Chapter 684: If You Are Helpless, Then I Guess It's Up to Me
Chapter 684: If You Are Helpless, Then I Guess It's Up to Me
Location: Hartfilia Manor, a side lounge adjacent to the main hall. Despite being a side room, it is spacious, spanning over a hundred square meters and furnished with sofas and coffee tables.
Seated on one of the larger sofas are a group of five or six mages, the youngest appearing to be middle-aged, alongside several elderly men with white beards. They are engaged in a discussion.
"Have you all examined Mrs. Layla's condition?"
"Yes, it's indeed a severe case of magic depletion. Her magic source has been completely destroyed, and her life force is dwindling uncontrollably."
Magic depletion is not a physical injury like losing an arm or a leg, but rather a condition caused by the malicious and excessive loss of magic, resulting in damage to the magic source within the body.
For mages, the magic source is the very core of their life force.
Mild damage can heal on its own, and even more severe cases can be repaired with proper care and nourishment. However, Layla's magic source is almost completely destroyed, rendering self-repair impossible.
When the magic source is entirely damaged, it means the mage's body can no longer store magic, leading to a continuous loss of magic and, consequently, life force.
"It seems you are all helpless in the face of such a severe case of magic depletion."
"Yes."
"Well, it's not entirely hopeless..."
"Oh?"
"Magic source depletion means she can't store magic, but if we had a high-level Celestial Spirit Mage, along with a high-level Appendage Mage to directly attach magic to Mrs. Layla's body, we could overcome this challenge. Then, with the assistance of a high-level Light Mage, we could stop the loss of her life force."
"A high-level Light Mage... Are you kidding me?"
The newly arrived elderly mage scoffed, "Finding a high-level Celestial Spirit Mage is doable, but I haven't heard of a high-level Appendage Mage in decades. As for a high-level Light Mage... You might as well look for a mage who can use Life Magic from the Lost Magic!"
While Celestial Spirit Magic and Appendage Magic are considered fundamental, advancing in the former is relatively straightforward, but achieving a high level in the latter is almost unheard of for most mages.
Appendage Magic involves attaching magic to external objects for manipulation, and it is said that high-level Appendage Magic can even manipulate an entire country, crushing it into a ball in an instant. However, this remains in the realm of legend.
As for Light Magic, it is already one of the most challenging types of magic, and a high-level Light Mage is but a mythical figure.
"Brother Feng Ye, is Mrs. Layla's condition that severe?"
Not far from the lounge, Feng Ye sits on a sofa with Wendy by his side, holding a teacup.
As a Dragon Slayer, her draconic hearing allows her to clearly hear the discussion of the mages in the other room.
Having heard about magic depletion from Grandine before, she knows that even severe cases can be treated by the latter. Thus, she hadn't considered it a particularly troublesome ailment. However, from the sound of it, the situation seems far more dire than she imagined.
Indeed, Grandine, the Sky Dragon, is second only to the Dragon King, standing at the pinnacle of an entire continent, two levels above the average Saint Ten Mage. What Grandine can heal does not necessarily mean that an average mage can do the same.
Feng Ye takes a sip of tea and smiles gently, "Indeed, it can be considered a 'terminal illness'. For now, I can only think of seven treatment methods."
"...”
Wendy's eyes widen as she stares at Feng Ye, slightly dazed. "Seven... seven methods?"
Feng Ye smiles casually, "Yes. The first is what they mentioned—high-level Celestial Spirit Magic, high-level Appendage Magic, and high-level Light Magic. The second is Life Magic, followed by Phoenix Magic, your Sky Dragon Slayer Magic, Time Magic, Limit-Break Healing Magic, and lastly, Dark Magic."
Wendy blinks in surprise, "Dark Magic?"
"Mhm."
Feng Ye speaks calmly, "Dark Magic possesses the means to create demons. By transforming a human into a demon, they would naturally be free from the constraints of a magic source, thus serving as an indirect form of treatment."
As Wendy sits in a daze, the door to the lounge opens, and a golden-haired girl rushes in. It is none other than Layla's daughter, Lucy.
With anxious eyes, on the verge of tears, she scans the room, asking, "Is there a doctor here?
The group of mages left the lounge and once again made their way towards Layla's bedroom.
"Let's go."
Feng Ye took a sip of his tea and watched as they exited the room before standing up himself. He motioned to Wendy beside him, and they headed towards the door.
When Feng Ye and Wendy entered Layla's bedroom, the elderly medical mages who had gone ahead were already examining her.
After taking turns assessing her condition, they exchanged glances and ultimately shook their heads in dismay.
"What's wrong? How is my mother?"
"Why aren't any of you saying anything...?"
Lucy, despite her young age, sensed the gravity of the situation. Her eyes reflected her inability to accept what was happening as she looked at the mages and asked.
One of the mages sighed and said, "We're sorry, but we are truly powerless against Mrs. Layla's condition. At most, we can only strive to alleviate her pain."
"You... You're lying..."
Lucy struggled to find the right words, overwhelmed by the situation.
Just as the atmosphere grew heavy with despair, a voice piped up from the side, its tone casual, "If you're all helpless, then I guess it's up to me. Please make way."
The mages turned towards the source of the voice and saw Feng Ye, clad in a mage's robe, walking towards them. He parted the crowd and made his way to Layla's bedside, with little Wendy in tow.
The group exchanged glances, their eyes reflecting their shared confusion... Who was this young mage who dared to take on such a task?
"He seems to be a mage from Fairy Tail; I recall seeing him before," one of them mused, his eyes trailing Feng Ye's retreating figure.
The fame of the Fairy Tail guild had spread throughout the entire Ishgar continent decades ago, so the mention of its name immediately rang a bell for the other mages in the room.
"So he's from that guild..."
"He seems a bit too young, though. He probably hasn't encountered a severe case of magic depletion before. There's a world of difference between this and mild or moderate cases."
"If their legendary founding master were here, perhaps there would be a way to treat her."
The mages murmured amongst themselves in low voices.
Both Wendy and Feng Ye, with their keen senses, overheard their whispers. However, Feng Ye paid it no mind. He strode up to Layla's bedside, his eyes sweeping over her pale and frail form, committing her condition to memory.
Layla bore a striking resemblance to how Lucy would look in her adulthood, a testament to the strong bloodline running through the women of the Heartfilia family.
Layla looked up at Feng Ye, her eyes gentle as she spoke, "There's no need to trouble yourself... I'm also a powerful Celestial Spirit Mage, and I understand my own condition. With my magic source completely destroyed, there's no hope for recovery..."
"There are no wounds in this world that are absolutely incurable."
Feng Ye offered a casual smile and raised his right hand, snapping his fingers with a sharp crack!
Buzz!!!
A magic array appeared on the ceiling, causing it to crack and sending violent tremors through the room's magical elements.
The ceiling above Layla's bed also cracked, and the light-colored curtains tore apart, scattering in all directions.
"..."
Layla was stunned for a moment, her eyes filled with astonishment as she gazed at the magic array above her. She could clearly discern that the magic swirling within the array was none other than Celestial Spirit Magic!
And it wasn't just any ordinary Celestial Spirit Magic; it was of an incredibly high caliber, perhaps even reaching the level of Super Magic!
Feng Ye didn't stop after casting one array; he continued with a gentle smile, raising his right hand again and snapping his fingers twice more.
Crack! Crack!
Accompanying the sharp sounds of his fingers snapping, two more magic arrays appeared below the Celestial Spirit Magic array, forming a triple-layered tower of magic in the air.
This display caused an intense magical reaction, as if a storm had swept through the room, causing the nearby walls to crack and shatter.
The medical mages who had been observing from a distance stood with wide eyes, their faces reflecting their disbelief at what they were witnessing.
"That aura... There's no mistaking it. It's Light Magic, and it's of a high caliber..."
"And that middle array... It's high-level Appendage Magic!"
High-level Celestial Spirit Magic!
High-level Appendage Magic!
High-level Light Magic!
The three high-level magic arrays hanging in the air left the group stunned.
Wendy, however, quickly regained her wits and looked up at Feng Ye, awe-struck. "Brother Feng Ye is so amazing..." she murmured.
Of the three magics used, she only recognized the high-level Appendage Magic, which was on par with the Sky Dragon Grandine.
"My body..." Layla murmured, slowly sitting up and trying to make sense of the changes within her. She was still in disbelief.
Lucy, seeing her mother's reaction, realized what had happened and asked, "Mom, are you okay now?"
"Yes..." Layla nodded, still incredulous but reassured by her own body's improvements. The memory of what had just transpired still left her a little shaken.
Hearing her mother's confirmation, Lucy broke down in happy tears and threw herself into Layla's arms, hugging her tightly.
Layla gently patted her daughter's back and smoothed her golden hair, her gaze softening. She then turned to Feng Ye and offered a grateful smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. It was just a commission, no need to be so formal," Feng Ye replied amiably.
Lucy sobbed into her mother's embrace for a while before eventually calming down and climbing out of her lap. She turned to Feng Ye and attempted a deep bow. "Thank you so much..."
Feng Ye gently patted the top of Lucy's head and then turned to leave the room.
The young Lucy was adorable, but Feng Ye knew that she would eventually develop a habit of wandering around naked, which he felt needed correction.
It was only after Feng Ye had left the room that the medical mages, who had been observing from a distance, began to snap out of their daze, their eyes still reflecting the shock of what they had witnessed.
"To be so young and already master high-level Celestial Spirit Magic and Appendage Magic, and on top of that, high-level Light Magic... That guy is a monster!" one of them exclaimed.
"Are all the mages from Fairy Tail like that?" another asked, incredulous.
The group shared a glance, then quietly slipped out of the room, their eyes still wide with disbelief.
The commotion had attracted Jude and several guards from the manor, who rushed into the bedroom. Jude was initially startled by the mess, but his eyes soon landed on Layla, who looked much better than before, and he paused, taken aback.
"Layla, how are you feeling?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.
"I'm cured," Layla replied softly.
Jude breathed a sigh of relief and then glanced at the shattered ceiling and walls, curiosity getting the better of him. "What happened here? It looks like a battle took place during the treatment."
Layla nodded. "Yes, it happened during the treatment, but everything is fine now."
(End of Chapter)
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