It looked like Natsu and Happy had a really good relationship—the way they messed around reminded Rhodes of his own siblings. He asked, "Happy, when did you meet Natsu?"
"When I hatched from an egg, it was X778," Happy replied.
"That's five years ago... hatched from an egg?" Rhodes caught onto something unusual.
"Aye, I was hatched by Natsu, with help from Elfman and Lisanna."
"Wait, cats are..."
Rhodes wanted to say that cats are mammals, but considering that this was a magical world and Happy was a talking, flying cat, it made sense.
"... Who is Lisanna?"
Happy's ears drooped, and tears welled up in his eyes.
"Lisanna was Mira and Elfman's little sister. Last year, when she went out for work..."
Rhodes was stunned. Mira's sister? And she had already... passed away?
Did Mira have a sister?
Mira wouldn't have said anything about this herself, and others in the guild, out of respect for Mira and Elfman, wouldn't mention it.
So Rhodes had no way of knowing.
Last year, last year...
That girl who smiles at everyone every day—she went through such a loss not too long ago?
Behind that smile, there must be a strong heart, filled with thoughts of not wanting her guildmates to worry.
"I'm sorry, Happy."
Rhodes selfishly wanted to ask more, but seeing Happy's expression, he couldn't bring himself to continue.
"Natsu says, no matter what happens, we have to move forward with strength. Lisanna is gone, so we have to carry on for her."
Happy rubbed his eyes, shaking his head vigorously. "I... I'm a Fairy Tail wizard too, I'm also strong."
"Happy, you're very strong." Rhodes patted Happy's head. He was still just a five-year-old child.
And Natsu could say something like that... It was indeed like something Natsu would say.
Rhodes looked at Natsu—he didn't seem to have any reaction... Could he have already lost consciousness?
"Natsu, Natsu?"
"Ugh..."
He hadn't passed out, but there wasn't much response—just some vague groaning.
Rhodes suggested, "How about we stop and rest for a while?"
"No, if we don't make it to the village before dark, we'll have to camp outside. Besides, even if we stop, as soon as we start moving again, he'll just end up like this again."
Happy objected; he was used to Natsu being like this. It was better to just get all the suffering over with in one go rather than making him suffer repeatedly.
Rhodes asked, "When you carry him and fly, does he get like this too?"
"That's so rude, Rhodes! I'm not a means of transportation!"
"Ah, ah, sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Rhodes clarified, "I meant, why not just carry Natsu and fly over?"
"Too far—my magic can't last that long," Happy explained. "More importantly, it's exhausting. My arms get sore."
So the main reason was being tired? What a good friend.
Rhodes thought for a bit, then summoned one of the river crabs he used for scouting. "Want to try this instead?"
The coachman and the horses were well-experienced, not scared by the sudden appearance of the creature.
"Look, a crab!" Happy looked excited.
Natsu couldn't voice his opinion, so Happy didn't bother asking him, and simply grabbed him and flew over to the crab's back.
The crab moved alongside the carriage, and in just a few seconds, Natsu regained his energy. He was jumping around on the crab's back, not scared of falling at all:
"Whoa, is this for riding? Awesome!"
"You don't get carsick on a crab?" Rhodes leaned out of the carriage window to look at Natsu and asked,
"Then why did you rent a carriage instead of just renting a horse?"
Natsu and Happy both blinked, and then they both smacked their palms into their hands, saying in unison, "So that's an option too!"
Rhodes was shocked: "Is it because you didn't think of it?!"
Actually, it wasn't just that. There were few people who offered horse rentals alone because managing the return of rented horses was a hassle. If they couldn't be returned in a timely manner, the owners didn't feel comfortable letting novices take care of the horses.
Renting carriages came with fewer concerns since the coachman would accompany the carriage and handle any issues that arose.
Seeing how excited Natsu and Happy were, Rhodes simply let them control the river crab using its antennae.
With Natsu's enthusiastic shout of "Charge!", the river crab turned into an untamed beast, even using its speed boost ability under Natsu's urging.
"Hahaha..."
The river crab ran wildly, and the sound of Natsu and Happy's laughter echoed across the fields.
The coachman began to wonder: With this kind of magic, why did you even rent a carriage? That big crab could easily carry three people!
But a few minutes later, Happy flew back by himself.
Rhodes asked, "Got tired of playing?"
Happy landed on the carriage seat, laying down exhausted, tongue out. "Too hot~ Only Natsu can stand the sun."
And that explained why they rented a carriage.
Natsu rode the crab until he finally came back, moving alongside the carriage. He shouted excitedly:
"Rhodes, let's keep teaming up from now on!"
Rhodes asked, "Just because of the crab?"
"Yep!"
"But for long distances, you'll still need to take a train or boat."
Natsu laughed carefreely, "Then we won't team up for long-distance missions."
"So pragmatic!"
Rhodes snapped his fingers, making the river crab disappear, causing Natsu to suddenly faceplant onto the ground.
He jumped up and shouted towards the carriage, "What are you doing, Rhodes?!"
"Oh dear, magic power depleted! (deadpan)"
Happy surprisingly joined in, backing Rhodes up: "Depleted!"
"Natsu should just run behind the carriage! (deadpan)"
"Run behind the carriage!"
Natsu yelled angrily as he chased after them, "You two jerks, stop right there!"
Rhodes and Happy looked at each other, both unable to help but laugh.
...
After a while of fooling around, Natsu ended up riding on the crab again, though his expression stayed grumpy.
That jerk Rhodes... He needed to find Rhodes' weakness and prank him well.
And Happy too, who joined in on Rhodes' trick—next time, he'd steal his grilled fish!
Meanwhile, Rhodes and Happy were getting along pretty well. Rhodes used the travel time to learn more about Happy's Aera magic.
That was the magic Happy was born with, so Rhodes asked about how long Happy could fly, how much weight he could carry...
Knowing your teammates' capabilities was crucial.
Suddenly, Happy asked, "Rhodes, why don't you bring out Wyrm to play?"
"Wyrm doesn't like the hot weather, so..." Rhodes paused, then realized,
"Oh no, I forgot Wyrm in the guild kitchen!"
Rhodes had taken Wyrm to the kitchen in the morning to help Mr. Cook experiment with some new poro dishes, but he'd forgotten to bring Wyrm when they left the guild.
Happy snarked, "That's so careless."
"..."
It wasn't a big problem, really. Wyrm would find its way back on its own, and it was probably enjoying itself thoroughly, eating and having fun in the kitchen.