The tavern was bustling as usual. Erza's intimidating presence significantly weakened the longer she stayed in the guild.
Though she still stepped in to scold people when things went overboard, people tended to forget the consequences of their actions once the pain had faded.
There would always be someone who drank too much and eventually started a fight.
This led to Rhodes occasionally being forced to practice dodging various flying objects.
After enduring his morning shift, Rhodes left Worm at the guild and dashed off to the library—he wanted to use the "Wind Whisper Glasses" to read more about magic.
As for history and geography... those could wait; he could occasionally ask Levy to tell him a story instead.
The pages flipped quickly, and the words and phrases imprinted themselves clearly on the lenses. Rhodes found that he could see every sentence quite clearly.
He finished reading a seven-hundred-page encyclopedia in just twenty minutes.
Rhodes now had a basic understanding of many kinds of magic. Although the glasses didn't grant photographic memory, it was as if he had thoroughly read through it once.
This tool was incredibly useful for those who didn't need to study deeply but simply wanted to read. For those who wanted to broaden their knowledge, it was practically divine.
With a reading speed 32 times faster than usual, Rhodes suspected that some kind of time-related magic had been applied to these glasses.
The inventor must have been a genius.
After putting the encyclopedia back, Rhodes sat down to meditate, letting his mind rest a bit.
Later, he found books on ancient magic and spatial magic, reading until his afternoon shift started.
"You're Rhodes, right? I'm Marcus, and I use sand magic."
A boy with a parted hairstyle ordered a drink and struck up a conversation at the bar. "I've heard of your legend—you're pretty amazing."
Rhodes was confused: "I have a legend?"
Mira poured Marcus a drink, smiling curiously as she listened.
Someone as nosy as her didn't even know what legend Rhodes was supposed to have.
"Yeah, you know, before you even joined the guild, you single-handedly resolved a beast horde and destroyed a whole section of the forest!"
Marcus waved his hand dramatically. "That's just what we expect from a Fairy Tail mage—totally fitting!"
Rhodes wanted to clarify the outrageous rumor, but Marcus gave him no chance.
He continued, "So, what kind of magic do you use? It must be really powerful, right?"
"No, it's not that powerful. I use—"
"Is it like Natsu's fire magic? If we're talking destructive power, it has to be fire, right?"
"No, it's—"
"Then it must be earth magic. In a forest, earth magic would definitely be destructive. I heard one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Jura, uses earth magic. Plus—"
Rhodes tried to interject several times but found Marcus didn't leave any gap, much like a hairdresser he once met who wouldn't stop talking while trying to sign him up for a membership card.
"Marcus is the host of various guild activities, and he enjoys chatting with people," Mira whispered to Rhodes. "After he drinks, he becomes a bit..."
She hesitated before continuing, "...a bit of a chatterbox. It's hard to get a word in edgewise. Just quietly listen until he's done."
"Alright." Rhodes nodded. Compared to Laki, who loved collecting torture devices, a talkative Marcus seemed like a pretty normal guy.
Mira reminded him, "If you don't want to listen, you can leave. In the guild, you can always express your dislikes directly—you don't need to endure things for the sake of politeness."
"It's fine. I'm kind of curious about who spread the rumor that I destroyed a forest."
Rhodes was a bit annoyed. He was attacked by beasts, and suddenly he was being called a maniacal destroyer?
"It... it's true. Who would spread such rumors?" Mira's expression was a bit unnatural.
She wasn't the one who made it up; she had simply shared Rhodes's background with the others truthfully.
Things like the beast horde and the destroyed forest were real. However, for some reason, it spread and morphed into Rhodes easily defeating beasts and destroying a forest.
Now, Mira wasn't sure if she was the culprit behind all this.
Marcus finally paused to take a sip of his beer after talking non-stop for almost five minutes.
Rhodes was about to seize the opportunity to ask a question when a beer bottle flew and struck Marcus on the back of his head.
"Ugh—who the heck!" Marcus spit out half his beer.
Such questions almost never needed an answer. Marcus turned around to see a fight had broken out in the tavern, and he joined in without hesitation.
Rhodes moved quickly, avoiding the spray of beer.
Mira skillfully pulled out a rag to wipe down the counter, smiling as she watched her fellow guild members fight.
The fight continued until someone—nobody knew who—knocked over Erza's plate.
The air grew still, and Natsu and Gray tried to sneak away on tiptoe.
"That is... enough!" Erza sprang up, her gauntleted fists landing evenly on the heads of each participant.
Natsu, Gray, Marcus, and the others all fell to the ground, clutching their heads.
Erza cracked her knuckles. "Alright then, since you all like fighting so much, I'll fight with you—until one side can't stand anymore!"
"Aye!" Happy, the blue cat, stood on a table, raised his paw, and said gleefully, "They're already down!"
"Haha..." Mira laughed happily. "It's the same old story."
The word "again" was well-chosen, and it gave Rhodes a comprehensive understanding of this guild.
"Here." Mira handed Rhodes a pudding. "When the time is right, take this to Erza."
Rhodes was puzzled. "The right time?"
Mira pointed at Erza, smiling without a word.
Rhodes saw that the once-mighty Erza had begun to tremble, her body swaying as if her spirit had left her.
She didn't sit down but instead squatted, picking up the broken shards of a dish and the smashed dessert from the floor: "My... strawberry pudding..."
The fierce Fairy Queen now seemed as helpless as a little girl.
"Oh my, this Erza is adorable," Mira said, cradling her own face, enjoying some strange pleasure.
"..." Rhodes figured this was the "right time" and hesitantly approached Erza.
"You guys..." The air around Erza grew tense, and she glared viciously at those responsible, who were still sprawled out on the floor.
Everyone shuddered involuntarily.
"Miss Erza?" Rhodes called, deliberately adding an honorific.
"Hmm?"
Erza whipped around, her face shadowed, and one eye seemed to glow red like an enraged beast.
The aura was so intense that Rhodes's heart skipped a beat—it felt like her stare alone had pushed him into a low-pressure zone.
"Y-your pudding, I think it's also strawberry-flavored," Rhodes managed to say.
"..." The overwhelming aura lasted for just another second.
Then the Queen transformed into the girl next door. She stood up, tidied her hair, and smiled warmly: "Thank you so much."
Erza even clenched her fist as she started some self-reflection, saying regretfully, "I can't believe I almost got angry over a pudding. I still have a long way to go in my training."
Happy grew wings on his back and flew over to Rhodes's ear, unhesitatingly remarking, "She already got angry though."
"..." Rhodes said nothing, staring at Happy in admiration.
Little cat, you truly dare to speak. Would it kill you to let her save face?
Erza said seriously, "By the way, aren't you Rhodes? You showed such care for your comrades even though you just joined the guild—I'm very touched."
Her face genuinely showed an emotional expression, and she wrapped Rhodes's head into her embrace. "That's right—this is exactly what Fairy Tail is all about!"
Bang!
Rhodes's head hit the hard metal armor with a crisp sound, leaving his mind buzzing.
He sneaked a glance at Mira, who gave him a thumbs-up from behind the bar...
Was this part of your plan too, Miss Mira?