The sun sets in the west, and those who've been busy all day are heading home.
Rhode and Wendy walk side by side on Magnolia's street, with Carla flying alongside.
She squints at Rhode skeptically, "Is it really okay to buy something like this for the elderly?"
Rhode replies, "No problem, grandma has good teeth."
Carla says, "...Be careful you don't get hit, using the gift you're bringing."
Wendy forcefully smiles, "Carla, Grandeeney wouldn't do that."
The idea came about after they left the guild; Rhode suggested buying something to take over.
Wendy and Carla both found this reasonable.
This sort of semi-formal visit didn't require much pomp; just buying some fruit would suffice.
So Wendy carried two large pomelos, while Rhode... carried two stalks of sugar cane.
Carla truly worries that Porlyusica might beat Rhode out with the sugar cane.
Rhode doesn't see any problem with it; at worst, he can cut them open and chew on them... besides, granny is vigorous and as lively as the young.
Along the way, many people greeted Rhode and Wendy warmly, especially Wendy.
——Among them were quite a few people whom Wendy personally helped recover, so naturally, they had strong goodwill towards this little angel they saw when they first opened their eyes.
When they reached a less crowded place, Rhode decisively summoned the River Crab, inviting Wendy and Carla on board.
Once more along the way, they confirmed that Magnolia was indeed unaffected, and the forest outside the city was even more so.
"I wanted to ask, why is this place so barren, did someone from the guild fight here?"
Carla pointed to a relatively sparse spot in the forest, where there used to be quite a few fallen trees, which seemed to have been taken away.
On the ground, there were some uneven tree stumps; some had dried up, slowly being engulfed by weeds, while new buds sprouted from others.
"That spot... consider it my respawn point?"
Wendy and Carla didn't understand, "What do you mean?"
Rhode explained, "Last July, near there I was attacked by a beast and almost died. It reportedly caused quite a commotion... I don't know the details, but I later got picked up by the President."
Thinking back, some people said they saw a dragon, which must have been a Mountain Sub-Dragon.
The dragon saved him once, yet never mentioned it afterward, perhaps out of laziness?
Rhode now doubts, wondering if his strong emotions in crisis triggered a magic power eruption, or if he accidentally gambled with his life.
Surviving is what truly matters.
Wendy found it hard to imagine, "How strong was the beast to corner Brother Rhode so badly?"
"..." Rhode remained silent, unwilling to recall.
"Don't you forget, he mentioned that over a year ago, he couldn't use magic at all." Carla remembers what Rhode was like back then, excited like a child when traveling far and needing to draft a detailed plan for any task.
The more Carla recalls Rhode's former cautious nature, the more incredible it seems.
Normally speaking, Wendy learning Dragon Slayer Magic at such a young age, and mastering the Dragon Slayer's Secret Art, already marks her as a genius.
But Rhode, on the other hand...
A monster.
As they spoke, the two and the cat reached the treehouse door.
This time there was no need for them to knock, as Porlyusica was tidying up the herbs drying outside.
It had been raining for days; she worried yet didn't want to worry, so occupied herself by handling plenty of herbs, which hadn't been dried.
Taking advantage of today's good weather, she laid them out.
"Grandeeney!" Wendy joyfully jumped off the River Crab's back.
"I've told you not to call me by that name." Porlyusica's tone was initially stern, but softened seeing Wendy.
So Rhode too benefited, as Porlyusica reasonably asked, "What brings you here?"
Rhode said, "We encountered that situation a few days ago, and everyone was worried about you, so we came as soon as we could."
Porlyusica looked at the pomelos in Wendy's hand and the sugar cane Rhode carried, unsurprised, she put down her tasks momentarily and said, "Come in."
Rhode winked at Carla, stating buying sugar cane was fine, wasn't it?
Carla sighed; how could he be so childish.
Porlyusica rarely had the mood to serve tea for her guests, "Did you all cause a ruckus in Edolas?"
Wendy shyly smiled; though she wasn't among the chief demolishers, she was an accomplice.
Rhode asked, "You knew we went to Edolas?"
Logically, Porlyusica arrived decades ago, she shouldn't be too familiar with Anima matters.
And given her disposition, she dislikes socializing, how could she have learned of this so quickly?
Porlyusica gave Rhode a sideways glance, "Where do you think Mystogan got the medicine he gave you?"
"!" The three of them showed surprised expressions.
So that explains it, Mystogan neither needed the medicine nor prepared it in advance; it's apparent he urgently sought Porlyusica's help upon realizing Wendy's determined resolve to go to Edolas.
Rhode sincerely said, "Thank you, you've helped us a lot."
Porlyusica did not respond, she only pressed on, "So, did you destroy that boring world?"
Rhode helplessly replied, "How could we? We're not terrorists."
"Hah." Porlyusica lightly smirked, hearing the Fairy Tail folk claim they're not terrorists.
"..." Rhode's mood turned complicated.
If the guild were in trouble, he might indeed entertain thoughts of world destruction.
Wendy quietly said, "Most of our time was spent rescuing people, only on the last day did they go to the Royal Capital to address Anima's threat."
Carla summarized, "While the world wasn't destroyed, the four of them did obliterate the Royal Capital."
Porlyusica seemed relieved, but immediately hardened her expression:
"I specially made so much medicine for you, and you couldn't even destroy that trivial world, what's Makarov doing!"
"..." The old stubborn, Rhode chose to clarify, "In a certain sense, it's considered destroyed; Mystogan will rebuild the world order in his own way."
Noticing signs of softening in Porlyusica's expression, Rhode continued:
"We chatted about many things before leaving, I believe he'll make a good king, and Edolas will rejuvenate, you needn't worry."
What's there worth worrying about in such a broken place! Porlyusica glared at Rhode and abruptly issued an eviction: "It's late, you should leave."
The trio hadn't reacted to what happened, yet found themselves at the doorstep, promptly shut outside with a bang.
The elderly's eviction skill must have maxed out.