"It's resolved," Hibiki said to Makarov, "President Makarov, I'll head back now."
"Ah, thank you for your hard work," Makarov replied, "I'll send the request form and fee to Blue Pegasus later."
Rhode quickly said, "Thank you for saving my life, President, and thanks to Mr. Hibiki for your help, I'm moved beyond words!"
Mirajane covered her mouth, chuckled, and said, "What kind of expression is that? Is Rhode trying to become like Laki? How interesting."
Makarov looked at Hibiki, his eyes seeming to ask what was going on.
"Ah, well... because it's knowledge stuffed in abruptly, it takes a bit of time to digest."
Hibiki said a bit apologetically, "So lately, his words might occasionally not quite hit the mark.
Just help him correct it a bit, or wait until my magic improves and try again?"
"No... no need! Please, allow me to graciously decline!"
Rhode expressed that he didn't want to experience that splitting headache again, feeling that it's more reassuring to learn knowledge step by step.
It's definitely not because he's afraid of pain.
Makarov nodded, "Alright then, the request is concluded here."
Mirajane escorted Hibiki out, while Makarov called Rhode over, "Rhode, right? Did Mira explain the situation to you?"
"Well, due to the language barrier, I only understood part of it," Rhode said, "You're the one who rescued me from the forest, right?"
Makarov replied, "No, to be accurate, I just brought you back from the forest."
Rhode looked puzzled, "Then the beast that attacked me... wasn't it defeated by your skill?"
Makarov, not in the mood to correct Rhode's wording, sat cross-legged on the chair next to the bed—sitting down, he was even taller than standing.
Rhode felt it was impolite to look down at the elderly man, so he obediently sat beside the bed.
Makarov slowly spoke, "In fact, I went there because there were sightings of rampaging beasts—monstrous birds, giant frogs, vicious wolves... and even a dragon."
"The mayor believed that a group of beasts appearing in the Eastern Forest might threaten the security of the entire Magnolia City, so he commissioned me to investigate."
In reality, Makarov personally went to investigate mainly because Porlyusica lived in that forest, which made him uneasy.
"But when I arrived, all I found was the corpse of a boar bear, the severely damaged forest, and you lying unconscious."
The more Rhode listened, the more shocked he was, feeling incredibly lucky to have survived in such a situation.
Maybe he should even thank the one that knocked him away... was it called a boar bear? What a strange name.
Makarov asked, "Do you have any memory of the beasts?"
Rhode shook his head, "I don't remember anything like that, but before I fainted, I think I heard a lot of strange calls. The forest was eerily quiet before."
Makarov nodded; it seemed the rampage occurred around the time he lost consciousness. Or perhaps... it was Rhode who accidentally triggered the beast swarm.
"So, what were you doing in the forest?"
"I... don't know." Rhode looked troubled,
"To be honest, you might not believe it, but I just tripped, and when I got up, I was in the forest."
"I see." Makarov pondered, suddenly transferring from one place to another; he knew of several such cases.
For instance, Porlyusica, who had treated Rhode before, had suddenly appeared decades ago and claimed she came from a place called Edolas.
Similarly, there was Natsu, who suddenly showed up nearby 6 years ago, could speak but couldn't read, yet insisted he had learned words before.
Rhode's language barrier seemed more similar to Natsu's situation.
Moreover, when Natsu appeared, he was looking for a dragon, and when Rhode showed up, there were dragon legends surrounding him. There might be a connection between the two.
Makarov suspected that these two might have been affected by a powerful mage's space magic on another continent and were directly transported here.
"I think I roughly understand the situation."
Rhode looked at him in surprise, "You believe me so easily?"
"Why not?" Makarov looked into his eyes, "In telling if young people are lying, I have a bit of confidence."
"But..." Rhode realized, oh, right, this world is all about magic. Suddenly appearing like this doesn't seem all that strange?
Makarov asked, "Then, what do you plan to do next?"
"I... have nowhere to go for now." Rhode had thought it over for two days; staying here seemed like the best option.
If he wandered out now, he worried he might encounter something like the boar bear again and get killed if his luck was bad.
However, inside Fairy Tail, it seemed like everyone was a mage, while he was just an ordinary person...
To live safely, Rhode could only muster the courage to ask, "Can I stay?"
"Of course."
So casual! Rhode looked at the elderly man before him, was there no hesitation at all?
"You don't even know where I come from."
Makarov asked, "Are you willing to tell me?"
"I..." Rhode hesitated, not knowing where to begin.
"Then tell me when you figure out what you want to say." Makarov smiled kindly,
"The guild is filled with many homeless children, some of whom couldn't explain their origins, just like you; they were just as uneasy then."
"But it doesn't matter; precisely because of the unease, there's a need for companionship, which is why the guild exists."
"Everyone supports each other to live strongly, treating each other as family, that's the guild, that's Fairy Tail."
Makarov shared his view of the guild with Rhode, his eyes seemingly sparkling with light.
For the first time, Rhode understood the purpose of Fairy Tail, different from the task guilds he knew from games and anime.
Fairy Tail seemed to be more than just an intermediary; it was a warmer place.
...
The process of joining the guild was very simple.
Makarov led Rhode to the front to find Mira and added Rhode's name to the member list.
"This is Magnolia City, located in the east of Fiore Kingdom, with a population of about 60,000. It has been a city where magic flourishes since ancient times."
"Fairy Tail is the only legitimate guild in this city. And then there's this..."
Due to Rhode's lack of basic knowledge about this place, Mirajane had to start by explaining the geographical location.
When she got to Fairy Tail, she took out something like a stamp, letting Rhode choose a preferred color and the place to engrave the emblem.
Rhode rolled up his sleeve, asking Mirajane to place the blue emblem on his left arm.
The process was as simple as a regular stamp.
Rhode touched the emblem's spot, feeling no different than before; seemed like another piece of magical work: "This shouldn't fade, right?"
"Of course not." Mirajane packed up the stamp and explained,
"This emblem represents a Fairy Tail mage, and it can be used to prove your identity anywhere."
"A mage..." Rhode covered his arm, anxiously asking, "But I don't understand magic at all, what should I do? Will I be kicked out?"
"No way; if you want, you can start learning now," Mirajane replied, "though at first, it might be tough to find a commission you can complete."
"You don't understand magic?" Makarov pointed to Rhode's chest, "Isn't that your magic tool?"
"Huh?" Rhode lifted his necklace pendant, it was a large letter L, backed by a blue circle with a gold edge, inside it had intricate patterns upon closer inspection.
"You say this is a magic tool? Can't be, right?"
This thing was just the icon of some 5v5 competitive game; it was a birthday gift from his roommate Zhang Daye.
Though it looked pretty well-crafted and wasn't cheap, it was just a regular pendant...
Could it be, that guy Daye, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, is actually a mage?