Mira just helped Macao register a task and listened to the president explain the situation: "So, you're saying the president convinced Rhode to take on a task during his economic hardship?"
"Don't make it sound like I'm pushing him away, but yeah, that's about right." Makarov said, "Help pick an appropriate one for him."
Mira looked at Rhode: "What kind of task would you like to try, Rhode?"
"Preferably one with a high safety factor, a little trip that's not too far, won't take too long, and the pay is also..."
At this point, Rhode paused, "Hmm, is that too much to ask?"
"So you knew!" Makarov sighed and nimbly jumped off the counter, "Forget it, you decide for yourselves."
Rhode was like a fresh graduate interviewing for their first job.
What seemed like a routine task to the president made Rhode anxious, unsure of what exactly was required or how to act if he failed.
"You don't really need to take the president's words too seriously." Mira didn't actually want to persuade Rhode to take on a task; in her view, more training wouldn't hurt.
"Everyone in the guild is free, even someone like Nabu is never forced out by the president."
"I just don't want to end up like that, and I can't always live off borrowed money either." Rhode said,
"Please help me pick something within my abilities, and I'll make sure to prepare adequately."
"Alright~" Mira saw Rhode practice every day and was familiar with his capabilities.
But for a first task, it was best to get familiar with the process and gain some experience. Hmm... Let's be a bit considerate of a newbie.
Mira pulled out a task sheet: "How about this one?"
Rhode looked, and the task sheet had "WANTED" written at the top, but below... it was blank.
"It's empty?"
"Yeah, because today's client task hasn't been written down yet." Mira picked up a pen and started writing carefully on the counter.
Today's client task? Was it posted when the president and I were out?
Rhode's gaze followed the movement of her pen, line by line, beautiful handwriting appeared.
Escort Mission: Required to escort the client to Fiore Kingdom's capital Kulokas and return safely.
Reward: 20,000 J
Scheduled Departure Time: August 23, 8 AM
Task Date: August 22
"To Kulokas?"
Fiore Kingdom's capital Kulokas, also known as the City of Flowers, is the most prosperous city in the country.
Rhode, of course, had learned this important general knowledge.
Going to Kulokas, you could take a carriage from Magnolia heading west and reach it the same day, or take the river downstream for a quicker journey.
The key point is, whether by land or water, the common routes taken are like 'highways' or 'national roads', safe for even civilians to travel without worry, meaning a very high safety factor.
In other words, needing to hire a mage as a guard for such routes would imply the client is being targeted.
It could either be a life at risk or valuable assets.
This would make the journey much more unpredictable and dangerous.
Rhode pondered; he'd need to find out why the client was being targeted before deciding whether to accept.
However, after his seemingly justified analysis, Mira lightly moved her pen to write the last line:
"Client: Mirajane Strauss"
Rhode looked up: "Huh?"
Mira looked at him, smilingly asking: "Huh, what?"
"Mira, this..." Rhode didn't know what to say.
Was this creating a task because there wasn't a suitable one?
Mira said: "I do actually need to go to the City of Flowers tomorrow and was looking for someone to accompany me."
"You only need to say the word, and there'd be a line from the counter to the door of people willing to accompany you from the guild..."
"Oh my... you're quite the flatterer." Mira laughed and asked, "So, are you one of them, Rhode?"
"Of course... after all, you've always taken care of me." Rhode said, "There's no need to issue a task for this."
Mira lifted a finger and gently wagged it:
"Don't worry about it. Generally, when inexperienced newcomers venture out for the first time, the guild assigns an experienced mage to accompany them.
This is to help the newcomer get familiar with the workflow and handle any unexpected situations.
As for me, I can be considered an experienced mage, though I can't fight, you can ask me any questions during the task.
So, Mage Rhode of Fairy Tail, will you accept this task?"
"...I accept." Rhode smiled, unable to refuse such kindness, though it felt like being a kept man.
"Then, as the President's assistant, I approve your acceptance of this task." Mira deliberately spoke in a very formal tone.
She took out a stamp and pressed it onto the task sheet, also filling some information in the ledger.
This indicated the task was approved by the guild and officially assigned to Rhode.
Mira handed the stamped task sheet to Rhode: "Alright, now you can take this and meet with the client, Miss Mirajane Strauss, to confirm the task details."
"..." Rhode took the task sheet, glanced at the red stamp for a second, then looked up at his 'client'.
Mira met his gaze with a girlish expression and tone:
"Oh my, are you the Fairy Tail mage handling my task?
I'm sorry, but to confirm your identity, could I see the task sheet and your guild emblem?"
She even used honorifics; was she really this into character?
Rhode nodded mechanically, handing back the task sheet and lifting his left sleeve to reveal the emblem.
"As expected, you're a Fairy Tail mage! My apologies for the earlier offense!" Mira clasped her hands together and offered a small, 'apologetic' bow.
After a brief hesitation, Rhode decided to play along:
"No need to be formal, Mira... Miss Mirajane, you're heading to the City of Flowers, Kulokas, right? Are you prepared for the journey?"
Mira, like an ordinary girl, cautiously replied: "Yes, the plan is to take a boat tomorrow morning and arrive in the afternoon.
I'll need to stay overnight in Kulokas and return by carriage the following morning, reaching Magnolia by evening.
Do you have any suggestions, Sir Mage?"
That title 'Sir Mage' made Rhode feel uneasy:
"Please don't call me that. I don't have any issues with the itinerary. I'm just curious, are you being targeted by someone, hence the guard hire?"
Mira shook her head: "No, not at all. It's just that I feel it's not safe for a girl to travel far alone, so I'll entrust the road safety to you!"
"Alright, I accept." Rhode gave the acting queen a questioning look, is this okay?
Mira returned to her usual calm smile and stretched out a hand: "50 points, not passing."
"What?"
Mira cleared her throat: "Now, it's time for guidance from the experienced mage, Mirajane."