Could it be that Daz is also a mage?

"It's settled," Hibiki said to Makarov. "Master Makarov, I'll be heading back now."

"Ah, good work," Makarov replied. "I'll fill out the request form later and send it along with the payment to Blue Pegasus."

Rhode quickly chimed in, "Thank you for saving my life, Master, and thank you for your help, Mr. Hibiki! I'm deeply moved!"

Mirajane covered her mouth and chuckled, "What kind of expression is that, Rhode? Are you trying to become like Laki? That's hilarious."

Makarov looked at Hibiki, his eyes seeming to ask what was going on.

"Ah, well... because the knowledge was forcefully crammed in, it naturally takes some time to digest," Hibiki said sheepishly. "So, his speech might occasionally be a bit nonsensical lately. It would be fine to just correct him a little, or perhaps I could try again once my magic improves?"

"N-no! Please, allow me to politely decline!" Rhode exclaimed. He didn't want to experience that splitting headache again. Learning knowledge was best done steadily on his own. It definitely wasn't because he was afraid of pain.

Makarov nodded. "That's fine. The request is now concluded."

Mirajane saw Hibiki off, while Makarov called out to Rhode, "You're Rhode, right? Did Mira tell you the general situation?"

"Well, due to the language barrier, I only understood parts of it," Rhode replied. "You're the one who saved me from the forest, right?"

Makarov corrected him, "No, to be precise, I merely brought you back from the forest."

Rhode looked confused. "Then the beast that attacked me... didn't you defeat it with your bare hands?"

Makarov didn't have the energy to correct Rhode's wording at the moment. He sat cross-legged on a chair by the bed – he was even taller sitting down than standing. Rhode felt it would be impolite to look down on the old man, so he obediently sat by the bedside.

Makarov slowly began, "Actually, I went there because someone reported a monster rampage. Strange Birds, Giant Frogs, Evil Wolves... even Dragons."

"The mayor believed that a large group of monsters appearing in the eastern forest would affect the safety of the entire Magnolia City, so he commissioned me to investigate." Makarov had actually gone to investigate primarily because Porlyusica lived in that forest, and he was a bit worried about her.

"But by the time I arrived, all that was at the scene was the corpse of a Hog Bear, a severely damaged forest, and you lying on the ground."

Rhode listened, growing more and more alarmed. He felt incredibly lucky to have survived in such a situation. Perhaps he should even thank the creature that sent him flying... was it called a Hog Bear? Strange name.

Makarov asked, "Do you have any impression of the beast horde?"

Rhode shook his head. "I don't remember any of that at all. However, before I passed out, I think I heard a lot of strange noises. Before that, the forest was usually deathly quiet."

Makarov nodded. So the beast horde's rampage must have happened around the time he passed out. Or... perhaps Rhode had accidentally done something that triggered the beast tide.

"Then, what were you doing in the forest?"

"I... I don't know," Rhode said with a troubled expression. "You might not believe me, but I just tripped and fell, and when I got up, I was in the forest."

"I see," Makarov mused. Suddenly moving from one place to another... he knew of a few such cases. For example, Porlyusica, who had treated Rhode earlier, had suddenly appeared decades ago. According to her, she came from a world called Edolas. Then there was Natsu, who had suddenly appeared nearby six years ago. At the time, he could speak but couldn't read, yet claimed to have studied the written language. Rhode's situation, where he couldn't understand the language, seemed more similar to Natsu's. Furthermore, Natsu had been looking for a Dragon when he appeared, and Rhode's appearance was accompanied by legends of Dragons. These two might have some connection. Makarov speculated that these two might have been affected by a powerful spatial magic cast by a Mage on another continent, directly transferring them here.

"I think I have a general understanding of the situation."

Rhode looked at him in surprise. "You believe me that easily?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Makarov met his gaze. "I have a bit of confidence in my ability to discern whether young people are lying."

"But..." Rhode suddenly realized. Oh, right, this was a world of magic. Someone suddenly appearing like himself... didn't seem all that strange, did it?

Makarov asked, "So, what are your plans now?"

"I... have nowhere to go for now." Rhode had been thinking for two days, and staying here seemed like the best option. If he wandered out now, he worried he might run into another Hog Bear or Tiger and get himself killed if he was unlucky. But Fairy Tail was probably full of Mages... someone like him, an ordinary person... To survive safely, Rhode had no choice but to brace himself and ask, "Can I stay here?"

"Of course."

So casual! Rhode looked at the old man before him. Didn't he hesitate at all? "You don't even know where I came from."

Makarov asked, "Are you willing to tell me?"

"I..." Rhode hesitated. He had no idea where to even begin.

"Then I'll wait until you figure out what to say before telling me," Makarov said with a kind smile.

"The guild is full of homeless children, some of whom can't even explain where they came from. They were just as uneasy as you are now."

"But it's okay. It's precisely because we're uneasy that we need companions, that we have a guild."

"We support each other to live strong, and we consider each other family. This is the guild, this is Fairy Tail."

Makarov explained his view of the guild to Rhode, his eyes seeming to sparkle.

For the first time, Rhode understood the purpose of Fairy Tail. It was different from the quest guilds he knew from games and anime.

Fairy Tail seemed to be more than just an intermediary; it was a place with more warmth.

The process of joining the guild was very simple.

Makarov took Rhode to find Mirajane and added Rhode's name to the member list.

"This is Magnolia City, located in the eastern part of the Kingdom of Fiore. It has a population of about 60,000 and has been a city where magic has flourished since ancient times."

"Fairy Tail is the only legitimate guild in this city. And then there's this..."

Because Rhode lacked common sense about the place, Mirajane had to start by explaining its geographical location.

When talking about Fairy Tail, she took out something like a stamp and had Rhode choose a color and a place to engrave the Guild Mark.

Rhode rolled up his sleeve and asked Mirajane to stamp a blue Guild Mark on his left arm.

The process was as simple as ordinary stamping.

Rhode touched the spot of the Guild Mark, feeling no different from before. It seemed to be another magical item. "This won't fade, will it?"

"Of course not," Mirajane replied, putting away the stamp.

"This Guild Mark represents a Fairy Tail Mage. You can use it to prove your identity anywhere."

"Mage..." Rhode covered his arm and asked nervously, "But I don't know any magic at all. What should I do? Will I be kicked out?"

"How could that happen? If you want to, you can start learning from now on," Mirajane said. "It will just be a bit difficult to find commissions you can complete at first."

"You don't know magic?" Makarov pointed to Rhode's chest. "Isn't that your Magic Item?"

"Huh?" Rhode picked up his necklace pendant and looked at it. It was a capital letter L, with a blue circle with a gold border below it. Upon closer inspection, there were intricate patterns inside.

"You say this is a Magic Item? No way?"

This thing was the software icon for a 5v5 competitive game. It was a gift from his roommate, Tatsuya, for Rhode's birthday.

Although it looked finely crafted and probably wasn't cheap, it was just an ordinary pendant...

Could it be that Tatsuya, with his earnest appearance, was actually a Mage?