Chapter 148: The Vigor of Youth
Chapter 148: The Vigor of Youth
Mirajane's eye-patch service didn't last long for Rod.
Someone came to take on a mission, and the Guild Master handed the task over to Mirajane, leaving Rod to fend for himself.
"Can you still eat an egg after it's been used for an eye patch?" Rod had always wanted to ask this question.
Mirajane replied, "It's probably best not to, but you could try and see if it gives you a stomachache."
Rod thought about it and decided it would be a waste to throw the egg away. So, he rinsed it under water and fed it to Worm.
Worm never got a stomachache no matter what he ate.
Worm didn't mind at all and even wanted to thank Rod.
He even asked for two more.
"Next time, after I get beat up again," Rod said, tugging at Worm's furry little face and tossing him back through the serving window.
Mirajane warned, "Rod, Mr. Cook will be angry."
The consequences of angering a chef can be dire. Rod whispered, "Don't tell him it was me. Worm can't talk anyway."
"Hmm... about that..." Mirajane thought for a moment and pushed the bar's recent bills toward him, "Unless you help me finish these."
"Promise I won't make a single mistake!" Rod straightened the bills and picked up a pen to start calculating.
Then he paused, ran behind the counter, and sat down next to Mirajane.
Mirajane glanced at him and muttered, "Really."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Mirajane, this mission!" Jett placed a request form in front of Mirajane, looking very anxious.
"Let me see." Mirajane glanced over it, noting that the difficulty was manageable, "Are you going alone? What about Levy and Troy?"
Troy slapped another mission form on the counter, "Mirajane, I want this one. Hurry up, the Lane Engine Team is temporarily disbanded!"
"Oh right, it's that time of year!"
"Damn, Jett and Troy are sneaking off!"
"I need to go to work too!"
A group of people who had been relaxing a moment ago suddenly crowded around the mission board.
"Get out of the way, Natsu, you're not working anyway!"
"Who said that? I need to find a job that only I can do."
"Who cares! Move, move!"
Poor Natsu was lifted over the heads of the crowd, passed around, and tossed outside.
"What the heck, all of a sudden." Natsu rubbed his sore bottom, got up, and sat next to Macao, who was still drinking.
Macao, with the air of a seasoned veteran, said, "Ah, ah, they're starting so early this year?"
"Young people sure have a lot of energy," Wakaba added, "Hey, Natsu, aren't you going to try for the S-Class exam?"
"It's the S-Class exam! Of course, I... but without mission experience, it's impossible, right?"
Macao said, "Then go out and work. Those guys are all scrambling to show off at the last minute."
Natsu hesitated but then said firmly, "No, I have to find a job that only I can do!"
Macao groaned, "You're really stubborn."
"Ha ha ha..." Wakaba laughed, "We're all like that in this guild!"
Mirajane and Rod's area was gradually surrounded by Alzack, Warren, Macao, Bisca, and others, all jockeying to take on missions.
"No wonder you said we'd be busy for a while," Rod said, naturally taking over the task of writing down the missions.
Mirajane was too busy to talk, "Not so fast, one at a time..."
"I was here first!"
"No, I was!"
"Mirajane, can't you just skip this step?"
“No,” Mira immediately refused. “Not until I confirm everything. You absolutely cannot leave on your own.”
Unable to get Mira to budge, the crowd turned to Rod:
“Then Rod, hurry up!”
“Yeah, who takes this long to sign up!”
Rod was puzzled by their behavior: “What’s the rush? It’s not like the exam is tomorrow.”
“You don’t understand, every second counts during this period!”
“Yeah, you really don’t get it, new guy!”
“Hurry up already!”
Rod’s head throbbed from the noise. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and shouted: “Erza!”
The crowd fell into a brief silence.
Then Erza’s voice rang out: “Quiet down! Form a proper line!”
In an instant, the crowd lined up, though there was still some jostling. At least Rod’s ears were finally clear.
Having a strict enforcer like Erza sure has its perks.
After the commotion, the people who had been forced to the back of the line glared at Rod.
What was the point of calling Erza?
Rod rubbed his ears and continued working, realizing that if he didn’t get stronger soon, his ability to draw hate would eventually get him killed by his own teammates.
Finally, he managed to send off the enthusiastic S-Class exam candidates. Rubbing his wrist, Rod asked: “Do they do this every year?”
Mira thought for a moment: “Pretty much. This year it seems to have started a few days earlier.”
Laki added: “It’s because Jet tried to sneak off early, so everyone started preparing sooner and caught on.”
The guild hall was much quieter than usual now. Those left were either older members like Macao and Wakaba, who didn’t think they had the potential and didn’t want to go through the trouble, or members like Levy and Laki, who lacked confidence and didn’t think taking more jobs would help.
Of course, Erza didn’t need to join the chaos. She stood with her hands on her hips, watching her guildmates rush out, feeling proud of their efforts.
In the corner, Natsu and Happy remained.
Happy sat on a table, quietly munching on a large fish, while Natsu leaned against the wall, snoring loudly.
Neither fighting nor job-grabbing had affected him today.
“Natsu...” Rod hesitated, “Should we take him to the church?”
“Natsu doesn’t go there to pay respects,” Mira gently shook her head. “But don’t worry, they’ll be back to their usual selves tomorrow.”
“Alright.” Rod nodded and continued processing the documents.
Erza’s best friend, Bisca, had been invited to team up with Alzack, so Erza sat at the counter, having nothing to talk about.
Everyone else was trying to work alone to prove their abilities, but Alzack was handling both aspects.
It’s good to see him stepping up.
“Rod, aren’t you going to work?” Erza ordered a dessert and looked at Rod, who was helping Mira.
“I heard from the Master that your abilities are exceptional. Bisca also speaks highly of you. If you try hard, you might really become an S-Class mage.”
“My skills are far from that level. I’ll just let things take their natural course,” Rod replied. “By the way, what does the S-Class exam involve?”
“It’s hard to say. The content changes every year, but it’s always challenging.”
Erza clenched her fist, her expression strangely serious, “But with determination, you can definitely pass!”
Ha, as if. Rod almost believed her.
(End of Chapter)
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