Rhodes returned to the palace once more, and came out a Duke.
The King claimed it was a reward for single-handedly eradicating the bandits plaguing the entire nation.
Rhodes immediately corrected him. "Two people."
The King waved it off. "It's all the same. You've been promoted to Duke, Mirajane is now a Duchess. What, are you planning to divorce her?"
How could that even be a question?
Rhodes could only accept the title helplessly.
"So, now all your glory has been stolen by me and your brilliance has been overshadowed by me."
"What does it matter? The King isn't wrong."
She gave him a side glance, eyes gleaming mischievously. "Of course not. My achievements have always been yours too. Did you think I changed my name for fun?"
Rhodes looked at her silently. The logical answer was no, but knowing his wife, she probably would do something like that for fun.
A sharp claw tapped his shoulder. Mira had partially shifted, just enough to remind him who he was dealing with. "Or are you actually considering divorce?"
Rhodes raised three fingers solemnly. "I swear, Even if Natsu falls in love with transportation, Gray learns how to keep his clothes on, Cana gives up drinking, Lucy stops handing out 'fan service,' and Elfman quits talking about what it means to be a real man...
Even if all of that happens, I, Rhodes, will never divorce Mirajane!"
Mira leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. There was no vow in the world stronger than that.
—
A few days later, the two visited their fief once more. The Earl's manor, now being rebuilt as the Duke's residence, had only just taken shape after a month of construction. It would still be some time before completion.
The new fief was significantly larger than before, reportedly reaching the legal upper limit for noble holdings in the history of the Joya Kingdom.
Technically, the town of Corandem was supposed to submit its taxes that month, but Rhodes had directly redirected the funds into the construction project.
So despite his new title, it didn't feel any different. The only change was that when he walked through town, people called him "Lord Earl." The locals hadn't yet received the news of his promotion, the Duke's investiture papers would arrive in a couple of days.
Before leaving, Rhodes placed a Hex Gate circle in a quiet spot, then took Mira by the hand and boarded a small boat to drift along Lake.
Their destination: the neighboring Belruum Kingdom.
During the last Saint Ten conference, Hiberion had mentioned that the Seventh Saint, Lent, had died in battle against a water monster near Belruum's borders.
That same "water monster" had also been sighted along Lake Saphir, suspected to be connected to Tartaros.
Rhodes hadn't found any solid clues in Joya, so this was the perfect opportunity to investigate further.
Unfortunately, after sending the Crab to search the lake for an entire day, and even persuading the Ocean Dragon to help for two days (paid with two particularly good jokes), they still turned up nothing.
As they prepared to leave, the Ocean Dragon remarked lazily, "By the way, the Purgatory Dragon's been complaining about you lately."
"Huh? Why?" Rhodes asked. "I haven't made him fight anyone boring recently."
"That's exactly it," the dragon said. "You haven't let him fight anyone at all."
"Well, that's true," Rhodes admitted. "There just hasn't been anyone worth the effort."
The last time he had summoned the Purgatory Dragon was during their brief scuffle with Raven Tail, and even then, the dragon hadn't had much fun, Rhodes had ended things too quickly.
Surely, he wouldn't actually summon the Purgatory Dragon just to burn a few mountains and deal with bandit gangs… right?
"It's not just that," the Ocean Dragon replied, tail flicking lazily through the lake's surface. "He says he hasn't had any dragon cubs to play with in ages. He's bored."
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "Don't you dragons have a… different sense of time from me? Aren't a few months supposed to be nothing to you?"
"It feels long when you're not sleeping," Ocean Dragon said seriously, then burst out laughing. "Hahaha! You see, sleeping makes long stretches of time feel short. That's why we all know time magic! Hahaha!"
"Hehe…" Mira giggled softly beside Rhodes. "Ocean Dragon, you're so funny."
"…"
Rhodes wasn't sure whether to sigh or applaud. The dragon's joke, ridiculous as it was, carried a strangely philosophical weight.
"Fine then," Rhodes said at last. "Go back and tell Purgatory Dragon that we'll be returning to the guild soon. When that happens, I'll have Natsu and Gajeel come over to get beaten up...uh, I mean, to play with him."
Ocean Dragon immediately dove back into the depths, delighted. The joke was too good, she wanted to laugh about it for two whole days before telling Purgatory Dragon.
Just then, a smooth, magnetic voice drifted over the lake.
"Well, if it isn't the famous Demon Couple. You've come to Belruum too?"
Mira turned toward the voice, pleasantly surprised. "Mr. Hyberion?"
Rhodes chuckled. "You, a vampire, calling us demons, now that's rich." He slung an arm casually around Mira's shoulders. "My wife, Mirajane."
"A pleasure to meet you, Demon Mirajane," Hyberion greeted with gentlemanly grace. "I must apologize for being unable to attend your wedding, duty called me elsewhere."
"It's fine," Rhodes replied. "You've got plenty of important matters to handle."
Hyberion smiled faintly. "Indeed. In fact, I came because of your letter. I just finished a commission here in Belruum, and since Lent's death occurred nearby, I decided to investigate while I was in the area."
With a flourish, he conjured a crystal stemmed glass and a bottle of red wine out of thin air. Then, with practiced elegance, he poured himself a glass of… milk.
Mira had heard from Rhodes about this peculiar habit of his, but seeing it firsthand was still something else.
Hyberion caught her curious gaze, extended the glass toward her, and offered, "Would you care for a drink?"
Mira shook her head with a polite smile. "No, thank you."
Rhodes had told her before, never drink anything offered by someone outside the guild.
"So," Hyberion said, turning back to Rhodes, "how's your investigation progressing?"
Rhodes sighed. "Not great. After that guy self-destructed, there hasn't been a single lead. It's like he appeared just to kill and vanish."
He gestured toward the lake. "We searched the whole area, nothing out of the ordinary. Big fish, sure, but no monsters."
"This was where Lent died, right?" Mira asked, scanning the calm blue water. "I don't see any trace of a major battle."
"Of course not," Hyberion replied. "It's been over two years. Any evidence is long gone. There were traces of toxins here once, but they were cleaned up for the sake of the water supply."
"Toxins?" Rhodes repeated.
"Yes," Hyberion said, swirling the milk in his glass. "But not the demon particles you mentioned. The analysis suggested it was a kind of liquid toxin, highly permeable."
Rhodes frowned. "Does Tartaros just have an obsession with poison or something?"
The two men continued along the lakeshore, talking as they walked. Then Hyberion said casually, "By the way, do you remember Bryliens?"
Rhodes thought for a moment. "The guild master of Shining Sun?"
Hyberion nodded. "He's set to be officially named one of the Ten Wizard Saints next month. He'll take the eighth seat, right after you."
"Oh?" Rhodes smirked. "Didn't old man Ulfheim say he was going to 'teach him a lesson'? How'd that go?"
Hyberion chuckled softly. "Ulfheim personally oversaw his strength evaluation, then decided to challenge him. That, in itself, counts as a form of acknowledgment." He shook his head slightly. "Still, to act so rudely in front of the Council… truly lacking in dignity."