''This isn't really my sort of thing, you know? I'm more a fighter, if you get what I mean," the Fire Dragon Slayer muttered this to Father Jerad as he handed some medicine to a sick person. Houren had done things like this before, but it was more or less just him handing some food rations to the homeless people of Magnolia, but of course, this was much more different. Apparently, there was some sort of illness going around the city, and a lot of people had been affected regardless of their status. The people living in the giant manors were just as badly affected as those who were living middle class lives, and of course, the homeless were not spared either. The very rich could afford to go to their healers and their doctors and whatever medical professionals they had on their payroll, but it wasn't so easy for the poorer people in Magnolia. Fortunately, Father Jerad was the kind of guy who would never leave anyone in the lurch and as such, had organized this medical distribution center in the local church. Houren wasn't a zealot by any means, but even though he was a priest that had devoted his entire life to the deity he believed in, narrow minded as that was, the Fairy Tail mage could see that Father Jerad was a good guy and was more than happy to help him with his medicine distribution. Besides, the people seemed genuinely grateful when Houren handed them something that the normally would have to break their bank accounts for, and that smile was enough to brighten his day somewhat.

"I can tell, Mr. Vanadis. With a body like that, you could make a name for yourself in the Rune Knights. Have you ever considered it?" he spoke softly, but before Houren could reply he had already begun to address someone that he was handing medicine out to, directing them as to how this medicine was used and how many times you should take it per day and how long the intervals should be. It was only after the person he had been talking to had been completely sure of the instructions that he turned back to face Houren who had already handed out much more vials of medicine, but with only vague instructions at best. Fortunately, those who were truly confused as to how this medicine worked tended to avoid him and receive their medicine, and their instructions from Father Jerad of the church. He smiled at Houren. "So, then? Have you ever considered joining the Rune Knights?" turning his attention back to him. The Fairy Tail mage could only chuckle and shrug slightly, handing yet another vial of medicine to another person, who actually seemed like he didn't need the free medicine but came to take it anyways. It was true that he had originally held aspirations to join the Rune Knights, but now, he wasn't too sure.

After all, he felt quite at home in Fairy Tail and in Magnolia.

505/1000

He felt bad about thinking this way, he truly did but when you were in a situation like his, it was impossible not to come to this sort of conclusion, wasn't it? He had been hanging around sick people all day, handing them medicine for some mysterious illness that he had been lucky enough thus far not to get. In that case, didn't he just multiply the chances of him getting this illness tenfold, correct him if he's wrong he would say. Father Jerad probably had no qualms about being sick with the rest of the commoners, because after all, didn't he swear an oath to his God that he would live in poverty for the rest of his life as a form of worship? Or was that another religion? The Fire Dragon Slayer wasn't sure, but he decided that he would make it known to Father Jerad that the time that the clergyman had paid for was almost up. Father Jerad actually seemed to sense the Fire Dragon Slayer's discomfort as well, and after handing some medicine to a middle aged couple where the woman happened to be almost a foot taller than the man (perhaps it is worth noting that she was wearing heels, but even without those lifting shoes of hers, her stature was very impressive), Father Jerad stood up and beckoned for Houren to listen to him. According to the church man, the Fire Dragon Slayer of Fairy Tail would be free to go after this last batch of medicine was given out, and he even tried to cheer Houren up by telling him that at the end of the request, not only would he be paid in cash but Father Jerad also had some special medicine just for him that would make this seemingly waste of a day worth it. The Fairy Tail mage couldn't believe how that could be possible, but decided not to be too pessimistic about it as he handed out the rest of the medicine with a smile on his face.

Once he was done with that, Father Jerad thanked him as he put away the crate and saw off the rest of the sick people with a smile. It was a sad smile that the Father Jerad wore on his face though, probably because he knew that even though he had helped many many people today, it probably wasn't enough. In the end, there was a lot of sick people, but the medicine that he provided wouldn't be able to go out to every single person in Magnolia that was suffering from this mysterious illness. That seemed like a matter of course and Father Jerad probably knew this would be the case from the beginning, but that doesn't mean it still didn't hurt. The father didn't really seem to want to talk as he dug around in his pocket for something before handing the Fairy Tail mage a potion, telling him that it was medicine that would keep him strong. Houren took the medicine and went on his way.

1014/1000