The tavern was as lively as ever. Erza's intimidating presence had greatly diminished the longer she stayed at the guild.
Although she would still step in to lecture them whenever things went too far... well, once the pain was gone, they forgot the lesson.
Someone would always drink too much while chatting, then start fighting while messing around.
As a result, Rhode was still sometimes forced to practice dodging all kinds of flying objects.
After surviving the morning shift, Rhode left Worm behind and hurried off to the library. He wanted to use the Wind Chant Glasses to read some books about magic.
As for history and geography... he would put those aside for now. Listening to Levy tell stories now and then was enough.
The pages flipped rapidly. Words, sentences, entire pages were reflected in the lenses, and Rhode could clearly see every line.
He finished a seven-hundred-page encyclopedia in around twenty minutes.
Rhode now had a basic understanding of many kinds of magic. It was not quite photographic memory, but it was equivalent to reading through the whole book carefully once.
This kind of item was incredibly useful for people who did not need to study a text closely but loved reading.
For those who did not need to read in depth and merely wanted to broaden their knowledge, it was practically a divine artifact.
A reading speed thirty-two times faster than normal was simply absurd. Rhode suspected the Wind Chant Glasses used some kind of time-related magic.
Its inventor was an absolute genius.
After putting the encyclopedia back, Rhode sat down and closed his eyes to meditate, letting his brain rest a little.
After a while, he found books on ancient magic and Space-type Magic, reading until it was time for the afternoon shift.
"You're Rhode, right? I'm Marcus. I use Sand Magic."
A middle-parted young man ordered a drink, sat at the bar, and struck up a conversation with Rhode. "I've heard your legend, you know. You're amazing."
Rhode froze. "I have a legend?"
Mira smiled as she poured Marcus a drink, listening with equal curiosity.
Even someone as gossipy as her had no idea Rhode had some impressive legend.
"You know, that one! Before you even joined the guild, you easily dealt with a beast horde and destroyed a huge stretch of forest!"
Marcus waved his hand. "Just what you'd expect from a Fairy Tail wizard! You fit right in here!"
Rhode wanted to clear up that ridiculous rumor, but Marcus gave him no chance.
He pressed on, "So, what kind of magic do you use? It must be incredible, right?"
"It's not that incredible. I use—"
"Is it Fire Magic like Natsu's? If we're talking destructive power, fire has to be the best, right?"
"No, it's—"
"Then it must be Earth Magic. Its destructive power in a forest would definitely be incredible. I heard one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Jura, uses Earth Magic too. Also—"
Rhode tried several times to cut in, only to discover that Marcus did not leave him a single opening. He was exactly like a salon lady Rhode had once met on the street who tried to rope people into signing up for membership cards.
"Marcus hosts all kinds of guild events. He usually likes dragging people into conversations. And after he drinks, he gets a little..."
Mira quietly introduced Marcus to Rhode's ear. After carefully choosing her words, she continued, "...a little talkative. It's hard to interrupt him. Just listen quietly until he finishes."
"...All right." Rhode nodded. Compared to Laki, who liked collecting torture devices, someone like Marcus who merely talked too much after drinking counted as perfectly normal.
Mira reminded him, "You can just leave if you don't want to listen. At the guild, if there's something you dislike, you can say so directly. You don't need to make yourself suffer for the sake of politeness."
"It's fine. I'm curious who started the rumor that I destroyed a forest."
Rhode was a little annoyed. He had clearly been attacked by wild beasts, so how had he suddenly become some kind of destruction maniac?
"Y-Yeah, who would make up that kind of rumor?" Mira looked a little uneasy.
Of course, she had not made up the rumor. She had only truthfully told her companions about Rhode's background.
The beast horde and the damaged forest had both really happened. But for some reason, as the story spread, it became Rhode easily defeating fierce beasts and destroying a forest.
Mira was no longer sure whether she counted as the main culprit.
Marcus rattled on for nearly five minutes before finally pausing to take a sip of beer and wet his throat.
Rhode was about to seize the chance to ask a question when a bottle flew over and smashed into the back of Marcus's head.
"Pffft~~~~" Marcus sprayed out half a glass of beer in one breath. "Who was that?!"
That question hardly needed an answer.
Marcus turned around, spotted the conspicuous brawl in the tavern, and joined in without another word.
Rhode dodged quickly and was not sprayed by the beer.
Mira skillfully took out a rag and wiped down the counter, then watched her companions fight with a smile.
The fight continued until someone knocked over Erza's plate.
The air fell briefly silent. Natsu and Gray tiptoed away, trying to sneak off.
"Enough... is enough!" Erza sprang to her feet, and her gauntleted fists landed impartially on the heads of every participant.
Natsu, Gray, Marcus, and several others clutched their heads and collapsed to the floor.
Erza cracked her knuckles. "Good. Since you want to fight so badly, I'll fight you. We'll keep going until one side can't stand up anymore!"
"Aye!" Happy, the blue cat, stood on the table with a raised paw and said gleefully, "They can't stand up already!"
"Hehe..." Mira smiled happily. "Just like always."
That word, "always," was used wonderfully. With that one simple word, Rhode gained a thorough understanding of this guild.
"Here." Mira brought out a pudding. "Give this to Erza when the time is right."
Rhode did not understand. "When the time is right?"
Mira pointed at Erza and smiled without saying anything.
Erza, who had been so imposing just moments ago, suddenly began to tremble. As if she had lost her soul, she swayed back to her seat.
She did not sit down. Instead, she crouched and gathered up the broken porcelain and ruined dessert from the floor. "My... strawberry pudding..."
The domineering Fairy Queen now looked as helpless as a little girl.
"Oh my, Erza like this is so cute." Mira held her cheeks, enjoying this strange little pleasure.
"..." This should be the right time, right? Rhode hesitantly walked toward Erza.
"You people..." The pressure around Erza dropped as she turned and glared viciously at the culprits lying on the floor.
Everyone shuddered involuntarily.
"Miss Erza?"
Rhode called out to her, deliberately adding an honorific.
"Hm?"
Erza whipped around. Shadows covered her face, and one eye seemed to glow red, like a beast on the verge of rage.
Her astonishing presence made Rhode's heart skip a beat. It felt as if one glare from her had dragged him into a low-pressure zone.
"Y-Your pudding seems to be strawberry flavored too," Rhode barely managed to say.
"..." That overwhelming presence lasted another second.
Then the queen became the friendly older sister next door. She stood, smoothed her hair, and revealed a gentle smile. "Thank you very much."
Erza even clenched her fists and began reflecting on herself in anguish. "Honestly, I nearly got angry over a pudding. My training is still insufficient."
Wings sprouted from Happy's back, and he flew over to Rhode's ear without the slightest hesitation, muttering, "She clearly already got angry."
"..." Rhode said nothing and looked at him with admiration.
Little cat, you really dared to say that. Would it have killed you to give her some face?
Erza said solemnly, "Come to think of it, you're Rhode, aren't you? You just joined the guild, yet you already care so much about your companions. I'm deeply moved."
She truly looked touched. As she spoke, she pulled Rhode's head into her chest. "That's right, Fairy Tail should be like this!"
Clang!
Rhode's head struck her hard metal armor, making a crisp sound as his skull buzzed.
He secretly glanced at Mira, who was giving him a thumbs-up from behind the counter...
Was this part of your plan too, Miss Mira?
Before you continue