"The bath is ready, come on in."
A similar conversation was happening in Rhodes and Mira's room, though the atmosphere was entirely different.
The newly built house was spacious, allowing the young couple to have the entire second-floor bathroom and its large bathtub to themselves.
Steam filled the bathroom, echoing with the sound of splashing water, mingled with other ambiguous noises.
That afternoon, Rhodes had watched Alzack and Bisca play hide-and-seek with Asuka.
Seeing the little girl, eyes covered, adorably groping around for her parents, he couldn't help but feel envious.
He wanted a daughter just as cute.
Mira wanted one too.
Not just one, she wanted three children, ideally two daughters and one son, mirroring the three-sibling dynamic of her own Strauss family.
That way, the children could look after each other, just like she and her siblings did.
The couple worked diligently toward their shared goal.
Their efforts began in the bathroom and continued into the bedroom.
Driven by their eagerness and the fact that they hadn't been intimate for a while, Rhodes unusual requests were also fulfilled.
After all, her flexibility was excellent, and she had plenty of clothes. If she really ran out, she could always transform into something else.
The next day, work resumed as usual, though Rhodes was running a bit late.
"I was at home checking some information about Celestial Spirits," he explained when asked.
Miralooked at him with a smile, and Rhodes felt his wife was becoming even more captivating, even a single glance from her was enough to make his heart race.
Lucy arrived accompanied by Erza, one carrying Happy and the other carrying Natsu.
Natsu and Happy were in similar states, their heads and limbs hanging limply like jellyfish, clearly having passed out.
Rhodes looked at the red bumps on their heads and asked, "What happened to them this time?"
Lucy giggled, "They climbed through my window this morning. Erza happened to be browsing through my wardrobe at the time, and when she heard the noise, she thought it was an enemy, so she…"
Rhodes felt there were a few points worth questioning. Was "browsing a wardrobe" some kind of girl code? She said it so naturally.
Erza, who seemed to have caught the keyword, casually tossed Natsu onto a bench to lie face down and said seriously, "Lucy really has an excellent fashion sense."
Lucy replied modestly, "Not really~ I just learned a bit from fashion magazines."
"Is that so?" Erza nodded thoughtfully. "Was that light blue, semi-transparent lace, lightly padded, oversized bra also recommended by a fashion magazine?"
Lucy's face instantly flushed bright red, and she waved her arms frantically, trying to stop Erza from continuing, "Don't describe it in such detail!"
Macao and Wakaba accidentally overheard Erza's words. They seemed to imagine something, and a moment later, blood trickled from their nostrils as they gave the girls a thumbs-up.
Rhodes gasped, "There's something like that?"
"Erza," Rhodes placed a hand on Erza's shoulder, "next time, take me along when you go browsing."
Erza nodded, "No problem."
"Mr. Rhodes, you too…" Lucy ran to Mira for help. "Miss Mira, please stop them, at least stop Mr. Rhodes."
"Hmm..." Mira said magnanimously, "If it's Lucy, it's fine."
Lucy slumped in defeat, "Why is it fine when it's me?!"
"Because…" Mira tilted her head in thought, then suddenly smiled. "It's trust, perhaps?"
Among the girls in the guild, Rhodes could put his arm around Erza or Cana without any issue, but she would feel a bit bothered if it were anyone else.
However, if it were Lucy, not only could he put his arm around her, but even seeing a bit more than he should would be fine.
Juvia, Bisca, Evergreen, as well as Laki and Kinana, they were all quite perceptive and would be careful themselves.
As for Levy and Wendy… that would be a crime.
Mirajane looked at Lucy with an expression that said, "I would never doubt you."
"I don't want this kind of trust!" Lucy was on the verge of tears, and it took her a moment to realize something seemed off.
Was the point whether Miss Mira would suspect her or not?
Never mind. Mr. Rhodes probably just said it casually and wouldn't actually go rummaging through her wardrobe.
Probably.
Suddenly, a golden starlight shimmered beside Lucy, and Loke appeared in the guild.
However, his appearance was not that of "Loke" but "Leo," indicating that he had come this time in his capacity as the head of the Zodiac Celestial Spirits.
"Loke?" Lucy greeted him calmly. A Celestial Spirit showing up on its own wasn't anything new for her. "So, did you find anything out?"
"Yes. I'm here to deliver a message from the Celestial Spirit King."
Loke glanced around the guild, noting Erza, Mira, and Rhodes approaching. "Is Master Makarov here?"
"Not yet," Rhodes replied. "Go ahead, we'll hear it."
Loke nodded. The Master's absence didn't seem to concern him much.
"First," he began seriously, "about the Abandoned Spirits' objective: they're targeting every Celestial Spirit Mage. Their intent is to eliminate all of them. Until this matter is settled, Lucy, you must stay alert."
After delivering the warning, he flashed his trademark grin and draped an arm over Lucy's shoulder. "But don't worry too much, your handsome knight will always be there to protect you!"
Lucy smacked his arm away. "Get to the point! Why would they want to kill Celestial Spirit Mages in the first place?"
Pushing his glasses up with one finger, Loke's tone grew grave again.
"There are two main reasons. First, they want to destroy the trust between the Celestial Spirit Realm and the Human World. Once that bond is broken, no one here could interfere with their plans against our realm."
He paused before continuing.
"Second, they're trying to sever the connection between the two worlds entirely. If every Celestial Spirit Mage dies, all contracts will vanish, and the link between realms could collapse completely."
Lucy frowned, bewildered. "Cut off the connection between the realms? Why would they ever do that?"
Loke's expression darkened. "Partly for revenge. The Abandoned Spirits were almost all defeated soldiers from the Great Spirit War long ago. They've lived in bitterness ever since, furious over the treatment they received, and now they seek to overthrow the Celestial Spirit King."
He hesitated for a moment. "But there's another theory. If they manage to cut the connection, they may have found a way to remain in the Human World permanently, without the usual restrictions on our kind. In that case, they could even try to rule the Human World."
"Rule it?" Rhodes crossed his arms. "Do they actually have that kind of power?"
Even setting aside those whose existence bordered on godhood, he thought, the immortal black wizard Zeref and the dragon Acnologia alone would be nightmares to deal with.
But Loke shook his head. "Don't underestimate them. Even though they lost the last war, several among their ranks are terrifyingly strong. One of them is said to rival the Celestial Spirit King himself."
His gaze hardened. "And worse, they may have found a way to keep their spirit nature intact while living here. If that's true, they wouldn't die from normal wounds at all. Even if their bodies were destroyed, they'd simply reform somewhere else in the Human World after a while."