As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue across the rooftops of Magnolia, townsfolk wrapped up their day and made their way home.
Rhodes and Wendy strolled side by side along the cobblestone streets, with Carla gliding gracefully through the air beside them.
Carla narrowed her eyes at Rhodes suspiciously.
"Are you really planning to bring something like that as a gift for an elder?"
Rhodes replied without hesitation, "Of course. Porlyusica has strong teeth."
Carla let out a quiet sigh.
"Just don't come crying when she beats you out of her house with your so-called gift."
Wendy chuckled nervously.
"Carla, Grandeeney wouldn't do something like that…"
It had all started when, after leaving the guild, Rhodes suggested they pick up a few gifts for their visit.
Wendy and Carla both agreed it was a good idea. After all, a visit like this didn't need to be overly formal, just thoughtful.
They ended up buying fruit.
Simple enough.
Now Wendy carried two large pomelos tucked gently in her arms, while Rhodes, in contrast, carried two long sugar canes, one on each shoulder like they were prized weapons.
Carla genuinely feared that Porlyusica might literally chase them out with those sugar canes.
Rhodes, however, seemed completely unconcerned. Worst case, they'd chop them up and chew on them. And besides, the old lady still had plenty of fight in her. She was just as sharp and lively as any young mage.
As they passed through the livelier streets of Magnolia, many townsfolk called out greetings to them, waving warmly.
Especially to Wendy.
She had helped many of them recover in the aftermath of Magnolia's return. For most, the first face they saw upon waking had been that of a gentle, blue-haired angel.
Wendy waved back shyly, her cheeks tinged pink, while Rhodes offered casual nods and smiles.
Once they reached the quieter outskirts of town, Rhodes summoned a Scuttle Crab.
The three of them climbed aboard. The crab lurched forward, and they began their slow, steady ride through the quiet forest paths.
As they moved, Wendy gazed out at the scenery, while Carla's sharp eyes scanned their surroundings.
"Why is that part of the forest so… bare?" Carla asked, pointing to a wide clearing with sparse vegetation.
The area looked as if a storm had passed through. Dozens of broken tree trunks littered the ground. Some stumps had long since dried up, while others had small green shoots poking out, a sign that nature was already reclaiming the space.
"Did someone from our guild fight here?"
Rhodes followed her gaze and scratched his head.
"Ah… that place? Yeah, I guess you could call it my 'respawn point.'"
"What?" Wendy asked, tilting her head.
"Back in July last year," Rhodes explained, "I got ambushed by a magical beast over there. Nearly died."
Wendy's eyes widened.
"I don't remember much about what happened, just that I blacked out. Apparently, I caused a huge magical disturbance. Master Makarov found me afterward and brought me back."
He paused for a moment, looking into the distance.
Thinking back on it now, someone had mentioned seeing a dragon in the area that day. It must have been the Mountain guy.
It had saved his life, of that, he was almost certain. Yet the Mountain Dragon had never spoken of it afterward. Perhaps it was simply too lazy to mention it, or maybe it didn't think much of the act.
Now that he stood here, Rhodes felt a twinge of uncertainty. Had it been a sudden magical burst caused by intense emotion in the face of death? Or had he unconsciously overdrawn his own power and lost control?
Either way, he had survived.
Wendy found it hard to imagine. "How strong was the beast to leave Rhodes in such a sorry state?"
Rhodes didn't respond. The memory was far too unpleasant to recall.
"You forgot already?" Carla reminded her calmly. He said he couldn't use magic at all just over a year ago.
She still remembered clearly how inexperienced he had been back then, acting like a child going on his first big adventure, over-preparing with a stack of plans just for a routine mission. The more Carla thought about his cautious attitude at the time, the more surreal it felt now.
Logically speaking, for someone as young as Wendy to have learned Dragon Slayer Magic and even mastered Dragon Slayer Secret Art was already considered extraordinary.
But Rhodes was simply a monster.
While they chatted, the two mages and one Exceed had already arrived at the foot of the large treehouse.
They didn't need to knock this time. Porlyusica was outside, quietly sorting through bundles of medicinal herbs laid out to dry.
After days of rain, she'd grown restless and worried, though she would never admit it, and busied herself by processing herbs that hadn't yet been properly dried. With the skies finally clear, she'd taken the opportunity to bring them out.
"Grandeeney!" Wendy called out cheerfully as she jumped down from the crab.
"I told you not to call me that name," Porlyusica snapped, her tone initially sharp. But as soon as she caught sight of Wendy's bright smile, her expression softened considerably.
Even Rhodes benefitted from this change in mood, as Porlyusica's voice turned comparatively gentle. "What are you doing here?"
Rhodes answered plainly, "With everything that happened a few days ago, we were all worried. So once we had time, we came to check on you."
Porlyusica glanced first at the pomelos in Wendy's arms, then at the sugar canes Rhodes was carrying. She didn't say anything further. She simply placed her work aside, turned around, and muttered, "Come in."
Rhodes grinned and shot a wink at Carla as if to say, 'See? Bringing sugar cane was a good idea after all.'
Carla could only sigh in exasperation. 'Why is he always so childish?'
Surprisingly, Porlyusica was in a rare enough mood to pour tea for her guests.
"You really stirred up quite the mess over in Edolas, didn't you?" she said mildly.
Wendy scratched her cheek awkwardly. She hadn't caused much destruction personally, but she definitely couldn't be considered innocent.
Rhodes asked, "You knew we went to Edolas?"
Logically, Porlyusica had arrived in this world decades ago. She shouldn't know much about the Anima phenomenon, and given her personality, she wasn't one to stay up-to-date on recent events.
Porlyusica rolled her eyes. "Where do you think the medicine Mystogan gave you came from?"
The three of them froze in surprise.
But it made perfect sense. Mystogan never needed that kind of medicine himself, and it clearly hadn't been prepared in advance. It must've been Porlyusica who brewed it.
Rhodes lowered his head and spoke sincerely. "Thank you. You helped us more than once."
Porlyusica didn't respond, but pressed instead, "So? What happened in the end? Did you destroy that absurd world?"
Rhodes sighed. "Of course not. We're not terrorists."
"Hmph." Porlyusica scoffed, her lips curling faintly in disdain. "Coming from Fairy Tail of all guilds."
Rhodes had no words.
Truthfully, if something had happened to the guild, Rhodes might have genuinely considered destroying that world.
Wendy quietly added, "We spent most of our time helping people. It wasn't until the final day that Rhodes and the others went to the capital to deal with Anima."
Carla summarized it succinctly, "They didn't destroy the world, but the four of them did destroy the capital."
Porlyusica looked momentarily relieved, but her expression quickly twisted back into its usual scowl.
"I went through all that trouble to make medicine for you, and you couldn't even destroy that boring world? What's Makarov doing, letting kids off the leash like that?"
'What an old tsundere', Rhodes thought. Still, he decided to offer an explanation.
"In a sense, it was destroyed. Mystogan is rebuilding it in his own way, reshaping the entire system."
Seeing the flicker of hesitation in Porlyusica's expression, Rhodes continued.
"We talked at length before leaving. I believe he'll be a good king. That world will recover, and maybe even thrive. You don't have to worry."
Porlyusica narrowed her eyes. "Worry? Who's worrying? That ridiculous place isn't worth the thought."
With that, she turned and barked, "It's late. Time to leave."
Before the three of them could even respond, they found themselves already standing outside.
The door slammed behind them with a final thud.
Her guest-expelling skills were, without a doubt, maxed out.
...
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