"Oh dear, that's hard to say." Mira covered her eyes, "I forgot if I helped you change."
"I would believe you if you didn't spread your fingers so wide." Rhode sat up abruptly, unfortunately, without any indecent exposure.
"What's with that disappointed look?" Mira slapped his arm.
"Oh no, it's broken. I won't be able to eat without someone feeding me."
"Alright, I'll get Elfman to feed you." Mira said with a sly smile, "Don't be fooled by his appearance; he's actually quite caring."
Rhode imagined the scene and shook his head, "Actually, I have divine power; I'll recover soon."
The two laughed and chatted as they headed to the dining room.
Elfman and Hapi were already gorging themselves. Natsu had already finished his meal and was figuring out how to eat black fire as a dessert.
Kana arrived just seconds before them, sat down, raised her glass, and took a gulp: "Ah! Finally some downtime!"
Mira inquired, "Where's Erza?"
"She went to take my place," answered Kana.
She looked at Rhode, who sat down silently and began eating, and suddenly asked with a mischievous grin, "How was it? Isn't sleeping on Mira's lap particularly cozy?"
"Cough cough cough..." Rhode choked and almost suffocated, "Who? Rested on whose lap?"
Mira also looked surprised, as if she was unaware when this lap-resting happened.
Kana lied unabashedly, "You didn't know? You slept the whole way on Mira's lap!"
"Really, did that happen?" Rhode looked at Mira for confirmation.
Mira, curious about his reaction, didn't say directly, "Yes, did it?"
Rhode's ears turned a bit red, and then he looked pained. Why was he sleeping so soundly!
Mira glared at him indignantly, thick-skinned.
It took Rhode a while to catch on.
The cabin was so cramped that unless Elfman deliberately made space for them, it was impossible to lie down.
"Hahaha..." Kana laughed heartily, patting Rhode on the back, "Haven't seen you like this in so long; you were way more fun when you first joined the guild!"
"Heh." Rhode tore off a chicken leg, biting into it while glaring at Kana, "Just wait, once we're back at the guild, don't expect to drink any pure liquor."
"Don't bluff; you're not in charge of the guild's liquor," Kana figured that since Mira hadn't denied it, she was on her side.
Mira laughed, "But I think Rhode's idea is good."
"Right? I can use Text Magic; adding water is easy."
Kana shouted, "You two are in cahoots!"
Hapi: "Having an affair!"
...
The next day, Vina finally woke up.
She didn't expect to survive, and when Elfman and Rhode came to visit, Vina thanked them sincerely.
Actually, Rhode didn't dare to accept the thanks because, strictly speaking, the mission should be considered a failure.
Not only did they fail to protect the Tear of Chris, but the village was also lost.
If they had set out earlier... it's hard to say.
Perhaps being prepared in advance improved the situation, or maybe he and Elfman would have been involved.
So now, Rhode didn't know whether to be grateful or guilty.
But the matter is past; there's no use dwelling on what-ifs.
Later, Mar found them there.
The siblings had been through a "farewell of life and death," blaming themselves while comforting each other.
After a while, Vina asked about the village's situation.
Finally, Mar brought a bit of good news: a dozen children survived because their parents had hidden them before the battle started.
Although there weren't many, their tribe still had hope, and the siblings were not alone.
It was a silver lining amidst misfortune.
The two chatted privately in their room for a while, then Mar helped Vina out to say goodbye.
Mira said, "Miss Vina's injuries should rest for a while longer."
Vina shook her head, "At times like this, the children need me."
Rhode provided her with a Crown of Embers, "What do you plan to do next?"
"Of course, we will rebuild the village. But this place is no longer safe; we plan to... temporarily accept the Advisory Council's protection and settle elsewhere. Once the purpose of Demon's Heart is clear, we will definitely return here."
Mar seemed to have matured overnight, speaking with a firm and steady tone, not as reckless as before.
He looked like he had made some plans for the future.
"By the way, this is your reward." Mar took out a cloth bag and handed it to Rhode.
Rhode and Elfman exchanged glances, but neither reached out to accept it.
"Our mission failed; we should be apologizing to you. Plus, considering your current situation, you probably need the money."
Mar shook his head, "No, didn't our father revise the mission requirements before he passed away? You've already successfully saved us, fulfilling his request.
Don't worry about the money; the village still has some assets, which will be enough for us for a long time."
Vina also said, "Whether as gratitude or medical expenses, please accept it. That way, we can consider it as helping our father fulfill a last wish."
Upon hearing this, it wasn't just money they were accepting.
Rhode was silent for a moment and decided to accept:
"If there's anything I can help with, feel free to come to Fairy Tail and find me. As for information on Demon's Heart and the Tear of Chris, I'll keep an eye out to help."
The siblings leaned on each other as they left, with the future of Monotropa now resting on their shoulders.
...
After resting for a while at the inn, everyone set off to return to the guild.
Rhode wanted to take the opportunity to try out the Magic Four-Wheeled Vehicle.
After passing the driver's test, he hadn't even touched a car before, and now he could finally get a taste.
No one objected, as they were all mages, and at most, there would be some bumps; no one would die.
Rhode confidently took the driver's seat, only to find it had no steering wheel, just a lever.
There seemed to be something like a brake under his foot...
He sheepishly turned back, "Mira, could you teach me how to drive this thing?"
Hapi flew out the window, "Let's go crab-riding with Natsu."
The driver seat not being able to lock doors or windows, thumbs down.
Mira got off to teach him hand-in-hand how to supply Magic Power and start the vehicle.
Rhode simply pulled her into the seat with him.
The driver's seat of this vehicle looked like a single-seat sofa, and with a bit of squeezing, they both fit.
Rhode didn't mind, after all.
Mira, squeezed in with him, slightly suspected if Rhode really didn't know how to drive.
But she didn't mind either.
The vehicle wobbled as it moved, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes veering left, sometimes right. Clearly, Rhode wasn't yet used to the lever.
It got a bit better once they drove out of town.
However, Kana saw that Mira had no intention of returning, so she banged on the car window, "That's too much; you're driving recklessly!"
"You were drunk driving yesterday!"
[Note: Don't drink and drive, and mages don't die from crashes; ordinary people, don't try this at home.]