https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-284-The-Aftermath-a-Minor-Inconvenience/12933028/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-286-Elusa-the-Photo-Model-and-the-Debate/12933032/
Chapter 285: Water Monster's Homecoming!
Chapter 285: Water Monster's Homecoming!
True to their word, Rod and Mira stayed an extra day in Lavender Village.
On one hand, it was to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, and on the other, they wanted to catch a few more rats.
They didn't manage to catch twenty in a whole day, and the rats were smaller than the previous ones, indicating that the rat infestation had indeed been resolved.
With some precautions, the villagers wouldn't have to worry about this issue again.
The day they left the Guild was the 1st, and by the time they were ready to depart, it was already the morning of the 4th.
Mayor Jasper offered their payment as he saw them off, and many villagers had paused their work to bid them farewell.
However, when Rod accepted the payment, he noticed something amiss: "Why is this so thick?"
"Because you saved our village, and we only later learned about the existence of the Great Rat King and Rat Queen. The original payment was clearly inadequate for such a challenging task, so we gathered an additional 500,000 Jewels. It's still not much, but..."
"That won't do, Mr. Mayor," Mira immediately rejected his offer, "The payment was already agreed upon, and we cannot accept any additional fees."
"But I'm the client, and I'm requesting a change in the payment. This is a token of our village's gratitude. Can't we do this?"
"It would have been possible before we started the task, but now it's completed," Mira's tone was firm, even though her voice was gentle, "In this situation, accepting extra payment would damage our Guild's reputation."
Fairy Tail might be a chaotic Guild, but when it came to quests, payments, and responsibilities, they took it very seriously.
Rod counted out 200,000 Jewels and returned the rest to Jasper: "That's all, thank you for your kindness. Farewell, and hope to see you again."
The two waved goodbye and boarded the River Crab, leaving the village.
"Mayor, this..."
Jasper thought for a moment, "I'll return the money to everyone later. Let's think of another way to repay them."
Meanwhile, Mira noticed that the River Crab was heading in the wrong direction: "Isn't this the opposite way to the Guild?"
Rod nodded, "Yes, we're heading towards Mint Lake."
"The lake where the rat infestation originated?"
"Yeah, I want to check it out myself, and... it's a rare opportunity for us to travel together. It would be a shame to return so soon."
Mira smiled, "You're right."
Their initial plan was to take a few days off and have some fun, but it seemed like they had been working non-stop these past few days.
Taking this chance to visit nearby cities or scenic spots would be a great idea.
With the Guild Master and Elusa there, nothing could go wrong.
...
Time flew by, and soon, they arrived in a small town renowned for its clothing manufacturing. Mira intended to buy some summer clothes for Elfman.
However, as Rod passed by a newsstand, he casually bought a magazine. After flipping through a few pages, they realized they had to return.
"Laxus sure knows how to stir up trouble," Rod sighed.
"Laxus? Why?" Mira asked.
"Because Light Pen hasn't released any new models, so Laxus gathered a few close artist friends to protest at the manufacturer.
Then, fearing they would be ignored, he also magically created a large crowd, which caused some chaos and traffic congestion."
Rod showed her the magazine, which featured a photo of Laxus, bowing his head as if apologizing to someone.
"Oh my..." Mira seemed to be laughing happily, "So, what was the outcome?"
"..." Rod said, "Shouldn't you be concerned about his well-being first?"
Mira tapped her index finger on her face and tilted her head slightly, "I think Laxus would be more concerned about that too."
"Alright," Rod said, "You're cute, so you decide. It seems like the manufacturer brushed them off."
Mira laughed, "I think so too. Why don't we call everyone from the Guild to join Laxus in his protest next time?"
"Rod stroked her head, "Don't be like that, the Guild Master might cry."
Mira didn't push his hand away but pointed to another photo in the magazine! "That silhouette, is that Gajeel?"
"Yeah, Gajeel caused a bit of a ruckus during a quest due to his magic going out of control."
"He went to a high place again," Mira guessed that Gajeel must have encountered some issues during the quest that required him to go to a high place, "It seems interesting."
Rod sighed, "What's even more interesting is this."
"Magic Girl Mira Returns? The Water Monster of Mint Lake Suffers a Crushing Defeat!"
Without an accompanying picture, Mira couldn't recall immediately, "Water Monster?"
Rod grimaced, "That's me."
A few days ago, the two of them had sparred by the lake, and it seemed someone had witnessed it.
Then, when the Sky Horse Trio was interviewed, they mentioned going to Mint Lake, and the journalist asked about Mira, which led to the confirmation.
"Hahaha..." Mira couldn't stop laughing.
Last time they appeared in the news together, Rod was her rumored boyfriend, but this time, he was mistaken for a Water Monster.
Rod made a menacing expression, "If you keep laughing, the Water Monster will take you away!"
Mira directly placed her hand in his, "Please, Mr. Water Monster."
"Okay, I'll take you to the scariest place in the world right now—Fairy Tail!"
"Oh, how terrifying... But Mr. Water Monster, can you let me finish buying clothes first?"
"Alright."
Rod enjoyed a fashion show put on exclusively for him and was also forced to try on over a dozen different outfits.
After choosing a few of their favorite clothes, the two hurried back to Magnolia.
Although they wanted to play for a few more days, they were also concerned about the guild.
...
The evening was usually one of the busiest times at the guild.
However, the atmosphere was only moderately lively today.
On one hand, it was due to the knightess behind the counter, and on the other hand, there had been quite a few recent incidents.
Not to mention the magazine coverage, but there were also other issues that had been suppressed.
For instance, Loki had been flirting with several troublesome girls, Natsu caused some trouble yesterday, and Alzack and Bisca had received some complaints...
These troublemakers had just been scolded by Erza one by one in the afternoon, so they didn't dare to act up.
Without these noisy troublemakers, the guild was naturally less lively than usual.
However, there were some benefits to Erza temporarily taking Mira's place.
For example, when she was behind the counter handling guild affairs, she wore her armor, but when she came out to serve food, she would change into a waitress uniform.
—The uniform she earned from working at the candy store last year. Although it was a bit tight this year, it was still manageable.
She even changed her hairstyle to twin tails to match the uniform.
The quality of service aside, it was indeed a feast for the eyes, and Makarov and Wakaba, the veteran members, enjoyed the view.
Mira already had a boyfriend, so they couldn't harass her, but Erza was still single...
Although they didn't dare to harass Erza, at least they had something to fantasize about.
As the guild's door was pushed open, Erza immediately switched to work mode, "Welcome!"
"Erza?" Two people wearing matching couple outfits walked in. Seeing Erza dressed like this, they almost didn't dare to recognize her.
"Mira, Rod?" Erza smiled, "Welcome back!"
The two smiled, "We're back."
Mira felt a bit strange; for over a year, it had been her saying these words to her companions who returned from their journeys.
Now, thanks to someone, she was reliving the feeling of hearing those words.
The guild fell into a brief silence, and then erupted into enthusiastic cheers:
"Mira (Rod) is back!"
(End of Chapter)
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