Chapter 132: Planting New Seeds

"Tomorrow… I don't have any specific plans."

Being reserved is impossible—hesitation leads to defeat!

"I know a place; the food there might be something you'd enjoy." Mira hugged the clothes she was holding a little tighter. "Let's go try it tomorrow?"

"Sure."

On the way back, Rhodes walked with a spring in his step, only remembering at his door that he forgot to summon the crab.

No big deal—just treat it as extra training.

Going upstairs and into his home, Rhodes felt like it was time to clean again.

"Come out, Wurm!"

A fluffy white furball slightly larger than a basketball appeared, tongue out and blinking its pitch-black eyes. There was no food in front of it.

It turned around, and there was still no dining table nearby.

But the environment seemed familiar—oh, they were home.

"Purr-rumble~~" Though there was no food, Wurm still seemed excited.

"You're so energetic—perfect, I was just about to clean, you see…"

"Snore…" Wurm lay on its side, tongue drooping, pretending to be "dead."

Alright then, if you don't want to do it, forget it. Last time I decided not to ask you to clean under the bed anymore anyway.

There wasn't much work, so Rhodes quickly dusted the place, grabbing Wurm to take a bath together.

The weather made cold water a bit uncomfortable, so he had to heat some water.

Solid Script Magic could help a little, but it wasn't convenient enough—tomorrow he should go buy a dedicated magic crystal for it.

When he went to bed, Rhodes discovered a new use for Wurm: the little creature was warm, cozier than any hot water bottle or heating pad.

Once it got colder, he planned to have it warm the bed every day—after all, no matter how cold it got here, it couldn't compare to the Howling Abyss.

...

In the morning, Goodman didn't open the shop.

Who knows if the business had been so good over the past few days that he now wanted to take a break or if he was at home experimenting with new carving techniques.

The other shops on the street had mostly taken down their festival decorations too, and compared to the festivities, there was now a slightly emptier feeling.

Rhodes had put on his fall outfit—blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a light beige long-sleeve jacket.

The Fairy Tail emblem on his T-shirt and on the back of his jacket was personally printed by Mira.

He wondered if wearing this kind of outfit during missions meant he no longer had to show the guild mark on his arm specifically.

"Morning, Rhodes. Something good happening today?"

"Morning, Marcus." Rhodes definitely didn't want to tell this loudmouth the main point. "Today I'm practicing a new Take Over form—want to come and test it?"

Marcus declined, "Spare me; better go find Gray for that."

Rhodes sighed, "Gray doesn't want me around.

"He said he's planning to talk more with Loki these days and that they might team up and go on a mission soon, so he told me to stay away."

Marcus said, "That guy Loki still likes avoiding you, huh? He's pretty strong otherwise."

"Yeah, I don't get him. Is he close to Gray?"

"Apparently, once they went on a job together and ended up attracting some bold, beautiful women."

Marcus's expression was complicated. "One found it a hassle, while the other was good at handling it, so they grew closer."

"Ha… haha, that sounds just like Loki—and Gray." Rhodes admired them; they were well-matched in some odd way.

The morning went as usual, with mundane tasks like wiping tables.

Cook rarely left the kitchen to look for Rhodes—he missed Wurm a little.

Rhodes summoned Wurm and handed it over, having no clue what Cook liked about it.

Did he enjoy watching it eat?

Well, it wasn't a bad thing; being on good terms with the cook was definitely beneficial.

Once the guild master arrived, Rhodes went to the backyard to attempt a new Take Over form.

This time, Mira tagged along.

Which meant Rhodes made sure to take a few extra steps back.

This time, the target was the Ancient Stone Beetle. Rhodes wondered if taking it over would give him a bit of an extra life.

He summoned the Ancient Stone Beetle and placed his hand on its leg.

"Take Over!"

The beetle dissolved into light, enveloping Rhodes. When the light faded, his form had grown to about two meters, and his body had taken on the stone-like appearance of the beetle, looking as if he wore armor made of stone.

His chest and limbs were covered in patterns glowing faint blue, giving off a technological feel.

Rhodes summoned the crab to connect to its perspective and observe himself.

"This is… Turret? The arms aren't thick enough. Fantastic Four? Not ugly enough. Molten Giant? Not spiky enough…"

He moved around a bit, striking a few poses—feeling rather cool.

He tapped his chest a couple of times; it seemed much harder than the crab's shell.

"This is that kind of style, huh," Makarov remarked. "It's an Earth-based magic, right?"

"Yeah, seems like it's more defense-oriented, and it seems like the magic I can use is…"

Whoosh!

Before he could finish, Rhodes dropped into the ground like a stone in water.

A few seconds later, a stone head popped up, still in a muffled tone but with evident delight, "This magic is so much fun! Moving through the earth is like swimming!"

Speaking, Rhodes tried breaststroke, backstroke, and freestyle…

He suddenly thought of Doraemon—it seemed like something Nobita was given once.

In a way, this was fulfilling a little childhood dream.

Seeing him so carefree made Mira smile. How nice, he had gotten stronger again.

Makarov watched for a while, shaking his head, "It's going smoothly; I'll head back. Mira, stay with him."

"Okay."

Mira watched Rhodes swim in the "earth," and she couldn't help but reach out her hand.

Spots of light appeared on her arm as magic power drained from her body, but nothing happened.

"Am I the only one stuck in place?"

Makarov's voice came, "Of course not. You are moving forward every day. Even if your magic hasn't recovered, your heart has never stopped."

"Master…" Mira turned, seeing Makarov standing with his hands behind his back, his face warm and kind.

"Losing loved ones is like a plow dragging across our hearts, and it undoubtedly brings pain.

"But during those times, we have two choices: we can choose to drown in the sorrows of the past, to pass through the field without ever sowing love again;

"Or we can stand up through the pain, and while walking the field, plant new seeds to nurture more love.

"Whichever you choose, you are always moving forward, and always remember, the guild, everyone, is right behind you."

"Master…" Mira bit her lip.

Behind her… Right now, what was behind her was a stone man swimming in the dirt.

No—Mira turned back, and the stone man had already undone the Take Over form, standing in front of her, looking at the master with both admiration and a hint of grievance.

Behind her… was the master, the lively guild hall, the entire guild.

Makarov felt a bit uneasy under Rhodes's gaze, which held some small complaints, "I was just speaking from the heart; I didn't mean to make her cry."

"I understand. Otherwise, I'd definitely report you to the council for misconduct."

"That's a bit much, don't you think?!"

"Then I'll just tell everyone in the guild you bullied Mira, and let them all look down on you?"

"…How about you just keep me from drinking with Mira instead?"

Mira chimed in, "Master, you said it yourself."

Rhodes nodded, "Yep, I heard it. I'll testify."

Makarov opened his mouth wide, "Noooo!"

"It's decided then." Mira laughed.

She glanced back at the bustling guild hall, then at Rhodes.

To plant… new seeds, huh?