Chapter 147: Mira's Bias
Chapter 147: Mira’s Bias
After Rod finished his prayer, Mira squatted in front of the tombstone and whispered to Lisanna.
Rod gave Elfman a nod and quietly stepped back to wait outside the cemetery.
After a long while, he saw Mira stand up, her hand lingering on the tombstone with a reluctant touch before she finally left.
The three of them walked back to the guild in silence.
“I’m fine,” Mira said.
“Hmm,” Rod nodded gently.
Mira continued, “I thought you’d say something like, ‘It’s been a long time, don’t be sad anymore.’”
Rod shook his head. “I was going to, but even standing in the cemetery, I can feel the sorrow.”
Lisanna’s tombstone read X768~X782, meaning she had only been fourteen when she passed away.
Even by the laws of this country, she wouldn’t have been considered an adult until this year.
Such a premature death is deeply sorrowful for family and friends, and even more so given the circumstances.
Seeing Mira and Elfman’s mournful expressions in the cemetery, Rod couldn’t bring himself to offer any words of consolation.
Now, Rod took a deep breath and let it out. “The Master said that sorrow comes from life and love. I can’t stop you from expressing your love for Lisanna.”
“‘But we remember the deceased not to remain in sorrow, but to remind us to cherish life and to inspire us to keep moving forward. That’s probably what Lisanna would have wanted.’ If there were more to say, the Master would probably have added that,” Mira said, gazing at the sky. “What do you think, Elfman?”
“A man must keep living no matter what happens, and keep moving forward firmly,” Elfman replied.
“That’s the best way to honor her,” Rod said.
If it were as easy as they made it sound, they wouldn’t still be struggling with receiving magic.
As they neared the guild, Mira’s usual smile returned. “Thank you, Rod.”
Rod shook his head. “Just don’t blame me for being presumptuous.”
“Why would I?” Mira smiled, finding it rare to see him act so boldly.
And he hadn’t been presumptuous in the cemetery, had he? He had conducted the prayer properly.
She thought for a moment and asked, “It’s going to be busy from now on. Can you help me a bit more?”
“Sure, from barkeep Rod to assistant to the Master’s assistant,” Rod said. “Will there be a raise?”
“Since there’s no such position in the guild, no raise!” Mira said.
Together, they stepped through the guild’s doors, and Rod continued, “No raise for a promotion, I’ll file a complaint.”
Mira perked up a bit. “Complaint received, denied!”
Rod raised a hand. “Filing an appeal, all the way to the upper management, inspection team, and financial department head!”
“Those are all me, denied again!” Mira pushed his arm down, laughing. “But as compensation, I can buy you a coffee.”
Rod grimaced. “That’s even less humane. Forced overtime with a coffee, that means working until midnight, right?”
“So what if it’s inhumane, I’m a demon after all!” Mira made a fierce face, but it was far from intimidating. “So, are you coming?”
“Of course.” It would be foolish not to.
Suddenly, Elfman stopped. “Rod, let’s have a fight!”
“Huh? Why?”
“I don’t know, I just suddenly feel like it.”
The guild erupted in excitement, a crowd waving their fists.
“Beat him up, Elfman!”
“Go, Elfman!”
“It’s all up to you, Elfman!”
“What’s it got to do with you all!” Rod shouted, then said, “We’ll train tonight, to our heart’s content.”
The crowd was disappointed. They had just confirmed that Mira and Elfman were doing fine and were ready to stir up some fun, but now it was being postponed.
Everyone was in a bad mood, so a wine glass flew out of nowhere. If you don't want to fight, you can always find a reason to start one—after all, they were bored.
Rod casually flicked his hand, sending the glass flying away. With his other hand, he nudged Mira's back, urging her to go to the Master for safety.
This action seemed to anger some people even more, and it also gave them the courage to lose their inhibitions. Soon, plates, bottles, and various other objects were flying through the air.
Rod grabbed a chair and spun it around, blocking the incoming projectiles with a series of clacks. He then put the chair down and, with a smug grin, said, "I have a bit of experience dealing with flying objects, you know."
"Rod! You bastard!" Gray got up from the ground, having just had the chair pulled out from under him.
Rod didn't even look at him, instead gazing up at the ceiling. It wasn't out of arrogance but because, "I don't fight naked men."
Gray looked down, confused. "When?"
"At a time like this, you're still worried about such trivial things? Beat him up!"
Gray was suddenly tackled to the ground by someone, and a group of people rushed over, pouncing on Rod.
Rod, who had some experience with flying objects, wondered how he would fare against flying people. "Hey! You guys are breaking the rules!"
Someone punched him, and he kicked back. Someone else kicked him, and he retaliated with an elbow.
The real battle between one man and over twenty others began, and the scene descended into chaos.
Gray, who had been pinned down at the start, was trampled by several people. By the time he got up, he had forgotten about Rod and started fighting the nearest person.
Elfman, who had initially wanted to fight Rod, was inexplicably hit by a few people and also lost sight of his original target.
The fight that was supposed to be a group attack on Rod quickly turned into a free-for-all. Nobody knew who they were fighting or who had hit them; they just started swinging.
It wasn't until someone couldn't hold back and was about to use magic that many others began to take the fight seriously.
"Enough, you brats! Do you want to tear the guild apart?"
"Stop it! Lightning Spear!"
Makarov and Erza's voices rang out together, followed by a massive hand and a bolt of green lightning.
Most of the people were flattened into the floor by the Master's hand, while the rest were electrified by Erza's lightning, twitching uncontrollably.
Rod was among those who were slammed into the floor.
"Ah, ah..." Mira, as usual, watched the chaos from the sidelines, taking particular note of the person lying in a pit, looking regretful.
Because Rod had pushed her toward the Master, she hadn't been hit by any flying bottles or knocked down by Elfman today.
A few minutes later, Rod sat at the counter, looking dejected as Mira applied healing potion to his face.
"I was too careless. I should have slipped out before the Master got angry," Rod mused, reflecting on his mistake. He had wanted to land a few more punches and had gotten greedy.
"Don't dwell on it," Mira said, patting his shoulder gently and bringing two peeled, boiled eggs from the kitchen.
"Turn around and tilt your head back."
Rod complied, leaning back against the counter and noticing how beautiful Mira looked from this angle.
The eggs were gently placed on his bruised eye sockets, rolling slightly and providing a warm, soothing sensation.
Those guys had really gone too far, bruising his eye sockets.
It hurt a little, but Rod couldn't help but smile. This fight was worth it—worth it in every sense of the word.
The people who had started the fight saw this and became even angrier.
Normally, even those with bumps on their heads, swollen faces, and knocked-out teeth were not given such special attention by Mira.
The thought of Mira being so concerned over such a minor injury made them even more infuriated.
Damn Rod!
Let's go for another round!
"Um?" Erza, clad in her Lightning Empress armor, cast a single glance, and everyone immediately backed down.
Forget it, next time.
(End of Chapter)
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