condition and even regenerate lost limbs.
Cana stared at me.
Then she smiled.
"No."
She wiped her remaining tears.
"I believe you."
I blinked.
"You do?"
"You're from Fairy Tail."
She nodded confidently.
"And you helped me."
I smiled.
"That's good enough."
I stood up and offered her my hand.
"Then, shall we go see your mother?"
Cana immediately grabbed it.
"Yes!"
We left the café after I paid the bill.
I also left a generous tip.
The staff had been kind enough to let a hungry child eat without questioning her, so I felt they deserved it.
The hospital where Cana's mother was staying wasn't very far away.
We reached it quickly.
As soon as we entered, Cana seemed to know exactly where to go.
The nurses also seemed familiar with her.
One of them recognized her immediately.
"Cana? You're back."
"Yes!"
She pointed at me.
"And I brought Brother El!"
The nurse looked at me curiously.
"Brother El?"
"He's going to heal my mommy!"
The nurse's expression became awkward.
She looked at me.
Then at Cana.
Then back at me.
I couldn't blame her.
A seven-year-old claiming he could cure someone the doctors had given up on probably sounded ridiculous.
Still, she politely guided us toward the room.
When the door opened, I saw a woman lying on the bed.
She had pale skin and looked incredibly weak.
Her wavy brown hair rested around her shoulders as she stared out of the window.
Even through the hospital gown, I could tell that she had once been a very beautiful woman.
Illness had simply drained the life from her appearance.
The sound of the door made her turn.
The moment she saw Cana, her face immediately brightened.
"Cana…"
She opened her arms.
Cana rushed into them.
"Mommy!"
They hugged tightly.
"How is my little angel doing today?"
She gently stroked Cana's hair.
"I'm good!"
Cana smiled.
Then she remembered something.
"Mommy, this is Brother El!"
The woman looked at me curiously.
"I met him today, and he said he can heal you."
The woman smiled politely.
"Is that so?"
I stepped forward.
"Good morning, ma'am."
I gave a small bow.
"My name is Elior, and I'm a mage from Fairy Tail."
I showed her my guild mark.
"I met Cana earlier today. She was crying in an alley, and after talking to her, I learned about your condition."
I looked at her.
"I'm a healing mage."
"I believe I can heal you, so I came here to help."
She stared at my guild mark.
Then she looked at Cana.
The hope in her daughter's eyes was impossible to miss.
She eventually nodded.
"All right."
She smiled weakly.
"I don't know whether it will work, but… thank you for trying."
I walked closer to the bed.
"May I?"
She nodded.
I gently took hold of her wrist.
Then I allowed my healing magic to flow into her body.
Normally, treating a serious illness could take time.
But my Light Magic was different.
My perception immediately identified the abnormality spreading throughout her body.
I guided the healing energy toward it.
Light flowed through her veins.
Every damaged cell.
Every weakened organ.
Every trace of the disease.
One by one, they were restored.
It took only a few seconds.
The pale complexion of her skin disappeared.
Color returned to her face.
Her breathing became deeper.
The weakness that had weighed down her body for so long vanished.
She suddenly sat upright.
"What…?"
She stared at her hands.
Then at me.
"I…"
She touched her face.
"I feel…"
She couldn't finish the sentence.
The nurse was still standing near the door.
She had witnessed everything.
Her eyes were wide.
Her mouth was open.
Then she suddenly turned around and ran out.
"Doctor!"
I blinked.
"What was that about?"
Cana looked at her mother.
"Mommy?"
Her mother was still staring at herself in disbelief.
"I'm…"
She smiled.
"I'm not hurting anymore."
Cana's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"Mommy!"
She hugged her mother again.
Her mother hugged her back tightly.
"Thank you…"
She whispered.
"Thank you so much."
Before I could respond, hurried footsteps came from outside.
The door suddenly opened.
Five or six doctors rushed into the room.
They were sweating heavily and looked almost panicked.
"Where is the patient?"
"Here!"
One of them immediately began examining her.
Another checked her pulse.
Another used a medical Lacrima.
They went through test after test.
I simply stood to the side and waited.
After several minutes, the doctors gathered together.
Their expressions became increasingly confused.
"This is impossible."
"The disease is gone."
"Completely?"
"There's no trace."
"But she was only days away from death."
"Her organs were failing!"
"Her condition is even better than before the illness!"
They all turned toward me.
I raised an eyebrow.
One doctor looked at another.
Then another.
Finally, all of them turned toward me at the same time.
They slowly dropped to their knees.
"Saint-sama!"
"Hah?"
I stared at them.
"…What?"
Cana looked at me.
Her mother looked at me.
The doctors looked at me.
I pointed at myself.
"Me?"
One of the doctors nodded frantically.
"Saint-sama!"
I covered my face with one hand.
'Oh no.'
'This is going to become a problem, isn't it?'