Right after asking that question, Rhode saw himself.
Not through his own eyes, nor as if looking in a mirror, but from an upward-looking angle below.
His own hand rested on "his own" head, his arm blocking a little of the view. But because the distance between its eyes was wide enough, he could still see his own face.
This was... the Swift Crab's point of view?
The sudden sensation of having two images in his mind was strange. Rhode withdrew his hand and immediately saw the movement from both perspectives.
When the Swift Crab stood up, the viewpoint shifted subtly as well.
Rhode directed the Swift Crab to turn around, standing back-to-back with it, and instantly gained a field of vision of nearly three hundred degrees.
Makarov nodded after hearing Rhode's description. "So it's a scouting-type summoned creature. Its uses should be quite broad."
Next, the Swift Crab demonstrated its mobility.
After letting Rhode sit on its back, the Swift Crab rammed straight through the guild's courtyard wall, ran onto the lake, and performed the incredible feat of skimming across the water. Its six legs churned as it moved over the surface as easily as walking on flat ground.
Rhode tightly gripped the Swift Crab's two antennae like reins, feeling the fierce wind rushing against him and the occasional spray of water splashing onto his body.
He had no idea how many miles per hour they were going, but it was more thrilling than the speedboat ride he had taken on East Lake—perhaps because he wasn't wearing a life jacket.
"Its speed surpasses that of ordinary horses and Pig Horses, and being able to travel over water is also quite good. Its destructive power is average, but..."
Makarov gave his assessment rationally. Then, looking at the damaged courtyard wall, he shouted at Rhode's retreating back,
"...even so, don't just go destroying the guild whenever you want!!!"
"I'm sorry. It was my first time riding a river crab, so I didn't understand its habits. I didn't do it on purpose..."
Rhode had stood Levy up.
They had originally agreed to go study at the library together, but now he could only build a wall miserably under the Master's supervision.
It didn't matter if he didn't know how. The Master taught him on the spot. He knew a little carpentry and masonry—mainly because he had destroyed the guild no fewer times than anyone else. Practice made perfect.
"It's fine. You only accidentally damaged a little bit of wall."
Levy was extremely forgiving about it, perhaps because she was already used to similar accidents.
"Besides, I've already found some suitable books on common knowledge. I can read you some appropriate parts while you work."
"That'd be great! Thanks, Levy!"
Rhode was delighted. Back when he did things like general cleaning, he liked playing music or comedy shows on his phone just to have some sound in the background. He had been worrying about getting bored.
This girl was really considerate. No wonder Jet and Troy liked her so much.
"First, this country is called the Kingdom of Fiore. It has a population of around seventeen million and is located on a peninsula in the western part of the continent. About one hundred and sixty years ago, it was recognized as a neutral nation..."
Levy's voice as she read and explained was pleasant to listen to.
Rhode kept laying bricks. When he heard Fiore's population of seventeen million, he felt that this country probably wasn't very large.
Being a neutral nation was pretty good, though. They probably didn't need to worry too much about war.
"Magnolia City, where we are, lies in eastern Fiore, not far from the border with the neighboring country of Bosco. Its population is roughly sixty thousand..."
Rhode had heard Mira mention this before. Magic had flourished in Magnolia since long ago, making it quite a prosperous city within Fiore.
"Now for the important part." Levy emphasized the next section.
"Magic was once feared, so wizards were often persecuted in the past. On top of that, wizards frequently fought among themselves, leaving the entire world unstable."
"To change all that, one hundred and fifty years ago, the world's first wizard guild, Dragon of the Magic Circle, was established.
"Wizards began uniting, using magic to protect themselves and their companions. They also worked to communicate with ordinary people, even solving their problems in exchange for payment."
"From then on, wizard guilds appeared one after another. Magic gradually became part of people's lives, eventually evolving into the harmonious coexistence between wizards and ordinary people that we have today."
"Then ninety-seven years ago, in X686, our guild, Fairy Tail, was established."
"'Do fairies have tails? More importantly, do fairies truly exist at all? Everything about them is unknown, which means eternal mystery and eternal adventure.'
"—That was the meaning Mavis, the First Master, gave to Fairy Tail."
Levy's eyes sparkled as she spoke those last words. It was clear that she genuinely loved this guild.
This was Rhode's first time hearing the meaning behind the name Fairy Tail, and he found it a little romantic.
So romantic that he hadn't remembered more than a few lines of the Fiore history Levy had just recited.
Still, it wasn't like he had gained nothing. At the very least, Rhode learned that this was a country with something of a feudal absolute monarchy.
There was a king, ministers, knights, and an army.
Naturally, some members of the royal family and those who served the crown also studied magic.
Wizards were respected in many places, but they were still citizens of this country, subject to royal authority, and did not enjoy the privileges of titled nobles.
At the same time, in order to maintain stability in the magical world, an institution called the Magic Council was responsible for monitoring wizards' conduct, punishing Dark Guilds, and so on.
But whenever Levy mentioned the Council, her expression became strange. She seemed to dislike the institution and was even somewhat afraid of it.
That left Rhode confused. Why be afraid of an organization that punished Dark Guilds? Wasn't Fairy Tail a legitimate guild?
Oh no.
Rhode realized he had forgotten to ask about this—Fairy Tail... was a legitimate guild, right?
Spending time with Levy was a very pleasant thing.
Whether she was explaining history and geography or the fundamentals of magic, the young girl did so in an organized, methodical way.
Even someone like Rhode, whose foundation was practically nonexistent, did not find her explanations obscure or difficult to understand.
Moreover, she often cited all sorts of related stories during her explanations, making Rhode marvel at how her breadth of knowledge was even greater than his had been in his final year of high school.
By the time Rhode had more or less repaired the damaged courtyard wall, Levy had grown tired from talking and looked at him eagerly.
"...Oh, right, Chinese language." Rhode understood her look. "Should I wash my face first?"
What he really wanted was to take a bath and change clothes. After working half the day, the mud and dust felt terribly uncomfortable.
"If it's just washing your face, I can help! Solid Script: WATER!" Levy waved her arm, her finger writing the word for "water" in the air.
The glowing letters she wrote with magic truly turned into individual letters made of clear water after she finished writing them.
Then, under Levy's control, they floated in front of Rhode. "Use this."
Rhode looked at the word "water," made out of water, before him and tentatively reached his hand into it...
He could actually wash his hands as though he were using a basin of water. He could even scoop up a handful and splash it over his face.
"What convenient magic. It's practically... what was that phrase again? Right, words become reality."
"Hehe... it's not that exaggerated." Levy was a little embarrassed by the praise. After Rhode finished washing his face, she controlled the watery letters and sent them flying toward the lake like an ordinary stream of water.
"And I'm not very good at it. I can only provide a little support when my companions are fighting."
"I think this kind of magic will definitely come in handy."
Rhode felt that Solid Script resembled scenes in some novels where people wrote characters to fight with. It ought to have great potential.
"Then let's start with teaching you how to pronounce Chinese characters."
Rhode took the Light Pen Levy had just used and wrote the initials and finals of Chinese pinyin in the air.
After thinking for a moment, he added annotations using the basic syllables of this world's language before teaching her to read them one by one.
Levy eagerly read and took notes, only stopping when Laki came to call Rhode to work.
Before you continue