Rhodes had walked this path between Cait Shelter and Fairy Tail several tis already. The sea route no longer felt new to him.
In contrast, Natsu was sprinting around the deck like a hyperactive pup, practically radiating excitent. Thanks to Wendy’s magic spell, Troia, he was finally free from the curse of seasickness and could enjoy the ocean breeze like a normal person.
Rhodes, Gray, and Happy had settled in near the rail with fishing rods in hand, lines cast into the sea. Just a few steps away, Mira, Erza, Lucy, and Wendy sat in a circle behind them, playing a friendly ga of cards.
Carla sat curled up in Wendy’s lap, acting as her advisor and silent cheerleader.
This, of course, made Happy extrely distracted. He kept turning around to peek at Carla every few minutes, clearly struggling to focus on his fishing.
Rhodes glanced at him and smirked. "Keep twisting your neck like that and you’ll end up with a crick. You’ll miss the big catch if you’re not careful."
"I’ve got sharp instincts!" Happy huffed, puffing out his little blue chest.
"But Gray already caught two fish," Rhodes pointed out, "and you’ve got an empty bucket. Isn’t fishing how you wanted to show off?"
He tapped his chin. "Want to tell you a story? About a kitten who couldn’t catch any fish?"
Happy shot a look at the equally empty bucket beside Rhodes. "Says the guy who hasn’t caught one either."
Rhodes didn’t miss a beat. "That’s because I picked a bad spot. I’ll switch places soon."
"Sa here! Hey Gray, want to trade spots?"
Before Gray could respond, his line suddenly jerked. He grunted, lifting his rod with both hands as a fish tugged against the hook.
"You two are the worst," he muttered, reeling in his catch. "Can’t even fish quietly."
Happy pointed triumphantly at him. "Told you! It’s the spot!"
Gray yanked the fish from the line, a palm-sized one, and without warning, flung it right onto Natsu’s face with a loud splat.
He half-expected a fight to break out imdiately. But to his surprise, Natsu collapsed onto the deck without a word.
Gray blinked. "What? That didn’t even hurt! It was just a fish!"
He tossed his rod aside and ran over. "Hey! You can’t be that weak!"
The fish flopped harmlessly around the deck while Natsu clutched his mouth, face turning green. "Ugh... Wendy...!"
Wendy looked over at him calmly. "Ah, looks like Troia’s wearing off."
Happy scampered over, carefully plucked the fish from the deck, and dropped it into his bucket. When he noticed Lucy watching, he quickly held a paw to his mouth as if to say Shhh...
"You heartless cat," Lucy muttered under her breath, glancing over at Natsu. Then she put on a bright smile. "Wow, look at that! Natsu got knocked out by a fish."
Natsu let out a pitiful groan and looked pleadingly at Wendy. "Ugh... Wendy... please..."
Wendy sighed, but relented. She cast Troia again with a glowing touch, then warned, "Using it too often will make your body resist it. So this ti, the effect won’t last as long."
Gray folded his arms. "You really shouldn’t waste your magic on guys like this."
"Who’re you calling a waste, ice freak?!"
"I’m talking about whoever gets seasick, you fla-brained idiot!" Gray snapped back.
As expected, their bickering escalated into a full-blown scuffle within seconds. Business as usual.
Rhodes paid them no mind and casually slid into the spot Gray had just vacated. Given how quickly Gray had landed a catch, this must’ve been the lucky fishing spot.
Bang!
Not that it mattered. If Rhodes didn’t intervene, soone else always would. Erza slamd her cards down on the table, then, with a graceful punch and a well-placed kick, launched both troublemakers overboard in one fluid motion.
Splash!
Carla blinked. "Is this... really how your guild usually handles things?"
Mira leaned over and whispered into Carla’s ear with a sly smile, "I peeked earlier. Erza’s hand was awful."
"..."
Carla glanced at the cards Erza had just dumped into the deck and imdiately understood. So that’s why she exploded like that—she couldn’t stand losing.
For soone who usually looked so composed and dependable, Erza could be surprisingly childish.
Then Carla turned a pointed look on Mira. "And peeking at soone else’s hand—don’t you think that’s cheating?"
Mira covered half her face theatrically. "Oops, caught red-handed."
"You confessed that yourself..." Carla sighed.
Mira smiled like nothing had happened. "By the way, Wendy’s hand isn’t bad either."
"I’m still talking to you..." Carla muttered, but Mira had already changed the subject.
The journey was long, but never dull when surrounded by such colorful company. They made landfall at Hargeon and dragged a half-drowned Natsu all the way back to Magnolia.
Wendy and Carla had more luggage than the others, naturally, they were moving, after all. But compared to Erza’s haul, it wasn’t even worth ntioning. Everyone chipped in to help, so the load was light enough.
As they neared the Fairy Tail guild building, Rhodes brought up a practical matter.
"So, Wendy... where are you planning to live?" he asked. "The girls’ dorm is available right away—100,000 J per month. Or, you could find a place to rent outside the guild. It’s usually cheaper, but takes ti to find."
Wendy hesitated, clearly not having thought that far ahead. "I... I’m not sure yet. What do you do, Mr. Rhodes?"
Rhodes answered smoothly. "Gray, Lucy, and I all rent apartnts in town. Erza stays in the dorms. Mira owns her own place. Sa with Natsu and Happy."
Carla, perched comfortably in Wendy’s arms, raised a brow. "You seem to know all of this in detail."
Rhodes lifted his chin with pride. "Of course. I’m a senior mber of the guild."
Lucy imdiately rolled her eyes. "Senior mber? You’ve barely been here a year."
"Mind your manners, newbie," Rhodes shot back, but that was all he could co up with.
Lucy replied in a mocking tone, "Ohhh, yes, Senior Rhodes~"
Watching them joke around so comfortably, Carla finally relaxed. It seed Fairy Tail wasn’t the kind of guild where veterans looked down on newcors.
Mira leaned down and whispered in Carla’s ear, "Actually, Rhodes has always wanted to ntor the new recruits. But Tono was assigned to Levy, Lucy to Natsu, and Juvia stuck to Gray... Now, it looks like he’s set his sights on Wendy~"
As for Gajeel, the master had given him a special assignnt. Ever since joining Fairy Tail, he’d mostly worked solo, so it wasn’t convenient to pair anyone with him.
Carla didn’t object. If Wendy tead up with Rhodes, she wouldn’t have to worry too much about safety.
Mira turned to Wendy and smiled warmly. "Don’t feel like you have to rush into anything, housing or otherwise. Until you figure things out, you’re welco to stay at my place."
Happy quickly raised his paw. "Aye! You two can stay with us too!"
"Or," Natsu chid in feebly from behind, "you could crash at Lucy’s house."
Lucy gave a pleasant smile. "Well, my place isn’t big, but I guess it could work if we squeezed a bit..." Then she suddenly spun on Natsu and shouted, "Why are you offering up my house?!"
Wendy couldn’t help laughing. It felt wonderful to be surrounded by such warm, welcoming people.
As they chatted, the guild hall finally ca into view. In the small courtyard outside, people sat sipping coffee and chatting in the shade. For a mont, it didn’t look like the raucous Fairy Tail at all.
Looking closer, they realized it was mostly townsfolk, locals who enjoyed relaxing near the guild. Wizard tales were always exciting and dramatic, so people often ca here to hear stories over coffee. It had beco a beloved pasti.
So people barely glanced at the returning group. Those who were more familiar raised a hand in greeting, intending to ask them later about their mission involving the Oración Seis.
By now, word of Oración Seis. had spread across Fiore, but most of the reports were vague. Naturally, everyone was eager to hear the inside story, especially from firsthand witnesses.
They knew the wizards would head straight to see Master Makarov, so they waited patiently for their return.
"Wow—!" Wendy gasped in wonder as she looked up at the guild. "It’s completely different from when I last ca!"
"That’s because it was rebuilt," Erza said with a smile. "Beautiful, isn’t it?"
"It really is!" Wendy bead, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. She was excited to see her new ho.
"Let’s head in!" Natsu grinned, ran ahead, and kicked open the door with a loud bang. "We’re ba—!"
WHACK!
Before he could even finish his sentence, a massive hand ca down on his head and flattened him to the floor.
"Quiet down, you little punks! And how many tis do I have to tell you not to kick the damn door!"
"Huh?" The gruff voice suddenly softened. "Oh, you’re back?"
Makarov chuckled and shrank back to his usual size. "My bad, I thought it was just the usual racket. Welco ho, everyone. You’ve done well."
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