Chapter 14: The Guild's Reputation Seems to Be a Bit Troubled
Chapter 14: The Guild's Reputation Seems to Be a Bit Troubled
"Then it's settled. I'll help you find the necessary materials and explain things, and you can tell me about the Chinese language!"
According to Mirajane, Levy is a bookworm and the most familiar with the guild's library.
Moreover, Rod needed to learn about the history, geography, and culture of this world, in addition to magic.
He could ask Levy about these things as well. Even if she didn't remember everything, she would know where to look.
With Levy's help, Rod's learning efficiency would improve significantly.
And she was interested in Rod's native language, so it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
The only ones unhappy were Jet and Droy, but since Rod didn't show any special reaction when he met Levy, they didn't say anything impolite.
But... come to think of it, Levy is so cute, and he didn't react at all?
That was another kind of disappointment.
At first, Rod didn't understand the mixed expressions on Jet and Droy's faces, but after Mirajane explained a bit of gossip—
These three grew up together, and Jet and Droy had recently been researching ways to confess to girls.
Rod suddenly understood:
They were t... no, that's not polite. He should call them "protectors of the flower."
However, Rod looked at them as if they were scum.
Levy looks like a middle school girl, right?
"Is this even legal?"
"..." Mirajane covered her mouth and laughed, "Levy is already 16 years old. She would be heartbroken if she heard you say that."
"..." Rod paused, remembering that Mirajane was 18. A two-year age gap seemed understandable...
"But that's still not right," Rod said, "16 is still a minor."
"That's not the case in the Kingdom of Fiore. At 15, you can drink and... do all sorts of things."
Mirajane pointed to Cana, who was half-drunk with a barrel of ale, "For example, Cana has been drinking heavily since she was 13."
"Oh..." Rod felt that Mirajane's example was full of issues.
But it seemed pretty normal for this guild to bend the rules.
---
The agreement with Levy was set to start the next day. Today, she had just returned from her journey, tired and dusty, and needed to rest.
Jet and Droy, on the other hand, were unusually energetic. They stayed at the guild and chatted with familiar faces about their journey.
Rod was a bit envious. He needed to learn magic quickly so he could see this magical world for himself.
Of course, the key was to earn money faster to pay off his debt.
He, who was too scared to use a credit card, now felt uncomfortable with the large debt hanging over him.
During dinner at the guild, it was busy and noisy as usual. Rod helped wipe tables and sweep the floor, then returned to his rented room with Worm.
The room was as dark and gloomy as the day before, feeling quite desolate.
But Worm, like a little puppy, sniffed around, adding a bit of life to the empty room.
Rod let Worm explore freely while he sat on the bed and meditated as he had done during the day, focusing on strengthening his mental and magical abilities.
When exhaustion and drowsiness overwhelmed him, he quickly washed up, blew out the oil lamp, and went to sleep.
Before bed, he thought about how inconvenient the oil lamp was and decided he would buy a magic lamp soon.
Worm, like a small ball of fluff, quietly lay beside Rod's pillow. By the early hours of the morning, his body gradually became transparent and disappeared.
That night, Rod felt unusually warm and comfortable in his sleep.
...
The next morning, Rod woke up on time and got ready for the day.
As he was about to head out after tidying up his bed, Rod felt like something was missing.
"Where’s Poro?" Rod bent down to check under the bed. "Worm?"
After a quick search around the room, Rod remembered that he could use his magical connection to locate Worm.
He closed his eyes and noticed that his magic had grown stronger since yesterday, and it didn’t seem to be depleting.
"Did the time limit run out, or did it automatically return when I fell asleep?"
Rod wasn’t sure, so he decided to try summoning again:
"I am the one who bridges the gap between worlds. You, being of another realm, answer my call and cross the threshold!"
The pendant glowed with a golden-blue light, and magic began to gather in the air. Rod gripped the pendant tightly and finished the incantation:
"Open, the gateway to the other world!"
A small amount of magic was drawn from Rod’s body, and a tiny white figure appeared on the floor.
Worm was a bit confused at first but quickly pounced into Rod’s arms, nuzzling him affectionately.
"You sure do have good jumping skills," Rod said, petting Worm. "Were there any other creatures with you just now?"
Worm shook its head, having been sleeping alone in its nest.
"Just now, I felt like I could summon another… something, but I’m not sure what it was."
Worm’s black, beady eyes looked up at Rod, filled with a clear, innocent… or perhaps naive, gaze.
"It seems you don’t know either," Rod said, stroking Worm’s head. He set it down and picked up the pendant again. "I’ll try once more to find out."
"I am the one who…"
The pendant began to glow, but Rod interrupted the spell.
"Never mind, trying this at home feels a bit unsafe. I’ll ask the Guild Master about it."
He picked up Worm, locked the door, and headed downstairs.
Goodman was already there, setting up his stall. "Good morning, Mr. Rod…"
He noticed Worm, who had its tongue hanging out. "Is that your pet?"
Rod realized an important point: landlords often dislike tenants keeping pets, don’t they?
Fortunately, Worm wasn’t just a pet.
"It’s called Worm. I summoned it from another world using magic," Rod explained. "Worm, say hello."
"Uruu~" Worm made a cute sound.
"Magic, huh? No wonder I’ve never seen an animal like this before," Goodman said, a bit enviously. "Maybe I’ll let my son learn magic when he’s older."
"You have a son? That’s great. He could join Fairy Tail when he’s older."
"Haha… Yes, yes, but he’s only three. It’s still too early to think about that."
For some reason, Rod felt that Goodman’s laugh was a bit forced.
He didn’t fully understand the guild’s polarizing reputation—Fairy Tail was both the most trustworthy and the most dangerous guild around.
Fairy Tail was one of the most famous guilds in the country, and joining it was a source of pride for many mages.
The citizens also frequently interacted with mages and knew that most of them were good people.
The trouble and destruction they caused were secondary issues because they always made efforts to compensate and repair any damage.
What worried Goodman the most was the number of eccentrics and troublemakers in the guild.
Sending his child there… would he pick up strange habits? Would he start tearing the house apart?
Watching them fight and cause chaos in the guild was entertaining, but if his own child became part of that chaos…
Goodman had a lot to think about.
(End of Chapter)
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