Chapter 82: Take Over

"For just the basics, having me as your tutor is fine, but after that..." Makarov thought for a moment and said, "Go ask Mira for guidance."

Rhodes looked at him, "Ask Mira?"

"Yes, you already know, don't you? She used to be an S-Class Mage and practiced Take Over Magic."

"What I meant was, would it be okay for Mira?"

"This much won't be an issue; she's a strong girl," Makarov replied. "Besides, it's been almost a year since Lisanna's incident. Although such sorrow never truly fades away, we can't let her live in grief forever. Helping her heal and find a new direction is our duty as comrades."

Even if Makarov hadn't mentioned it, Rhodes had planned to do so anyway. He was only worried that suddenly bringing up Take Over Magic might upset her. Mira's situation was complicated, and it needed a proper opportunity to discuss...

Oh, and it turns out there's just such an opportunity.

Rhodes asked, "Master, do you know any good restaurants in Magnolia?"

Makarov was caught off guard for a moment, "Res...taurant? You sure have a wide range of questions today."

"Hehe." Rhodes smiled. They seemed unconnected, but there was some underlying relevance.

"The most expensive one is near the cathedral; the best-tasting one is by the south park; the best overall..." Makarov laughed, "...is our guild."

"Eww~" Rhodes said in disdain, "I understand your love for the guild, but saying that all of a sudden is really corny."

"..." Makarov actually blushed, "You little brat with no sense of sentiment."

Rhodes widened his eyes—Makarov blushing?!

But after a few seconds, Rhodes felt at ease—just now in the guild, the old man had even wiped his nose on him. A bit of blushing wasn't a big deal.

The old man was rather cute.

Getting the antidote wasn't much trouble.

Porlyusica threw a small bottle at Rhodes and warned him not to misuse the poison even with the antidote.

Rhodes, feeling cheeky, asked if there was a backup or a backup for the backup.

Then Porlyusica promptly kicked him out and slammed the door shut.

"Forgot to ask about the cost." Rhodes realized his debts might have just increased a bit.

The Master seemed to have other business with Porlyusica, so Rhodes thought it better not to disturb them.

Once he learned Take Over Magic, he'd head out again to earn money and pay off his debts!

…

September began with a light drizzle, falling from midnight until the morning.

Along with it came a hint of autumn's chill.

The evidence of the temperature drop was that Wurm was willing to run around by Rhodes' side again.

As a skilled budgeter, Rhodes, noticing the slight dip in temperature, bought a few autumn-winter clothes right away.

Rhodes' money-saving tip: buy clothes out of season.

"Morning, Rhodes. Not riding your strongest summoned beast today?"

With the release of Sosha's Tale a few days ago, Rhodes, the "Strongest Newcomer," had gained a bit of fame around Magnolia.

Especially on the days when he rode his crab to and from work, many people recognized him.

"Morning to you too. The strongest summoned beast likes a day off every Sunday; it's not always willing to carry me around."

Rhodes maintained basic politeness, but fake news rolled off his tongue effortlessly.

"A summoned beast with a day off? Incredible."

"Yeah, yeah."

With a spring in his step, Rhodes headed toward the guild.

He was in a good mood today.

In the past two days, he'd spent a lot of time in the guild's library reading about Take Over Magic.

He was nearly ready to give it a try. Plus, he had lunch scheduled with Mira at a restaurant near South Park.

According to the Master, the food there was good, not too expensive, and there were lots of beautiful ladies.

The downside was that most of them had male companions.

The more Rhodes listened, the weirder it sounded—wasn't that just a date spot? And it sounded like the old man frequented this restaurant and always stared at the pretty women? Is that how... eternally youthful he was?

The Master sternly declared that he was just appreciating them.

One couldn't help but wonder if Macao and Wakaba had learned their bad habits from him during their younger years.

…

In the morning, Rhodes did his usual cleaning. When he wasn't on a mission, he worked part-time as a server at the guild's tavern.

Even after he could handle most missions alone, he didn't plan to quit this job.

He'd already imagined it—one day, he'd be so strong, he'd be like Erza, taking on an entire enemy guild by himself.

When the last opponent fell and, with their final strength, asked him, "Who... who are you?"

Rhodes would answer, "Just a guy who serves drinks at the guild."

He couldn't wait for that scene!

The guild gradually grew lively, and suddenly Natsu came running to the counter with a mission flyer:

"Mira, I'll take this one! Rhodes, wanna team up?"

"No, I've got plans today." Rhodes thought for a moment and asked, "Why are you heading out again? Did you and Happy already spend all the rewards from last time?"

"Love! There's still a lot left from last time," Happy said. "But this mission is to investigate a monster that suddenly appeared at the volcano."

"A monster at the volcano?"

"That's right!" Natsu clenched his fist, eagerly saying, "Igneel loved volcanoes, and this 'monster' that appeared suddenly—it could be Igneel!"

"I see." Rhodes recalled that Natsu had always been searching for his adoptive father, the fire dragon Igneel.

Even if there was only the vaguest clue, regardless of the distance or the travel time, Natsu would grit his teeth and insist on going.

Rhodes asked Mira, "Is this kind of mission dangerous?"

"Unknown monsters can be a bit dangerous." Mira reviewed the mission details, then smiled, saying, "But this mission is only to investigate, not to exterminate. And the destination is a volcano—if it's Natsu, it should be fine."

Natsu took the commission from Mira and rushed off, only to come running back at the door:

"Rhodes, you're really not coming?"

"No, I'm learning magic with the Master today." Rhodes glanced at Mira. "And, well, I've got another thing planned."

"Sigh..." Natsu left, looking deflated.

Mira smiled, "As expected of the strongest newcomer—Natsu has started to rely on you this quickly."

Rhodes replied, "I think he trusts my canyon swift crab more."

Shortly after Natsu left, Cana also came to the counter with a mission flyer. "Mira, I want to take this mission."

"Okay." Mira glanced at it, recording it while asking, "Cana, it seems you haven't worked in a while, right?"

Cana looked a bit unnatural, "I haven't been drinking much lately, so I'm not short on booze money."

Mira thought for a moment, then said, "Speaking of which, the guild's liquor sales have dropped significantly recently."

Cana pretended to be angry, "Are you saying I alone support the tavern's revenue?"

Mira laughed, "Just kidding... but you are one of our 'main patrons.'"

At this moment, the Master's voice called out, "Rhodes, come to the yard."

"Coming!" Rhodes waved at Mira, "Mira, see you at noon!"

"Alright."

"Oh~ see you at noon? Another date with Rhodes?" Cana covered her mouth, saying dramatically, "I'm so jealous~"