Chapter 731: As if summoned by someone
As the fog gradually lifted, the battered cargo ship finally steadied itself. On deck, the captain squinted toward the two figures hovering above the water, then his eyes widened in recognition.
"It’s Mr. Rhodes and Miss Mirajane!" he exclaimed.
"Hello there," Mira greeted with a warm smile, her voice gentle and serene, completely at odds with the woman who’d just punched a ghost ship in half moments ago.
If the captain hadn’t seen it himself, he never would have believed this elegant woman capable of such terrifying power.
"Thanks to your timely arrival, we have no casualties," the captain said, bowing slightly. "Just two crewmen who slipped during the impact, minor bruises only."
"That’s a relief." Mira nodded, visibly pleased. "By the way, is your destination Antirunemuna? If so, we’d like to return with you, if that’s convenient."
"Convenient? It’s an honor!" the captain said eagerly. "We’re heading there to deliver our cargo anyway, and the ship needs repairs. Please, come aboard!"
His gaze then fell on the crystal orb in Rhodes’s hand. "If I may ask, you two are from Fairy Tail, aren’t you? Why were you dispatched by Mermaid Heel?"
Rhodes replied with a casual smile. "We’re just vacationing here. Mermaid Heel’s mages happened to be away on missions, so we stepped in to help."
"I see, then we were truly lucky!" The captain let out a hearty laugh. "Please rest assured, your reward will be calculated at the highest maritime rescue rate!"
He wasn’t exaggerating. The ghost ship had been far stronger than anything his vessel, or his hired escorts, could handle. He’d already been preparing to issue the abandon-ship order when the two magicians had arrived. Without them, not only would the cargo have been lost, but many lives as well. Paying more was a small price.
Rhodes hadn’t yet looked into the "standard" reward for such missions, so he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he asked, "Didn’t you already have Magician escorts on board?"
The captain hesitated, looking sideways.
Two people stepped forward sheepishly. "We’re the ones."
The first, a thin man in a long robe, raised his staff. "I specialize in illusion magic ,it’s fine against pirates or common sea beasts, but that ship wasn’t fooled by anything I cast."
The second, a broad-shouldered man with a neatly trimmed beard, rattled the keyring at his waist. "I’m a Celestial Spirit Mage. My spirits, Compass, Aquila, and Sagitta, are mostly for navigation and assistance. I can fight a little, but against that thing..."
"Ah, I didn’t mean to criticize," Rhodes interrupted quickly, realizing how his tone might have sounded. "I was just curious. A Celestial Spirit Mage, though, that’s rare."
The bearded man chuckled. "You flatter me. Compared to you, a Wizard Saint, I’m nothing but a humble sailor."
Before Rhodes could reply, the lookout’s voice boomed from above. "Captain! Strange sea beasts approaching, both sides! Purple Crabs, and they’re huge!"
"What?! Fire the..."
"Wait," Rhodes said calmly, raising a hand. "Those are mine. I summoned them to escort us."
"..."
The captain blinked twice, then immediately shouted, "All hands! Do not harm those crabs!"
A chorus of "Aye, sir!" followed, no one wanted to offend the man who’d just erased a ghost ship.
Moments later, Rhodes’s right arm shimmered and shifted, transforming into a green-scaled dragon claw. He made a few deliberate motions toward the damaged hull.
The captain was about to ask what he was doing when a sailor came running up, eyes wide. "Captain! Something strange, the water in the hold suddenly drained out! The hole isn’t sealed completely, but it’s stopped flooding!"
The captain turned back to Rhodes. "Mr. Rhodes...?"
Rhodes’s claw reverted smoothly to a human hand. He waved dismissively. "Nothing special."
Mira smiled and patted Rhodes on the arm. For all his calm demeanor, she could tell he was trying a bit too hard to look cool.
The captain didn’t mind in the slightest. His heart was full of gratitude. From repelling the ghost ship to escorting them to safety, and even patching the hull, Rhodes had handled everything with effortless precision. Truly worthy of the title Wizard Saint.
But things weren’t quite over yet.
"Captain!" the lookout shouted suddenly. "Something strange floating over! They’re carrying... boxes?"
Rhodes raised a hand to reassure him. "Don’t be alarmed. Those are my ghosts. It’s a pity, two of the crates were damaged, and the contents sank before they could be recovered. They moved too fast for even me to help."
Even if he had sent out his two crabs with four claws apiece simply couldn’t gather that much scattered cargo.
"T-thank you, truly, thank you!" the captain said, almost trembling. Compared to the whole shipment, a few lost boxes meant nothing, but the fact that Rhodes had even considered recovering them deeply moved him.
’How thorough can one man be?’ the captain thought. ’Even after saving us, he’s worrying about our cargo?’
He made a mental note to compose a thank-you letter later, a proper one. It had to be sincere. Maybe he’d even ask someone literate to polish it up.
Rhodes, seeing that the crew had regained order and no longer needed his help, turned his thoughts back to the ship from earlier. "That ghost ship... have you heard similar stories before?"
The captain nodded. "Oh, plenty. Legends about ghost ships go back four hundred years or more. But lately, it feels like the sightings are becoming more frequent. Just last year, I must’ve heard of one new attack every week."
He lowered his voice. "It always begins the same way. A fog rolls in, then cannon fire follows. It won’t stop until the ship it targets is torn apart. Sometimes the crew goes down with it, but if they abandon ship early, most survive."
"The oldest tales say it’s the vengeful spirit of an abandoned vessel," he continued, "so it only attacks ships that already have owners. But recently, some believe it’s the soul of an old sailing ship that hates modern vessels, those that sail without wind or sailcloth. That’s why it targets us."
"In that case," Mira said softly, "it’s a little pitiful."
The captain gave a humorless chuckle. "Perhaps, if you ignore the victims."
"I don’t think it’s a ghost at all," Rhodes said thoughtfully. "When it vanished, I noticed traces of magical energy. Not quite like mine, and not Celestial Spirit Magic either, but definitely summoned."
"Summoned?" The captain’s expression darkened. "You mean... we’ve been targeted by a Magician?"
Rhodes shook his head. "I can’t say for sure. There’ve been many victims, haven’t there? If you’re worried, you could investigate whether there’s something they all have in common."
The captain looked uneasy. "That sort of investigation... I wouldn’t even know where to begin. But since Miss Mirajane destroyed the thing, surely it’s over, right?"
The Celestial Spirit Mage, still standing nearby, cleared his throat. "Not necessarily. If that ship truly was a summoned creature, then even if Miss Mirajane dealt it a critical blow, by the laws of summoning it would simply return to its dwelling and reform after a time."
That news wiped the relief off the captain’s face. "I-I see... Then, if I were to hire you, Mr. Rhodes, to look into it, what would the commission cost?"
He understood how guild contracts worked. A rescue was one thing, but an investigation was another entirely. If he wanted their help again, he’d have to file a new request.
Rhodes, however, shook his head. "I’m sorry. An investigation like that would take quite a bit of time, and I’m not accepting long-term commissions right now. But I recommend you go directly to Mermaid Heel. They’ve got plenty of capable mages who could handle it."
He smiled faintly. "If the fee feels steep, join forces with a few other captains and make a joint request. It’ll lighten the load."
After all, this was Mermaid Heel’s territory. Taking work out from under them would look like poaching, and Rhodes had no intention of souring good relations over money.
He and Mira had spent several pleasant days with the guild’s members. There was no reason to ruin that.