"It's not that our country doesn't have nobility or royalty.
Being able to dedicate such a long time to learning is probably thanks to policies, order, and productivity.
Of course, family support is also very important..."
Rhode suddenly stopped talking; apart from the days when he first arrived here, he dared not think about these things, nor did he want to bring them up.
The President said to Rhode that if he goes out and sees the world, he might find clues about the 'Space Magic' that brought him here.
If he can't find them, then the Guild would be his home.
Just like Natsu, six years have passed since Natsu's foster father, Igneru, 'disappeared.'
Natsu is still tirelessly looking for clues to his beloved family, but in the meantime, he has gained new family members.
Rhode doesn't understand the inside story of Natsu's situation, but he guesses it's different from his own.
He might never have the chance to return.
'It's not so bad; a fantastic world full of magic, with many landscapes awaiting my exploration.'
Rhode tells himself this, then immerses himself in work, reading, and practice, temporarily setting aside those thoughts and striving to live his life.
Mira finds it hard to imagine what kind of country Rhode is describing.
A place with a good life and order, even allowing children from ordinary families to study continuously until adulthood.
Such a favorable situation without a king or nobility... is that possible?
She didn't continue to ask because Rhode stopped when mentioning family.
Without waiting for her to comfort him, Rhode downed his glass of wine and stood up, saying, "Please take care of Reby for me, I'm going to practice for a while."
Mira nodded, only reminding him, "Remember not to overextend your Magic Power."
...
The days in August are long, and when Rhode got off work and went home, it didn't seem like the sky was going to darken anytime soon.
As he walked, he waved his hand to summon Warm and vigorously rubbed this unfaithful fellow to relieve stress.
"Whoo~" Warm made a dismissive sound; it was too hot, and it wanted to go back to cool off.
"Wait, have you grown a little?"
"Who?" Warm showed a confused expression.
"I feel like when I first met you, you seemed smaller than you are now..."
Since they were together every day, he hadn't noticed; it wasn't until recently, when Warm wasn't always around, that he realized it was growing.
"Don't be in a hurry to go; I'll weigh you a bit later, so I have something to compare to next time."
"Uh~" Warm's little horns drooped; it felt its owner was taking revenge, using weighing as an excuse.
"Rhode!" Two familiar people were waiting on Rhode's way home.
"Jet, Troy? Do you need something?"
Rhode stopped; honestly, having witnessed their confession fail today, he felt a little embarrassed seeing the two of them now.
Troy stammered, struggling to get the words out, but Jet was straightforward: "We're here because of Reby!"
"Huh?" Rhode thought about it, "Do you want me to keep it a secret for you?"
Jet denied it: "Not at all, it's just a failed confession, nothing to be ashamed of!"
"...Actually, if you can keep it a secret, that'd be best," Troy whispered, but Rhode didn't hear it clearly and got a glare from Jet.
Jet got to the point: "Here's the thing..."
Rhode summarized: "...So you hurriedly confessed today because I've been spending time with Reby recently, which made you feel threatened?"
Troy added: "And it seemed like Reby was always happy whenever she came to see you."
Of course she was happy, don't they understand how joyful learning can be?
"You're overthinking it; Reby is simply enjoying the joy of gaining new knowledge. She truly loves anything related to texts."
Troy uncertainly asked: "Really?"
Rhode said: "You grew up with her, don't you know how much she loves studying texts? Like ancient texts, for example."
Jet felt a bit embarrassed: "When she was studying those things, we were either sleeping or hiding far away..."
Rhode rubbed Warm's little horns and confidently said:
"I'm sure Reby doesn't have the feelings you're worried about for me, and I don't have them for her. I like a different type."
Jet and Troy felt like crying; they seemed to have done something foolish.
"If you want to cry, go ahead, but after crying, think about how to handle the relationship between you three since Reby clearly rejected you."
Rhode bid farewell to the love-struck duo, feeling relieved inside.
Luckily, they weren't the persistent type; otherwise, he might face a 'I don't believe it, unless you can prove it to me' or 'Defeat us first, otherwise you're not allowed near Reby' melodramatic scenario.
It's so easy to get along with people who speak their minds and understand once you explain.
On his way back, Rhode saw a small stall selling watermelons packing up.
He thickened his skin and, with Warm in his arms, asked the owner to weigh it but didn't buy any watermelon.
...Geez, why are watermelons so expensive?
When I make big money, I'll buy two at a time, eat one, and... share one with the Guild friends.
Rhode silently noted Warm's weight, bought some cookies that Warm liked, and let it go back to the Wailing Abyss to cool off.
...
The post-work routine remained unchanged: exercising, hitting the punching bag, taking a shower, handling a few chores, and then sitting at the desk to organize information from magazines.
He finished reading nearly sixty magazines borrowed from Laki last week, and for now, he was reluctant to return them.
He initially planned to make a scrapbooking collection, but unfortunately, they weren't his own.
Rhode gritted his teeth, deciding to return them tomorrow.
Currently, he was going through two weekly magazines of the month, which he bought himself, costing roughly the price of a few beers, a manageable expense.
This week's issue of Sosala introduced the Mages' Guild Mermaid's Heel, a Guild with only female members.
It's said that this Guild is very popular, with many male mages trying to join, only to be rejected.
There were some who wouldn't listen to advice, stubbornly pestering the Guild daily.
As a result, they were knocked out by members of Mermaid's Heel, dressed in little skirts, heavily made up, and tied up at the Guild's entrance for a whole day and night.
Since then, the mages generally agreed not to underestimate Mermaid's Heel just because it consisted only of women.
And not to provoke them lightly.
Highlighting the talented mage Kagura, whose mastery of Swordsmanship and Gravity Magic surpassed all her peers in the Guild, making her a key figure for the future of Mermaid's Heel.
The classic princess-cut hairstyle combined with a katana reminded Rhode of a woman named Mei.
Recollecting the past is unbearable, and Rhode felt he had moved beyond the phase of liking two-dimensional characters.
He silently took note of the information about Mermaid's Heel and Kagura, set the notebook down, and began today's meditation.
Magic Power +1+1+1...
The time spent practicing was fulfilling and joyful.