Capítulo 121: Chapter 121: Gray Is Multi-Talented
The next day, Rhodes woke up early.
Since arriving in this world, the habit of sleeping in that he'd developed while working had finally been corrected.
Rooming with Gray wasn't bad. Aside from the guy having a messy sleep posture and a tendency to sleep in the nude, he didn't have any other weird habits.
Unlike Natsu, who not only slept in strange positions but also snored loudly and sometimes even exhaled small flames while snoring. Sharing a room with him always made Rhodes worry that a nightmare could cause Natsu to accidentally set the house on fire.
Gray soon woke up as well, tossing off the covers and standing up as he rubbed his eyes, getting ready to leave.
"Hold it!" Rhodes shouted, quickly darting to the door, grabbing the handle before Gray could leave.
Gray sleepily asked, "Rhodes, do you need to use the bathroom too?"
"Use the bathroom my foot—put on some clothes first!"
Gray looked down and said, "Oh, almost forgot."
Early morning, and already almost an incident.
After taking care of their personal business, the two headed outside for a light morning exercise.
By the time they returned, Wendy was wide awake and reading a thick magic book, while Carla… was cooking breakfast.
Rhodes realized he hadn't thought to ask this last night—was Carla the one in charge of cooking in Wendy's home?
"Good morning, Mr. Gray, Mr. Rhodes."
"Morning."
"Morning, Wendy. You're already so eager to read this book?" Rhodes said, "Remember what Porlyusica said—you shouldn't overexert yourself."
"Yes, I remember. But this is the magic that Glan Dine left for me, and I want to learn it before I meet her again, or at least have it memorized."
The young girl's bright smile glowed under the morning sun.
Perhaps deep down, Wendy hoped that if she mastered the Dragon Slayer techniques, she would get to see Glan Dine again.
"Keep at it."
"Breakfast is ready!" Carla called out to everyone, though she looked a bit out of sorts.
"Carla, didn't you sleep well?" Asking the host about their sleep quality made Rhodes feel a little awkward.
"Nothing, just had a nightmare," Carla shot Gray a glare.
What, was she supposed to tell them that it was her anxiety over a certain pervert that kept her from resting properly last night?
Gray was bewildered. This little cat sure held grudges—wasn't it just a cat-tongue comment from yesterday?
"Thank you for the meal. It was delicious."
"Hmph, it's not like I made it especially for you."
"Regardless, I'm still grateful. See you in a few days." Rhodes hoisted his backpack and carried his suitcase.
Gray also grabbed his bag and carried the tent Carla had lent them. "Thanks for the hospitality."
Gray paused after a few steps. "Thank you for the tent. And by the way, breakfast really was good."
Carla's face turned bright red. "W-What? All of a sudden… so annoying!"
Wendy also smiled. "Carla's cooking really is great."
"Wendy!"
Rhodes turned just in time to catch the commotion.
When dealing with a tsundere, directness was the best approach.
Gray really had a warm heart—even his ice magic couldn't freeze it.
...
Leaving the small village of Shilwil, the two of them each rode a river crab deep into the mountains.
Starting today, they had to push further into the mountains as they searched, camping overnight as they went.
The first thing Rhodes and Gray did was find a team from the council to check in with.
They released the river crab and shadow wolf for search purposes in front of the council members, then once out of sight, summoned additional creatures to help.
Rhodes was in a strange state of both working hard and goofing off—a luxury afforded to summoning mages.
To pass the time, he even sparred with Gray.
Gray, it turned out, was more versed in combat techniques than Rhodes himself—hand-to-hand, grappling, wrestling, and various weapons—Gray knew a bit of everything. It seemed his reasoning for learning all these was to accommodate his Ice-Make magic.
Anyone who could create their own weapons was bound to be a bit capricious.
Because there were so many council members involved, their search progressed faster than Rhodes had anticipated.
Unfortunately, they had no leads by the end of the day—but at least they enjoyed a nice barbecue.
Using word magic to light a fire was convenient, and with Gray around, there was no need to worry about starting a forest fire.
At night, they set up camp per Captain Kephtin's invitation, pitching their tent in the middle of the council's group.
"The stick—this one—hold it steady, tie a knot here..."
Rhodes didn't know the first thing about pitching a tent, so he relied entirely on Gray's instructions.
But it was fine—he got to learn a new skill.
Camping in the mountains required care against pests like snakes and rodents, but the council had come prepared, bringing along the latest insect repellent.
Rhodes had seen advertisements for it in the Magic Weekly during the summer but had never splurged on it. Now, he had a chance to freeload while preserving the one Gray had brought for later use.
This routine continued until the third morning.
Rhodes used word magic to create some water for himself and Gray to wash up.
They then grabbed some bread from Kephtin for breakfast and began their day's work.
As usual, Rhodes released the river crabs and shadow wolves, then occupied himself with cards, sparring, and meditation.
Around noon, he suddenly sensed one of the shadow wolves return to the summoner's realm on its own.
This was a signal that it had found something suspicious.
Unlike river crabs, shadow wolves couldn't share visual information, so they communicated silently by using this method.
Rhodes immediately re-summoned the shadow wolf. "How many people are there?"
The shadow wolf scratched at the ground, indicating ten.
"Where are they?"
The wolf drew and gestured, indicating the distance was considerable.
"Alright, let's go report and get ready to wrap this up."
Rhodes unsummoned his other creatures, re-summoned a river crab, then called Gray to go find Kephtin.
He left any unimportant belongings at the previous day's campsite, carrying just his backpack.
On the way, he pulled out a magic book and handed two explosive magic crystals to Gray. "You know how to use these, right?"
Gray jumped. "That's what's in that bag you carry with you?!"
"Yeah, just in case."
Gray wasn't as cooperative as Mira. "Forget it, I won't need them."
"Alright, suit yourself." Rhodes put the items back—after all, they wouldn't need to fight themselves.
Kephtin listened to Rhodes' report, then immediately gathered the group, asking Rhodes to lead them.
He reminded his subordinates, "We've only detected ten individuals, but there may be more. The Zat brothers might have brought the entire guild, so don't let your guard down!"
Rhodes had the shadow wolf lead the way, while the river crab moved ahead to gather more information.
He confirmed once more, "You're sure you don't need us in the fight?"
"No need. As long as we confirm their location, even if the entire Naked Mummy guild is here, we can handle it."
Kephtin said sternly, "Please adhere to the two additional conditions, or there will be consequences beyond just your payment."
"Promise we won't interfere." Rhodes had no interest in inviting trouble.
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