บท 4: Chapter 4: Missing Out on a Hundred Million
Natsu was too impatient to wait for the Master or Levy to return. Upon hearing that Reedus could help, he immediately dragged him over.
With Reedus's drawings, Mirajane's gestures, and soft-spoken explanations, Rhodes finally understood what they wanted to ask.
But he truly hadn't seen any dragons—only a spotted bear that looked like a pig, which nearly killed him... Speaking of which, are there dragons in this world?
Considering the magical wonders he'd seen, Rhodes thought perhaps dragons wouldn't be that strange.
Natsu was unwilling to give up. "Mira, when will the old man be back?"
Mirajane replied, "Tomorrow or the day after. Regular meetings usually don't take too long."
Natsu made a quick decision. "Happy, let's skip work for the next few days and wait until the old man returns!"
The blue cat raised a paw in response. "Aye!"
Natsu strode over to a table and sat down. "Mira, I want the Flame Combo Meal!"
"Alright, coming right up." Mirajane relayed their order to the kitchen.
"Don't mind Natsu; he means no harm. He's just a bit impatient."
Mirajane knew why Natsu was searching for dragons, but it was a long story. Given the current situation, it was hard to explain clearly to Rhodes, so she tried her best to convey that Natsu had no ill intentions.
Rhodes nodded. Although he didn't know the specifics, considering he's the protagonist of a hot-blooded manga, being hasty and impulsive was quite normal.
At that moment, the blue cat stood on the table and raised a paw. "Mira, I want a grilled fish!"
Rhodes's eyes widened. The cat spoke!
Mirajane smiled and said, "Happy isn't an ordinary cat."
Rhodes nodded. In a magical world, a talking cat wasn't something unacceptable.
However, what shocked Rhodes even more was the tray Laki brought out from the kitchen.
On the tray were two plates and a cup. While the contents resembled food, they were clearly engulfed in raging flames!
This... this... is this really food?
Mirajane earnestly explained to Rhodes, "That's Flame Pasta, Flame Fried Chicken, and a Flame Drink, prepared using special methods."
Watching Natsu grab the flames with his bare hands and stuff them into his mouth, Rhodes hesitantly nodded.
In a magical world, it's normal for food to be a bit special.
Mirajane thought Rhodes might have misunderstood; actually, in the entire guild, only Natsu ate like this.
In the time that followed, Rhodes met all sorts of strange people and saw some interesting magic.
He even witnessed a brawl initiated by Elfman and Natsu, which eventually engulfed a quarter of the tavern.
Seeing Elfman fighting, Mirajane merely watched with a smile. Aside from telling Rhodes to step back a bit, she did nothing.
Rhodes couldn't help but question his judgment. Could it be that Miss Mirajane wasn't actually that gentle and was just holding back in front of a stranger like him?
He had previously thought that the protagonist's guild should be lively. Now it seemed, perhaps, it was a bit too lively.
Time passed in this atmosphere that was both calm and chaotic.
Until the next day—the third afternoon since Rhodes arrived here—things changed.
The Master returned.
And he brought along a handsome blond man.
Many girls gathered around, exclaiming, "It's Hibiki of Blue Pegasus!"
"It's Hibiki, ranked number one on the 'Most Desired Boyfriend Mages' list!"
"So handsome!"
Hibiki pressed his index and middle fingers together, smiling gently as he greeted the girls, eliciting another wave of screams.
In the tavern, a handsome guy wearing a green jacket and glasses showed a panicked expression and quietly slipped out of the guild amid the chaos.
Mirajane held a tray, her face beaming. "Welcome back, Master. Thank you for your hard work."
The people in the tavern greeted Makarov one after another. Natsu darted over directly:
"Old man! You're finally back—I have something to ask you!"
Makarov raised a hand to stop Natsu. "I probably know what you want to ask, but it's hard to explain right now. Wait a moment."
"..." Natsu wanted to say more, but seeing the Master's serious expression, he just puffed up his cheeks and stared at him.
Makarov asked Mirajane, "Is that child doing well?"
"His name is Rhodes. His injuries are healing nicely, though communication is still a bit difficult," Mirajane said. "I've been teaching him the common language, but he needs more time."
"Is that so? Thank you for your efforts." Makarov nodded. "I have a quicker method. Let's take him to the infirmary first."
Mirajane glanced at Hibiki, who was surrounded by girls, and nodded. "Alright."
Rhodes followed Mirajane back to the infirmary, feeling puzzled. Was he getting his bandages changed?
Over the past two days, his injuries had healed remarkably fast. Now, only his forehead was still wrapped in bandages. Rhodes guessed the medicine he was using was definitely not ordinary.
While he was wondering, Makarov had already brought Hibiki into the infirmary.
As soon as Hibiki entered, without a moment's hesitation, he approached Mirajane and performed a gentlemanly bow:
"You must be Miss Mirajane. You're even more radiant than in the magazines! A pleasure to meet you. I'm Hibiki from Blue Pegasus. Please allow me the honor of buying you a drink."
Mirajane rested a hand on her cheek. "This isn't the appropriate time for such words, is it?"
"Ah, you're right. My apologies for being rude." Hibiki exaggeratedly knelt on one knee, extending a hand. "Then, are you free this evening?"
Although Rhodes didn't quite understand what he was saying, he felt that even in Fairy Tail, this person was quite the unique character...
Wait, wasn't there someone similar to him in the guild? Who was it?
Now wasn't the time to ponder that. Rhodes stood up, bowed slightly to Makarov, and spoke in somewhat stiff common language, "Thank you for saving me!"
Makarov smiled. "Haven't you learned well? But I'm not the one who saved you."
Rhodes showed a puzzled expression.
Makarov's right hand suddenly stretched and enlarged, directly grabbing Hibiki and pulling him over:
"I specifically invited you here, not so you could harass the girls in our guild."
Rhodes was shocked, staring at Makarov's hand. An elderly Luffy? An old Choji?
Once released, Hibiki adjusted his clothes and hair, seemingly glowing with handsomeness:
"I understand the request—to help him master the basic common language as quickly as possible, correct?"
"That's right." Makarov nodded. "But make sure not to harm his body."
Hibiki nodded. "Of course. With my magic, that's entirely doable. However, receiving a large amount of information all at once might cause short-term headaches. Is that acceptable?"
Mirajane painstakingly conveyed Hibiki's meaning to Rhodes, seeking his opinion.
Using magic to quickly learn a language at the cost of a headache during the process?
Rhodes nodded decisively. A few minutes of magical headache versus months of learning-induced headaches—was there even a choice? Better short-term pain than long-term suffering!
Makarov nodded. "Then, let's begin."
Hibiki raised his hands. Below them, a golden magic circle appeared, and in the center—a keyboard.
As Hibiki's fingers tapped, several screens formed by magical light appeared in the air. Boxes and lines of text rapidly scrolled by, leaving only one screen in the end.
Rhodes watched, dazzled. Is this really magic and not some future technology? It looked just like scenes from a sci-fi movie.
Mirajane suddenly realized. "This is Archive Magic? No wonder the Master invited you."
Hibiki smiled slightly. "One final confirmation: you only need the basic common language, correct?
Actually, I also have '100 Techniques for Flirting with Girls' and '80 Ways to Make Girls Happy.' Should I teach him those as well?"
Makarov waved his hand. "Please refrain from teaching such strange things."
"What a pity." Hibiki pointed a finger at Rhodes's forehead, enveloping him in golden light.
Rhodes didn't realize the great fortune he'd just missed out on. He only felt his head swell as a vast amount of information flooded in.
Pronunciation, writing, word formation, sentence structures...
"Ahhhh...!!!"
The headache was more intense than Rhodes had imagined. The kind of pain that felt like being slammed by a door made him involuntarily clutch his head and cry out.
"Rhodes..." Makarov and Mirajane watched sympathetically. Fortunately, the process ended quickly.
The golden light faded, and the keyboard and screens in front of Hibiki disappeared. "It's done."
Rhodes collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He still held his head in his hands, gasping for air. "It's finally... over."
Mirajane praised, "You said that very well."
"Huh?" Rhodes exclaimed in surprise, "I can understand what you're saying now!"
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