Chapter 293: July X784
Chapter 293: July X784
Rod lay down, not because he was defeated, but because he had exhausted his mana.
The consumption of the Mountain Dragon Soul was terrifying, and when it drained his mana, the effects of the Insight Crown were still active.
By his estimate, Rod had experienced over a minute of evenly matched combat with Mira.
However, compared to Mira's all-around enhanced Soul of Satan, Rod's Mountain Dragon Soul seemed more specialized in defense.
Even without actively defending, he could withstand a few blows from Mira without much harm, while a single punch from him would cause her pain for a long time.
If one considered his still unrefined Earth Magic, the Mountain Dragon Soul could be considered quite powerful.
The only drawback was its massive mana consumption.
But if the Mountain Wyvern knew of his plight, it would surely tell him, "This is your weakness, not the Dragon Soul's."
It was halftime, and Rod lay on Mira's lap to rest, even reaching out a hand to rub her stomach.
He made an excuse, "I did it, and I feel bad, so I'll definitely give you a good rub."
Mira initially felt her cheeks burning, but soon after, she felt incredibly comfortable.
She also extended her hand to massage Rod's scalp.
Rod enjoyed the triple pleasure and deeply felt that he couldn't stop training.
Otherwise, his waist and legs might cost him his life in the future.
...
The battle took place far from town, and by the time the two returned, it was already late.
With the lingering effects of the blue buff, Rod, who had recovered his mana, sent Mira home.
Mira kissed him and ran off, not giving him a chance to enter.
Rod had no choice but to return alone.
The window at home had already been repaired. Earlier that morning, Goodman, as the landlord, had inquired about it.
Rod apologized, saying he had an argument with his girlfriend and accidentally broke it.
Goodman nodded in understanding, as if suddenly realizing, and even patted Rod's shoulder.
It wasn't a matter of anger; Fairy Tail was known for its members' antics, and breaking a window was considered polite.
Moreover, his girlfriend...
Although Miss Mira Jane appeared gentle, those who knew her past knew better.
Rod felt that Goodman's expression held untold stories; had he also been beaten by his wife?
...
They didn't spar every day, and Rod would practice partial reception of the Mountain Dragon Soul in his free time.
Thanks to his previous arduous training in other forms, his progress in the Dragon Soul form was commendable.
Before his total mana increased, partial reception of the Mountain Dragon Soul would be a crucial battle form for him.
Aside from that, there was the Canyon Vanguard.
It had slightly better endurance than the Full Reception Dragon Soul.
However, Rod preferred to drive in its 'cockpit' rather than receive the Canyon Vanguard.
As time passed, Erza stood Rod up.
After completing her previous quest, she immediately took on a new one.
The reason was that she had seen the armor she wanted during the quest, and it was expensive. Moreover, she had a new design inspiration for armor, which required a substantial material fee.
Rod looked at Erza's design drawings, but they were too abstract for him to comprehend.
Surprisingly, Mira could understand them and even offered Erza a suggestion for improvement.
The two seemed to be having a delightful conversation, leading Rod to believe it was a shared language among abstract painters.
According to their description, they wanted to create a set of armor with excellent flexibility and even elasticity—it could no longer be called armor but was more like a set of clothes.
Rod couldn't fathom the purpose of such elastic functionality... Could it be that one wouldn't need alterations even after gaining weight?
In any case, to obtain two new sets of armor, Erza took on a quest with a reward of 3 million Jewels.
The task was to defeat a powerful monster with horns on its head; it was not only formidable but also skilled in escaping, making it a challenging opponent.
Even Erza might take some time to deal with it.
"Why don't we team up for this quest?" Rod was a bit envious of the reward and not entirely because he wanted to piggyback on their success.
For such an elusive monster, three people surrounding and intercepting it would be more efficient than one.
The saved time could be used to take on other quests, which was one of the purposes of teaming up.
Erza was slightly tempted, as teaming up with Rod had been a pleasant experience.
However, Mira objected, "No, it's the end of the month, and the Guild Master has forbidden us from going on long trips."
Erza left with regret.
Rod sighed, missing out on a million.
Mira rubbed her shoulder against Rod's, "If you want to make money, I can accompany you on nearby quests that can be completed and returned from on the same day."
Rod nodded, "That's fine too."
Earning money while dating, why not? It had been a while since they did this, and he missed it.
Amidst their busy schedules, a new month arrived.
At the start of the new month, Rod and Mira took inventory of the Guild's supplies before going out to purchase more.
"Do you remember what day it is after tomorrow?"
"After tomorrow?" Rod's first thought was of her birthday, but that wasn't right; Mira's birthday was in August.
Mira smiled, "It's the day you officially joined the Guild."
Rod reminisced and exclaimed, "It's been a year already!"
"Yes, the strongest newcomer, Rod, has become a reliable Archmage. Shall we celebrate?"
"Sure. But I think today is also important." Rod switched the bag in his hand to his right and used his freed-up left hand to hold hers.
Without waiting for Mira to say anything, Rod continued, "Today is the day we first met, Mira... Jane?"
He tried to pronounce her name as he had the first time they met.
This was the first word he learned in this world.
Mila thought for a moment and echoed, "Labor...de?"
Both of them laughed, never imagining that this would be their present.
"What about the Fairy Tail mages? They're just a bunch of drunkards!"
"Don't you dare talk about my dad like that!"
"But he's always reeking of alcohol, and mages are supposed to be elegant."
"We want to be knights, not mages!"
The argument among the children caught the attention of Rod and Mila. The one being teased seemed to be Romeo, Makarov's son.
The kids seemed to have recognized Rod and Mila as members of Fairy Tail and ran off in a swarm.
If adults were bad-mouthing Fairy Tail mages, Rod and Mila might have already given them a beating.
But the children's squabble wasn't worth fussing over, and...what they said was...quite reasonable.
However, their attitude was terrible, and it was quite disrespectful for a child to insult their father.
"Sister Mila, Brother Rod..." Romeo called out politely, his eyes welling up from being teased.
Mila handed all her items to Rod and patted Romeo's head, "Don't mind them. Your dad is a very powerful mage."
"No way, I'll prove that my dad is stronger than their dads!" Romeo ran off.
The two adults didn't pay much attention, as it was a common occurrence for kids to compare whose dad was stronger.
Hopefully, Uncle Makarov would pay more attention to Romeo and not just focus on his girlfriend.
When Rod and Mila returned to the guild after their shopping, Makarov approached them with a quest in hand.
"I'll take this quest."
Today, Makarov seemed different from his usual self, not displaying his usual demeanor of a despondent uncle.
"Hakobe Snow Mountain, to hunt Vulcan?"
Rod frowned, as he had never seen Vulcan in person, but he had heard that it was a powerful beast. Was Uncle Makarov getting carried away?
Mila asked with concern, "Is it because of Romeo?"
Makarov was taken aback, "You know?"
Rod explained, "We met when we were shopping. It was just a childish argument. Don't be reckless, Uncle."
Makarov spoke with a deep expression, "As a father, there are some things you have to stand up for."
Rod was unconvinced. Children argued for the sake of pride, and they'd forget about it in a few days. What was there to stand up for?
Makarov looked at him with an ambiguous smile, "You'll understand when you and Mila have kids of your own. Good luck."
Slap! Mila stamped the quest form heavily, causing the table to crack in several places.
"Be...careful...on...the...road...Uncle," Mila said with a kind smile.
The Guild Master, sitting cross-legged on the counter and dozing off, was startled awake.
Makarov was also startled, and he discreetly winked at Rod.
Rod ignored him, following his usual routine, providing the necessary information and reminding him to be cautious of avalanches and to run if things got dangerous.
"You little brat, who's running away? I was a mage before you were even born! Three or five Vulcans are nothing!"
Makarov waved his hand dismissively and strode out.
"Is he okay?" Rod asked the Guild Master.
The Guild Master shook his head, "As he said, three or five Vulcans won't be a problem."
"Oh," Rod grabbed Mila's hand and touched the cracked tabletop, "Why hit it so hard? You cracked the table...does your hand hurt?"
"I'm back! I completed the quest perfectly!"
"Love!" Happy added, "We only burned down one church!"
Makarov fell face-first onto the counter, "Natsu!"
Natsu was scolded by the Guild Master, but not too harshly, as it seemed that burning down just one church was considered quite restrained for Natsu. However, he still had to write a self-reflection essay.
Gray also returned that day, claiming that he had perfectly busted a smuggling ring and hadn't walked around naked in the streets, so there were no issues.
But Makarov still felt a bit uneasy.
Calculating the time, there were several more problem children returning in the next couple of days.
The Guild Master wearily climbed upstairs, feeling exhausted.
Natsu, having learned his lesson, stayed quiet for a while, but for some reason, he started fighting with Gray again in the evening.
A group of people cheered them on.
Until Niki returned from outside, "Natsu, I heard that the Fire Dragon has appeared in Harugion."
Bang!
In the midst of their brawl, Natsu suddenly used magic to knock Gray down.
He rushed to Niki, "What did you say? Where's the Fire Dragon?"
"Harugion...I heard it from someone..."
"Happy, let's go!" Natsu rushed out, not even taking the time to drop off his luggage.
"Wait, Natsu!" Happy flew after him, and at the door, he shouted back, "Rod, we gave the grilled fish we ordered to Worm!"
"Okay..." Rod replied, but then he realized something was off, "But you haven't paid yet!"
"It's fine." Mila smiled and waved a wallet at Rod, "He forgot his wallet here."
"That's great."
The wallet probably contained their quest reward, so Rod didn't hesitate to take it.
"Damn it, Natsu!!!" Gray jumped up, covering his cheek, "You ambushed me! Just you wait!"
A little late, but 3000 words.
(End of Chapter)
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