Rhode genuinely believes that Troy needs to become a bit more mature and reliable. It's not necessary for him to be extremely strong, just trustworthy in character.
The main point is to avoid being like Jet, who shows off during missions and becomes a burden.
But Troy doesn't think so himself. He always feels that the reason he can't win over Reby is either the wrong method or the wrong way of confessing.
Rhode is helpless. He reminds him this time and will do so again next time. If Troy still doesn't believe it, so be it.
...
"This kind of thing again?" Mira looked interested, "Why do they always like to consult you?"
"How would I know? I haven't been in a relationship."
Anyway, officially, I haven't started dating yet.
"Anyway, this matter is entrusted to you. Just quietly find out the type Reby likes."
"No problem, leave it to me."
Mira is confident in her intelligence (gossip) gathering skills, and so is Rhode.
After handling the important matters, Rhode checked the bulletin board for a while, and seeing nothing worth investigating, he went to the backyard to train again.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
The Advisory Council sent someone to deliver the compensation for the last mission.
Neat stacks of 270 large bills weren't given; the Council provided a check that could be withdrawn at major banks in the Fiore Kingdom.
—— This world does have banks. Although they occasionally get targeted by Dark Guilds, the security measures of large banks are decent, and actual losses are infrequent.
Rhode has been here for over half a year and hasn't seen any mention of a 'financial crisis' in newspapers or anywhere else.
It indicates that the kingdom's economic development is quite healthy, and the royal family doesn't meddle recklessly in economic affairs. So banks are generally trustworthy.
Mira was responsible for verifying the check and registration work, while Erza and Rhode needed to answer some questions for an investigator who came specifically for this purpose.
First was the issue of casualties among the people in cloaks. By the time the Advisory Council's team arrived on the scene, over ten out of the fifty-plus members of the Black Magic Sect had already died, and a few more were severely injured and died on the way back.
Such high casualties technically exceeded the scope of a 'capture' mission.
However, considering the dangerous nature of this mission, it's understandable, though the Council wishes to understand the cause of such significant losses.
Erza was prepared and calmly listed the types of Magic Bullets those people in cloaks used.
Back then, she had used her Vajra Armor to withstand over a hundred Magic Bullets, clearly observing their properties.
The investigator noted them down one by one: curses, bone shards, blood transformation... all sounding like very dangerous magic, so going harder in combat is justifiable.
Rhode added, "We also had to protect 14 children at that time. Holding back against the enemies would have been irresponsible towards the kids."
The investigator nodded, as this was a necessary consideration. Those guys' deaths were too lenient.
"About that dangerous altar, since it was already completely destroyed when we arrived, could you describe what it looked like?"
Erza frowned, "Why does that need to be understood?"
"We need to know the extent of the Black Magic Sect's understanding of demons, and we will later send Earth Mages, Illusion Mages, and Sealing Mages of corresponding levels to handle the site."
Wow, Illusionary Seal + Magic Seal + Physical Seal on the demon birth point, is it?
The Advisory Council is quite meticulous in handling these kinds of matters.
Erza thought for a moment and took out a sketchbook, "In that case, I'll draw it out for you."
"Erza, should I draw it instead?" Rhode considered that he at least learned solid geometry and drew three-view and perspective drawings.
No matter what, it would be better than Erza's 'soulful' drawings.
Erza showed an interested expression, "Oh? Do you want to compete with me in drawing skills? Come on, let me see your level."
"..." Rhode went to borrow a sketchbook and a pencil from Lidas.
The investigator had the honor of becoming the judge. When he got the artwork from both, he looked at Erza's confident expression, not quite able to comprehend.
"Well, this…" The investigator deliberated on his wording. The Fairy Queen deserved some face, but he couldn't completely lie.
After a long time, he finally said, "Both of your drawings will greatly help our work. Thank you."
"So it's a tie, how unfortunate." Erza looked at Rhode with an appreciative gaze, "I didn't expect you to be good at drawing, let's compete again next time!"
"Haha, haha…" Rhode gave an awkward laugh; without a ruler, his drawing was only barely understandable—better than a child's doodle, but not by much. He was not skilled at drawing.
Mira walked over with a registration book, "Hello, please sign here."
"Alright, sorry for the trouble. Thank you for cooperating with the investigation."
The investigator swiftly signed his name, took the receipt Mira gave him, and fled Fairy Tail with two works of art in hand.
Mira handed the check to Rhode, "Your remuneration, go to the bank to withdraw it when you have time."
Erza said, "I have an appointment with the designer of the Heart-shaped Cross to discuss new armor. The time is almost up."
"That's fine, I'm free now…" Rhode glanced at Mira, "Um, am I free now?"
For leaving during work hours, he needs the leader's nod.
Mira tilted her head and also used a question, "I guess?"
Rhode asked again, "And are you free?"
Mainly, Rhode hadn't been to the bank before; what if he got scammed? It'd be best to have someone with him.
Mira chuckled, "I can be."
Anyway, the Guild wasn't busy now; the President was napping on the second floor. Going out for a bit wouldn't be a problem.
"That's great."
Erza hurriedly went to the clothing company, while Rhode and Mira strolled leisurely to the bank.
Before heading out, Mira simply tied her hair with the hairband Rhode gave her.
Rhode made sure to keep warm, wrapping up with the scarf Mira gave him.
The sky was blue, the bridge was arched, the canal water hadn't frozen, and the winter sunlight was warm and cozy. The person beside me… is someone I want to spend my life with.
The banks here were still in the paper-office stage with generally average business efficiency.
Rhode opened an account here and deposited 1 million J from the check, leaving 350,000 J in cash for debt repayment and pocket money.
The remaining 1.35 million J was directly transferred to Erza's account.
A mage's identity verification could be done through facial and emblem recognition, and the banks had special Magic Crystals for verifying these things.
When Rhode left the bank with a wad of cash and a small passbook, there was still a sense of disbelief.
Am I a millionaire now?
Although the unit is J, the long string of zeros is really quite pleasing.
Rhode adopted a nouveau riche tone, "Come on, today it's on me, order whatever you want!"
"Sounds good." Mira, sensing Rhode's joy, was also delighted.
Actually, her income recently wasn't bad either. Should I also use this reason to treat him once?