https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-79-The-Mages-of-Fairy-Tail-Are-Too-Responsible-/12810295/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-81-Launch-and-Three-Rivers-Reflections/12810297/
Chapter 80: Where's the Master? Writing a Report
Chapter 80: Where's the Master? Writing a Report
It was the morning of the second day when they left the village.
Kita was still in bed, so she couldn't come out to see them off. Instead, Panser and Sino were there to bid them farewell.
Little Claudy ran back from outside, holding a big bunch of wildflowers to give to them. She had picked them early in the morning, and the petals were still damp.
It wasn't safe for a child to run around so early...
Rod didn't want to ruin the mood, so he just smiled and accepted the flowers, telling her to listen to her mother.
His unspoken message was that her father wasn't reliable, so listening to her mother might be better.
The village gate was wide open, and from time to time, farmers would drive their carts out, carrying their tools. They would wave and greet Rod and his companions warmly.
"Quack~ Quack~"
A few geese walked by, and their honking startled Rod, making him take a step back.
It took a moment for him to realize that he was now a mage, not a child with a fighting strength of less than 0.5 against a goose.
"Ha ha ha... So Rod is afraid of geese!" Natsu had been looking for Rod's weakness all along and finally found one on their way back.
"No, I'm not afraid."
Happy joined in the laughter: "Haha! Rod is afraid of geese."
"I said I'm not afraid..."
"Ha ha ha..." Natsu and Happy laughed together.
Rod was at a loss. Fine, if he was afraid, so be it. If they could scare him with a goose, he'd show them what he could do with a stewed goose.
Two minutes later, Natsu wasn't laughing anymore.
They had boarded the carriage for the return trip.
Rod pinched Natsu's cheek and ruffled his hair, grinning. "Come on, Natsu. Say it with me: 'Rod is afraid of geese.'"
Natsu leaned against the carriage wall, looking miserable. "I feel so bad..."
Happy, taking no sides, joined in the fun of teasing Natsu.
"Ugh... Rod, call the crab..."
"No way. Actually, besides geese, I'm also afraid of crabs."
"Liar... Let me off the carriage, ugh... I want to walk back..."
"No way. What if you get lost? Since we're a team, I have to make sure you get back safely."
"Let me~ off~"
...
Bito and Mastiff were responsible for driving the carriage back to the village. Rod had carried Natsu off the carriage by midday to ensure they could return before dark.
The remaining journey wasn't far, and they could ride a river crab for the rest of the way, so a little sun exposure wasn't a big deal.
By the time they entered Magnolia, Natsu had regained his energy.
Seeing the guild, Rod finally relaxed, a smile spreading across his face.
But before he could savor the moment, Natsu had already kicked open the guild doors. "I'm back!"
"Love!"
"Oh~ Natsu's back!"
"What did you destroy this time?"
"I heard you were on a team with Rod. You must have caused him a lot of trouble, right?"
"Rod? Isn't he our guild's strongest new member?"
Rod heard someone mention the strongest new member as soon as he entered the guild.
Calculating the time, it was Wednesday, the day when the new issue of Sosara was released, and it was also the anniversary special.
Had that news article really been accepted?
Natsu was arguing with his friends about how they had "perfectly completed the mission" this time.
Happy was quietly spreading the word about Rod's fear of geese.
Rod smiled and greeted everyone, telling them that the magazine was just making things up.
Then, without stopping, he walked straight to the counter.
"I'm back."
"Welcome back." Mira greeted him with her usual warm smile. "How did the mission go?"
Rod handed her the mission sheet. "There were a few minor issues, but overall, it went well."
"Minor issues?"
"Yup... I'll tell you about it later."
“
Ah, that just makes it even more intriguing."
Mira finished the final registration, "But it's good to see you back safely. I was worried you and Natsu wouldn't get along."
"Natsu, well, he can be a bit of a headache sometimes, but he's very reliable."
Apart from his impulsiveness, Rod had discovered many positive qualities about Natsu during their journey. His firm beliefs, sharp battle instincts, and his ability to care for others' feelings were just a few.
As a teammate, his reliability probably outweighed his troublemaking... right?
Without looking back, Rod caught the half of a bench that flew at him from behind. Natsu was fighting with someone again, for some reason.
He dropped the bench and turned around, leaning his elbow on the counter:
"Hmm... what was I thinking when I said Natsu was reliable?"
Mira laughed, "You must be tired."
Rod glanced at her, having thought about how to approach her before returning, but naturally fell back into his usual demeanor.
"What's wrong?" Mira noticed his gaze and remembered what Laki had told her before Rod left. She unconsciously brushed her hair.
"Nothing, is the Master around?"
"The Master? He's probably upstairs writing a report."
"Again? Who caused trouble this time?"
A famous scene in Fairy Tail, alongside "Nab reading the bulletin board," is "the Master writing a report."
"This time it's Elfman," Mira said, a bit embarrassed, "He apparently attacked the person he was supposed to protect during a bodyguard mission."
"Huh?" Rod almost didn't understand, "Was it the target he was supposed to protect or the target he was supposed to eliminate?"
"The one he was supposed to protect," Mira explained, "During a conversation, the person said that the most important thing for a man is knowledge..."
"Man!" Elfman shouted his catchphrase from the bar, throwing a punch at someone.
His sister watched from the sidelines, "Whenever the topic involves manliness, Elfman can't help himself."
"Hah... hah... just like him." Rod chuckled dryly, thinking that Elfman's behavior might be partly due to the Lisanna incident.
Mira looked up at the balcony on the second floor, "It's strange, with all the commotion down here, the Master should have come down by now."
But it wasn't until Nab was thrown into the balcony, crashing into the railing, that a large hand reached out to grab him and toss him back down.
"Enough of this nonsense!?" The Master stood on the balcony, scanning the room and immediately identifying the culprit, "Natsu, can't you come back quietly just once?"
"Hehe!" Natsu stood up, chest out and hands on his hips, looking smug.
"Hold on a second..." The Master jumped down from the second floor and landed smoothly, "What did you do this time with that smug look on your face?"
The Master sighed, looking a bit disheartened, "Spit it out now, I'll write two reports at once."
Rod suddenly felt sorry for the Master.
"You're wrong, old man!" Natsu said smugly, "This time, we completed the mission perfectly!"
"That's not possible..." The Master suddenly smacked his hand, realizing, "Ah, I see, you went with Rod this time!"
"Hey, old man!" Natsu felt the Master and Happy were being unfair, as if he would always cause trouble if left unsupervised.
The Master ignored him, his arm stretching out to pull Rod over, his eyes welling up with tears:
"Rod, you did a fantastic job! And thank you, you truly are our strongest new member!"
"Even you know about it?" Rod felt a bit embarrassed, and added,
"Master, please don't rub your snot on me!"
I'll release the next chapter tomorrow, if everything goes well.
(End of Chapter)
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