Rhodes took the children directly to the hospital in Manjusaka Town, while Erza carried Shadow Ghost to contact the Council's branch.
The doctor prepared some suitable food for the children, checked their health, and treated their external wounds.
Among the 14 children, 8 were running a slight fever, while two—the siblings who had tried to escape but were caught—were already burning with a high fever. The remaining four were relatively fine.
After a busy evening, night had already fallen.
However, the parents of the children hurried over as soon as they heard the news.
Even the parents from Popi Town, who had lost their children, rushed over carrying oil lamps, trudging through the snow to claim their kids.
Rhodes hid as the first group of parents arrived, crouching alone in the corner outside the hospital—he was scared.
On the way, he learned from the children that a girl named Lise had been taken away by the robed men and hadn't returned.
When he thought about the altar and the bloody magic circle…
Rhodes was afraid of meeting Lise's parents.
He knew it wasn't his fault, but he didn't want to face those grieving eyes.
He had seen enough of those expressions of grief after losing loved ones.
"Why are you crouching here?"
Erza, who had finished her business, came over in a purple down jacket, her hands in her pockets, fitting perfectly with the winter atmosphere.
However, wearing knee-high boots with bare legs made her look a bit strange.
"How did it go with the Council?"
"Shadow Ghost and the three we captured earlier have been detained. The Council will send people to arrest the others in the mountains overnight."
"And what about us using excessive force this time?"
"No problem. The Council can't tolerate what the dark magic cult did, especially to children. Even if we were a bit harsh, they won't hold it against us. At most, someone will come later to inquire about what happened."
"That's good." Rhodes looked up at the pitch-black night sky. "At least we don't have to worry about the guild master getting scolded."
Erza crouched down next to Rhodes, resting her back against the wall and wrapping her arms around her knees.
"The weather isn't good tonight. Not a single star in sight." Erza exhaled white breath, clearly visible under the dim light.
Rhodes responded casually, "Yeah."
"Are you thinking about Lise? Or... the man who died yesterday?"
Rhodes said, "Both, I guess. I wonder if we had arrived earlier, maybe we could have saved them.
"Unfortunately, there's no 'if.' We didn't even know what was happening here earlier. I know that, but I can't help feeling regret and letting my mind wander."
"That's probably what kindness is. Feeling sorrow for lost lives, feeling regret for others' misfortune." Erza said, "Remember this feeling well, then walk forward more resolutely, so that this doesn't happen in front of us again. This is also one of the reasons we strive to become stronger."
Compared to Rhodes, who could be said to have grown up in a "greenhouse," Erza had witnessed and experienced much more suffering herself.
So she seemed much more mature in this regard than Rhodes. Although she felt the same grief and regret, she could still find the presence of mind to console Rhodes.
Erza suddenly realized that when the guild master said "look after Rhodes," it might not be about the battle, but about life outside the battle.
"Want to lean in for a hug?" Erza opened her arms, not minding if she had to hold Rhodes for comfort.
"Thanks, but no thanks." Rhodes wasn't so thick-skinned. He stood up, patting his cheeks, and said, "Let's go. There are people here sadder than we are, and we need to see them."
…
Rhodes and Erza didn't meet Lise's parents, but they did meet the town mayors of Manjusaka and Popi Town.
"Thank you both for everything you've done. On behalf of all the rescued children, their parents, and every resident of this town, I express my gratitude to both of you!"
"Please, there's no need for thanks. We were simply assigned a mission to exterminate a criminal group and rescue the children." Erza responded formally. "Also, regarding the child named Lise and the resident of Popi Town who was cruelly killed... We're deeply sorry we were late."
"We're all saddened by what happened to that resident, but it's not something we can blame on either of you. However, Lise..." The mayor of Popi Town thought for a moment and said, "Lise had already returned home."
Rhodes and Erza were stunned at the same time, "What did you say? Lise has returned home?"
"Yes, just yesterday. She was the only one who escaped on her own." The mayor said. "We even went to check on her personally. We wanted to ask where she had been held, but the child was terrified and couldn't say anything clearly."
Rhodes asked, "Are you sure you're not joking?"
"Of course. I assure you as the mayor."
Seeing how the mayor spoke with such conviction, and since Lise's family didn't appear, both Rhodes and Erza breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. Really, thank goodness.
The two of them stayed a while longer at the hospital, watching as the children who were fine were taken home by their parents, and even the two feverish children recovered. Only then did they leave.
Not to mention the parents' repeated expressions of gratitude, they also received countless "Thank you, big brother," and "Thank you, big sister" from the children.
As for the resident of Popi Town who died, the mayor said it was due to negligence by the local security team, and compensation would be given to the family, along with help finding a means of livelihood.
With that, the mission that Rhodes and Erza had undertaken was essentially complete.
Their payment would be sent to the guild by the Council once all the paperwork was processed, and they might also be asked some details about the mission.
The two declined invitations from the mayors and returned to the inn Erza had booked in Moningroi Town.
Rhodes took his suitcase. "Where's the key to my room?"
"Key? Here." Erza pulled out a key and tossed it to Rhodes.
"Isn't this the key to the room you just unlocked?"
Erza looked puzzled. "Isn't this the one you wanted?"
"I meant my room key..." The two stared at each other. Rhodes had a bad feeling. "So you only booked your own room?"
"It's our room."
"..."
"Anyway, there are two beds. During missions when traveling, it's not unusual to share, though I haven't done it often..."
Erza suddenly thought of an idea, "Wanna try it out? Pushing the two beds together? Actually, last night we should have stayed in one tent, that way if anything happened, we could look out for each other."
"No, thanks, I'm not used to that. It's fine as it is now." She seemed to have a reasonable point, but Rhodes wasn't ready for that yet. "It's late, let's just wash up and go to sleep."
Erza showed a hint of regret—perhaps to her, squeezing together with a comrade really sounded fun.
Like how everyone lay haphazardly around the guild hall during a celebration.
"Alright then." She watched as Rhodes walked into the bathroom and asked, "Need help scrubbing your back?"
Rhodes almost tripped, hurriedly locking the bathroom door. "No, thank you! I'm just rinsing off!"
Erza really didn't see Rhodes as anything other than a buddy.
Rhodes stared at the showerhead, doubting himself. Was it me overthinking? Am I the weird one here?