Seeing Erza's concerned expression toward Darwin, and then looking at her daughter's "everything is going according to plan" demeanor, Zera understood everything in an instant.
Good grief!
On the surface, it looked like a mundane daily spar, but the real goal was to give her brother an assist!
With a sister like you, that boy Darwin really struck gold!
How did she manage to give birth to such a cute, powerful, clever, and considerate daughter?
"Hehehe... beautifully done, Chris!"
"That goes without saying!"
Inside the guild, everyone started a banquet under the pretext of "celebrating Darwin's magic awakening."
Even though the guest of honor was currently unconscious, no one cared.
At the banquet, all the guild companions were drinking to their hearts' content, save for two children who were preoccupied.
One was Erza, who was looking after Darwin.
She had moved Darwin to a corner of the guild to lie down and thoughtfully placed an ice pack on his forehead for a cold compress, sitting quietly by his side waiting for the boy to wake up.
The other was Makarov.
Holding a glass of juice, he sat down next to Yuri with a face full of gloom: "Dad, what do I have to do to awaken magic like Darwin?"
Yuri froze mid-sip: "What's wrong? Feeling stimulated?"
"Uh... a little bit, yeah."
"Among the four children in the guild—me, Erza, Darwin, and Chris—I'm clearly the 'big brother' of the group, yet my strength has always been at the bottom..."
Before today, Makarov had never really cared about power.
But Darwin awakened his magic today, and that magic-awakened Darwin was then floored by a single punch from Chris.
This string of events deeply stirred his competitive spirit, birthing a strong desire to learn magic and increase his strength.
"Don't worry too much about those things!"
Yuri chuckled, patting Makarov's head to comfort him: "Look at your dad, and Precht and Warrod. Aren't we all older than Guild Master Weston but weaker than him?"
"Talent is something you can't force!"
"Besides, even if a person's individual power is strong, it's still limited."
"If you blindly pursue personal strength, you'll eventually fall into a quagmire of desire."
"Only when you improve your own strength while also learning to rely on your companions' power—uniting everyone's strength—is that true strength!"
"Do you understand?"
Makarov looked astonished: "I didn't think you could say something so philosophical, Dad. It's really unexpected!"
Yuri: "..."
You little brat, are you asking for a licking?
"I understand what you're saying, Dad, but at the end of the day, relying on companions is one thing, and improving my own power is another!!"
"In short, I just want to become strong like Darwin!"
"Wanting to be strong is a good thing, but if you don't find the right reason, you might accidentally stray off the path in the future. Why do you want to be strong? Just for 'pride' and 'competitiveness'?"
"Of course not!"
Makarov turned to glance at the fainted Darwin. Thinking about how Darwin had just said things like 'wanting to protect Mama, protect my sister, protect family, and protect companions,' his heart instantly became resolute.
"I also have someone I want to protect!"
However, his gaze caused Yuri to misunderstand.
Why did this kid look there when he said 'I have someone I want to protect'?
Could it be that the person he wants to protect is there?
But only Erza and Darwin are over there!
Yuri hesitated for a long while before finally being unable to resist asking: "The person you want to protect... couldn't be Erza, could it? Do you like her?"
Makarov shook his head firmly: "Of course not! Why would you even think that?"
It's not? Good!
Yuri breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Everyone in the guild could see that those two brats, Darwin and Erza, were already of one mind and had developed mutual feelings. They might even become a couple as they grow a bit older, getting out of the "single life" even earlier than Precht and Warrod.
If Makarov got mixed up in that, wouldn't he be destined for suffering?
He didn't want his son to face such a massive setback in love!
Wait!
If his son wasn't looking at Erza just now, doesn't that leave only Darwin?
No, no, no...
Surely that couldn't be the case... right?
Better check to be sure!
"Makarov, I'm going to ask you something, and you must tell me the truth!"
"Why did you suddenly get so serious?"
"Don't ask so much! Just answer honestly!"
Yuri slapped Makarov's head like he was checking a watermelon and asked with a twitching lip: "I'm asking you... you do like girls, right?"
Makarov looked utterly confused but answered honestly: "Of course I like girls! Could I possibly like boys instead?"
He likes girls?
Then it's fine!
Yuri breathed a sigh of relief again.
But since Makarov likes girls, why was he looking over at Darwin and Erza?
Could the girl he likes be related to them?
The only girls his age he's had contact with so far, besides Erza, seem to be only Chris, right?
Yuri probed again: "Then what kind of girl do you like?"
"Huh? Isn't it a bit early to be chatting about this?"
That said, Makarov still thought seriously about the question. Scratching his head, he said: "Well... I like girls who are straightforward, strong, and have personality."
Straightforward, strong, with personality?
"Like Chris?"
"...Dad, do you have a slight misunderstanding of what I said? I said straightforward, strong, and with personality, not violent!"
Judging by that tone, his son didn't seem to have any romantic feelings for Chris either...
That's for the best!
A girl like Chris is not someone a son of his could handle!
"How about you be more specific?"
"Like, what physical traits, or what profession would you want her to have?"
Since they were already on the topic, Yuri wanted to dive deeper.
Gossiping about his child's psyche was one reason, but another was that he felt since Makarov wanted to compete with Darwin but was destined to be outmatched in strength, he might as well take a different path and surpass him elsewhere—like getting a girlfriend first...
So he wanted to fully understand his son's ideal type so that Rita could help scout for a daughter-in-law in town ahead of time and give him a hand.
"Appearance-wise, she has to be pretty, of course. Then she should have a good figure and long, cherry-colored hair..."
"As for profession, a doctor would be best!"
"That way, if I get injured in battle, she can take care of me at any time!"