"I don't know how long those days lasted, but today, suddenly, I was attacked by a group of monsters.
Then there was this terrifying creature covered in flames—it was like… it was like a fire dragon!
I tried my best to run away, but I couldn't escape. Eventually, they cornered me, and something seemed to grab me, and after that, I don't remember anything.
But I think I heard someone saying something about Clouti still waiting for me at home…
And when I woke up, I was here, probably saved by my benefactors."
No, you were actually beaten up by your benefactors.
Clouti looked up at Natsu, her eyes almost sparkling with admiration.
Natsu gave her a big, bright smile.
Rhodes looked at him, thinking, Are you really that proud after beating up her father?
Oh well, I was involved too, so it's fine.
Rhodes gave Chita a brief explanation of what had happened and then asked a few more questions.
He then advised him to properly learn take-over magic once he recovered, and until he mastered the "Beast King's Soul," he shouldn't use it recklessly.
Rhodes and Natsu then left the room, giving the family some privacy.
"In the end, we still didn't figure out how his take-over magic lasted for eight days."
"Of course, it was because of his desire to protect the village and his longing for his family!" Natsu's answer was idealistic.
"I'd rather believe it was because he experienced a burst of magic power when he first awakened the ability, and while transformed, he kept replenishing energy by drinking mountain spring water and eating wild animal meat."
Happy nodded in agreement. "Aye! Mira said that before she joined the guild, she couldn't change her arm back for a while."
"Purrr~" Worm didn't understand, but he agreed with Happy.
"How could it be for such a mundane reason? It had to be because he wanted to protect his village and his family so much!" Natsu insisted.
Maybe there was some truth in it. The Master always said that magic was the power of the heart. Perhaps a strong enough belief could indeed create miracles.
Rhodes suddenly asked, "Natsu, do you think take-over magic is easy to learn?"
"How would I know? Why are you asking that?"
"Because it's powerful! Look at Chita. Once he mastered take-over magic, he became so strong all of a sudden.
Mira also used take-over magic to become an S-Class wizard…"
Rhodes was tempted. An ordinary person, after taking over the Beast King's soul, survived a beating from Natsu and the wild creatures and was still alive.
The strength boost aside, just the enhanced defense and vitality… Rhodes felt a sense of security just thinking about it.
"You'll know if you try it when we get back," Natsu said. "I think your monsters are pretty strong too."
"True." Rhodes had read about take-over magic before and remembered the risk: if the target was too powerful, the user might lose control.
Because of this risk and the difficulty of finding a suitable target, it was not his first choice.
But after seeing Chita's transformation, he was really tempted.
He even had a bold idea—what if he took over one of his summoned monsters?
Take-over magic was typically called "Take Over: the soul of XX," but the definition of magic in the magical world was to take over a body.
Generally speaking, the target being taken over was considered dead, which would mean killing the summoned monster.
But Rhodes had never really seen one of his summoned monsters die. Perhaps he could exploit a loophole?
There were also cases where users would voluntarily or involuntarily abandon a previous take-over…
If the monsters were obedient and could be taken over or released at will…
It might be worth trying?
...
Due to the uncertainty about the mission's completion, Rhodes and the others had to stay in the village for the time being.
On one hand, they needed to see if a large number of beasts would still come down the mountain to attack the village.
On the other hand, they had to monitor Chita in case he lost control of his magic and became a danger to others.
These few days, Chita was actually in high spirits.
He not only survived and reunited with his family, but also gained a power that he could use to protect the village.
Seeing his excitement, Rhodes had to repeatedly emphasize the danger of losing control over magic.
Fortunately, after his near-death experience, Chita valued his family even more, and promised to study magic properly once he recovered, and to never use it recklessly.
It was clear that he understood the consequences if he lost control in the village.
Today was the third day since Rhodes and Natsu brought Chita back.
Over the past few days, Rhodes often sent crabs up the mountain to scout. After the Beast King disappeared, the wild animals had remained quiet for a day before starting to fight for territory again.
Currently, the situation on the mountain had stabilized, and with the number of beasts significantly reduced, the predators had enough food and no real desire to come down.
Yesterday, Rhodes also dragged Natsu up the mountain, taking care of some of the larger beasts that ordinary people would have trouble dealing with.
What remained could be handled by the hunters if they used some ingenuity, like setting traps.
Today, the villagers decided to go out and harvest their crops, and Rhodes went along as a bodyguard just in case.
Luckily, nothing happened, and it seemed their mission was finally complete.
By evening, the village chief organized a harvest celebration ahead of schedule, primarily to thank and entertain the Fairy Tail wizards.
The villagers lit bonfires, cheered, danced, drank, and sang.
Natsu and Happy had already joined in, with Natsu holding a torch and alternating between eating fire and breathing fire, attracting all the village children and young people.
Worm had something in its mouth that no one could tell what it was, and was hopping around near the bonfire. Apparently, it wasn't too hot for it now.
Rhodes sat quietly on the outskirts, sipping wine and eating meat.
Having been a "four limbs untrained, clueless about crops" city dweller before crossing into this world, he found it hard to truly understand what the joy of a harvest felt like for the villagers.
Was it like drawing a rare card? Like receiving a paycheck? Or like getting an acceptance letter?
"Mr. Rhodes."
"Village Chief." Rhodes stood up and helped the old man to a seat. "How is Chita doing?"
"About the same. The doctor said it'll take at least two or three months for him to fully recover."
The village chief looked at the celebrating villagers beside Rhodes. "Mr. Rhodes, do you think they are too noisy?"
"No, if anything, they're not noisy enough." Rhodes thought of the little bar back at the guild. "I was just keeping an eye on the village's surroundings."
The chief was taken aback. "The village… surroundings?"
"Yes, it would be a real downer if beasts interrupted the celebration, so I kept watch to minimize that possibility."
"Oh, you, you…" The village chief was at a loss for words. "You've thought of everything."
Actually, on the second day after Chita was brought back, Pansell had already asked for the mission sheet to sign it off.
But Rhodes insisted on being thorough, wanting to observe for a few more days, and even went up the mountain to take care of some difficult beasts.
Fairy Tail wizards were truly too responsible.
Pansell was filled with emotions. If his foolish son had just a tenth of Mr. Rhodes' caution…
He'd retire right now and make his son the village chief.