"If it were just a regular Council meeting, I'd send Macao," Makarov said. "This is different. Hyberion himself called for a gathering of the Ten Wizard Saints. It's more of a private summit, but sometimes the information is shared with the Council afterward. You could call it… a small council of our own."
Kinana tilted her head thoughtfully. "Hyberion? Isn't he the one ranked second among the Ten Saints?"
Makarov chuckled. "He was second, last I checked. As for the current ranking, who knows? Hah!"
Truthfully, Makarov had been busy catching up on the last six years and hadn't even bothered to ask about the rankings. He hardly cared about his own, after all.
Rhodes leaned forward. "Did he say why he's calling the meeting?"
"Ah, I forgot to ask." Makarov scratched his head with a carefree laugh. "We'll know once we get there, won't we? Hahaha!"
Rhodes sighed. 'Still as unreliable as ever.'
"Fine. Where's the location?"
"At a mountain resort hotel in Bosco."
"A neighboring kingdom, huh…" Rhodes quickly calculated the distance. Magnolia was close enough to the border, and with an airship, they should arrive without issue.
"It was chosen because four of us Saints live here in Fiore," Makarov explained. "So Hyberion picked somewhere closer to us. He usually works out of Pergrande."
Rhodes nodded at that. Pergrande was a massive kingdom in the northeast, sprawling across nearly half of Ishgar, about twenty times the size of Fiore. But despite its vast territory and population, it remained curiously laid-back, its regions practically autonomous and sometimes even clashing with one another.
For all its power, Pergrande rarely meddled in outside conflicts except to mediate wars between smaller nations. Their people were peaceful, and while their guild count was only twice that of Fiore, it was considered low given their size. Still, the Council headquarters, Era, sat there, alongside some of the continent's most influential mages.
Hyberion… Rhodes recalled the portraits he'd seen. The man wore a bow tie, often with a stemmed glass of wine in hand. At first glance, he looked like a refined noble. But paired with his pointed ears, black cape, and eerie "Vampire Magic," he looked more like a count out of a gothic tale. Rhodes half-suspected the man could have fit into a Dark Guild, which made the choice of Bosco, a kingdom famous for its red wine, almost too fitting.
"Anyway," Makarov said with a grin, "pack your things. We leave tomorrow morning. I'll rent one of those new high-speed airships."
"Got it." Rhodes nodded, then turned to Mira with a glint in his eye. "Mind if I bring family along?"
Makarov wagged a finger. "Behave yourself. A very senior figure will be present. Don't cause trouble."
Rhodes smiled, taking Mira's hand. "Then we'd better make the most of today."
Dragging her off wasn't for anything improper, though Mira's flushed cheeks suggested otherwise, but because preparations really were necessary. His Saint Ten cloak still needed altering. If there wasn't enough time, he could always buy a new coat in town and have the emblem re-embroidered before departure.
The day before, they had agreed to buy wedding rings, the ones they would use at the ceremony and wear afterward. If time allowed, they would also look at formal wear. Originally, they planned to handle that tomorrow, but the schedule had shifted, still, it was all part of their wedding preparations.
The first stop was the tailor shop where Mira's favorite coat had once been made. The storefront looked almost the same, one of the few in Magnolia that hadn't changed much over the years. The old shopkeeper, however, bore many more wrinkles on his face, and now a young girl, likely his daughter, stood beside him as an apprentice.
Rhodes explained what he needed, but the shopkeeper apologized: they were backlogged with orders and couldn't begin work for at least three days. Besides, their specialty was fine, meticulous work, all handmade. For Rhodes's request, which was simpler, he suggested the couple try one of the newer shops.
So Rhodes and Mira left and eventually found a larger tailor east of the church. There, they placed a rush order that could be finished within two hours. That freed time for their next stop: the jewelry store.
The display cases sparkled with an overwhelming variety, bands of gold, silver, platinum, rings encrusted with gems in every color. Rhodes felt a little dizzy. He couldn't help but admire the creativity of jewelers; so many designs, all for something as small as a ring.
Mira, on the other hand, was fully absorbed, trying on piece after piece with obvious delight. She truly loved pretty, shiny things.
After a while, her excitement settled, and she admitted, "Bisca told me wedding bands should be plain, simple and comfortable for everyday wear."
'Then why did you try on every flashy one in the case just now?'
Rhodes almost teased her, but wisely kept the thought to himself.
"Did any of them stand out to you?" he asked instead.
Mira held up her left hand. On her middle finger rested a simple wooden band, carved with faint patterns. Compared to the dazzling jewelry in the case, it looked modest, even lackluster. But the joy on Mira's face was unmistakably real.
Rhodes clasped her hand in both of his. "You really are the world's best wife."
In the end, after looking at every piece, they chose a matching pair of silver bands. Though "plain," they carried delicate engravings and a tiny inset magic crystal. The clerk explained it was a new design that could project stored images when activated. A communication crystal would have been more useful, but those still couldn't be refined small enough for a ring.
Afterward, they picked up their completed clothes at the tailor, then had dinner at a floating restaurant above the city before heading home for the night.
Later, after showering, Rhodes thought about the journey to Bosco tomorrow and began preparing. In the bedroom, he drew glowing blue magic circles across the floor, each one rising slowly into the air. Intricate runes shimmered across them as they stacked upward, rotating at different speeds until finally merging into a single complex pattern.
When Mira walked in wrapped in a bath towel, she stopped, blinking at the string of runed circles lighting the entire room. "What kind of magic is this?" she asked.
Rhodes exhaled softly, the last rune fading into place. "Hextech Gate," he said.