Chapter 666: New Review, New Generation
"This type of Magic can be a bit rough... better to close your eyes."
"Mhm."
Rhodes silently thanked Master Makarov for the reminder and activated the Hextech Gate with Mira.
The two were instantly engulfed in a sphere of blue light, as though slipping into another dimension, and in just seconds they reappeared on the guild’s rooftop.
Once they touched solid ground again, Mira wavered and raised a hand to her forehead.
Rhodes steadied her quickly. "We’re here. How do you feel? Need me to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?"
"Don’t joke around. I’m just a little dizzy." Mira took a moment to steady herself before the two of them headed downstairs.
At the counter, Laki was wiping a wine glass. Her posture looked so much like Mira’s had six years ago that Rhodes almost did a double take.
As soon as she heard footsteps, Laki turned and gasped, "Mira-nee! Rhodes! You’re back!"
She had been restless all afternoon, blaming herself for not gathering enough intel or not explaining things clearly, which might have led to their companions getting into trouble.
Rhodes waved casually. "We’re back. Master’s here too."
Makarov, already informed of Erza and the others’ disappearance, nodded gravely. "You worked hard outside. How did it go?"
"The mission itself was dealt with perfectly," Rhodes answered. "But we didn’t find our people, only their luggage."
Laki’s hands trembled on the glass. "What do we do now?"
"Don’t worry," Makarov reassured her. "With Erza there, nothing will happen." His words were steady, but even he knew they couldn’t ease every bit of worry.
Laki bit her lip. "It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have let them take that mission..."
Mira put an arm around her shoulders and said gently, "Mages are responsible for the missions they choose. And since neither the client nor the bandits saw them, their disappearance has nothing to do with the request. It’s not your fault."
Rhodes added, "I’ll go again tomorrow. If there’s still no news, I have other ways to track them down. Don’t worry."
Just then, Romeo came running in. "Rhodes! Mira-nee! Did you find Natsu and the others?"
Rhodes blinked. "Where’d you hear about this?"
"My dad told me!" Romeo’s eyes were wide with worry. "Is Natsu in danger? Do you need my help?"
Rhodes ruffled his hair with a smile. "Don’t worry. I’ll bring them back."
"Mhm!" Romeo nodded hard, easily reassured. In the guild, the person he trusted most was Natsu, followed closely by Rhodes. His own dad, Macao, didn’t exactly inspire much confidence.
Rhodes chose not to linger on that and turned to Makarov instead. "Was everything smooth here today, Master?"
Makarov sighed. "Smooth... but I already regret it."
"What’s wrong?"
The Master suddenly exploded, leaping onto the counter with flailing arms. "How can I start writing self-criticisms on the very first day I return as Guild Master?! At least give me a month of peace, no, half a month, no, a week!"
Mira laughed behind her hand. "I’ve missed the furious Master."
Rhodes leaned down toward Romeo and asked quietly, "So... who caused trouble this time?"
Romeo whispered back, "It was Gajeel. After finishing his last mission, he ate half of the client’s iron fence."
Rhodes: "..."
Romeo added even more quietly, sneaking a glance at Makarov. "Actually, the complaint letter came yesterday, but my dad hid it and only gave it to the Master after the handover today."
Rhodes: "..."
Impressive, Macao. Truly impressive.
The old man was over ninety on paper, yet he still had the energy to stir up trouble.
Rhodes thought for a moment, weighing his conscience, then decided it was better not to mention Macao’s little stunt just yet. Telling Master Makarov now would only make him angrier, it was better to keep it as leverage.
Romeo, however, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as if he’d just betrayed his father somehow.
Noticing Rhodes had some free time, Romeo asked eagerly, "Rhodes-nee, you know Fire Magic too, right?"
"A little," Rhodes said with a smile. Catching the hint, he asked, "Want me to spar with you?"
Romeo’s eyes widened. "Can I?"
"Of course." Rhodes handed the commission slip to Mira to take care of and then followed Romeo out to the guild’s backyard.
Rhode’s gaze lingered on the dusty training equipment piled in the corner of the yard. "I kind of miss this place."
Romeo tilted his head. "Miss what?"
"I used to train here," Rhodes said, a trace of nostalgia in his voice. "I challenged everyone in this yard, again and again, and little by little, I grew stronger." He smiled faintly, remembering. "Sometimes, I even watched the stars here with Mira."
Romeo let out a small "ah." He had heard a bit about those days, but after the others disappeared, he’d grown afraid of coming to the yard alone.
Just a few days ago, he’d overheard someone bragging that they’d beaten Rhodes here, that he couldn’t even fight back. His dad had even repeated it once when he was drunk.
Romeo hadn’t believed a word of it.
Rhodes sighed softly, then turned to face Romeo, holding out his hand. "Come on then. Hit me with your best Magic."
"Okay! Watch this, Rainbow Fire: Red!"
A basketball-sized flame of deep red bloomed in Romeo’s palm, and he hurled it at Rhodes with all his might.
Rhodes lazily waved his hand. The flame fizzled out before it even touched him.
"Be more serious," Rhodes said lightly. "It’s fine, treat me like an enemy."
"Alright, then, Rainbow Fire: Blue!"
This time a cool blue flame, larger than the last, roared toward him.
Rhodes waved his hand again, and the flame vanished just as easily.
For a brief moment, he wondered if he was being too discouraging. But Romeo’s eyes shone only with admiration.
"Amazing! As expected of Rhodes-nee! Let’s try the next one!"
Rhodes couldn’t help but smile. ’As expected of a Fairy Tail kid. That mindset is perfect.’
Romeo raised both hands, summoning three flames of different colors that spun together over his head. With a loud shout, he launched them all at once.
It looked like a finishing move, so Rhodes decided this time he’d put in a little more effort, showing some real Magic in return.
A thin golden shield of light shimmered into existence, blocking all three of Romeo’s rainbow-colored flames with ease.
"I thought so. This move looked familiar," Rhodes mused, tilting his head. "Which class taught you that? Don’t tell me they were passing off someone else’s signature spell as a lesson." He tried to recall the fire-type mage from Phantom Lord but couldn’t remember the name.
Romeo, a little winded from the effort, admitted sheepishly, "It was from Tutu-maru-sensei’s class. But don’t tell anyone, I learned it secretly behind my dad’s back. I knew it wouldn’t work on you though, Rhodes-nee."
Rhodes placed a glowing Red buff above Romeo’s head, letting its faint magic sink in. "Learn well from him. That kind of magic has real potential. Your problem isn’t technique, it’s just raw magical power. But you’re only twelve. Train hard and your strength will catch up."
After letting Romeo rest for a moment, Rhodes stepped onto the training ground again. "Alright, time to test your overall combat ability. Your goal is simple, knock me off this platform."
He tapped the ground lightly with the ball of his foot. A circular stone platform, only a centimeter high, rose up beneath him, just enough to define the challenge.
"Okay!" Romeo charged forward, throwing clumsy but determined punches and kicks, lacing his strikes with bursts of fire magic whenever he could.
Rhodes defended with one hand behind his back, moving lazily but precisely, parrying every blow without breaking a sweat. Between each block, he calmly offered guidance, pointing out which strikes were too slow, which timing was off, and where Romeo left openings.
Above them, Makarov paused his writing and peered out of his office window. The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.
The sight reminded him of Gildarts sparring with a much younger Natsu, rough, fiery training sessions that had once filled this very courtyard with sparks. Now, watching Rhodes with Romeo, Makarov thought, ’Yes... another new generation is growing strong.’