Erza, who looked so fierce and carried an almost terrifying presence, actually brought souvenirs for her guildmates?
Rhodes found it a little hard to believe. He was curious—what exactly was in that gift box?
'It wouldn't be armor, would it?'
Laki eagerly laid the gift box flat, carefully pulled the bow-tied ribbon, and lifted the lid.
Inside, gleaming metal reflected the light.
"What... is this?" Rhodes stared, confused.
It wasn't armor, that much was clear. But it was definitely some kind of metalwork. At first glance, it resembled a statue of a woman... but there were some questionable gaps and handles on its surface.
While Rhodes was still piecing things together, Laki had already gripped the handle and opened the "statue," revealing a row of sharp, menacing spikes inside.
Instead of recoiling in horror, Laki's face lit up with pure joy.
"Ah! It's an Iron Maiden!" she exclaimed, practically glowing with excitement as she ran her hands over the cold steel.
"Th-this is..." Rhodes stammered, his brain short-circuiting as he instinctively took a step back.
'An Iron Maiden?! That's a torture device!'
'Didn't Erza say it was a local specialty?! What kind of place sells these as souvenirs?!'
And why would anyone give someone an Iron Maiden as a gift?!
Not to mention, if Laki could lift this without breaking a sweat, she had to be as insanely strong as Cana, right?!
The biggest question—Why is she so happy about this?!
Mira, watching the scene unfold, smiled as if everything was perfectly normal.
"Ah~ Erza is always so thoughtful with her gifts."
'Thoughtful?! More like a warning message from the underworld!'
Rhodes turned to Mira, struggling to find the right words. "Uh... Mira... are you sure this is a gift and not, you know... a death threat?"
Mira giggled. "Of course not! Laki loves collecting torture devices. This is actually the perfect gift for her."
Mira tilted her head playfully. "Hey, didn't I tell you? Laki's entire room is filled with torture devices."
No. No, you did not tell me that.
All Mira had said before was that Laki's collection was 'interesting.' She even told him that he could visit it someday.
Rhodes suddenly realized a major problem.
All the girls in Fairy Tail—Mira, Cana, Laki, Erza, they were all terrifying in their own way.
Sure, they were all gorgeous, but they were also incredibly dangerous.
At this point, only Levy seemed cute and normal. Mira, despite being somewhat trustworthy, still had a mischievous streak.
Actually, now that he thought about it, he had a feeling there was a lot about Mira he still didn't know.
Later That Afternoon.
With fewer chores to do, Rhodes finally had time to practice his magic.
Meanwhile, Erza, now free from errands, was chatting with a tall girl with long green hair at one of the tables.
Thanks to her presence, the guild was quieter than ever.
But according to Mira, this silence wouldn't last.
"Everyone stays on their best behavior when Erza first returns," Mira whispered with a knowing smile. "Give it an hour, they'll be just as noisy as before."
Levy flipped through her small notebook, reviewing the pronunciation she had learned that morning.
Whenever she saw Rhodes taking a break from practicing, she would seize the opportunity to ask him about a few character strokes, eagerly scribbling them down in her notes.
Meanwhile, Makarov was helping Rhodes refine his summoning spell.
Normally, Celestial Spirit Wizards called upon their spirits by reciting their names while using the corresponding celestial keys.
However, Rhodes only had a single pendant, which somehow connected to multiple summons at once. Right now, his only way of distinguishing them was by calling out their individual names.
Makarov explained that once Rhodes became more proficient in magic, he could shorten the incantation, eventually reducing it to just a name—cutting out the lengthy spellcasting altogether.
For now, however, he needed to chant the full summoning spell whenever he sensed a new summon.
Rhodes counted on his fingers, muttering to himself.
"Toad, three wolves, six birds, rock golem."
These were the creatures he might be able to summon next.
Rhodes sighed. "Still a long way to go before I get to summon small dragons, let alone the big ones."
Of course, he had no idea whether any of these so-called ordinary monsters had special abilities in this world. But judging by the sheer size of the Canyon Scuttler Crab he had summoned earlier, even creatures that were considered weak in the game—like the Three Wolves or Six Birds—might be absolute beasts in real life.
Right now, though, his main priority was increasing his magic power and improving his summoning proficiency.
When it came to magic power, there was only so much he could do in a day. Meditation had its limits, and he couldn't force his growth.
But when it came to magic proficiency, that, at least, could be improved through repetition.
Rhodes caught Warm, who had been cheating customers out of snacks in the tavern, and began practicing his dismissal spell—the magic that would send his summons back to their realm.
He took a deep breath, focused his energy, and chanted:
"I am the one who bridges the two realms. Obey my will and return to the abyss, Poro!"
Warm's body gradually became transparent, its small figure fading before finally disappearing completely.
"Yes! Nailed it on the first try!" Rhodes grinned.
Now it was time to bring him back.
Rhodes adjusted his stance, focused his magic, and recited the summoning spell once more:
"I am the one who open the gate! Cross the boundary, and return—Poro!"
A magical vortex swirled into existence before disappearing just as quickly—and there was Warm, standing right in front of him again.
"Nice! Let's do it again!"
Thus began Rhodes' endless loop of practice.
"Return to the abyss! Poro!"
"Open the gate! Poro!"
Rhodes practiced the dismissal spells tirelessly, and Warm had no choice but to comply.
At first, the repetition wasn't so bad, but after dozens—no, hundreds—of times, the little guy started to get lazy.
Sometimes, Warm would appear standing upright, other times sitting comfortably. On rare occasions, it would even materialize lying on its back, attempting to cross its stubby legs—only to fail miserably.
Warm grew more and more irritated, but Rhodes had no choice. It consumed the least magic power, making it the most efficient summon for repeated practice.
If he tried summoning the Canyon Scuttler Crab instead, he would barely manage two attempts before draining himself completely—there'd be no way to repeat the process.
"Woo~ah, ah... Ah-CHOO~~~!"
After what felt like an eternity of summoning, Warm sneezed violently as soon as it materialized in the tavern.
Its long tongue curled back, and a thick strand of snot dangled from its tiny nose.
Rhodes' first reaction was, "Wait, you have a nose?"
Warm sniffled before turning its back to Rhodes, its little horns drooping in frustration—a clear sign that it was angry.
The Howling Abyss was a land of eternal winter, yet here in Fiore, it was already summer.
Tossing Warm back and forth between extreme cold and heat countless times had clearly taken its toll—even a Poro was bound to catch a cold at this rate.
Rhodes rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Ah... My bad. That's on me."
Now, how do you cheer up an angry Poro?
After thinking for a moment, Rhodes decided to take a gamble. Thıs content belongs to 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝙣𝙚𝙩
"Mira, I'd like an omelet."
Warm's droopy horns perked up slightly.
"And a bowl of tomato and egg soup?"
Warm spun around instantly, tongue sticking out, pure joy radiating from its fluffy face.
Even if Rhodes still wasn't completely sure what Warm loved most, he at least knew that eggs were high on the list.
"You're so easy to please."
Rhodes chuckled and reached out skillfully, rubbing its head, horns, chin, and belly.
Mira smiled warmly as she took his order.
But just then, a sharp, slightly annoyed voice rang out from above:
"Oh? Are you finally done making a racket? You've been noisy for a while now."
Rhodes looked up and met the gaze of a young man with blond hair and a distinct lightning-shaped scar over his right eye.
He wore headphones, a brown top, and a long coat draped over his shoulders—which, considering it was summer, seemed a bit much.
Leaning over the railing on the second floor, he rested one hand on it, his expression less than friendly as he stared Rhodes down.