After Rhodes finished his tribute, Mira knelt down in front of Lisanna's grave, softly speaking to her.
Rhodes made a hand gesture to Elfman, signaling him to quietly step out of the cemetery to wait.
A long while later, he saw Mira stand up, reluctantly placing her hand on the tombstone, gently stroking it before finally leaving.
The three of them walked back towards the guild in silence, the atmosphere somewhat heavy.
"I'm okay," Mira said.
"Mm." Rhodes nodded gently.
Mira added, "I thought you might say something like 'it's all in the past' and tell us not to be sad."
Rhodes shook his head. "I had planned to, but even standing in that cemetery, I couldn't help feeling the sadness."
Lisanna's tombstone read "X768–X782," meaning she was only fourteen when she passed.
According to the country's laws, she wouldn't even be considered an adult until this year.
Such a death was tragic, something that naturally brought pain to her family and made outsiders feel regret. Especially considering the circumstances of her passing.
Seeing Mira and Elfman's sorrowful expressions at the cemetery, Rhodes couldn't even bring himself to say "my condolences."
Now, Rhodes took a deep breath and exhaled. "The Master said that sadness comes from life and love, and I have no right to stop you from expressing your love for Lisanna."
"'But we commemorate the departed not to remain steeped in grief forever, but to remind ourselves to cherish life and motivate us to keep moving forward firmly—that is likely what Lisanna would also wish for.' If there were more to say, that's probably what the Master would add," Mira said, looking up at the sky. "What do you think, Elfman?"
"A true man keeps moving forward no matter what happens."
"That's how it should be," Rhodes said.
If it were really that easy, the siblings wouldn't still be struggling with their Take Over Magic.
As they neared the guild, Mira's usual smile returned. "Thank you, Rhodes."
Rhodes shook his head. "Just as long as you don't blame me for being presumptuous."
"Not at all." Mira smiled—it was rare to see him act so impulsively.
Plus, at the cemetery, he hadn't acted rashly at all; he had performed the tribute properly, hadn't he?
She thought for a moment and then asked, "Things might get pretty busy soon. Could you help me a little more?"
"Sure, Tavern Assistant Rhodes, promoted to Assistant to the Master's Assistant," Rhodes said. "Does it come with a pay raise?"
Mira replied, "There's no such position in the guild, so no pay raise!"
As they stepped back into the guild, Rhodes continued, "A promotion without a pay raise? I'm filing a complaint."
Mira returned with a bit more liveliness, "Complaint received, denied!"
Rhodes raised a hand, "I'll keep appealing, straight to the higher-ups, the audit team, and the head of finance!"
"Those are all me. Still denied!" Mira knocked his arm down, laughing. "But as compensation, I can treat you to coffee."
Rhodes pulled a face. "That's even worse—forced overtime with a coffee treat? Won't that mean working late into the night?"
"What's wrong with being heartless? I'm a devil, remember?" Mira made a fierce face, which wasn't fierce at all. "So, are you coming?"
"Of course." Only an idiot would say no.
Suddenly, Elfman stopped in his tracks. "Rhodes, let's have a fight!"
"Huh? Why?"
"I don't know why, but I just really want to fight."
The mood in the guild hall suddenly turned rowdy as a bunch of people started cheering:
"Get him, Elfman!"
"Go, Elfman!"
"We're counting on you, Elfman!"
"What business is it of yours?!" Rhodes shouted back, then added, "We can spar tonight during training."
Everyone felt disappointed. After confirming that Mira and Elfman were okay, they were ready to stir things up a bit, but now it was being postponed.
Feeling dissatisfied, someone threw a mug. If they didn't want to fight, they could still cause some trouble—anything to break the boredom.
Rhodes casually swatted the mug away, nudging Mira's back with his other hand, urging her to take refuge near the Master.
Perhaps this action further angered some of them, emboldening them since Mira was now safely out of the way, so what followed were plates, bottles, and all sorts of junk flying at him.
Rhodes grabbed a chair, spun it around to block the projectiles, then put it down and stomped it with one foot, taunting, "When it comes to flying objects, I have a bit of experience."
"Rhodes, you bastard!" Gray climbed up from the ground; the chair had been taken right from under him.
Without even looking at Gray, Rhodes tilted his head skyward—not out of arrogance but simply to say, "I don't fight naked guys."
Gray looked down. "Since when did I—?"
"In a situation like this, who cares about little details? Get him!"
Gray didn't know who pressed him down, and a crowd rushed towards Rhodes.
Experienced with flying objects—how about dealing with flying people?
"Hey! You guys aren't playing fair!" Rhodes shouted as someone punched him; he kicked back without knowing who had hit him. Another kick came his way, and he elbowed someone in return.
Thus, a battle of one versus over twenty officially commenced, chaos engulfing the scene.
Gray, who had initially been pinned down, got trampled several times before getting up, by which point he had forgotten all about Rhodes and grabbed the nearest person to fight.
Elfman, who had originally wanted to spar with Rhodes, was inexplicably punched by others, making him forget his original target.
The brawl that had started as a group effort to take down Rhodes soon turned into an all-out melee—no one knew who they were hitting or who had hit them; they just fought.
Soon, someone lost control and prepared to use magic. Many people got ready for a serious, full-blown fight.
"Enough, kids! Are you trying to tear down the guild?"
"Stop it! Lightning Empress Spear!"
The voices of both Makarov and Erza rang out simultaneously. Following that, a giant hand and a burst of blue lightning appeared.
Most were slapped into the floor by the Master's large hand, while the rest were zapped by Erza's lightning, left twitching.
Rhodes was one of those slapped into the floor.
"Well, well…" Mira watched from the sidelines, just like always, observing the chaos but focusing on a particular person in the pit with a face full of regret.
Since that certain someone had pushed her towards the Master earlier, today she had neither been hit by flying bottles nor struck by Elfman.
A few minutes later, Rhodes sat at the counter, sulking, as Mira applied medicine to his face.
"I underestimated them. I should have sneaked away before the Master got mad," Rhodes reviewed his mistakes. Mostly, he was just trying to land a few more hits before leaving—a bit too greedy for output.
"Don't analyze it for something like this," Mira lightly tapped his shoulder, then went to the kitchen and came back with two hard-boiled eggs.
"Turn around and tilt your head back."
Rhodes obeyed, leaning back against the counter, and found that from this angle, Mira still looked very pretty.
The eggs were gently placed on his bruised eyes, rolling slightly, giving off a warm heat.
They had hit him quite hard; his eyes were blackened.
It hurt a little, but Rhodes laughed—it had been a pretty good fight... overall, he didn't lose out, not in any sense.
Seeing this scene, those who had fought him grew even more furious.
Normally, people who had bruised eyes, lumps on their heads, swollen faces, or even missing teeth never got this kind of attention from Mira.
How could Rhodes get such treatment for what wasn't even a real injury?
That damn Rhodes!
Let's go for another round!
"Mm?" Erza, dressed in her Lightning Empress Armor, gave them a single stern look, and everyone instantly backed down.
Forget it. Next time.