"This task..." Mira said, holding the assignment sheet with some hesitation.
Rhode leaned in, whispering, "Find the Divotian Grass, reward 88,600 J, task location is Galanotos Snow Mountain, is there anything wrong?"
"It's a pretty ordinary task, but considering the difficulty, the reward seems a bit low," Mira explained,
"Galanotos is home to some ferocious carnivorous magical beasts. Generally, a task with this kind of risk should have a reward of at least 100,000 J. Yet, it's marked as an emergency task..."
Low reward, high risk, and urgent?
"Maybe there's more to it?" Rhode suggested, "What is that Divotian Grass used for?"
"Initially, it was used to treat colds and fevers, but due to harsh growing conditions and the existence of substitute medicines, it's rarely used. However, later it was found to be effective in treating a certain epidemic..."
Mira flipped through the materials, "Just as expected, the client's family is affected by that epidemic and urgently needs the herb for treatment."
"They're probably spending their savings to treat the illness..." Rhode looked at the peculiarly precise reward amount and took the assignment sheet from Mira.
"Rhode?"
"Do you think Elfman and I can handle those magical beasts?"
"Those are gregarious beasts that like to swarm during a fight..." Mira glanced at Rhode, thinking it might not be too big of a problem,
"What's tricky is their unique ability to trigger avalanches, which is quite troublesome in the snow mountain environment."
"I'm not afraid of group battles, and we can fly to avoid avalanches..."
Rhode said, "Let's just take it; it's not a popular task anyway, we might as well deal with it."
He wasn't sure if this would disrupt the market, but either way, they'd meet the client and see whether they genuinely couldn't afford more or were just trying to lowball.
"Okay." Mira nodded, since Rhode had made up his mind, she didn't say anything more.
As for whether Elfman would mind the low reward, Mira believed he wouldn't.
"Elfman~"
Elfman walked over from the bulletin board: "Sister?"
"We've chosen a task, take a look." Mira showed him the assignment sheet while explaining the key points to note.
"No problem, sister, a real man doesn't care about the reward at times like this!"
If it were someone else, Rhode would have surely replied, 'Then your share is mine,' but since it was Elfman, he could only say:
"Then let's split up to prepare; meet back here in half an hour, and remember to bring enough winter clothing."
"A real man!" Since it was an urgent task, Elfman quickly agreed and ran out.
Rhode, being familiar, headed to the warehouse and library, gathering necessary items before going home to pack his luggage.
Half an hour later, Mira looked at the two fully geared individuals: "Elfman, remember to consider Rhode's advice."
"Got it, sister." Elfman already wanted to spar with Rhode.
But it's precisely because they spar often that he knows Rhode is someone worth trusting.
Mira opened her mouth, wanting to say something to Rhode, but in the end, just looked into his eyes: "Be careful on the road."
Rhode smiled, "Alright, we're off."
...
This time, things were hurried, and nothing could be done in time. Rhode could only bring a book to read on the carriage.
Elfman was not too familiar with Rhode's task routine: "What's that?"
"Information about Galanotos Snow Mountain, it's important to know more about the task location." Rhode showed him the cover, then took out a magic book and stuffed it into Elfman's arms, "Here, hold on to this, and use it when necessary."
"A real man's..."
Rhode cut in, "A real man should hold onto it properly and not worry your sister."
"You...sure think ahead." Elfman thought for a moment and asked, "You must want to make a move on my sister, right?"
Rhode thought about it; Elfman might prefer straightforward communication, but now wasn't the time to be direct.
So he went for something both straightforward and not straightforward.
"Well...I can't admit to that just yet."
Elfman was taken aback, then said angrily, "What do you mean you can't admit it, you idiot!"
"It means literally, and it's best not to mention this to Mira yet."
"Why should I listen to you?"
"Then decide it like a real man; whoever wins the next fight gets to decide."
"Just like that, a real man!" Elfman couldn't resist agreeing when he heard 'like a real man.'
Then he remembered the giant golem he saw last night.
Should he restrict Rhode from using that move?
No, that wouldn't be a real man's battle!
Darn it, if only he could use Full Reception... The magic book fell onto Elfman's lap as he instinctively wanted to hold his head with both hands.
Rhode frowned, realizing that this child's psychological issues were also quite severe. Despite saying he wants to move forward, it's actually not that easy.
Back then, forcibly using Beast King was in desperation to protect his family, not his fault at all.
But because it was his unconscious self's doing, he couldn't forgive himself for it.
'Elfman is a gentle child,' Mira had once said.
Rhode had seen photos of Elfman in the guild's album before; indeed, his demeanor was completely different from now.
The gentler one's nature, the harder it is to get over oneself.
Rhode patted his shoulder, not trying to say anything; if such a matter could be resolved purely with words, the President would have healed him long ago.
Even if one wanted to talk their way through, there must be an appropriate timing.
It took about two hours traveling from Magnolia to the client's village.
"Elfman, we're preparing to disembark."
"Ah." Elfman answered and then asked somewhat surprised, "How do you know?"
"Because my Gorge Swift Crab has arrived long ago." Rhode pointed to his eyes, "I've already seen our carriage."
Such a convenient magic.
Elfman put away the magic book and donned his backpack.
The two entered the village, and Elfman's appearance frightened the children chasing around the street, making them run in circles around them.
Rhode told Elfman to wait while he himself approached a kind-looking elderly person for directions:
"Hello, I'm a Mage from Fairy Tail. Could you tell me where Mr. Calute and Mrs. Vis live?"
"Calute? Oh, I see, you're here to help with the treatment, right? He's a poor child, barely holding on. Just days ago, he was still energetically driving his carriage to deliver goods out of town..."
The old man murmured a few words, then pointed in a direction, "Over there, it's the house with a stable in the yard, but no horses inside."
What a peculiar way to identify the place...
Rhode thanked the old man, called Elfman, and headed to the house.
Thinking deeper, did Mr. Calute sell even his horse to afford the treatment?