Chapter 440: The Named Task

Chapter 440: The Named Task

It was difficult to have a private conversation outside, especially with the rain pouring down.

Rod asked Lucy to take her father upstairs, thinking it best for the father and daughter to have some time alone to talk.

Although he wanted to inquire about their current situation, Lucy was hesitant to let them into the guild, whispering to Rod that this man had once sought to destroy the guild.

Rod didn't seem to mind, feeling that it was all in the past.

When the Heartfilia family was wealthy and influential, no one dared to oppose them. Now that they had fallen from grace, what was there to fear?

After all, he was Lucy's father and probably her only living relative. They couldn't just ignore him.

The father and daughter climbed the stairs in silence, and Lucy's mood was clearly somber.

When someone in the tavern asked who he was, Rod casually brushed them off.

Seeing that Lucy had something important to discuss, her teammates naturally waited.

Natsu, Gray, and Happy peered from the staircase, only their heads visible, looking somewhat adorable.

Erza grabbed Natsu and Gray by their collars and pulled them away, "That's very rude. Sit down and wait properly."

Fortunately, Gray had just changed his clothes; otherwise, she wouldn't have had anything to grab.

The two had no choice but to sit quietly at the counter.

Mira brought a dry towel and, standing on her tiptoes, helped Rod wipe his face and hair, "Who is that? Is he Lucy's friend?"

The others perked up their ears to listen.

Rod sat down contentedly, enjoying the service, and explained, "He's Lucy's father. Haven't you read about the Heartfilia Group's bankruptcy in the newspapers recently?"

Erza nodded thoughtfully, "I think I've seen such news."

"Is that really Lucy's father? He's changed so much," Gray echoed Rod's sentiment, not daring to recognize him.

"When did Lucy's family go bankrupt?" Happy clearly wasn't in the habit of reading the newspaper.

Natsu chimed in, "What about the estate that was like a small town?"

Rod replied, "It's probably gone. The newspaper said he had mortgaged all his assets, and now he's likely homeless."

"How pitiful," Happy immediately felt sympathy for him, completely forgetting that he was once considered an enemy.

Mira, using the towel as an excuse, playfully ruffled Rod's hair, poured him a cup of hot tea, and then picked up the tray, "I'll bring them some tea and snacks."

Rod took off his jacket and shook it, feeling uncomfortable in the dampness, "Natsu, dry it."

"Oh," Natsu's body ignited with fire.

Rod held up his clothes to dry by the fire, flipping them over when he felt they were sufficiently dry.

Natsu was indeed useful.

Erza spoke up, "So, Lucy's father must have come to ask for her help."

Happy added, "But Lucy can't even afford her own rent."

Natsu, ever the optimist, said, "She'll have money when she returns!"

Rod couldn't hold back a laugh, "I'm afraid she'll have even less money when she returns."

Suddenly, voices arguing could be heard from upstairs:

"A large sum of money? It's just 100,000 J. You're my daughter; isn't it right for you to help me with such a small amount?"

Lucy argued, "Do you know what you're saying? For an ordinary person..."

"I need money! Your father has come to beg you, and you still won't give me the money!"

Mira's voice followed, "Calm down, Mr. Jude. Lucy, let's talk this through."

Many people downstairs heard their argument, and Natsu rushed upstairs without hesitation, as it sounded like Lucy was being bullied.

"Lucy, what's going on?"

The others naturally followed.

Mira quickly stopped Natsu, worried he might get physical, "It's nothing. There must be some misunderstanding."

The two had been having a good conversation, and it seemed like they were about to reconcile, but Jude suddenly asked to borrow a large sum of money, which led to both of them getting angry.

Lucy turned her face away and remained silent. Jude, seeing so many people surrounding them, calmed down a little.

Mira smiled and said, "I might be meddling, but let me ask on Lucy's behalf. Mr. Jude, what do you need such a large sum of money for?"

Jude was still slightly angry, "I need to go to the Agris Commercial Guild in Aggalifa. Of course, I'll need transportation fees for such a long journey."

Mira nodded, "That's understandable. And then?"

Jude looked at her with confusion, "Then? What do you mean by 'then'?"

Mira was also puzzled, "I mean, after deducting the transportation fees, what about the remaining money?"

Jude was shocked, "There's still money left?!?"

Mira was at a loss for words.

Lucy took a deep breath and asked, "You... want to borrow 10,000 J just for transportation fees?"

Jude thought they didn't understand the need for transportation fees and explained, "I've been very tired lately, and if I have to walk there..."

The rest of what he said wasn't heard clearly, as everyone was dumbfounded by his words. Was this the former leader of a major corporation?

Lucy sighed and began to rant about her father, "You... how could you be so indifferent to money?!"

In this man's eyes, not even giving him 100,000 J is like going to your daughter's house and not even offering her a cup of water, which is why he's upset.

Lucy took out her wallet and flipped through it, asking, "Miss Mila, how much does it cost to go to Agris?"

She had no idea where Agris was.

Mila thought for a moment, "Hmm... If we rent a decent carriage and consider the rain surcharge, it'll be around 2,000 to 3,000 J."

"Did you hear that? Please get a good grasp of normal prices. With 100,000 J, you could travel by carriage from the southernmost to the northernmost part of the Fiore Kingdom and still have change left over."

Lucy counted out five 1,000-J notes, showing off her soon-to-be-empty wallet, "The extra money can be for your food expenses. I don't have much money right now."

"..." Jude had yet to recover from his shock and felt a bit guilty for his earlier behavior.

Rod called out to everyone, "Alright, it was just a misunderstanding. Let's head downstairs."

Happy turned back at the stairs, "Lucy, call us if you need anything."

Lucy gave him a smile, "Mhm."

Jude stared at Lucy's smile, feeling a bit dazed.

He hadn't noticed before, but his daughter seemed to have truly grown up, and her smile resembled Layla's.

The father and daughter had a good chat, and after seeing Jude off, Lucy found Erza and the others, "Sorry for making you wait so long. Shall we set off?"

Erza asked, "Isn't your father staying?"

Lucy nodded, "Mhm, he said he wants to start over, just like when he was with Mom before."

Happy spoke up, "Lucy seems really happy."

"Because she just found out the origin of her name today."

Lucy smiled, in the past ten years, the total of her conversations with her father didn't even amount to today's.

"Huh?" Happy was puzzled, "Wasn't it just a random name?"

"No... Well, it was... No, it wasn't random at all!" Lucy wasn't sure how to explain it.

In fact, her name was decided when her mother, Layla, was pregnant.

At the time, one of the letters on the sign of the commercial guild 'Love&Lucky' was broken, and 'Lucky' became 'Lucy'.

The couple found it amusing, so they decided that if they had a daughter, they would name her Lucy.

Although they said it was random, they had put some thought into it. It wasn't extraordinary, but it also seemed quite casual...

Happy made up a rumor, "Indeed, Lucy is a random person."

"Stupid cat!" Lucy grabbed Happy and gave him a good thrashing.

The group of four and a cat left the guild, chatting noisily.

Rod watched their departing figures, "They're always so lively."

Mila nodded, "Yes, I'd like to team up with Lucy."

"Why?"

"Because it's interesting. Teasing someone who can banter back would be fun."

[No translation provided for the next line]



"Who teams up just to bully their teammates?" Rod pinched the stack of papers in his hand, which had become much thinner, "We're almost done. We can choose the mission we want to take."

"No need to choose," Mila took out a new mission request and waved it, "I just received a named mission specifically for the two of us."

"A named mission for us two? Who has such good taste?"

Mila handed the mission request to Rod for him to read.

"Mission Requirements: As escorts, ensure the smooth running of the Harvest Festival..."

It was a rather ordinary activity.

After all, it was autumn, and not only Magnolia but many places were holding Harvest Festivals. However, only places with a Magic Council would organize large-scale performances like the Magical Parade.

For example, Mermaid Heel in Magnolia holds a Thanksgiving Festival every year, which is also a very popular event.

If a place doesn't have a Magic Council, they can only hold a regular celebration.

If the local security is poor, they might need to hire magicians to prevent troublemakers from taking advantage of the situation.

This mission was likely of that nature, Rod looked at the reward, "1.2 million J... Such a high reward for an escort mission, does that mean they've attracted some troublesome enemies?"

Mila reminded him, "Look at the client."

[Chapter End]

"Rod seemed pleased. The fact that they were holding a Harvest Festival meant their hastily planted crops had yielded a good harvest, and they could even afford to hire mages with over a million J-coins."

"So, what new trouble have they encountered?" Mira asked.

"The event is in four days. By then, we should be free. Do you want to go?" Mira's expression revealed her eagerness to attend.

Rod nodded, "Let's go. It's a rare named task, and we can see what difficulties they're facing. After we resolve this, we'll casually catch a fugitive, and we'll have almost saved enough money."

"Alright!"

...

Two days passed in a flash, and Rod and Mira had wrapped up all their pending tasks, deciding to depart a day early to get a head start.

The two approached Makarov, who looked reluctant, and began explaining their plans.

"You don't have to look so glum," Rod reassured him. "It's just a Harvest Festival protection job. We'll be back within three days at most."

Makarov sighed, accepting the situation.

Indeed, it's easier to adjust to frugality after luxury than the other way around.

Natsu kicked open the guild's door, announcing, "We're back!"

Happy echoed, "Back!"

Mira smiled, "Welcome back. How did the mission go?"

Natsu and Gray averted their faces, Happy slowly descended to the ground, folding his wings, while Erza sighed, and Lucy looked listless.

The outcome was evident.

Makarov clutched his chest, "How many towns did you destroy this time?"

"It's not that bad..." Lucy replied weakly, "During the capture, we damaged ten roofs, knocked over eight stalls, ruined two shops, and a city center sculpture... After all the compensation, our reward of two million J-coins was reduced to just two hundred thousand."

Makarov breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the guild didn't have to cover the costs.

Erza spoke with a heavy heart, "I'm sorry, Master. I was careless, and they..."

Natsu muttered, "You said that person could use dangerous magic, so I had to go all out."

Lucy noticed Mira's luggage and asked, "Are Mr. Rod and Miss Mira going out?"

"Yes, we have a named task to handle."

"Wow, a named task! That's impressive," Lucy admired. Named tasks were only available to mages with significant reputations, unlike regular tasks that anyone could take on.

She secretly wished for the day she could receive such a mission.

"Our task has special circumstances," Mira explained, not wanting to reveal too much. "Anyway, we're leaving. Good luck to you all."

"Wait... Just a moment, Mr. Rod, could you at least recommend a suitable task for me...?" Lucy pleaded, sounding forlorn. "I'm worried that by the end of the month, I won't have enough for rent again!"

"You can work as a server," Rod suggested. "With Mira away, you can fill in for her."

"But there are five of us. Does the guild need that many servers?" Lucy asked, surprisingly including Happy in the count.

"I can tell you don't want to do it," Rod replied.

Lucy smiled sheepishly.

After a moment's thought, Rod laughed, "If you don't like being a server, how about pretending to be one to investigate a restaurant owner's true identity? Are you up for that?"

"Is there such a task? Like being a spy!" Lucy's eyes sparkled with excitement; she loved these intriguing missions.

Mira looked at Rod, puzzled, as she didn't recall any such task.

"We just received the request and haven't had time to register it. I'll write it down for you."

Rod grabbed a piece of paper and quickly jotted down the time, location, and reward, then handed it to Lucy, saying, "Just tell the head chef you're applying for the job, and then act accordingly."

Lucy's enthusiasm surged, "Understood! We'll get ready right away!"

It was Lucy's turn to choose a task, and her agreement was all that was needed.

Mira glanced at the restaurant's name Rod had written—8island. She stifled a laugh and playfully tapped Rod, amused by his trick to get Lucy to work as a server, a job she disliked.

Mira calculated the timing; by the time they finished their named task, Lucy's group would likely be wrapping up their part-time job. She struggled to contain her laughter, anticipating Lucy's reaction.

Rod was so mischievous, and she loved it.

[End of Chapter]

Chapter end