Chapter 18: The Women in the Guild Are Like Tigers

Erza, with her tough exterior and intimidating aura, would actually be so thoughtful as to bring back a local specialty for her companion?

Rhodes was curious about what could be inside the gift box... It couldn't possibly be armor, right?

"I'm opening it now!"

Laki set the gift box flat and gently pulled the ribbon tied in a bow, lifting the lid.

"What is this?" Rhodes couldn't recognize the item at first.

It wasn't armor, but it was definitely made of metal—it looked like a statue of a woman?

Wait, no, there shouldn't be strange gaps and handles on a statue.

While Rhodes was still puzzled, Laki had already pulled on the handle and opened the "metal statue," revealing the sinister spikes inside.

Surprisingly, Laki's expression was not one of fear but of delight, "Ah! It's an Iron Maiden!"

She caressed the cold metal, her face even flushing slightly, "This is amazing!"

"Iron... iron..." Rhodes's tongue twisted, his mind buzzing as he unconsciously took a half-step back.

This thing was a torture device, right? Wasn't it supposed to be a local specialty? What place has a torture device as a local specialty?

Why would anyone gift an Iron Maiden?

And the fact that Laki brought it back without even batting an eyelid—was she, like Cana, naturally super strong?

The biggest question was, girl, why are you so excited?

Mira, however, smiled gently, "Oh my, Erza put a lot of thought into this gift."

Thoughtful? More like sinister!

"Uh, Mira..." Rhodes chose his words carefully, "Are you sure this is a gift and not some kind of death threat?"

"Of course not. Laki loves all kinds of torture devices. This finely crafted Iron Maiden is the best gift for her."

Mira tilted her head, "Huh, didn't I tell you? Laki's room is filled with torture devices."

"...You only told me her collection was interesting and said I should visit if I got a chance."

Rhodes realized a serious problem—the women in the guild, like Mirajane, Cana, Laki, and Erza...

While each of them was more beautiful than the last, each was also more intimidating than the last.

At least Levy was cute, and she had a good personality. Mira, though a bit mischievous, was mostly gentle.

But who knew if there were more sides to them that he hadn't seen yet?

The afternoon was a bit quieter, giving Rhodes time to practice his magic again.

Erza seemed to have nothing much to do and was chatting in the guild with a girl with long green hair.

Thanks to her presence, the tavern was unusually calm.

According to Mira, this quietness only lasted while Erza had just returned; soon enough, everyone would be noisy again.

Levy was holding a small notebook, reviewing the pronunciations she learned in the morning, and whenever she saw Rhodes pause his practice, she would come over to learn a few Chinese strokes from him.

Meanwhile, Makarov also helped Rhodes modify his summoning spell.

Generally, when celestial spirit mages summoned a spirit, they would call out the spirit's name while using the corresponding key.

But Rhodes only had one pendant, which connected to different summons. The only way to distinguish them now was by calling their names.

Once he became more proficient with his magic, he could skip most of the lengthy incantation, leaving only the name.

The original spell would be used only when he sensed a new summon.

"Toad, Three Wolves, Six Birds, Stone Monster..." Rhodes counted on his fingers the jungle monsters he might summon next, feeling that it would be a long way before he could summon the Lesser Dragon or the Baron.

He wasn't sure if any of those ordinary jungle monsters would be particularly strong, but judging by the size of today's Rift Scuttler, even weak jungle monsters like the Three Wolves or Six Birds would be fearsome beasts just by their size.

For Rhodes, the most important thing now was to increase his magic power and improve his proficiency with magic.

The amount of time he could meditate each day was limited, and progress with magic power was slow, so all he could do was practice magic.

Rhodes caught Worm, who was lounging around the tavern, and started by practicing "closing the gate," or canceling the summon.

"I am the one who connects the two realms; return to the abyss by my will, Poro!"

After reciting the closing incantation, Worm's figure gradually became transparent before completely disappearing.

"I did it!" Rhodes was delighted to succeed on his first try. He then began chanting the summoning spell:

"I am the one who... cross the gate! Open, Gate of the Abyss, Poro!"

A whirlpool of magic appeared and vanished, and Worm reappeared before Rhodes.

"Alright, let's do it again!"

"...Return to the abyss, Poro!"

"...Open, Gate of the Abyss, Poro!"

"...Return..."

"...Open..."

Rhodes practiced the spells tirelessly, and Worm had no choice but to cooperate.

At first, it was fine, but after several repetitions, it became tedious, and the little creature grew more and more nonchalant.

One moment Worm appeared standing, the next he appeared sitting, and another time he lay on his back, struggling to cross his legs but failing...

Worm was getting fed up, but Rhodes had no other choice—it was the least mana-consuming summon.

If he were to summon the Rift Scuttler, with his current mana, he'd need to rest after just two attempts, making repeated practice impossible.

"Ugh~ Ah... Achoo~~~"

After an unknown number of repetitions, Worm sneezed violently upon reappearing in the tavern.

Its long tongue had been retracted, and a long string of snot hung from its nose.

Rhodes's first reaction was, "Oh, so you have a nose?"

Worm sniffled, turned around, and showed Rhodes its backside, even drooping the little horn on its head—it was a bit upset.

The Howling Abyss was in the midst of harsh winter, while the Kingdom of Fiore had already entered summer. The repeated transitions between cold and hot must have taken a toll, and even a Poro was about to catch a cold.

"Ah, sorry, it's my fault."

What to do when a Poro gets upset?

Rhodes thought for a moment and tentatively said, "Mira, could I get a fried egg?"

Worm's drooping little horn perked up.

"...And a bowl of tomato egg soup?"

Worm turned around in a flash, tongue hanging out again, practically wearing its happiness on its face.

While Rhodes hadn't fully figured out Worm's preferences yet, eggs were definitely one of its favorite foods.

"Easy to please." Rhodes skillfully patted Worm's head, stroked its horn, scratched its chin, and rubbed its belly.

Mira smiled as she took his order, but a slightly harsh voice came from above:

"Finally quiet, huh? You've been noisy since earlier."

Rhodes looked up to see a blond youth with a lightning-shaped scar over his right eye.

He was wearing a device that looked like headphones, a brownish-yellow top, and a coat draped over it—even though it was summer.

At this moment, the young man was leaning on the railing on the second floor, looking down at Rhodes with an unfriendly expression.