Chapter 684: Invitation


Rhodes wasn't truly a demon, so after tormenting them seven or eight times, he finally relented.


Natsu collapsed flat on the ground, eyes rolled back, ghostly wisps puffing from his mouth like he'd lost half his life.


Lucy sat hugging her suitcase, chin resting on it, eyes glazed with despair.


Gray leaned against the clock tower's pillar, half his shirt torn off, but he didn't even have the strength to remove the rest. His expression screamed utter defeat.


Wendy lay sprawled out, dizzy, arms wrapped tightly around Warm as she slurred Carla's name.


The real Carla and Happy were side by side on the floor, wings twitching weakly. They had tried to fly away earlier, but webs, hard as steel, had pinned them down, making escape impossible.


And then there was Erza.


"You're all so useless!" Erza barked, standing tall with her hands on her hips. "A little punishment and you've already collapsed!"


Gray's face darkened. "W-why is Erza completely fine?!"


Erza waved her hand dismissively. "That's because I admitted my mistakes and was determined to take responsibility. Your determination just isn't strong enough!"


Lucy weakly lifted her head, her voice faint. "This… this has nothing to do with determination…"


"In any case," Erza continued with fiery resolve, "this punishment isn't enough! Rhodes, the guild's punishment for us can't possibly end here, can it?!"


A weak chorus of "Noooo…" groaned from the others.


Rhodes blinked, caught off guard by how quickly Erza had adapted. "Uh… the physical punishment's about done. You can all go downstairs now."


Erza looked disappointed, but the rest suddenly felt blessed by the gods. "It's finally over."


Grateful for the reprieve, they staggered after Rhodes toward the stairs.


But the moment they stepped down into the hall, a hundred knife-like glares cut across the room.


The guild members spoke as one, voices dripping with sarcasm:


"Wel-come back, was the banquet fun?!"


"We're sorry!!!"


The team dropped into a bow all at once. Lucy dipped too far, smacking her forehead on the handrail. She yelped, clutching her head and crouching down in pain. Erza, Natsu, and Gray each gripped the rail too tightly and snapped off small chunks of wood. Wendy, shorter than the rest, avoided hitting hers. Happy and Carla wisely kept their heads down.


Mira waved them over gently. "It's fine, everyone was just worried about you. Come, sit down."


It felt like a divine pardon. The group scrambled to Mira's table, collapsing into chairs with palpable relief.


"Rhodes didn't do something excessive to you, did he?" Mira asked softly, noticing their pale faces. She gestured to Laki and Kinana to bring food to help them recover.


Erza, of course, ruined it. "It was only a little physical punishment. Nowhere near enough to make up for our mistakes."


The others' hearts skipped a beat. Too honest, Erza! Did she forget Mira had another side?


"Oh, so he really did punish you?" Mira said sweetly, covering her mouth in apology. "I'm so sorry about that." She then reached into her apron and pulled out a neatly wrapped gift box. "Here, a little something to celebrate your safe return. Would you like to open it?"


The group nearly wept with joy. Gentle Mira had shown up today, not Scheming Mira.


"You're too kind," Erza said, touched. "This only makes us more ashamed." She reached out as their representative and carefully opened the box.


Everyone crowded around eagerly.


Inside was not a treasure, not sweets, not even a token of comfort.


Just a thick stack of papers.


The group froze, confused, staring at Mira.


Her angelic smile never wavered. She laid out the papers one by one across the table.


"These are your accommodation fees from the Hotel."


Their faces paled instantly.


"And these," Mira continued sweetly, tapping another sheet, "are the repair fees for the floor you destroyed."


The group swallowed hard.


"Although you didn't stay overnight," Mira continued with a smile that was somehow both gentle and terrifying, "these are the fees for keeping the rooms reserved while we investigated your whereabouts."


Their bodies trembled.


"These," she said as she tapped another paper, "are the costs for requesting aid from Celestial Spirit Mages and posting requests to other guilds."


Except for Erza, the others collapsed face-first onto the table with groans of despair.


"And," Mira added kindly, "there were people who delayed their own work to help search for you. They all insisted it was a favor between companions, but…" her eyes curved into a crescent smile, "some of them asked that you run errands or help them out to make up for it."


The group's eyes widened as Rhode's earlier words resurfaced in their minds.


So this was the mental blow he had promised!


"This is only natural," Erza declared, completely unfazed, even smiling. "The willingness of companions to help is priceless!"


Mira glanced at Rhodes helplessly. In every way, Erza was simply too strong, ordinary punishments couldn't even dent her resolve.


Rhodes nodded. Time for the trump card.


Mira reached into her small bag and pulled out an envelope. "Erza, this one is for you."


"Oh? There's more?" Erza accepted it without hesitation, her expression earnest. "It's fine, no matter how much it is, I'll take responsibility."


She opened it and pulled out a hard card.


Her eyes landed on a single word.


"Wedding."


For several seconds she froze like a statue. Then, with the stiffest of motions, her neck creaked upward, slowly turning toward Rhodes… then just as slowly turned back, steam hissing from her head.


"W-we-we...wedding?!"


The guild hall erupted in an explosion of voices.


"EHHHH?!!!"


Rhodes casually slipped an arm around Mira's shoulders. "Why are you all acting so surprised? Didn't we already say we'd be getting married soon?"


"But you never said the exact date!" someone cried.


"It's way too sudden!" shouted another.


"It better not be just Erza who got an invitation, right?!"


Mira smiled warmly. "Of course not. Everyone has one."


From her bag, she pulled out a neat stack of envelopes, each carefully addressed. Together with Rhodes, she began handing them out one by one.


Really, they could have just told their guildmates directly. But the two had wanted to savor the joy of writing the invitations together, turning even the act of preparing them into a happy memory.


Laki tore hers open with trembling hands. She had shipped this couple for seven long years, at times fearing the ship would never sail. Now, her eyes shone as she read aloud:


"Sincerely invite Ms. Laki to the wedding of Mr. Rhodes and Ms. Mirajane. Location: Cardia Cathedral, Magnolia City. Time: Year X77X, Month X, Day 1."


Her jaw dropped. "The first?! That's only four days from now?!"


Rhodes chuckled. "Yes. Actually, the invitations were ready five days ago, but… certain delays kept us from sending them out."


Lucy froze, guilt stabbing through her. "I'm so sorry…" she whispered. "If we'd come back even a few days later, we might have made you miss your own wedding."


Seeing Erza so excited that she was practically frozen in place, everyone could tell, she definitely wanted to go.


Macao cleared his throat, trying to sound casual. "So… is it only our guild invited?"


Rhodes shook his head. "Of course not. We've also invited a few friends from other guilds, and some of Mira's old acquaintances, editors, and, well… some of her model friends."


"Model friends?!"


In an instant, Macao, Wakaba, and even Warren shot to their feet, their faces glowing with enthusiasm.


"I'd better pick out my best outfit right away!"


"I need to design a new hairstyle, this could be my big chance to stand out!"


"Yeah, yeah! It's Mira's wedding, absolutely no half-measures!"


They weren't thinking anything improper; it was just that Rhodes and Mira's wedding was such a monumental event that it deserved their absolute best effort.


Still… when they thought about it, Mira's model friends had to be around twenty-six or twenty-seven by now, right?


The prime of their lives!