Chapter 212: Elbow, Let's Go Home
Chapter 212: Elbow, Let's Go Home
Although it was already quite late, spending the night at Mira's place was out of the question.
If Rod had no place to stay or lived very far away, he could have found an excuse, but unfortunately, none of those conditions applied.
The big door closed tightly, and Rod could only take Vom for a walk back home, but his mood was surprisingly good.
Just now, Mira, without any martial virtue, had ambushed the 19-year-old Rod. She hugged him from behind just as he was about to turn and leave.
When he tried to turn around, Mira had already run inside and shut the door tightly. It was too much; she hugged him and then ran away. He would definitely return the favor another day.
For now, he would hug Vom for a while.
Five seconds later, Rod reluctantly put Vom down again.
The little creature's paws and legs were covered in snow, which melted and left them wet. It would be better not to let it walk in the snow again.
"Summon, Canyon Swift Crab!"
In moments like this, using a mount was definitely more convenient. Despite being a cold-blooded creature, it moved through the snow without any trouble, which was quite unusual.
Rod sat on the River crab's back with Vom, then suddenly felt something. He turned around and met a pair of eyes looking down from upstairs.
They waved at each other and started to look forward to a new day.
...
The new day began with clearing the snow.
When Rod went out, Gudeman hadn't arrived yet. The snow at the door was about half a foot thick, and he guessed Gudeman was still clearing the snow from his own place.
The neighbors had already started their work. Generally, they would start by sweeping a small path from their doors to the main road, and then sweep a bit on either side of the main road.
It was like a tacit rule, and every household did it this way. The cleared paths connected, and the roads quickly became passable.
This was how it was in Magnolia, and even more so in the countryside without sanitation workers.
The seriousness of everyone's sweeping varied, and the paths they swept were different, some wide and some narrow.
Connecting these segments of varying widths, the roads had a unique charm, like the emotional connections between neighbors. Walking on these paths in the snow was particularly pleasant.
Since Gudeman wasn't around, the clearing work naturally fell to Rod.
He remembered that his neighbor was an elderly grandmother. Although they hadn't spoken much, he wanted to clear the path all the way to her door.
On the other side of the grandmother's house was a middle-aged uncle who was a bit older than Gudeman. He seemed to have the same plan.
Rod and the uncle didn't exchange much, just working silently until they met, smiled at each other, and then went back with their tools.
The snow-clearing work had just begun, but there was a more important task after clearing the roads: clearing the roofs.
If the snow on the roof wasn't cleared in time, it would melt and seep into the roof. At night, it would freeze and damage the roof.
The weight could also cause the house to collapse, and icicles could form under the eaves, which were dangerous for pedestrians.
Rod found it much easier to get on the roof than most people. He didn't even need a ladder, just transforming into a bird with a sharp beak and flying up.
He avoided direct climbing or jumping to prevent slipping and looking foolish.
Using a snow shovel, he pushed the snow off the roof in large chunks, enjoying the thuds as the snow hit the ground.
He also saw a father who, while his son was building a snowman at the door, pushed the snow off the roof, covering his son in snow.
He imagined that after the father finished his work, his wife would definitely have a Word with him.
Rod naturally planned to clear the neighbor's grandmother's roof as well, but he needed to go and say hello first.
Otherwise, if he accidentally hit the old lady, it would be a big problem.
"Good child, come in for a cup of hot tea first."
The old lady seemed very pleased with Rod's visit. She not only poured him a cup of tea but also took out various snacks and fruits from the cabinet.
Some of them looked like they had been stored for a long time, with the apple peels wrinkled. These were things she usually wouldn't eat herself, but now she brought them out to treat her guest.
There was no reason to refuse the old lady's kindness, so Rod picked up a piece of the snack and ate it with the tea. It was a bit hard, but the taste was decent.
"I remember you're a tenant at Gudeman's place, and you're a mage from Fairy Tail, right?"
"Yes, I started living here last summer."
"Oh, that's quite a while now. Last summer, when you first moved in..."
The old lady, perhaps feeling lonely, wanted to chat a bit longer with her guest.
Rod actually wanted to finish his work quickly and go to the guild to see what Mira and everyone else were up to.
However, he wasn't in a rush and decided he could spare some time to chat with the elderly lady.
So, Rod learned that Beyer's name was given by Gudeman's father; he learned that the couple next door often argued over their child;
He also learned that a certain fruit vendor liked to display the best-looking fruits on top, but would quietly replace them with less appealing ones when weighing them.
The topics of conversation with the elderly lady often jumped around, but they were all about trivial matters happening around her.
They weren't necessarily valuable pieces of information or interesting stories, but just the act of sharing them and having someone listen made the old lady very happy.
Rod patiently waited until she started repeating things she had already said before gently putting down his teacup.
"I've warmed up quite a bit. I should go help you clear the snow now."
"Good, good."
"Please wait inside and don't stand under the eaves."
Rod earnestly instructed her before taking his tools and climbing onto the roof.
After clearing for a while, he leaned on his snow shovel and straightened his back, just in time to catch the eye of someone on another roof, which was quite amusing.
Rod's eyesight was good, and he could see that someone was already working on the roof of the guild building.
He quickened his pace and finished clearing the snow. After saying goodbye to the old lady, he hurried to the guild.
The sun had risen, but there was no sign of the snow melting. The only place where water could be seen was where the road met the snow.
As soon as he arrived at the guild, Mira greeted him with a friendly tone: "You're late. I'll have to deduct your pay."
Rod's heart sank. Was this a backstab after yesterday's ambush?
"Please don't. I was a bit late because I helped my neighbor's grandmother clear the snow."
Mira reluctantly nodded: "In that case, I'll forgive you."
"How's the guild doing?"
"It's almost cleared, and we have enough people. Everyone will help the citizens clear the snow next."
Mira put on her coat and, without waiting for Rod to ask, said: "I need to go home first."
Rod, who had just unbuttoned his coat, buttoned it back up: "Elfman hasn't returned yet, right?"
"Yes, he should be back today or tomorrow. The road conditions aren't good for the carriage."
"Oh." Rod didn't say much and followed her back.
At a time like this, she must have come to the guild early to organize the guild members.
The snow at her house definitely hadn't been cleared yet, and Rod couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
Mira pinched his arm. Why could this person follow so naturally?
Rod chuckled. His coat was too thick, and it didn't hurt. It looked more like she was trying to drag him home.
(End of Chapter)
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