"Not bad, but..." Erza took two steps forward, leaped up, stepped on the river crab's head, and soared over it straight toward Rhodes.
"Against this type of mage, the best method is to attack the mage themselves!"
"Huh?" As someone who had hardly ever fought before, Rhodes watched helplessly as Erza lunged at him, completely at a loss.
He only saw Erza's sword disappear from her hand, her right hand clenched into a fist. Then came a sharp pain on his forehead, his vision went black, and he fell backward.
Erza landed lightly, facing Rhodes. "Come on, attack me with all you've got!"
"No, no..." Mira walked over with a medical kit, smiling and waving her hand. "He can't even stand up anymore."
"As expected!" The onlookers were a bit surprised by the river crab's sudden charge speed earlier, but not at all surprised by this outcome.
Because even if they went up themselves, they wouldn't necessarily do better than Rhodes.
This made it difficult to judge Rhodes's strength. That Erza, she really messed things up.
"As a newcomer who just started learning magic, his magical power is quite good, and he's fairly proficient with magic. But his combat experience... is almost zero."
Makarov saw clearly that Rhodes had the potential to become a core strength of the guild. As for combat experience...
As long as he stays in the guild, that's the one thing he definitely won't lack.
...
"Gray, lend me a hand." Mira opened a small bag in front of Gray.
"Hmm? Sure." Gray clenched his right fist and pressed it against his left palm. "Ice-Make: Ice Pack."
A pale blue magical glow appeared, and the bag in Mira's hand was quickly filled with ice.
"It's over, so embarrassing..." Rhodes was sitting on a round stool in front of the counter, questioning his life choices.
"Rhodes, lift your head a bit."
Rhodes instinctively complied, and something cold landed on his forehead.
"Hiss~~" Rhodes tried hard to look upward; it seemed to be an ice pack, thoughtfully wrapped in a towel.
Mira leaned over from behind him, met his gaze, and said with a smile, "Don't move. Applying a cold compress will reduce the swelling faster."
"Thank you." Rhodes reached up to hold the ice pack himself.
Noticing his dejection, Mira said, "Losing to Erza is nothing to be ashamed of. After all, she's one of the strongest in the guild."
"But I chanted such a long incantation, summoned such a cool crab, and she took me down in one move—using just her fist! She didn't even use her sword!"
Mira tilted her head. "Do you wish she had used her sword? Erza is the kind of person who hardly knows how to hold back in battle."
Rhodes imagined a bloody scene. "Well... that's not necessary."
Bang! Someone forcefully placed a heavy object on the counter.
Holding the ice pack, Rhodes turned to look and involuntarily sat up straight. "Erza... Miss?"
"Just call me Erza. And I want to apologize to you." Erza placed her clenched left fist over her chest, her face full of remorse.
"I'm sorry, I was too heavy-handed. To use such force against a comrade requesting a spar—I'm truly terrible, practically bullying a guild newcomer!"
Rhodes was startled by her earnest attitude and hastily waved his hands. "N-no, it's not that serious."
"No, your forgiveness only highlights my wrongdoing." Erza opened the large box she had placed on the counter; the piled-up items inside scattered out.
At a glance, there were bandages, adhesive plasters, iodine, painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and various medical supplies.
"I've bought all the trauma medicine from the pharmacy. Please feel free to use them!"
"No, it's just a bump on my head. It only hurts a little."
"Is that so? My actions have caused you such a headache; please allow me to find a way to make amends."
Did I mess up the common language again? Rhodes looked helplessly at Mira.
Mira was enjoying the spectacle and explained, "That's just how Erza is; she can be a bit serious. If you don't accept those medicines, she'll insist on bandaging you herself~"
Before Rhodes could speak, Erza suddenly realized, "I see! Only by personally helping you bandage can I express my apology!"
"Really, there's no need..."
"Requip!"
With a flash of light, Erza had completed her transformation; a nurse's outfit perfectly accentuated her figure.
"Oh~ oh~ oh~" A chorus of wolf whistles echoed in the tavern, and many men's eyes turned into heart shapes.
Having grown accustomed to seeing Erza in armor, suddenly seeing her in a nurse's outfit made everyone realize that, aside from her intimidating combat prowess, Erza's looks were top-notch.
If they weren't afraid of getting beaten up, old perverts like Wakaba and Macao would probably have already approached her.
"Alright, let's begin the bandaging!" Erza picked up a roll of bandages.
"Really, no... um, there's no need..."
Rhodes's heart betrayed him by beating faster; it took less than a second for him to go from refusal to hesitant acceptance.
Watching Erza unwrapping the bandages, Rhodes began to blame himself internally for not being firm, but soon it turned into regret...
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Erza's attire was as professional as her technique was unprofessional; she used the roll of bandages more like a rope.
Normally, for a minor injury like Rhodes's, just applying some ointment on the bump would suffice; at most, wrap a few turns of bandage.
But somehow, Erza's bandages wrapped around Rhodes's neck, tied up his arms, and then she was about to wrap around his legs...
She was entirely aiming to tie him up like a criminal!
"Attempte—cough cough..."
Rhodes was being strangled to the point of breathlessness, but some people in the tavern seemed even more excited, looking at him with extreme envy.
"Stop it, Erza! Rhodes is going to die!"
It was actually Mira's first time seeing Erza treat someone; she didn't expect it to be so brutal.
Fortunately, she intervened before Rhodes passed out.
Erza solemnly apologized, "Sorry, my skills in treating others are a bit rusty."
But your skills in killing people are quite proficient.
Rhodes was 'moved' to tears. "No, you're excellent. Thanks to your treatment, my forehead doesn't hurt much anymore."
"Really?" Erza's eyes sparkled.
Rhodes nodded earnestly. "Absolutely true. Thank you for your treatment! I'll leave the rest to my own recovery."
He was certain that his forehead really didn't hurt much anymore, especially compared to his arms.
Rhodes felt he was about to suffer a fracture. Are bandages supposed to be this strong—almost able to break bones?
"That's great, then." Erza seemed to believe him. Contentedly, she switched back to her armor, left the big box of medical supplies, and departed.
Rhodes rubbed his arm, looked up at the ceiling, and reflected, "There's a knife above the character for 'lust'."
After this ordeal, his soul should have grown.
Mira covered her mouth and giggled.