The Lane Engine Squad happened to be in the guild.
Jet had just been discharged from the hospital two days ago. Since the injury was to his leg, he'll probably need to rest for a while before getting back to work.
As for the embarrassing incident, Jet didn't care about it after his discharge. Everyone has had their moments of shame. Just work harder next time.
When Rhode returned with a flower pot, the three of them were eating and drinking together—although drinking while still injured is not advisable, mages don't care about that.
Actually, it's mainly because Reby and Troy couldn't persuade him otherwise. At worst, he'd take a few more days to recover, so just let him be.
"Troy, can you help me take a look at these potted plants?" Rhode placed the pots on the table: two pots of orchids and one succulent.
"Potted plants? They don't look too good." Troy put down his wine glass and began to observe carefully.
Reby asked, "Does Rhode also like to grow plants?"
"Not really a hobby. These were left by my landlord and said they were a gift for me."
Rhode said, "I've been taking care of them for half a year. Went on a job for a few days and they ended up like this."
Troy checked each leaf and pinched the soil, looking quite professional.
"These two orchids might be frostbitten, and they also need new soil. This succulent seems to have root pest issues. Hmm, wait a bit."
Troy took two grain-sized seeds from his pocket and threw them into the pot.
The seeds quickly sprouted, but instead of growing upwards, they rooted into the soil. A few seconds later, Troy said, "Found it!"
Two slender green seedlings emerged, each with a white grub tied at the tip.
"Ew~~" Reby made a disgusted face.
Troy quickly moved his fingers, and the seedlings grew mouths like pitcher plants, wrapped around the grubs, pulled them back into the soil, and turned them into fertilizer.
"Oh, what a convenient magic!" Rhode thought Troy could surely make money if he opened a flower shop.
"This is about my only specialty." Troy laughed, "I can take care of these three plants for you for a few days. I'll return them once they're better."
Rhode asked, "Can't you use your magic to instantly revive them?"
Troy shook his head: "The plants I usually control are specifically cultivated seeds. For these ordinary plants... forcing growth might lead to their death by tomorrow."
"Alright, I'll trouble you then."
"No need to be polite, I naturally like plants. I haven't even thanked you for the plant seeds you brought me last time."
Troy glanced at Jet, "Besides, thanks to someone, our squad has been quite idle lately."
"Hey... I already apologized, didn't I..." Jet was displeased, but couldn't do anything about it. It's not easy to repay a favor owed.
Rhode thought for a moment, knowing the Crown of Embers was effective for such external injuries, and asked,
"Need help? Maybe I can speed up your recovery, as a token of thanks to Troy."
"Spare me, I don't want to owe more favors." Jet declined Rhode's offer, "It's just a matter of days anyway."
"Alright, suit yourself." Rhode remembered something, "Oh, Reby, how's that rookie doing?"
"Tono? He's able to handle commissions on his own now, though it's limited to Magnolia for the moment, but he's quite capable."
Reby thought for a moment and said, "Without you, Tono probably would have been considered the most promising newcomer."
"Oh~ isn't that impressive..." Rhode asked, "By the way, was that a compliment to him or me?"
Reby blinked and smiled, "Both."
"Rhode~" Mira waved at him from the counter as if the president wanted to talk to him.
"I'll head over first, Troy, I'll leave the plants to you."
Troy nodded, "Don't worry... oh, and there's a favor I'd like to ask you later."
"Sure, we'll talk more about it later."
Rhode left, leaving Jet and Reby curious about what Troy was going to say.
Troy wouldn't say, and when Jet pressed him, he jokingly said he wanted to team up with Rhode to take over his position.
Jet knew he was joking but was still annoyed. Can't fight him since he owes a favor.
Besides, with his leg injury, he might not win, so he could only sulk.
Reby whispered some words of comfort.
...
Makarov sat cross-legged on the counter as usual. The cup beside him originally held wine, but after finishing it, Mira refilled it with plain water.
She was serious about taking care of the president's health.
The slight gloom on the old man's face was due to either the lack of alcohol or yesterday's unsatisfactory conversation with Laxus.
"President." Rhode glanced at Mira's expression and said with a smile, "Drinking more hot water is good for your health."
Makarov's mustache curled up. Was this kid deliberately trying to annoy him?
He'd done a lot for the guild, so he decided not to get angry: "You did well on the last mission."
"Actually, it was mostly Erza who contributed."
"But Erza just said she made a major mistake during the mission and wants to reimburse you with the reward."
"Huh? I wasn't aware of any major mistakes Erza made... Oh." Rhode recalled Erza's character and asked, "Was her mistake forgetting to bring food when leaving?"
Although he was eager to earn money, he couldn't take his partner's reward for such a minor thing.
Makarov looked at Mira; Erza hadn't detailed these to him.
"That's right." Mira smiled and said, "Erza privately did a thorough self-review and said she would reserve at least half of her suitcase for food in the future."
"It really was such a thing…" Makarov was helpless, but it was indeed Erza's style, "Then no need to change the reward distribution. Anyway, the news from the Advisory Council branch is that you handled it excellently."
Talking about this, Makarov's mood improved. Thanks to Erza and Rhode, there should be less scolding recently.
"By the way, next week, the Local Guild Alliance is having another regular meeting. Would you like to join me?"
"Me? As your bodyguard?" Rhode thought it unlikely.
"Of course not," Makarov said. "Just hoping you can meet some old friends. Getting to know some other guild presidents wouldn't hurt."
Rhode was puzzled; what level was he at to meet other presidents?
Mira leaned close to Rhode's ear, her hand next to her mouth, whispering,
"Actually, the president wants to boast about the outstanding newcomers in the guild. He used to show off me and Erza too."
"Oh~" Rhode then understood, "Why don't you take Erza then?"
Those regular meetings last three to five days, neither earning money nor allowing proper training, and Mira wasn't going, either.
Attending meetings wasn't as comfortable as staying in the guild.