Has Worm Gained Weight?

"No, our country had no nobility, nor did it have a royal family.

Being able to spend such a long time studying was probably thanks to things like policy, order, and productivity.

Of course, family support was important too..."

Rhode suddenly fell silent. Aside from the first few days after arriving here, he had not dared to think about such things, nor had he wanted to mention them.

Master had told Rhode that once he traveled around more in the future, he might find clues about the 'Space Magic' that had brought him here.

If he could not find anything, then the guild would be his home.

Just like Natsu. It had already been six years since Natsu's adoptive father, Igneel, had 'disappeared.'

Natsu was still working hard to find clues about his beloved family, but at the same time, he had gained a new family.

Rhode did not know the full story behind Natsu's situation, but he imagined it was different from his own.

He might never have another chance to return.

There's nothing bad about it. This dreamlike world overflowing with magic still has so much scenery waiting for me to appreciate.

Rhode told himself that, then threw himself into work, reading, and training. For the time being, he set those thoughts aside and did his best to live on.

Mira found it difficult to imagine what the country Rhode had described was like.

It had decent living conditions and order, even allowing children from ordinary families to remain in school until adulthood.

Could such a prosperous place truly have neither kings nor nobles...?

She did not continue asking, because Rhode had fallen silent when he mentioned family.

Without waiting for her comfort, Rhode drained his glass of alcohol in one gulp and stood up. "I'll leave Levy to you. I'm going to practice a little longer."

Mira nodded and only reminded him, "Remember not to overdraw your magic power."

August days were long. When Rhode headed home after work, there was still no sign of the sky growing dark.

As he walked, he waved a hand and summoned Worm, then ruthlessly kneaded the unfaithful little fellow to relieve some stress.

"Grrr~" Worm made a disgusted sound. It was too hot, and it wanted to go back somewhere cool.

"Wait, haven't you grown a little?"

"Grr?"

Worm looked confused.

"I feel like you were about a size smaller when I first met you..."

He had not noticed because they had been together every day before. Only recently, when Worm was often away from him, had he realized that it was growing.

"Don't rush off yet. I'll weigh you in a bit so we'll have something to compare against next time."

"Wuu~" Worm's little pair of horns drooped. It felt that its master was taking revenge on it, and that weighing it was merely an excuse.

"Rhode!" Two familiar people were waiting along Rhode's route home.

"Jet, Troy? What's up?"

Rhode stopped. Honestly, after witnessing their failed confession today, he still felt a little awkward seeing the two of them.

Troy stammered, unable to get the words out, while Jet was much more straightforward. "We came to find you because of Levy!"

"Huh?" Rhode thought for a moment. "Do you want me to keep it a secret for you?"

Jet denied it. "Of course not! It was just a failed confession. There's nothing embarrassing about that!"

"...Actually, it'd be best if you could keep it secret," Troy muttered quietly. Unfortunately, Rhode did not hear him clearly, and Jet shot him a glare.

Jet got to the point. "Here's what happened..."

Rhode summed it up. "...So you two rashly went to confess today because Levy and I have been spending a lot of time together lately, and that gave you a sense of crisis?"

Troy added, "And Levy always seems really happy whenever she comes looking for you."

Of course she was happy. Did these people not know how joyful learning was?

"You're overthinking it. Levy was simply enjoying the joy of gaining new knowledge. She genuinely likes anything related to all kinds of writing."

Troy was unconvinced. "Really?"

Rhode said, "You grew up with her. Don't you know how much she likes studying writing? Ancient texts and things like that."

Jet looked a little embarrassed. "Whenever she was studying that stuff, the two of us were either sleeping or hiding far away..."

Rhode rubbed Worm's little horns and said with certainty:

"I'm sure Levy doesn't have the kind of feelings for me that you're worried about, and I don't have them for her either. She's not my type."

Jet and Troy almost wanted to cry. It seemed they had done something stupid.

"Go ahead and cry if you want. Once you're done, think carefully about how to handle your relationship with her. Levy clearly rejected both of you."

Rhode bid farewell to the two men disappointed in love, feeling relieved inside.

Thankfully, neither of them was the kind to make unreasonable trouble. Otherwise, he might have been dragged into some melodramatic scene like, 'I don't believe you unless you can prove it,' or, 'Defeat us, or you're not allowed near Levy.'

Getting along with people who spoke openly and understood things as soon as they were explained was truly so much easier.

On his way back, Rhode saw a small watermelon stall packing up.

Shamelessly, he carried Worm over and asked the owner to weigh it for him, then did not buy any watermelon.

...Damn it, why were watermelons so expensive?

Once I make a fortune, I'll buy two at a time—eat one and toss... give the other one to my guildmates.

Rhode silently noted Worm's weight, bought some of Worm's favorite biscuits, and only then let it return to the Howling Abyss to cool off.

His after-work routine remained the same: physical training, hitting the sandbag for a while, taking a bath, handling the small amount of housework, then sitting at the table to organize information from magazines.

He had finished reading the nearly sixty magazines Laki had lent him last week, but he had not been willing to return them yet.

He had originally wanted to make a scrapbook, but unfortunately, they were not his belongings.

Rhode gritted his teeth. He would definitely return them tomorrow.

What he was flipping through now were this month's two weekly magazines. He had bought them himself, spending about as much as a few glasses of beer, which he could still afford.

The mage guild Sosara introduced this week was Mermaid Heel, a guild made up entirely of female members.

It was said that this guild was extremely popular, and many male mages had applied to join, only to be rejected every time.

There were also a few people who refused to listen, going to the guild every day to shamelessly pester its members.

As a result, Mermaid Heel's members knocked them unconscious, dressed them in little skirts, put heavy makeup on them, and tied them up in front of the guild entrance for a full day and night.

After that, mages basically reached a consensus: they could not underestimate Mermaid Heel just because it only had female members.

And they definitely could not provoke them lightly.

The main feature was on the genius mage Kagura. With her masterful swordsmanship and Gravity Magic, she overwhelmed everyone in the guild her age and was expected to become one of Mermaid Heel's future pillars.

Her standard hime-cut hairstyle paired with a katana made Rhode involuntarily think of a woman named Mei.

The past was too painful to look back on. Rhode believed he had already outgrown his phase of liking two-dimensional characters.

He silently recorded the information about Mermaid Heel and Kagura, set down his notebook, and began today's meditation.

Magic Power +1+1+1...

His time spent training was fulfilling and pleasant.