"I don't know how long those days lasted, but today, suddenly a group of monsters attacked me.
And then a terrifying creature engulfed in flames appeared, like — like a Fire Dragon!
I tried desperately to escape, but couldn't. Eventually, they cornered me, and it felt like something clamped onto me, and I passed out.
But I seemed to hear someone say that Claudie was still waiting for me at home or something...
When I woke up, I was here, probably rescued by some benefactors."
Nope, he was actually beaten by the benefactors.
Claudie looked up at Natsu, her eyes almost sparkling like stars.
Natsu gave her a brilliant smile.
Rhode looked at him, Not only did you beat up her dad, but you're also so proud of it?
Oh, I was involved too, so it's fine.
Rhode briefly explained what happened to Chita and asked a few questions.
Then he advised him to remember to go and learn Receiving Magic once he was healed, and not to use 'Beast King's Soul' carelessly before fully mastering it.
He and Natsu left the room, no longer disturbing the family's reunion.
"In the end, I still don't understand how his Receiving Magic lasted for eight days."
"Of course, it's because of his desire to protect the village and his longing for family!" Natsu's answer was quite idealistic.
"I prefer to believe it was because of his initial awakening, with Magic Power running rampant uncontrollably, and then during his transformation, he quenched his thirst with mountain spring water and ate wild beast meat, constantly replenishing energy."
Hapi nodded in agreement: "Aye! Mira had a similar incident where her arm wouldn't revert before she joined the guild."
"Poro~" Poro didn't understand but agreed with Hapi.
"How could it possibly be for such a reason? It was definitely for the village and family that it lasted so long!" Natsu insisted on his opinion.
Perhaps that was possible too, the President said that magic is the power of the heart. A strong enough inner belief might indeed trigger miracles.
Rhode suddenly asked, "Natsu, do you think Receiving Magic is easy to learn?"
"How would I know? Why are you asking this?"
"Because it's strong, you see, after Chita mastered Receiving Magic, he suddenly became so powerful.
Didn't Mira also become an S-Class Mage using Receiving Magic..."
Rhode was tempted. An ordinary person who received the Beast King's Soul and was beaten by Natsu and the wild beasts for so long didn't die.
Not to mention the enhanced power, just the robust Defense and Life Energy alone... Rhode felt a sense of security just looking at it.
"Well, you'll know if you try it when we get back," Natsu said. "I think your wild beasts are also strong."
"True." Rhode had previously read about Receiving Magic and remembered the risk that receiving overly powerful targets could lead to losing control.
Because of this risk and the hassle of finding suitable receiving targets, it was not listed as the first option.
But after witnessing Chita's transformation, his heart was set on it.
He even had a bold idea—what would happen if he received wild beasts?
The usual term for Receiving Magic is ' Receiving·xx's Soul,' but the Magic Realm's definition is magical body seizure.
Generally, a received target is considered dead, and receiving wild beasts would mean killing them.
But Rhode hadn't really seen a wild beast die, maybe he could exploit a loophole?
Moreover, there were cases where people using Receiving Magic voluntarily or passively abandoned already received targets...
The wild beasts were both obedient and could be received and released at any time...
Seems worth a try?
...
Due to the uncertain progress of their current mission, Rhode and his team had to temporarily stay in the village.
On one hand, to see if there would be another large-scale beast attack on the village;
On the other hand, to keep an eye on Chita's condition to prevent his magic from going out of control and harming people.
Chita was quite happy these past few days.
Because not only did he survive and reunite with his family, but he also gained the power to protect the village in the future.
Seeing his excitement, Rhode had to repeatedly emphasize the dangers of losing control of magic.
Fortunately, after experiencing a life-and-death crisis, Chita valued his family even more and promised to learn magic seriously after his recovery and not use it recklessly.
He obviously understood the consequences of losing control in the village.
Today marks the third day since Rhode and his team brought Chita back.
These days, Rhode often sent the River Crab up the mountain to investigate. After the Beast King's disappearance, the fierce beasts were quiet for a day and then started fighting for territory again.
The situation on the mountain had stabilized relatively, and because the number of fierce beasts had decreased significantly, the carnivorous animals had plenty of food, showing no inclination to descend the mountain.
Yesterday, Rhode also took Natsu up the mountain to deal with some large, fierce beasts that were hard for ordinary people to handle.
What's left can be managed by the hunters with a little wit, digging traps and such.
Today, the villagers had decided to go out and harvest the crops, and Rhode acted as a bodyguard just in case.
Luckily, everything was calm, and their mission could be considered complete at this point.
In the evening, the village chief organized an early harvest festival for the villagers, mainly to thank and entertain the mages of Fairy Tail.
The villagers lit bonfires and cheered and danced, drinking and singing.
Natsu and Hapi quickly mingled with them. Natsu held a torch, alternately eating and spewing fire, capturing the attention of all the children and young people in the village.
Warm, with something unknown in its mouth, also jumped around the bonfire, not minding the heat.
Rhode sat quietly on the outskirts, taking small sips of his drink and large bites of meat.
Before crossing over, he was someone who could be described as 'unskilled with hands and unfamiliar with farming,' so it was hard for him to truly understand the joy of a farmer during a harvest.
Is it like the joy of drawing a rare card? Like receiving a paycheck? Or like getting an acceptance letter?
"Mr. Rhode."
"Chief." Rhode stood up and helped the elderly man, "How's Brother Chita doing?"
"Still the same, the doctor said it would take at least two or three months to fully recover."
The village chief watched the celebrating villagers beside Rhode, "Does Mr. Rhode find them too noisy?"
"No, calling it noisy is far from it." Rhode recalled the small tavern in the guild, "I'm just a little distracted, keeping an eye on the situation around the village."
The chief was taken aback, "Around... the village?"
"Yes, it would be a letdown if feral beasts disturbed the celebration, so I'm just keeping an eye on it, minimizing the chances."
"Ah, this, this is really... you..." For a moment, the chief didn't know what to say, "... You're too thoughtful."
Actually, on the second day after Chita was brought back, Panser had already asked them for the task list, wanting to sign off.
But Rhode insisted on not being careless, wanting to observe a few more days, and they even went up the mountain to handle some tough beasts.
The mages from Fairy Tail were really diligent and responsible.
Panser was filled with emotions; if his foolish son at home had even a tenth of Mr. Rhode's caution...
He'd retire right now and let his son become the village chief.