Chapter 130: Rhodes, Do You Know How to Write a Self-Reflection?

Mira had changed back into her usual outfit, only keeping the bracelet.

Rhodes also returned to his daily routine, with a newfound sense of joy in his heart.

After everyone sobered up, they set about arranging the disordered tables and chairs, fixing broken items, and then continued as usual—some went home, some returned to work, and some kept chatting.

Makarov watched the children heading to the notice board after tidying up the guild, feeling both gratified and worried.

He thought carefully for a moment and tentatively said, "Rhodes."

"What's up, Master?" Rhodes was trying to convince Mira to go to the rest room and take a nap.

She claimed she hadn't stayed up all night, but she clearly hadn't gotten enough sleep.

"How about forming a team with someone else again?" Makarov glanced at the kids in front of the notice board, "Maybe, Alzack?"

"Master, I just got back; I want to rest for a few days." Rhodes immediately caught on to Makarov's intentions—the old man wasn't exactly subtle.

"That's true," Makarov, feeling a bit embarrassed, sighed regretfully.

Rhodes, puzzled, asked, "Why are you so worried? I remember Alzack usually being pretty steady—he doesn't cause much trouble, does he?"

Mira explained on behalf of Makarov, "It's because Alzack has been a bit off lately.

After the Harvest Festival, he took on two missions. Everything went smoothly at first, but each time, he got distracted at a critical moment and nearly shot the wrong target.

Especially the last time, the client complained that Alzack's magic bullet nearly grazed his ear—he was terrified."

"It's that serious?" Rhodes frowned, "If this keeps up, it's just a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt."

Mira tried to stifle a yawn but held it back, continuing, "It's not that bad yet. Since Alzack usually uses paralyzing bullets, it wouldn't do any real harm, but being in that state isn't good."

"Losing focus at key moments, distracted... I think maybe he's just tired and needs a good sleep." Rhodes stared at Mira, "What do you think?"

Mira gave him a playful glare, "Yes, yes, I'll go rest after I finish calculating yesterday's sales..."

"I'll do it for you—I'm good at math, never scored below 140 out of 150." Rhodes grabbed the pen and account book from her hands.

"..." Mira had no idea what that scoring standard meant, but judging by his expression, it must be impressive.

She blinked and didn't want to reject his kindness, "Master, I'm going to take a short rest. You can talk to Alzack about it."

"Ah, you've worked hard as well." Makarov nodded; indeed, Alzack should probably try resting for a while.

He looked at Rhodes, then at Mira—both very reliable kids.

...

It had been more than a week since the Harvest Festival, and the festive atmosphere in Magnolia had faded away.

Most of the out-of-town visitors had already left, and the tavern guests were mostly just guild members and a few locals, not as busy as before the festival. So even with Mira taking a break, the workload was manageable.

When someone needed to accept a request, the master had to decide whether to approve it. Rhodes wasn't qualified to do that yet.

He could, however, help with registering requests, stamping, and finding information, easing Makarov's load a little. He'd watched Mira do these things so often that he was very familiar with the process.

Makarov glanced at Rhodes, who was working seriously.

Technically, those request records were only supposed to be handled by him and Mira.

But letting Rhodes take a look... didn't seem like an issue, so he didn't say anything.

Makarov suddenly realized how capable this kid was—whether leading a mission or handling guild matters, it seemed like Rhodes could do it all.

And he did it well... no, not just well, but excellently.

Makarov found himself thinking, I'd love to dump all this on Rhodes.

Although it might be tough... with Mira also around, they could each do half, and it wouldn't be so hard.

Makarov fell into thought for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"Rhodes, do you know how to write a self-reflection?"

"Huh?" Rhodes stopped writing—where did that come from?

"I mean the kind of reflection that a guild member writes after causing trouble, that I then have to submit to the Council."

"Don't even think about it. I'm not writing even a single word of a reflection for you."

Rhodes said firmly, "I just brought credit to the guild, Gray just spilled his blood for the guild—why should I be writing a reflection?"

"... I'm not asking you to write it now."

"Not even tomorrow." Rhodes continued, "I'd advise you to start writing, since tomorrow there might be tomorrow's reflection to write, and the day after that..."

Makarov was gradually petrified—this kid's words were too harsh.

"Master Makarov! Hello! Rhodes, you're back! Feels like I haven't seen you in ages."

"Brother Goodman! I just got back yesterday... And since there was a party when I got back, I've been in the guild and haven't gone home yet."

Rhodes was pleasantly surprised; Goodman occasionally came by the tavern for a drink, but it wasn't often. Including this time, Rhodes had only seen him twice at the guild.

"How come you're here today? Got a mission to entrust?"

"No, I just wanted to relax after being busy for so long. By the way, you were quite lively during the Magic Parade."

"Don't even bring up the Magic Parade—it was so embarrassing." Rhodes skillfully poured Goodman a drink, "Oh, by the way, I got you a gift."

Rhodes pulled out an exquisite wooden carving, a beautifully patterned fabric, and a toy similar to a bamboo dragonfly.

"This... this is too precious, isn't it?" Goodman's family dealt in wood carvings and woven goods. The value of these items was obvious to him.

"It's something I brought back from the south—cheap over there, just made with a special technique. I thought you might like it."

Rhodes fumbled in his pocket and pulled out the good luck charm hanging from his keychain, "Consider it repayment for the gift you gave me earlier."

"That was just an ordinary good luck charm—the value doesn't compare at all..." Goodman played with the wooden carving, feeling too embarrassed to accept it but too reluctant to refuse.

Rhodes shook his head gently, "To me, they have the same value. Actually, this good luck charm might be even more valuable."

Goodman didn't know Rhodes's background or understand his situation at the time.

So he wouldn't know that for Rhodes back then, every tiny bit of kindness from a stranger was incredibly precious.

"Well... then I'll shamelessly accept it." Goodman truly liked these items, even considering lowering the rent next month. "Molly and Bayer will love them too. I'll bring them by in a few days to thank you."

Rhodes waved it off, "It's just a small gift, no need to make such a fuss."

Goodman reluctantly set the items aside and joined in conversation, asking about Rhodes's travels and chatting with the master about recent happenings in Magnolia.

Once Rhodes and Makarov got busy again, Goodman went over to talk to Macao and Wakaba—the three occasionally discussed topics like family and kids.

After helping two more people register for missions, Rhodes saw a somewhat scruffy man approach the counter.

"Master Makarov, I'd like to join the guild, and I want to join Levy's Track Team."