Chapter 49: The Marsh Toad

This month brought an extra expense again.

Although Mr. Cook considered researching gourmet dishes as his hobby, Rhodes still felt embarrassed not contributing anything towards the cost of ingredients.

However, Wyrm now had the privilege of entering and leaving the kitchen freely, whenever Mr. Cook wasn't too busy.

The only condition was that Wyrm couldn't touch anything in the kitchen.

This was Rhodes' twelfth day of learning Script Magic.

Thanks to the task Mira had suggested, the atmosphere among Team Shadow Gear had eased up, and soon they were planning to go on their next job together.

Levy, whenever she had free time, came back to tutor Rhodes, while Jet and Droy occasionally stopped by to watch.

However, these past two weeks had made Rhodes realize just how crucial "affinity" is.

When he first started learning Summoning Magic, he could almost immediately use it. But with Script Magic, his progress was far less satisfactory.

For instance, when Levy cast "FIRE," a blazing flame emerged, but when Rhodes cast it, it was more like a torch.

Similarly, when Levy cast "WATER," it produced a substantial amount of water, with considerable force—Rhodes could only manage enough to wash his face.

Such a level of skill was clearly not battle-ready, but Rhodes planned to at least learn spells to generate light or wind.

At the very least, it would make life more convenient—he wouldn't have to turn on the lights to use the restroom at night, nor bring fire on camping trips.

That was something to celebrate, at least.

In comparison, progress with Summoning Magic was as steady as ever.

This time, Rhodes felt he could summon a new creature. As usual, he asked the Guild Master to supervise.

It confirmed one thing: being cautious really was the right choice.

"Answer my call, Marsh Toad!"

Almost enough magic power to summon four Swift Crabs was sucked away by the pendant, and in the guild's backyard appeared a massive, brown toad.

The appearance of this toad could only be described as ugly.

It had a huge size that could swallow a person whole, with several purple mushrooms growing on its back, clearly poisonous.

"Ribbit~~" The toad let out a loud croak, and the ground under its feet turned purple.

In the next second, Rhodes felt himself being grabbed by a large hand and pulled back swiftly.

The Guild Master appeared in front of him, placing his hand on the ground, emitting a golden light.

The Marsh Toad and the ground beneath it were surrounded by a golden magic circle, with golden runes rising up to form a protective barrier.

The Marsh Toad seemed to want to leap, but Rhodes ordered it to "stay still," and it calmed down.

"Guild Master, what is this?" Rhodes asked.

"It's venom. This will prevent it from spreading further." The Guild Master looked at the purple-stained ground and said seriously, "Will it obey your commands like the other creatures?"

"It should," Rhodes replied, feeling the connection with the toad. "Lift your left front leg."

The Marsh Toad lifted its paw.

"Move one step to the left."

The Marsh Toad obeyed.

"Croak once."

"Ribbit~"

"It seems to be fine," the Guild Master said. "Can it take the venom back?"

Rhodes ordered, "Retract the venom."

No response.

Rhodes thought for a moment, "Clean up the venom on the ground?"

The toad took a small step back and opened its mouth, taking a bite of the dirt. It chewed, but it looked like it wanted to spit it out and didn't dare to, staring pitifully at Rhodes.

At that moment, Rhodes found the toad rather cute.

Receiving a nod from the Guild Master, Rhodes said, "Spit it out, but gently."

The Guild Master observed, and it seemed that the venom on the soil was indeed partially neutralized or absorbed by the toad.

And when it had moved back, it hadn't contaminated new ground.

"Hmm..." Makarov thought for a moment, then said, "For now, don't summon it within the guild."

"Alright." Rhodes nodded and dismissed the Marsh Toad, sending it back to Summoner's Valley.

Makarov felt relieved; Rhodes was a cautious kid, and that was a good thing.

"Guild Master, what about this patch of ground?"

"I'll ask Porlyusica for help, maybe she can come up with an antidote. If so, you should carry some with you, just in case."

The simplest way would be to scrape off the soil and bury it deep.

But long-term solutions were necessary—it wasn't like Rhodes could never summon it again.

"Guild Master, may I accompany you to visit Miss Porlyusica? I still haven't properly thanked her for before."

Back when he had first regained consciousness, communication had been impossible. By the time he had learned the common language, she had already returned home, and he hadn't seen her at the guild since.

Rhodes had asked Mira for her address, but she said that Porlyusica disliked being disturbed. If someone visited her without a good reason, she might chase them off with a broom.

Providing an antidote certainly counted as a legitimate reason, right?

"Coming along is fine, she might also need to see your… Marsh Toad."

Makarov waved his hand, and in a flash of light, his casual clothes transformed into formal attire.

Rhodes had to admit, the old man looked quite dashing: "Guild Master, that transformation magic is so cool!"

"Hehe…" The Guild Master gave a mischievous grin, "What do you think? Want to learn it?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Uh... When I get the chance, definitely!"

Outfit transformation is the romance of... ahem, of wizards!

Makarov felt gratified—at least this kid had some pursuits beyond getting stronger.

He collected some of the poisoned soil in a glass container, sealed it with magic, and called out, "Let's go."

Walking down the street with the Guild Master was a first—if you didn't count that time he was carried back by him.

"How are things in the guild?"

"Pretty good. Everyone's very nice, they take care of me and have taught me a lot."

Rhodes conveniently left out the part about two rude S-Class wizards. Everything else had been going well.

Just as Makarov was about to smile, Rhodes continued:

"Except it can be a bit noisy sometimes, and there are random objects flying by my ear, and people often break things, which makes cleaning up a hassle… but besides that, nothing to complain about."

Makarov clutched his chest—ouch, that stung: "When learning the common language, follow Mira or Levy, but don't learn from Erza's way of speaking."

Erza had the habit of listing everyone's faults and then adding, "Today I won't bother lecturing you."

"Ah, Guild Master, I was just joking. Don't take it to heart!" Rhodes hastily backtracked, not wanting to upset the old man, "Honestly, I think it's nice for the guild to be lively."

He quickly tried changing the subject, "By the way, Guild Master, Miss Porlyusica lives in the eastern forest, right? Should we take Swift Crab?"

Makarov looked at the bustling street, "After we leave the city. We don't want to cause trouble for everyone."

"Alright… Wait for me, I want to buy something!"

Rhodes ran over to a fruit stand and came back a few minutes later with a bag of apples and a bag of peaches.

It was his first visit—he couldn't go empty-handed.

Makarov smiled, not saying anything.

…

"This is where I found you."

The two of them rode the Swift Crab through the forest until they reached an open space. Makarov pointed at the clearing.

Rhodes didn't have much memory of this place. The forest all looked the same to him.

Back then, even without that strange beast, he probably would've ended up lost and starving here.