"You know, from a medical perspective, lying flat like this isn't actually good for maintaining cervical curvature, nor does it help relieve neck muscle fatigue."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, doing this for a long time can also affect blood circulation, and in severe cases, it might lead to insufficient blood supply to the brain. In such cases, one should find ways to alleviate these symptoms and reduce intracranial pressure."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"The best solution is to properly elevate the head with something soft." Looking at her puzzled expression, Rhode licked his dry lips and shamelessly continued, "So, what I mean is... can I use your leg as a pillow?"
Mira thought about the connection between his last sentence and those 'medical theories' before bursting into laughter.
"Why make such a long-winded explanation?"
Rhode wanted to say it wouldn't sound so lecherous if he didn't.
However, Mira was already kneeling by the lakeside beach, slipping her hands under Rhode's armpits to gently pull him back a little, letting his head rest on her legs.
"Is this better?"
"That's right," Rhode sighed inwardly. The normal move would be for you to move over, not drag me there, right?
My seemingly frail girlfriend with unparalleled strength...
But this is comfortable, and the view is quite remarkable too.
If it weren't for Mira's tight sports vest restricting her moves, Rhode felt he probably wouldn't be able to see her face now.
Mira reached out and gently caressed Rhode's face, apologizing, "Sorry, I shouldn't have used that move."
"It's okay, it's not like it actually harmed me," Rhode said, catching Mira's hand, turning it over to look at her hand, "I knew you shouldn't have used the Crown of Embers."
Mira's move wasn't meant to kill her husband, so it deliberately missed Rhode by a lot.
Even so, Rhode got sent flying from the guild yard all the way back to the lakeside.
The fine sand by the lake provided Rhode a soft landing, though it was definitely still painful, and his appearance was a bit pathetic.
Rhode felt that if he had taken the hit directly, he wouldn't have been able to get up.
So Rhode conceded with a grin, remaining on the beach.
It was a good excuse to get a knee pillow.
Though he didn't receive the reward for winning, the consolation for losing was nice too.
Rhode looked at Mira's hand with concern, and Mira checked the bruises on Rhode's arm and shoulder with equal concern.
The two sat by the lake, caring for each other, but by tomorrow, it would be the president who'd be having a headache.
Mira's earlier move was too powerful; the wall that Rhode had only made a dent in now was almost nonexistent.
A large crater appeared in the yard, with the existing equipment either shattered or missing.
The guild's back door was also smashed, and the entire wall suffered damage with a crack running from the first floor to the second.
This was the sight that greeted them when they returned hand in hand to the guild.
"Oh, wow, seems like I overdid it," Mira said a bit embarrassedly; it had been a while since she caused this much damage to the guild.
Rhode sighed, "Looks like there's a lot to be done tomorrow."
By the rule of 'whoever caused the damage fixes it,' it was mostly Mira's responsibility the next day.
But Rhode couldn't just sit back and watch.
And given the extent of the damage, they might need help from others too.
They tidied up a bit, piling up the debris that had flown into the guild in the yard for the time being.
Rhode summoned the Crimson Marked Tree Monster, conjuring many vines to cover the damaged wall; the rest had to wait until tomorrow.
They went back by riding the River Crab, at Mira's suggestion.
She leaned against Rhode's arm, holding him tight.
It felt quite nice.
Seeing her looking a bit worn out, Rhode asked with concern, "Tired?"
Mira softly replied, "Mmm, the Satan's Soul is quite a heavy burden."
And rightly so, for after receiving the Satan's Soul, her speed, power, and defense improved in all directions, plus she had flight abilities and explosively powerful attacks.
Even without seeing these, just witnessing the burst of enormous magic power at the moment of her transformation was enough to tell the move was incredibly draining.
Because of this, despite having magic power fitting of an S-Class, her stamina remained her weak point.
Additionally, he identified an old problem of his own—a lack of a powerful skill.
Though he tried to develop it, his most potent move was either using the Canyon Vanguard or an amplified claw strike in the Tree Monster form.
With the true damage effect, its single-target damage was decent, but compared to Mira's move, it couldn't be called a 'burst.'
An ultimate move should push one's 'output power' to its limit, right?
This area required further effort; if he couldn't enhance it with the wild beasts, he needed to consult the president about learning Fairy Law or Fairy Radiance.
But given these same super magic, it was safe to assume they weren't easier than the Fairy's Ball he had seen.
Having been a part of the guild for so long, Rhode had never heard of anyone mastering super magic other than the president.
"Next time, wear the Crown of Insight when you fight me," Rhode thought Mira with some stamina would be terrifyingly strong.
Two together being the strongest? Mira's heart skipped a beat.
She laughed and asked, "Would it count as my win then?"
Rhode replied, "Of course, it would still be your win, but I get half the credit, so according to our guild's reward-sharing rule, I should get half the prize."
Win and get everything, lose and still win half, nothing loses for Rhode.
Mira punched him on the chest.
Training like this was necessary but not in such close proximity.
...
Early the next day, the damage to the guild caused a bit of a stir.
"Who? Who did it? They actually attacked our guild!"
"Is it an enemy invasion?"
"Damn it, when did this happen? Is anyone hurt?"
They remembered clearly that when they left the guild yesterday, it was perfectly fine, and now it was trashed?
Did someone attack while everyone was absent? And they came through the back door, this couldn't be tolerated!
Makarov wasn't as angry, although he was heartbroken about the guild, such cowards who only dared to attack in absence weren't worth his fury.
Rhode's voice rang out, "Well... sorry, everyone. We were the last to leave the guild yesterday, Mira and I..."
"Rhode, you don't need to apologize! It wasn't your fault!"
"Right, it's not like you can stay at the guild all the time."
"We'll definitely catch whoever did this!"
In their eyes, if the guild was destroyed while Rhode was around, the culprit would surely have been caught.
Since no culprit was found now, it indicated Rhode wasn't present.
Being subtle was no longer an option; Rhode was overwhelmed by everyone's trust.
Mira hesitated and said, "Actually, it was me who caused the damage."
The scene fell silent, then many people started laughing, "Stop kidding, Mira!"
"We know you're worried about us lashing out, so you're comforting us."
"But that's too far-fetched! It's more believable if you said Rhode did it!"
Rhode thought to himself that he did contribute a minor part, technically speaking, claiming half the credit wouldn't be wrong.
Unable to do anything else, Mira received the Satan's Soul in front of everyone.
The noisy crowd fell silent.