Yukino was also a little intrigued by the girl sitting among them who resembled her, but she quickly set her curiosity aside and focused on the mission.
"I am Yukino Agria of Sabertooth, here to carry out the consultation request issued by Fairy Tail. You must be Saint Rhodes. May I ask who is seeking guidance regarding Celestial Spirit Magic?"
Her words were respectful, yet her tone and expression carried a distinct chill.
The moment Mira heard her speak, her own gaze softened with warmth. "Why don't we go inside and talk properly?"
Rhodes nodded, gesturing politely. "Please, come in and sit. I'll explain everything in detail."
Lisanna followed curiously, eager to see what this visitor from Sabertooth was like. Mira asked Laki and Kinana to take care of the guild supplies they had brought back, then personally prepared tea and served it, before settling into the seat beside Rhodes.
Some members of the guild, catching sight of Yukino, whispered to one another, at first glance she looked strikingly similar to Lisanna, and that resemblance drew curious stares.
"Nice to meet you," Rhodes introduced formally. "I'm Rhodes. This is my fiancée, Mirajane, and her younger sister, Lisanna."
"Hello." Mira greeted her with a gentle smile.
Lisanna, meanwhile, leaned on her hand and squinted, glancing back and forth between herself and Yukino as if she were playing a game of spot-the-difference.
As Rhodes had guessed, Yukino's gaze flickered at Lisanna, though she kept her expression carefully aloof. What showed faintly in her eyes wasn't curiosity, but envy.
"Hello, Mirajane-sama. Lisanna-sama," Yukino greeted.
"There's no need for honorifics," Mira said kindly. "Just call us by our names. You resemble my sister a little, so I felt a sense of familiarity the moment I saw you."
For a moment, Yukino faltered under Mira's gentle gaze. Emotion welled in her expression, but she quickly turned her eyes away, as though remembering something that forced her to retreat. She gave the smallest of nods.
She then pulled the request form from her coat, laying it neatly on the table. With a gloved finger, she tapped the Sabertooth stamp upon it and pushed it forward. "Saint Rhodes, here is the official request form. The guild has authorized me to carry out this mission."
Mira smiled softly at the girl's stiff formality. 'This child is far too polite.'
Rhodes carefully examined the form. The process was routine, though this was the first time he was doing it from the client's side. Strictly speaking, the next step should have been verifying her guild emblem. Normally he would have asked, but after years in Fairy Tail, he knew some women chose rather… unconventional places for their marks.
He decided to spare her the awkwardness.
But Yukino, completely straightforward, lifted the hem of her top without hesitation, revealing the pale skin of her stomach and the Sabertooth emblem stamped just beside her navel.
Rhodes blinked, his thoughts turning wry. 'Could Sabertooth have sent an assassin after me? Planning to use Mira's hand to finish the job? …Too bad, if that's the case, they're nowhere near the level needed.'
Thanks to Erza, Cana, and especially Lucy, Mira had long since been desensitized to such things. When she was in a playful mood, she even teased Rhodes with swimsuit catalogs and sometimes demonstrated poses herself, claiming she had to "correct the form."
"Alright, identity confirmed, and the form checks out." Mira gently adjusted Yukino's clothes back into place, adding warmly, "Be careful not to catch a chill."
Yukino's lips parted as if she wanted to say something more, but she stopped herself. "Thank you. Please… tell me the details of the mission."
Her tone was as cold as when she first arrived ,but this time, her voice carried the faintest, trembling undercurrent.
Rhodes pointed to the conditions written on the request form. "I'll need to confirm whether you're a Celestial Spirit Mage, and whether the Spirits you possess fit the requirement."
Many Celestial Spirits summoned through silver keys couldn't speak at all, like Nikora of Canis Minor, or Caelum of Caelum. That was why Rhodes had specifically written a restriction for easy communication, preferably with one of the Zodiac Spirits.
"Yes." Yukino calmly placed two golden keys on the table and introduced them with quiet pride. "The Zodiac, Libra and Pisces. I believe they should meet your requirements."
Lisanna gasped in awe. "The Zodiac keys… and she actually has two of them!"
Mira smiled warmly. "It seems we've invited a very extraordinary mage."
Rhodes studied her carefully for a few moments. 'She really is remarkable.'
Ten of the Zodiac keys were already in Lucy's possession, and the only remaining two… were with Yukino. That meant every Zodiac key in existence was accounted for between just two mages.
For the rest of the Celestial Spirit community… things looked rather bleak.
Even though it was ancient magic, the methods to learn it were not secret, and with so many mages in Fiore, there were plenty of Celestial Spirit Mages. But most of them only had silver keys, summoning weaker Spirits linked to the seventy-six lesser constellations. And though some constellations had multiple Spirits, those were usually not powerful.
What surprised Rhodes most was Yukino's boldness, she placed her golden keys directly on the table, showing not the slightest fear of having them stolen.
"Excellent. Then here's the mission." Rhodes, as the client, gave his approval.
"We need you to summon a Celestial Spirit and have them deliver a message to Virgo or Leo. Then, bring back a clear reply."
"Deliver a message… to another Spirit?" Yukino tilted her head slightly, her usual composure wavering with curiosity. "Is this really a 'consultation mission'?"
Rhodes chuckled. "Because I have specific questions I want to ask them, it's listed under consultation. Can you handle that?"
To Yukino, this was no difficulty at all. She nodded firmly. "Yes."
"Then regarding payment, one hundred thousand Jewel, as agreed. Does that sound acceptable?"
"No problem."
For something as simple as delivering a message, Yukino privately felt the reward was too generous. Normally, a consultation commission meant three to five days of tutoring, not a straightforward task like this.
"Then the request is confirmed." Rhodes tapped the paper lightly. "You can start right here if you'd like, or, if you prefer somewhere more private, that's fine too."
"No need, here is fine." In fact, staying here felt even more appropriate.
Yukino still remembered her companions' reminders before she left:
"Don't disgrace Sabertooth."
"Show them how excellent Sabertooth's mages truly are."
There had even been some harsher suggestions. But;
When Yukino looked at Mira, who gazed at her with such gentle warmth, she found it impossible to do anything as crude as provoking or showing off.
All she could do was demonstrate her magic properly.
She lifted the key of Libra and gave a graceful wave.
"Open! Gate of the Scales, Libra!"
A surge of magic filled the air, golden light spilling from the key and drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
Laki, understanding the reason behind Rhode's invitation, brightened. "It really is a Celestial Spirit mage! And she summoned one of the Zodiac!"
Elfman nodded firmly. "Just like Lucy's magic."
Max rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Feels like this girl might even be stronger than Lucy…"
A woman appeared in the guild hall, poised on one leg, coolly dressed, her hair tied into two buns, a veil over her face, and a balanced tray in each hand.
Before Macao and Wakaba, those ever-incorrigible old men, could voice whatever thoughts were about to slip out, Yukino calmly produced another key.
"Open! Gate of the Twin Fish-Pisces!"