Rhodes explained calmly, "This is a type of spatial magic, well, you could call it a kind of subspace magic. With this array, I can ’fly’ back from very distant places."
Mira crouched down to study the glowing runes etched into the floor. "That convenient? Then can’t we just fly straight to Bosco tomorrow?"
Rhodes shook his head. "Not unless I’ve already been there to draw the sa array first. Without a paired gate on the other side, it won’t work. And carving teleportation arrays in unfamiliar territory is risky, you never know what could be waiting when you arrive."
"Oh..." Mira’s expression dimd slightly with disappointnt.
Rhodes gave a reassuring smile. "The user experience isn’t exactly great anyway. If you really want to try it, I’ll take you for a ride in a few days."
Mira tilted her head. "Not now?"
"There’s sothing more important right now."
"What?" she asked, puzzled.
Rhodes swept her into his arms, ignoring her gasp, and grinned. "Your towel looks loose... so I’ll help you loosen it further."
"You!" Mira’s legs kicked weakly, but her cheeks flushed scarlet. "Don’t we have to get up early tomorrow?"
Rhodes set her down, his mischievous fingers already finding their target beneath the towel. "Then you’ll just have to work harder tonight... so we can finish early and get so sleep."
"Mm... fine, but turn off the light, and keep it down."
"Shouldn’t you be the one keeping it down?"
The room filled with muffled laughter, and before long the lights dimd. That night was anything but quiet.
...
By morning, Rhodes was already accompanying Makarov to rent a small flying ship.
The model was called the MG-Type River, a high-speed passenger airship about ten ters long, spindle-shaped, with a dull brown hull. To Rhodes, it looked more like a fishing boat with wings than a proper vessel.
When they signed the paperwork, the rental office demanded proof of a license. Since neither Makarov nor Rhodes had one, they were forced to hire a pilot.
Once they boarded, the pilot activated the ship’s magic array, lifting it smoothly into the air. At the stern, twin nozzles flared with etherlight, and the vessel shot forward with surprising speed.
The cabin was narrow but comfortable enough.
Rhodes yawned, leaned back, and promptly dozed off.
Makarov chuckled at the sight of him. "Do young people really sleep so easily? Enviable..."
Ti slipped by quickly. Rhodes dread of knocking down Wizard Saints one by one until he was jostled awake.
"Oi, wipe your drool," Makarov said. "We’re nearly there."
Rhodes rubbed his eyes, glanced outside, and saw rolling hills dotted with towers and castles. "Is it really this easy to cross borders by airship? Doesn’t Bosco worry about invasions?"
The pilot answered politely, "Neutral ships like these carry special identification crystals. When we cross borders, they automatically send a signal to the watchtowers. Anyone attempting illegal entry would be shot down imdiately."
"Oh... so that’s how it works."
Between the trees, Rhodes spotted a towering spire of dark red stone, its sharp peak piercing the sky. As they drew closer, he saw three more towers just like it surrounding a massive central keep.
The structure radiated an eerie grandeur, almost exactly what one would expect from a vampire’s castle.
The ship descended into the wide plaza before the fortress. Two other ships were already docked, one of them a smaller version of the Lamia Scale cruiser Rhodes had glimpsed days ago, its crest emblazoned proudly on the hull.
Were other guilds really this wealthy? Fairy Tail didn’t even own a flying ship, yet Lamia Scale had at least two.
Rhodes and Makarov disembarked from their vessel. Their hired pilot lifted off again at once. The deal had been for a one-way trip, and he intended to look for more work nearby, Fiore’s pilots seed to be in demand here.
When Rhodes spotted the sign reading Dracula Mountain Resort Hotel, he felt a wave of secondhand embarrassnt. Of course it had to be a castle. Was this place owned by Hyberion himself? He was supposed to operate mainly out of Pergrande, wasn’t he?
"Co on," Makarov urged with surprising energy. "I hear they’ve got hot springs and excellent wine here."
Rhodes followed him inside... and imdiately stopped.
At first glance, he thought a tree was standing in the entryway. No, on closer look, it was a man.
"Mr. Warrod Sequen!" Makarov blurted, his voice tinged with awe.
Although he was technically one of Fairy Tail’s founding masters, Makarov had rarely t him face-to-face. Seeing him here was like eting a legend.
Rhodes blinked. This was Warrod? He rembered old paintings, but the man before him looked almost like bark given human shape. Still, despite his wizened features, he radiated energy.
"Wahahaha!" Warrod greeted them with a laugh that filled the hall. His body spun as though carried by the breeze, his movents radiating delight. "You’re here!"
Rhodes almost swore the man had floated over. Every gesture wrote "happiness" across the air.
"You must be Rhodes!" Warrod declared. "I’ve wanted to et you for so long. I’m overjoyed such a fine young man appeared in Fairy Tail!"
Rhodes flushed a little at the praise... but sothing was wrong. Warrod bent low, patting Makarov’s shoulder warmly.
"Uh," Rhodes hesitated.
Warrod looked directly at Makarov and added, "Hahaha! Still as young as I rember!"
"..."
Rhodes didn’t know where to look. Yes, compared to Warrod, Makarov was young, but the mix-up was hard to bear.
Makarov coughed. "C-cough! Mr. Warrod, I’m Makarov. This here is Rhodes."
"Just kidding, just kidding!" Warrod sang, spinning once again before turning to Rhodes, this ti patting his shoulder. "Wahahaha! Of course I know you’re Makarov. You’ve grown quite a bit!"
"..."
"..."
The silence between them thickened, but Warrod burst into laughter once again. "Wahahaha! Just kidding, just kidding!"
Confird. This was indeed Fairy Tail’s great senior.
"All right then! You’ve just arrived, haven’t you? I’ll take you to the lounge. You can soak in wine and drink hot springs there!"
’So, another joke.’
Rhodes resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. He suddenly felt a strong desire to summon the Ocean Dragon and ask for moral support.
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