Chapter 537: So Exciting
After receiving some quick treatment, Gajeel announced he was heading back. Right before leaving, he awkwardly mumbled a thank-you to both Wendy and Rhodes.
Even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud, being accepted by this group made him happy.
Rhodes offered to summon a crab to take him home, but Gajeel shook his head. He already had a flying companion.
Lily stepped forward and said, "Leave it to me. I’ll handle it."
Rhodes nodded, satisfied. Even the Exceed raised by these Dragon Slayers knew how to take care of their partners.
Meanwhile, his own Poro just kept getting rounder by the day and only knew how to act cute.
Once Gajeel and Lily departed, the rest of the group officially began their training session.
They started with the basics, meditation and physical conditioning, before moving on to hand-to-hand combat drills.
The main participants were Wendy, Rhodes, and Mira, though Lisanna and Carla also joined in.
Of course, Carla focused primarily on refining her magic and developing her unique Prophecy abilities inherited from her mother.
According to her, prophecy magic wasn’t just for show, it could assist in battle too. With enough control, one could foresee enemy movements and detect hidden traps before they triggered. It was extremely practical.
To Rhodes, it sounded a lot like that "Observation Haki" from One Piece world, being able to glimpse the future in combat.
He was pretty jealous, truth be told. He even wanted to learn it himself.
But this kind of bloodline magic couldn’t just be passed on, and Carla had no idea how to teach him even if she wanted to.
Unable to learn new magic, Rhodes could only channel his energy elsewhere... like sparring with his wife.
Actually, make that tag-teaming against his wife, with backup from the other girls.
His sister-in-law, instead of helping Mira beat up the "scumbag," just stood to the side and shouted encouragement... for him.
That is, until she got her own turn.
After a short break, Rhodes summoned the Cloud Dragon to guide Wendy’s training. And Mira, still full of energy, decided to give her beloved little sister some special one-on-one practice.
Of course, it was all out of love. Besides, they had Wendy to patch them up afterward anyway. A few bruises built character.
The night ended on a cheerful note.
...
The next morning, Rhodes followed his usual routine and came to Mira’s place for breakfast.
Mira, humming softly, was busy at the stove while Elfman helped her with prep work. Lisanna opened the front door when Rhodes arrived.
When it came to her brother-in-law practically living there before marriage, Lisanna had just one question.
"Brother-in-law, when are you moving in officially?"
Rhodes pondered it seriously, then said, "No time like the present. Today sounds good."
Lisanna blinked. "Wait... really?"
"Just kidding," Rhodes sighed. "The real problem is, I still haven’t found a good house."
He had even been considering building one outside the city, something big, self-designed, and it could save a lot of money.
Although commuting from outside the city every day might be a bit of a hassle, both Mira and Rhodes could fly. Aside from drawing some attention, it really wasn’t a problem.
Lisanna didn’t think too deeply about it. She just thought it would be nice for the whole family to live together.
If her sister and brother-in-law had a baby in the future, she could help take care of it, and maybe even use Take Over to transform into cute little animals to play with the child.
Seeing Lisanna looking a little out of it, Rhodes gently rubbed his shoulder and asked, "Does it still hurt?"
"Mmm," Lisanna replied with a pained expression. "Mira-nee hit too hard yesterday."
Wendy’s healing magic could speed up recovery, but it didn’t erase pain completely. What normally would have ached for three days now only hurt for one, but it still hurt.
Mira brought a plate of food to the table and said with a hint of guilt, "Sorry about that. I think I mistook you for Elfman during training."
Lisanna gave a wry smile. "Suddenly, I feel kinda bad for Elfman."
Elfman quietly put down his cutlery. "Manly man... (whispering)."
Rhodes looked at him, surprised. "Wait, when did you get back?"
"Last night. I haven’t even turned in yesterday’s mission yet," Elfman said, his eating pace quickening. He still had a full day of work ahead.
"Don’t rush," Mira said, concerned. "Rhodes and I aren’t heading to work today, so even if you hand it in, there’s no one to approve a new one."
"You’re right," Elfman nodded, remembering that it was his family handling those matters now.
Unfortunately, that didn’t mean he got any special treatment.
Then Lisanna suddenly brought up, "So, if Elfman gets picked this year... wouldn’t he be competing with Brother-in-law?"
"Yeah... looks like it," Elfman replied with a reluctant sigh.
The selection criteria for the S-Class Promotion Exam prioritized strength, followed by one’s growth throughout the year.
No one knew exactly how Master Makarov measured "growth," but the general belief was that taking on more missions, or tougher ones, boosted your chances of being selected.
But Rhodes...
Even without reviewing his mission log, his "growth" was obvious to everyone.
He had achieved in one year what others might take a decade to accomplish.
Because of that, every guild member planning to compete in the S-Class Exam had already mentally prepared themselves: Rhodes would be the most formidable opponent this year.
Just thinking about facing him made them uneasy. Still, no one wanted to give up. All they could do was work harder.
Thankfully, the S-Class Exam wasn’t based on combat alone. As long as they didn’t get eliminated by Rhodes in the early stages, there was still a chance later on.
Despite the pressure of the situation, Elfman stood firm, locking eyes with Rhodes.
"The S-Class Exam is the guild’s most important trial," he said seriously. "It’s the ultimate goal of a Manly Man! So, don’t hold back!"
Rhodes nodded, amused by his determination. "Alright. I just hope we don’t end up facing each other."
But Elfman wasn’t done. He turned toward his sister with equal intensity. "You too, Sister! If you’re a Manly Man, then you definitely must..."
Bang!
Before he could finish, a heavy fist came down on his head.
Elfman dropped like a rock, a giant bump forming on his forehead as Mira calmly withdrew her hand.
"Who’s a Manly Man?" she asked sweetly, her smile radiant yet terrifying.
Lying on the floor, Elfman stared up at the ceiling in a daze. "Sister... is the Manly Man..."
"..."
Lisanna silently covered her face.
What was she supposed to do if both her sister and her brother had issues? As the fragile younger sibling, she truly felt helpless.
In the end, Elfman wasn’t sacrificed for the greater good. After arriving at the guild, he picked up a new mission and sprinted out in a hurry.
Meanwhile, Rhodes and Mira helped process the missions for a bunch of other returning members who hadn’t had time to report in the night before. Once their missions were logged, those same members grabbed bread in their mouths and dashed off again, too busy to sit for breakfast.
From early morning, the guild was already buzzing with activity.
Laki and Lisanna had finished their daily chores, and the bar was now open for business.
After the breakfast rush, things finally calmed down, and most members enjoyed a rare moment of peace.
But Rhodes wasn’t off the hook just yet, according to the plan, he and Lisanna were heading out to shop for supplies today.
Besides stocking up on drinks and ingredients, they also needed to start preparing heating equipment for the coming winter. If time allowed, they’d look at decorations for the New Year celebration too.
More importantly, Rhodes had another goal: to find a few skilled artisans familiar with magitech and invite them to join the guild, specifically to help upgrade the Fairy Battleship.
...
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