Romeo left crying, and before he left, he punched the President in the face.
Makarov wouldn't go all out on a search and rescue just because a mage didn't return on time.
Rhode thought the kid had potential; at such a young age, he had the nerve to hit one of the Ten Wizard Saints out of anger.
"Seriously."
Makarov wasn't angry over this little incident and certainly wouldn't get mad at a kid, but it did make him a bit worried.
However, unless they specifically requested help like Rhode and Elfman did, it would be considered disrespectful to interfere in someone else's mission.
Besides, it's not certain yet if Macao is in danger.
In most of the guild members' eyes, with his experience and strength, dealing with a few Valkens shouldn't be difficult.
Even Rhode didn't think there was a problem because detailed monster data, climate, and terrain information were all provided.
Back when he was sparring with people here and there, he got thrashed by those purple flames; that uncle is quite strong.
But if Romeo was that worried, Rhode didn't mind secretly releasing some wild monsters to check things out.
"Mira, I..."
Bam!
Natsu had found a decent job, but suddenly slammed the task card into the bulletin board.
This behavior upset Nabu, the guardian of the bulletin board, but Natsu left without looking back.
"Natsu..." Hapi, with half a grilled fish hanging from his mouth, chased after him.
Lucy was sitting at the front desk, drinking a beverage, planning to ask Mira about renting a place nearby.
But she got interrupted by Natsu: "What's up with Natsu?"
"He's thinking of himself, I guess. Natsu's father suddenly disappeared too." Mira said, "You could call him his adoptive father, and that was a dragon."
Lucy was shocked: "What?!"
Mira explained Natsu's background to Lucy.
"Natsu is pretty impulsive, so Lucy, could I ask a favor?"
"Do you want me to help Natsu? No problem!" Lucy eagerly agreed, turning her head with a hand cupped around her mouth, whispering,
"Miss Mirajane personally asked! If I succeed this time, maybe I could replace Mr. Rhode's position and become the strongest newcomer!
No, he's not a newcomer anymore, so the strongest newcomer would be me, right?"
Lucy imagined herself being praised by everyone when she just joined the guild, smiling from ear to ear.
Rhode sighed to Mira: "Feels like there's another fool in our guild."
Are all the main characters this clueless?
Mira patted Rhode to stop him from talking nonsense.
"In that case, I'll leave it to you, Lucy." Mira thought for a moment, then smiled, "Come over to my place someday, let me host you."
Lucy readily agreed: "Okay! It's a promise!"
Her fangirl mentality hadn't adjusted yet; she was all excited about being able to visit Miss Mirajane's house!
"Let's go, I'll see you off."
"See me off?" Lucy followed Rhode, still puzzled, to the guild's entrance.
"Summon, Gorge Swift Crab!"
In Lucy's astonished gaze, two large green crabs appeared on the street.
"Celestial Spirit Magic? Cancer Constellation... no, Cancer Constellation's Kyansa is with me." Lucy touched her keychain at her waist, "But opening two gates at once?"
"Mine's different from Celestial Spirit Magic. We'll talk later; for now, you should catch up with Natsu. He can't handle carriages."
"Okay..."
Mira smiled and reminded her, "Watch your skirt. Rhode can see the crabs' surrounding area entirely."
"Eh?!" Lucy quickly held down her skirt in alarm.
"That remark was unnecessary; I won't do anything perverted." Rhode tugged at Mira's face in punishment,
"Besides, Hakobe Mountain is a snowy mountain, so she'll probably switch to long pants and warm clothes before going, right?"
"Y-yeah, right?" Lucy's gaze shifted, clearly not having thought of that. She hadn't even planned to bring any.
"...What an airhead." Rhode sighed, "Go grab it quickly; meanwhile, I'll fetch something for you."
The President, who was at the counter trying to sneak a drink, closed his eyes to pretend he was asleep as soon as he saw Rhode's shadow. When Rhode sneaked out with a bulging pocket, he opened one eye to peek.
"Isn't this a super-expensive magic book? And you can't even buy it in a magic shop!" Lucy exclaimed, surprised that such a valuable item was handed to her just like that!
"If you encounter danger, use it. No magic book is more important than your life." Rhode said,
"If only Macao had listened to me and taken a magic book along, I wouldn't be so worried about him now."
With mixed feelings, Lucy rode off on the River Crab.
She felt like she'd learned so much today and didn't know where to start with her diary entries.
Having sent out two moving eyes, Rhode felt much more at ease. He could report Natsu and Lucy's whereabouts to the President and Mira in real-time later on.
The downside is not being able to hear what they say.
After thinking it over, Rhode decided to send out a pack of Shadow Wolves, instructing them not to reveal themselves unless there's combat and to follow Natsu's command.
...
When Natsu was about to rent a carriage, he saw the familiar giant crab and was delighted.
He was worried about not having money for it, plus feeling queasy about riding in it.
But...
"Why is it you? Where's Rhode?"
Lucy snapped, "Why the displeased look? I especially came to help you!"
Hapi bluntly said, "Aye, because Rhode is more reliable."
"I'll pluck your whiskers, little cat."
"Hee..." Natsu suddenly grinned, realizing that Rhode, even though he didn't come along, was still concerned about Macao.
But it didn't matter if he didn't come; the big crab was more than enough.
Skilled in riding, Natsu mounted it and grabbed the crab's antennae: "Let's go, charge on!"
"Even with two, why squeeze me out?!"
Lucy almost got knocked off by Natsu and clung tightly to Natsu's backpack, her body fluttering in the breeze like a flag because of the crab's rapid sprint:
"Slow down!"
However, Hapi had mounted the other River Crab and overtook them: "Let's race, Natsu."
"Bring it on, Hapi!"
"No way!!!" Lucy's scream was carried away by the wind.
Meanwhile, Rhode, who was periodically updating Mira, said, "They are getting along well, and have joyfully started playing games."
Mira smiled, "That's great to hear."
...
At the urging of Natsu and Hapi, the two River Crabs were sprinting, leaving regular carriages far behind in speed.
Before long, the three of them barged into the cold winds of Hakobe Mountain.
Shivering from the cold, Lucy put on her warm clothes and couldn't help but think, "Good thing I listened to Mr. Rhode."
Natsu showed an "ugh, annoying" expression: "Did that guy go on about all the things you shouldn't do too?"
"No, he just normally told me to bring clothes, and he gave me..." Lucy hesitated then asked, "Does Mr. Rhode like to nag?"
"Feels like if he were to look for a lost kitten, he'd make a hundred different plans."
Even though Natsu occasionally thought of teaming up with Rhode, and had been somewhat influenced by him in recent months, that didn't mean he liked Rhode's way.
Hapi chimed in, "Aye! Rhode is reliable; if you team up with him, you only need to worry about the battle, and even Natsu can't mess up."
The last part won Lucy over: "In that case, yes, very reliable."
"What did you say? Next time I team up with him, I'll make a mess just to show you!"
Lucy exhaled a puff of cold air, retorting, "No need to prove that on purpose..."