This world has never been a matter of pure black or white.
Whether it's a villain or a hero, everyone has more or less reasons and excuses behind their choices.
These reasons sometimes sound like sophistry, and sometimes they seem to hold a bit of sense.
Therefore, to avoid falling into these strong individuals' logical traps, Ian has always followed two principles.
The first principle...
Is straight out of the playbook of Kurosaki Ichigo, from the famous shonen 'Bleach'. When someone tries to drop a lecture on him, about destiny, power, or whatever—no matter how poetic or convincing—Ian just channels his inner Ichigo. Doesn't matter if you're Aizen, the master manipulator himself, with your plans stretching back centuries! Ian's only reply? "Sorry, can't hear you over the sound of my Getsuga Tensho!" And then, BAM! Goes right into the fight without any complicated explanations.
The second principle...
This is more like a 'no-nonsense' Captain Yamamoto type of thing. No flowery speeches, no drawn-out explanations. It can be summed up in a single, no-holds-barred sentence: "What's with the chatter?! Either you die, or I do, and we all know which one is gonna happen!"
Armed with these two principles, Ian is practically invincible.
Ian: "My heart and deeds are as clear as a bright mirror, all that I do is just!"
Just now, punching that sycophant Precht away was also an act of justice!
And so.
Following the wish of the simulation's instigator, the elderly Precht—a guy who had spent eighty-four long years since Fairy Tail's first Guild Master, Mavis, died in X696, transforming from a total newbie simp a Grandmaster Simp—
After delivering a solid punch to the young and pathetic Precht…
Ian finally had a moment to look at the baby, August, cradled in his arms.
"..."
August lay quietly and obediently in Ian's embrace, widening his eyes and carefully observing the masked Ian. He didn't cry or fuss.
As for Ian, he was also observing this incredible child, a miracle beyond all imagination.
Yes, in Ian's eyes, August himself is the most incredible miracle in this world.
Perhaps not even the self-proclaimed ruler of life, Ankhseram, ever expected that those cursed by him could still give birth to life?!
Born from Mavis and Zeref, August was something entirely unique - a master of magic who existed outside the normal boundaries of light and darkness, a natural genius with innate understanding...
His talent, without exaggeration, surpasses any genius Ian has seen in his entire life.
This includes the Black Mage Zeref, who stands at the pinnacle of the entire world of Earthland, representing the true limit of what humans can achieve.
August is also one of the future "Alvarez Empire's Twin Pillars"!
One of Zeref's greatest trump cards for conquering the world.
But since Ian has come to this point in time, August can only become one of Fairy Tail's greatest trump cards in conquering the world.
"August, do you know?!"
"Your mother was the first guild master of Fairy Tail, Mavis."
"She was killed by a very, very bad person!"
"In the future, you must protect her…"
Ian lifted August high and looked at this adorable baby, speaking softly. Yes, educating a child should start when they're still a baby.
"..."
August remained silent in response.
In fact, although August was never told, from the moment Precht delivered him from Mavis's body and he opened his eyes to the world, he already knew that his mother was Mavis, the founder and first master of Fairy Tail, and his father was the hated Black Mage Zeref, hunted and cursed by all. He also knew that his very existence was not tolerated by the world.
But even so…
August wanted to live—this is the instinct of life.
But even so…
August also wanted to be loved, even if the world would not accept him.
But would anyone really love him?
Newly born August was full of doubt, blinking his large eyes at this mysterious man before him, unavoidably raising many questions in his heart.
Perhaps this man before him was only using him for his mother's sake. Perhaps this man would abandon him in the wilderness soon, letting him fend for himself, just like that Precht who had just been punched away by this very same stranger.
On the other side—
Ian thought for a very long time…
In the end, Ian could not continue to implant the idea of hating the Black Mage Zeref and protecting Mavis into August's mind.
In Ian's view, the child is innocent. He should not be entangled in the love-hate relationship between Zeref and Mavis, nor should he become a sacrificial piece of their twisted love story.
Allowing August to exist independently, apart from Zeref and Mavis, might be the happiest thing for him in this world.
After all, Ian did not want to see August, in the very end of his life, become a mere tool to fulfill the deranged wishes of his father.
Nor did he want August's life goal to be nothing more than standing behind Mavis, weakly calling her "Mother" and hoping for a response that would never come.
Yes, the memories of what originally happened had now transformed into sharp knives, stabbing mercilessly into Ian's heart, causing him to abandon the thought of turning August into one of Fairy Tail's "Twin Pillars."
In short, August is just a child lacking paternal and maternal love. The things a child cannot obtain in youth will trouble him for life, even if that child is the "King of Magic" August.
So Ian decided he would compensate August for everything he lacked.
"Kuharararara..."
"Become my son, August!!"
With that, Ian laughed aloud and spoke the classic line of a certain great pirate, toward August who could not answer him.
Yes, if Lucy were here beside Ian and August, she would definitely widen her eyes at Ian and loudly complain: "Hey, hey, hey! Mr. Ian, even your laughter has changed?!"
"…"
The youthful August, who knew everything from birth, now had an unbelievable gleam in his eyes. He didn't know what had caused such a huge shift in Ian's thinking in such a short time, but he clearly understood one thing: from today onward, he would have family.
Thus—
After Ian had figured everything out and taken August as his adopted son…
He carried August to the nearest town from this wilderness.
"Fifty sets of fitting clothes for this child, a year's supply of diapers, one hundred cans of powdered milk! Oh, right, and all the vitamins and such that a child needs, give me enough for a full year as well."
When Ian walked into the largest mother and baby store in town, his first words shocked everyone.
"Eh?!"
"Dear customer, are you sure you need all those items for a whole year?"
The store manager was stunned. Then she hurried over, rubbing her hands as she asked Ian.
Honestly, at first she thought she was hearing things. If not, then this customer was definitely a rare big spender.
"Certainly."
Ian nodded lightly, confirming that the store manager had heard correctly.
"What are you all standing around for?!"
"Hurry up and prepare the items according to the customer's request!"
And so…
With an excited smile, the store manager summoned all the store clerks. They got to work, preparing all the items Ian wanted for August.
"Okay~"
The clerks all showed excitement as well. Completing Ian's order might earn each of them a hefty bonus of at least ten thousand J.
After about two hours, the fifty sets of clothes, one hundred cans of powdered milk, plus a year's supply of diapers, baby wipes, vitamins, and supplements were all packed and placed in front of Ian.
"Fifty sets of baby clothes, all handmade by top artisans, cost fifty thousand J! One year's supply of top-grade diapers plus baby wipes, vitamins, supplements, and powdered milk totals five hundred thousand J altogether!"
The manager tapped on a calculator and came up with a figure that would seem shockingly large to normal people.
"Swipe the card."
Ian said nothing more, taking out his Magic Bank card.
There's no way around it, he's RICH!
In fact, for a mage like Ian, as long as you don't destroy towns during missions, you can easily become super-rich.
"Uh…"
When the store manager swiped Ian's card, it failed. She fell silent.
"Dear customer, did you perhaps take the wrong card?! If I'm not mistaken, this year should be X697, but the card you provided was issued in X776."
The store manager examined the bank card carefully, a slight tremor in her eyes, a faint ominous premonition rose in her heart.
At the same time, she gently reminded Ian in the most tactful way. She didn't say his card was fake; she hoped he'd just made a mistake rather than deliberately trying to fool her.
"Oh, right…"
"Right now it's the year X697, and my bank card was issued in X776. That means it can't be used right now."
"So I have no money…"
Realizing the situation, Ian retrieved the card from the manager's hand and casually put it back in his pocket.
"No money, as in…"
"Please don't joke around, dear customer."
"We've even packed up all the items you wanted…"
"If you don't take them now, we'll suffer a loss."
The manager's body trembled slightly. She forced a smile, looking at Ian with feigned calm.
"I understand…"
"Having no money doesn't mean I don't want the goods."
Yes, Ian first used an inequality to deal a mental blow to the manager.
"In that case, how about this? I'll take a small loss today."
"This magic crystal here is worth about one million J at the current market price."
"Take it to a mage guild, a magic item shop, or even the Magic Council's ERA. You can exchange it for money!"
"As for the goods, I'll take them first."
While speaking, Ian snapped his fingers, and a luminous magic crystal appeared in his hand. He had obtained it as a reward for defeating a certain SS-class magical beast. Honestly, giving it away like this pained him a bit.
After a few seconds of consideration, Ian placed the magic crystal in the store manager's hand. Then, with a wave, all the packaged items disappeared into thin air.
"Well then, everyone, thank you for helping me care for August and preparing these necessities! Let's leave it at that. We'll meet again if fate allows…"
After saying that, Ian took August—who was quietly watching everything from a store clerk's arms—and strode out of the mother and baby store.
"Eh?!"
About a minute after Ian left, the store manager, holding the magic crystal, finally realized what had happened. She roared in fury: "Hurry! Go and get that customer back! No, he's no customer—he's a downright thief! If you don't bring him back, you can kiss your bonuses goodbye this month!"
"Chase him!!"
The clerks rushed out of the store in a daze, but the bustling streets were full of people hastening along. Ian's figure was nowhere to be found.
"Sorry, we couldn't find that gentleman…"
The employees returned weakly to the store, heads lowered.
"What 'gentleman'?! He's nothing but a damned thief!"
"Go find the lord, find the guards, find the Magic Council…"
"Make sure you get that bastard caught!"
The manager was about to lose her mind, roaring angrily.
"But he didn't look like a thief at all!"
"His attire was very sophisticated, and that bank card he took out was one of the highest-level Magic Bank cards. I've seen a great mage use one before…"
"If it weren't for the incorrect date, I would've thought it was genuine! Maybe the Magic Bank had some problem?!"
"Besides, didn't he leave you with a magic crystal he said was worth a million J, telling you to sell it at ERA or a magic goods store?"
Some young clerk spoke up naively.
"He claims it's a magic crystal, so it's a magic crystal?"
"He claims it's worth a million J, so it's worth a million J?"
"If it's really worth a million, then you go sell it…"
"I only need my five hundred fifty thousand. Anything extra is yours!"
The manager tossed the magic crystal to the clerk.
"Fine!"
Holding the magic crystal, the clerk headed to the most famous magic item shop in town.
"Welcome, miss. How may I help you?!"
As soon as the mother-and-baby store clerk entered the magic goods store, a man dressed like a traditional mage—pointed hat, long robes—approached.
"I'm here to sell something…"
The clerk took out the magic crystal Ian had given them, placing it before the mage-like salesman.
"Huh? Selling something…"
The salesman's expression changed instantly. He didn't believe this non-mage-looking woman could have anything good.
But the moment he sensed the incredibly pure life force and magical energy within the crystal, his face changed dramatically. He exclaimed in shock: "This! Unbelievable…"
"Please wait here, miss. I need to let the master see this."
The salesman, holding the crystal reverently, dashed up to the second floor of the magic goods store.
Not long after, an old man with white hair, holding a cane in one hand and the magic crystal in the other, supported by the robe-clad salesman, came before the mother-and-baby store clerk. He asked kindly: "Miss, may I ask where you got this magic crystal?!"
"Uh, it's like this. I'm a clerk from the town's mother-and-baby store…"
"Today a strangely dressed customer came in with a child and purchased a year's supply of goods. After discovering his Magic Bank card didn't work for some reason, he used this magic crystal to settle the account."
The clerk explained everything that happened. The old man listened quietly, smiling all the while, very interested and very attentive.
"Is there a problem with my magic crystal?"
After finishing her account, the clerk looked at the old man anxiously.
"No, no problem at all…"
"Prepare five million J for this lovely lady!"
The old man shook his head repeatedly, then instructed his assistant softly.
"Five million J?!"
Both the mother-and-baby store clerk and the assistant mage were stunned. They thought they'd misheard.
"Go prepare it."
The old man glared sternly at his assistant, voice cold.
"Understood."
The assistant's face changed drastically. He trembled as he prepared a magic bank card worth five million J and handed it to the mother-and-baby store clerk.
"…"
The clerk looked at the card, eyes wide open. Even as she walked out the store's door, she couldn't believe that the seemingly ordinary magic crystal sold for a high price of five million J.
"Master, that magic crystal isn't worth five million J!"
After the woman left, the assistant, who also served as the store owner's helper, asked unwillingly.
"Heh, what do you know?!"
"That customer must be a very powerful mage!"
"Powerful beyond our imagination…"
The old man had seen many magic crystals in his lifetime.
He'd once even seen an S-class magic crystal hunted by the king's own knight corps and crafted by court mages!
That magical beast, before it was slain by the king's knight order, destroyed three or four towns and killed over fifty thousand people, a veritable killing machine!
Yet compared to the massive life force and mana within this crystal, that past crystal was like child's play.
The old man couldn't imagine how powerful the beast that formed this crystal had been. Such biological magic crystals must be crafted from the hearts of extremely powerful beasts. The conditions are extremely strict, and the beast can't have been dead long.
Also, the crystal's owner is likely the one who slew the beast. That means whoever took out this crystal is terrifyingly strong, capable of turning their town—or even small countries—into ruins with a wave of their hand.
Such a powerhouse must never be offended!
"I'd love to see these powerful mages someday."
The old man murmured, dreaming of meeting the owner of this magic crystal.
Elsewhere—
On a mountaintop not far from town, Ian spent nearly an hour using his crude Wood-Make Magic to build a villa.
At this moment, Ian had no idea that the magic crystal he casually took out in town had caused such a huge stir.
In fact, Ian's quote of one million J was based on prices eighty years in the future—when Fairy Tail's S-class mages had continuously raised the bar, hunting S and SS beasts continent-wide, flooding the market and driving prices down.
Ian forgot that now, they were in an era where the magic guilds had just come into existence. Gildarts, the Fairy Tail's 'Scum King' who cleared decade-long missions and SS-ranked missions, and was eyeing century-long missions, had not even been born yet, even Makarov, the greatest master of Fairy Tail, was only a year and a half old. Even the founders of Fairy Tail were just S-ranked (excluding when they were powered up).
The magic of the Ishgar continent was just entering an era of resurgence, the strong were extremely few, and because of this, in the current era, the magic crystals created from the hearts of powerful magic beasts were even more precious.
"August, it's time for you to drink some milk. Drink more so you can grow up quickly~"
At this moment, Ian was holding August and feeding him milk.
"Gulp, gulp…"
This was already the third can of milk August had drunk today.
He really couldn't drink anymore, he was even on the verge of throwing up...
Without a father, August nearly starved to death in the wild.
With a father, August was about to be stuffed to death.
It had to be said, Ian's love was too heavy, he couldn't digest it.
Unable to digest it in every sense of the word.
Yes, in this world, there's a certain kind of hunger—
It's when your father thinks you should be hungry.