"Sis, Rhode, be careful on the road..."
"Hmm?" Mira tilted her head to look at him, as if waiting for Elfman's further advice.
"It's nothing." Elfman suddenly remembered that these two were better fighters than him, and their brains worked better too.
Mira laughed, "I got it. Remember to eat on time while I'm away."
The concern from family members can be warming, and it has nothing to do with strength or intelligence.
"Be a man!" Elfman left on his own.
But he returned within seconds to grab an umbrella, "Sis, it's raining outside. Remember to take an umbrella and some spare clothes."
"Okay~"
After he left, Rhode helped Mira clean up the dishes.
He washed the dishes in the kitchen, while Mira wiped the table and swept the floor outside before changing clothes to get ready for departure.
Mira carried the lunchbox on her arm and handed the luggage to Rhode.
Rhode packed the luggage but didn't help her with the lunchbox, feeling that she seemed more atmospheric holding it herself.
Mira pulled out an umbrella and asked Rhode, "Did you bring one?"
Rhode squeezed next to her, "Didn't bring one."
Mira looked at him, "Really didn't bring one?"
Rhode looked at the ceiling, "Really didn't."
Liar, Mira handed him the umbrella and deliberately said, "There's a spare umbrella at home, I'll go get it."
But before she could leave, Rhode used Requip Magic to put away the umbrella in his hand, calmly saying:
"I just checked, this umbrella is broken. I'll throw it away later, let's use the spare one."
Mira playfully hit Rhode, questioning how much he wanted to be close to her.
She couldn't help but laugh, hooking her arm around Rhode's, "Let's go."
Only then did Rhode take out the umbrella again.
They cozied up to each other, opened the umbrella, and walked into the rain. The fine drizzles falling on the umbrella sounded pleasing.
They didn't walk far before realizing it was easy to get wet this way.
Rhode shifted the umbrella toward Mira.
Mira scooted closer to Rhode.
Thinking it still wasn't right, she lifted Rhode's arm to let him embrace her shoulder.
...
This kind of weather was certainly not suitable for traveling by River Crab, but luckily there were still plenty of carriages available for rent.
Oddly enough, because rainy days could earn more money.
All kinds of horses were temporarily stabled in the barns, with only the coachmen outside waiting to take jobs.
Most wore raincoats and conical hats, while the more retro ones wore straw raincoats with conical hats.
To be honest, Rhode really wanted to try wearing a straw raincoat just to see what it felt like.
The two chose a carriage that seemed to have the best rainproofing.
After negotiating the price, the coachman invited them to board while he brought the horse out and hitched it to the carriage.
Rhode noticed that the horse was also draped with a special rainproof cloak.
"Thank you." Rhode blurted out.
The coachman was taken aback, then responded, "You're the ones who should be thanked; I hear being a mage is quite dangerous."
Rhode chuckled, "Not too bad, just need to be a little careful."
Mira clutched Rhode's hand.
Rhode gently patted her head.
Mira lightly shook her head to indicate that she was okay.
"Are you mages from Fairy Tail? It's surprising how down-to-earth you are."
The coachman spoke while busy hitching the carriage, having to raise his voice due to the rain.
Rhode asked, "Are other mages not like this?"
"I've met a few; how should I put it, quite lofty."
"I guess you're not from Magnolia then."
"That's right, I came over from Og City yesterday..."
Og City, where the Master of Ghosts resides, no wonder.
Though he's just an ordinary person, Rhode decided to be cautious around him.
"Alright, please sit tight, we're departing now."
To prevent the rain from lashing in, the coachman reminded them to keep the windows closed.
This, however, interrupted the conversation; the carriage cabin wasn't connected to the front seat, so talking would require shouting, which was too exhausting.
The rain outside seemed to have increased, pattering loudly on the carriage roof.
The small space of the cabin seemed somewhat dim, and if sitting alone inside, one might feel a bit unsafe.
Rhode extended a finger, intending to write a word representing light or fire for illumination.
But before he could finish, Mira grabbed his hand.
"Just leave it like this." Mira held onto Rhode's hand, leaning on his shoulder.
The confined space, dim lighting, made it feel as if only the two of them remained in the world, to rely on each other.
The atmosphere was nice like this.
The carriage swayed as it moved, and Mira, feeling the shoulder uncomfortable, adjusted her posture, wrapping both arms around Rhode's waist, resting on his chest.
She only rested for a moment before sitting up, giving Rhode a sidelong glance, then reached inside his clothes...
Adjusting the position of the Magic Book inside.
Rhode gave a wry smile, holding her shoulder to let her lie down comfortably.
He often wanted to play with Mira's hair but always got his hand swatted away by her disdainfully.
By noon, they hadn't encountered a suitable village for rest along the way.
Fortunately, they came prepared; the coachman stopped the carriage under a big tree to temporarily shelter from the rain, took out feed to give the horse, and carefully checked for any wet spots on the horse's body.
After doing so, the coachman took out his own rice balls and jerky and began to eat.
Rhode and Mira shared a cup of hot water with him; nothing more was necessary.
In the afternoon, they continued on their way, the rain gradually ceased, and Rhode and Mira looked out the window, observing the interesting scene of clear skies ahead and dark clouds behind.
Turns out it wasn't that the rain stopped, but they had exited the rainy area.
Mira gazed out the window for a while, disappointedly saying, "Too bad there's no rainbow."
Rhode, however, said, "There is."
Mira looked at him, suspecting Rhode was about to say something cheesy.
But Rhode merely raised his hand and wrote "RAINBOW."
When the word was written, it transformed into an arched bridge, adorned with seven colors.
Mira's eyes lit up with surprise.
He even created a rainbow for her.
Rhode winked at her, "I heard from a friend that seeing a rainbow and kissing can grant a blissful marriage."
Mira asked with a beaming smile, "Was that friend yourself?"
"Why are you so clever? Can't you let me trick you a little?"
"No."
Even as she said so, Mira still embraced him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
...
The sun set over the western hills, and they were nearing their destination, Lavender Village.
Rhode suddenly shouted, "Stop the carriage!"
The carriage slowed to a halt, and they disembarked.
The coachman asked in confusion, "Is there something wrong? We're almost at the village."
"I believe you might not want to proceed further."
Utilizing the River Crab's sight, Rhode confirmed the rat infestation was unusually severe here.
The lead River Crab was even bitten on the leg by a suddenly emerging large rat.
The rat epidemic had escalated to the point where rats were attacking other animals, no wonder mages were called in for resolution.
Rhode summoned a group of Beaked Birds, telling the coachman:
"I suggest you leave immediately; they will escort you for a distance. Of course, you're welcome to come with us to the village, but ensure you keep the horse calm and under control. What do you plan to do?"
"I'll leave right now!" The coachman was quite persuaded.
If the mages said it was dangerous ahead, he wouldn't risk it.
Though these two seemed quite formidable, if they missed protecting him and his horse, he'd have no place to cry.
Though there were no villages along the way, he knew there were nearby; he'd just have to change direction to find one.