Did Warm Get Fat

"No, our country doesn't have nobles or royalty.

The fact that people can study for such a long time must be thanks to policies, order, and productivity.

Of course, family support is also important..."

Rhode suddenly stopped talking. Except for the first few days after arriving here, he hadn't dared to think about these things, nor did he want to bring them up.

The Guild Master told Rhode that perhaps if he went out more in the future, he might find clues about the 'Space Magic' that brought him here.

If he couldn't find it, then the guild would be his home.

It was like Natsu; six years had passed since his adoptive father, Igneel, 'disappeared'.

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

Rhode didn't know the inside story of Natsu's situation, but he figured it must be different from his own.

He might never have a chance to go back.

'It's not all bad. A fantastical world filled with magic, and so many sights waiting for me to appreciate.'

Rhode told himself this, then threw himself into work, studying, and training, putting those thoughts aside for now and focusing on living his life.

Mira could hardly imagine what kind of country Rhode was describing.

A country with a good life and order, where children from ordinary families could attend school until they were adults.

So prosperous, yet without a king or nobles... Was that even possible?

She didn't press the matter further, because Rhode had stopped talking when he mentioned family.

Without waiting for her comfort, Rhode downed his drink and stood up, saying, "I'll leave Levy to you. I'm going to practice a bit more."

Mira nodded, only adding a reminder, "Don't overexert your magic."

The days in August were long, and the sky hadn't begun to darken when Rhode returned home from work.

As he walked, he waved his hand to summon Warm and gave the ungrateful creature a good roughing-up to relieve some stress.

"Grrr~" Warm made a displeased sound. It was too hot, and it wanted to go back to escape the heat.

"Wait a minute, have you grown a bit?"

"Huh?" Warm looked confused.

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

He hadn't noticed because they were together every day before, but now that they weren't together as often, he realized Warm was growing.

"Don't rush off. I'll weigh you later so we have a comparison standard next time."

"Wuu~" Warm's small horns drooped. It felt like its master was retaliating, and weighing it was just an excuse.

"Rhode!" Two familiar people were waiting for Rhode on his way home.

"Jet, Troy? What's up?"

Rhode stopped. Honestly, after witnessing a failed confession today, he still felt a bit awkward seeing these two.

Troy stammered, unable to speak, while Jet was more direct: "We're looking for you about Levy!"

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

Jet denied it, "Not at all. It was just a failed confession, nothing to be ashamed of!"

"...Actually, it would be best if you could keep it a secret," Troy mumbled quietly, but Rhode didn't hear him clearly, and Jet glared at him.

Jet got down to business, "Here's the thing..."

Rhode summarized, "...So you two rushed to confess today because you felt threatened by me getting close to Levy recently?"

Troy added, "And it seems like Levy is always happy when she looks for you."

Of course, she's happy. Don't these people know how much fun it is to study?

"You're overthinking it. Levy is purely enjoying the joy of acquiring new knowledge. She genuinely likes things related to various forms of writing."

Troy sounded unconvinced, "Really?"

Rhode said, "You grew up with her, don't you know how much she loves studying writing? Like ancient scripts and things."

Jet looked a bit embarrassed, "When she was studying those things, we were either sleeping or hiding far away..."

Rhode stroked Warm's small 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. I'm not into that type."

Jet and Troy felt like crying. They seemed to have done something foolish.

"Cry if you need to. Once you're done crying, think carefully about how to handle your relationship. Levy explicitly rejected you, you know."

Rhode bid farewell to the two heartbroken individuals, feeling fortunate internally.

Fortunately, neither of them was the type to make a scene, otherwise, he might have faced dramatic scenarios like 'I don't believe you unless you can prove it' or 'Defeat us, or you're not allowed near Levy.'

It was so easy to get along with people who spoke their minds and were easy to reason with.

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

He shamelessly held Warm and asked the owner to help weigh it, then didn't buy any watermelon.

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

When I make big money, I'll buy two at once, eat one, and throw the other to my guildmates.

Rhode silently noted down Warm's weight, bought some biscuits that Warm liked, and then let it go back to the Howling Abyss to cool off.

After work, his routine remained the same: physical training, hitting the punching bag, doing a few chores after a shower, and then sitting at his desk to organize information from magazines.

He had finished the nearly sixty magazines Levy had lent him last week and hadn't brought himself to return them yet.

He had wanted to make a scrapbook, but unfortunately, they weren't his.

Rhode gritted his teeth; he would definitely return them tomorrow.

He was currently flipping through this month's two weekly magazines, which he had bought himself. They cost about the price of a few beers, which he could afford.

This week, Sosara introduced the Mage guild Mermaid Heel, a guild composed entirely of female members.

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

A few individuals, ignoring the warnings, shamelessly went to the guild every day to pester them.

As a result, they were knocked unconscious by the members of Mermaid Heel, dressed in little dresses, heavily made up, and tied up at the guild entrance for a day and a night.

After that, the Mages generally reached a consensus: they shouldn't underestimate Mermaid Heel just because it only had female members.

And they definitely shouldn't provoke them lightly.

The main focus was on the genius Mage Kagura, whose skillful swordsmanship and gravity magic surpassed all her peers in the guild, making her a promising pillar for Mermaid Heel's future.

Her standard princess-cut hairstyle, paired with a katana, involuntarily reminded Rhode of a woman named Mei.

The past was unbearable to recall, and Rhode believed he had moved past the phase of liking paper figures.

He silently noted down the information about Mermaid Heel and Kagura, put down his notebook, and began his daily meditation.

Magic Power +1 +1 +1...

The time spent training was fulfilling and enjoyable.