Rhode used Requip Magic to take out Mira's luggage, from which he found two sets of clothes, and also found the clothes Mira previously forbade him from touching from that mysterious little bag.
Lucy's clothes, as she said, were casually taken out from the wardrobe.
Entering the bathroom was impossible; only Warm could be sent in, much to Poro's displeasure.
After a while, the two of them came out dressed, towels wrapped around their heads.
Mira nudged Rhode, who was staring at her: "You should go too. There's still some bathwater Lucy used in the tub; feel free to use it."
"Isn't that your bathwater too?" Lucy retorted loudly.
Rhode nodded: "Then I won't hold back."
"Be polite! And it's already been drained!"
Mira covered her mouth, laughing, clearly teasing Lucy both earlier and now.
To amuse herself with Lucy, she didn't mind teasing herself as well.
Rhode took a quick shower, and upon returning, Lucy's hair was just dried, and she was helping Mira dry her hair.
The work was stolen, but considering her low spirits, Rhode didn't bicker with her.
"Actually, he completely doesn't care about me; otherwise, he wouldn't have waited a year to come find me."
Lucy seemed to be talking to Mira about her situation — she had run away from home a year ago, and her father seemed to just remember now that he had a daughter.
Since her mother's death, Lucy and her father Jude's relationship had been rocky; on the day she left home, it plummeted to freezing point.
Jude seemed not to care at all about his daughter's thoughts and feelings, his mind occupied solely with business matters.
Lucy guessed that at first her father might have immersed himself in work to escape his grief over missing her mother.
If that were the case, she might understand, for her emotions were equally sorrowful.
But what she couldn't understand was how her mother had passed away seven years ago, and even at age ten, Lucy had moved past her grief, determined to continue living well — how could her father disregard his daughter for six or seven continuous years?
"To suddenly hire Ghost to bring me back using such forceful means proves he hasn't changed a bit."
Lucy's voice was mixed with sadness and anger, "How can there be such a father in this world? I can't accept it!"
"If your relationship is as you say, then there must be a compelling reason to bring you back."
Rhode thought somewhat impolitely, perhaps it was because of a serious illness wanting to see Lucy, or some clichéd plot like arranging a marriage.
"How could parents not love their children? Even someone like Macao cares deeply for Romeo." Mira comforted Lucy,
"After this ordeal is over, have a good talk with your father. Maybe before he saw you as a child, but now you're already a capable mage."
This remark was a bit disrespectful to Macao, but the principle was valid.
"Yeah!" Lucy seemed to have come to a decision, "Afterwards, I'll apologize properly to everyone; for now, I just want to help out."
The unpleasant topic temporarily came to an end, and Lucy admired Mira's already dried white hair: "Miss Mira's hair is really nice."
Mira laughed: "Isn't Lucy's hair beautiful too? Golden hair is lovely."
Lucy touched her own hair: "Because it's like my mother's hair, and I've always had Kyansa helping me take care of it."
The two chatted a bit about girl's tips for hair and skin care, easing the atmosphere significantly.
Mira tied up her bangs that had fallen loose, stood up, and stretched: "Alright, the fatigue disappeared after a bath; let's go!"
Fatigue couldn't possibly disappear that easily.
But resting further would only worry them more about their companions, so the three headed out dragging Sol and Jubia with them.
Rhode was thinking that if someone in the guild had also been captured, they could use them for exchange.
Even with Wendy's help, their injuries couldn't recover enough to form combat strength quickly.
The two River Crabs carried the five of them toward Og City.
...
Rhode and Mira never expected the guild would suffer such a crushing defeat.
Moreover, the reason for retreat was because the president fell.
"Quick! Back to the guild!"
The president's fall drastically lowered morale, and Fairy Tail, initially having the advantage, started suffering injuries.
Gajeel eyed the person who ambushed the president, and the remaining three of the Four Elements and the Ghost president Joseph hadn't yet engaged.
If the battle continued, the outcome would be unpredictable, forcing Erza to replace the president and issue the retreat order.
Ghost's forces relentlessly pursued, with both elites from the main force and ordinary members from the branch.
They chased Fairy Tail's team out of Og City.
Kana was at the end of the line, continuously throwing down card traps to block the enemy's advance.
Natsu, Gray, and Loki, the stronger ones, were at the back, occasionally using magic attacks or defense.
Alzack and Bisca occasionally turned back to shoot.
The big-bodied Elfman carried the president at the front, with Erza protecting him to prevent further harm to the president.
In the middle, others carried more heavily wounded companions while running.
"Don't think you can escape, Fairy Tail!"
"Stop, cowards!"
"Don't you have some S-Class? Why aren't they here?"
"I heard there's some military advisor, surely too clever to dare come here, right?"
Despite the anger, wanting to turn back and fight them, no one stopped.
Retreat was to regroup and launch a strong counterattack later.
Even the hot-headed like Natsu and Gray, ready to explode with rage, were following Erza's orders, as it was for their companions.
Dozens of them fled beyond Og City's boundaries with nearly two hundred pursuers, hindered by various magical interferences, slowing their pace and spreading them out.
Shouts of anger and ridicule never ceased, but everyone pressed on, suppressing their fury.
At one point, Elfman, carrying the president, suddenly slowed his pace.
"Elf…" Erza was about to ask why, but then she saw the two speeding River Crabs.
The enormous pressure on Erza suddenly dissipated considerably, her tense expression loosening a bit, nearly bringing tears to her eyes.
Perhaps only she knew she wasn't as strong as she outwardly appeared.
How wonderful it was to see them at such a moment!
Elfman cried out, his voice full of surprise: "Sis! Rhode!"
The others, hearing Elfman's shout and seeing Rhode and Mira, finally showed a bit of relief on their distressed faces.
The reassuring reinforcements had arrived!
On the backs of the River Crabs, Rhode, Mira, and Lucy all showed looks of disbelief… Have we actually retreated?
The distant taunts and laughter of Ghost faintly reached them, their faces showing anger.
No, this isn't right, why dare they mock our companions?
Why chase our few dozens with two hundred people?
Numbers?
"Summoning: Cyan Engraved Golem, Crimson Marked Tree Monster, Magic Swamp Frog, Deep Red Beaked Bird, Shadow Wolf, Ancient Stone Beetle… Void Nest Insect!"
Over thirty wild creatures appeared out of nowhere, charging at Ghost's team in one go.
Three Void Nest Insects stayed behind, purple larvae continuously jumping from their backs, bypassing Fairy Tail's team to join the battle.
One person… an entire army.
Lucy was already stunned; such magic exceeded her comprehension.
Just how strong of a magic power was needed to do this?
The companions drew nearer, and Rhode saw his wounded comrades and the president in Elfman's arms.
His chest heaved, right hand tightly clutching the pendant: "Summon…"
"No!" Mira grabbed Rhode's hand, knowing what he intended to do, but in this situation summoning a dragon would cause his body to collapse.
Rhode looked into her eyes, took a deep breath, and finally gritted his teeth: "Canyon Vanguard!"