"Don't panic, it might be its final burst, or you could say its swan song," said Rhode. "If we hold on a little longer, it might just give out."
The River Crab carried the two forward at full speed, but the shaking ground and the falling rocks brought a lot of trouble.
Kana gritted her teeth and used the last of her magic power to shoot out a few flying cards, exploding at the creature's snout and wounds.
The beast looked more miserable, but also visibly angrier.
While running, its tail slammed heavily on the ground, causing the two mountains ahead to collapse and boulders to roll from all directions.
If not for the River Crab's 360-degree vision, it might have been impossible to avoid in such a situation.
Even so, the ground's vibrations severely interfered with the River Crab's actions, and a boulder half the height of a person smashed into its leg.
"Receiving: Beaked Bird!"
Rhode's legs transformed into long bird claws, grabbing Kana's shoulders and taking her into the air.
The Unicorn Demon Beast actually picked up a rock and threw it towards them.
Before the River Crab disappeared, it provided Rhode with the necessary vision, allowing him to evade two sneak attacks from behind.
He flapped his wings, taking Kana to fly away, with the beast still in pursuit, occasionally throwing a large rock.
"I can't do it anymore..." Kana's eyes dimmed; they were going to fail again.
"I..." Rhode hesitated, "Actually, there are two last options..."
Kana seemed to grasp the last straw: "What options?"
"The first is to stall a bit more, find a safe place to hide, and maybe by nightfall we can gather enough power for summoning the Crimson Marked Tree Monster; a heavily injured Unicorn Demon Beast should be..."
"No." Kana denied, "Your physical condition is already very poor, depleting your magic power repeatedly in such a short time will have very bad implications for your future."
If it were a life-or-death situation, perhaps there wouldn't be much to consider, but this was just her exam.
Though it was significant to her, if it required Rhode to sacrifice his future, that was not acceptable.
"The second option is I look for an opportunity to see if I can receive it."
"No way!" Kana's objection was firmer, "An enraged beast is much harder to control, even though you're a genius at learning receiving magic, your current physical state does not allow you to do this; you will lose control!"
Losing control like Elfman is a very dangerous thing; the fact that he recovered was already fortunate, Rhode might not be so lucky if he did the same.
Kana could not agree to such a plan.
Rhode hesitated, although unclear as to why, he could feel from this period of time spent together that this exam was exceptionally important to Kana.
If there was any chance, he still wanted to try.
It's risky, but... after all, with the President and Erza as backup, it shouldn't go too badly.
Whizz—pop!
A red flare shot into the sky with a whistling sound, emitting a dazzling light.
"Kana?"
"That's enough, Rhode." Kana hung her head, "You've done more than enough, it's my lack of training... I still don't have... that qualification..."
Tears slid down Kana's cheeks, dripping onto the unicorn demon beast below.
The unicorn demon beast raised its head, seeing a female knight clad in black armor: "Requip: Black Wing Armor!"
The firing of the signal flare signified giving up on the exam, and the task would be handed over to Erza to handle.
Rhode set Kana down on an empty field in the distance.
Kana knelt on the ground, one hand supporting her weight, the other punching the ground in frustration.
Tears fell, and she sobbed before breaking into a painful cry.
Beside her was a bewildered Rhode, behind them was Erza, who had landed lightly after a few strikes, and the unicorn demon beast was collapsing with a wail.
-----------------
Three days had passed since the end of the S-Class exam.
The discussions about the exam's topics had cooled down.
Wolian was dejected for a day due to his failure, but now he was back to chatting with Marcus, arm in arm.
Mickey also wasn't in a good mood, spending two consecutive days seeking fights, likely as her way of venting emotions.
The President was also in a bad mood, as he went to the Advisory Council branch yesterday and got a scolding.
The reason was that the S-Class exam had destroyed a large swath of natural scenery, causing some panic among passengers on the trains crossing the Kroba Bridge nearby.
However, the clever President shifted the blame onto the Unicorn Demon Beast.
The Advisory Council acknowledged the Unicorn Demon Beast's ability and threat, and commended them for eliminating the beast, so no further accountability was sought, though neither were they commended.
The President felt somewhat relieved, as he wasn't required to write an extra self-criticism, and he was quite satisfied with that.
The ones feeling the worst were Kana and Rhode.
One spent all day drinking, with less than an hour of sobriety in three days.
The other lay at home all day, then came to the guild to complete daily chores and trained intensely, resting in a hidden spot when exhausted, unwilling to speak to others.
Today, when Rhode again considered quietly slipping away, someone tugged at his shirt's back hem.
Looking back, he met Mira's concerned gaze.
Rhode avoided direct eye contact, forcing a smile: "What's up? Oh, do you need help logging tasks? I'll get on that right away..."
Mira didn't respond to his words, speaking softly, "Could you sit with me for a bit?"
"..." Rhode was silent for a few seconds, then nodded lightly.
Mira smiled, holding Rhode's wrist, she led him to sit at the counter.
She wasn't in a hurry to speak, pouring two drinks and putting them down first, then scooting her stool closer to Rhode, only then adjusting her skirt behind her and sitting on the stool.
Both placed their arms on the table, cradling their cups. Their elbows touching made them simultaneously shift a few centimeters to the side.
They looked a bit like schoolkids sharing a desk, only missing that 'border line' in the middle.
"Mira..." Rhode hesitated to start a conversation but struggled with what to say.
Mira chuckled: "Try the drink, it's Mr. Cook's new recipe."
"Alright." Rhode took a sip, first noticing a slight sourness, then sweetness flooded his mouth.
"How is it?"
"It sort of tastes like sea buckthorn juice, but it seems too sweet."
"It has extra sugar and other seasonings added, just a bit of sea buckthorn's sourness retained," Mira also sipped a little, eyes slightly narrowing,
"The sea buckthorn harvest season isn't completely over, so I bought a lot and had Mr. Cook make them into drinks."
Rhode lightly hummed: "It's very good."
"Speaking of, on the way to buy supplies that day..."
Mira ignored Rhode's lukewarm response, talking eagerly about happenings in the guild while Rhode was away, and her encounters outside.
Rhode listened attentively, one thing after another, all normal trivial matters.
Like who argued with whom, who got into a fight, which shop's food ingredients went up in price, when haggling was particularly successful...
Mira probably understood the reasons behind Rhode's gloom, but didn't mention anything related to the exam.
She merely narrated mundane occurrences naturally, occasionally letting out pleasant laughter.
Rhode listened to her stories, gradually feeling at peace.
He sipped the juice, tasting the sour and sweet, quietly 'seeing' through Mira's eyes the guild and its people.
When his drink neared its end, Mira pushed her cup over to him.
Seeing Rhode's surprised expression, Mira averted her gaze with subtlety: "It's too sweet, finishing it makes me feel like I'll gain weight."