When Rhode and Wendy rushed into Magnolia, the cathedral bell was still ringing incessantly.
Such rapid bell ringing easily made people think of an urgent event happening.
However, they found that although the townsfolk were a bit surprised, they weren't panicked. Apart from some puzzled children, the adults calmly pulled the kids to find a spot to stand firm and hold tight.
Carla asked puzzled, "What on earth is going on? A disaster drill?"
"Excuse me... what does this bell mean?" Rhode randomly asked a person leaning against a tree by the roadside.
"Ah, this... it's that man who's back." The passerby glanced at the Fairy Tail emblem on Rhode's clothes, "Huh? Aren't you from the guild? Don't you know?"
"Someone from our guild?" Rhode's first reaction was that Natsu had run to the church to play with the bell, but who was 'that man'?
Just then, a winged megaphone flew over, broadcasting loudly above everyone's heads on the street:
"Attention citizens, Magnolia is about to switch to 'Kildas Mode', please quickly move to a safe location! I'll repeat, citizens..."
The passerby pointed at the little megaphone in the air and said, "Look, just like that, better stand firm quickly."
Kildas, Rhode had heard of, was said to be the guild's strongest mage and had not been back for nearly three years, but what the heck was 'Kildas Mode'?
Is the entire city holding a welcome party for him?
In the midst of confusion, the ground suddenly began to shake!
"An earthquake?" Rhode staggered a bit, grabbing a tree trunk with one hand and Wendy's arm with the other, to prevent her from falling.
"Thank you." It was Carla who gave thanks, as she would have been squashed into a cat pancake if she fell.
"Calling it an earthquake is one way to put it, but you should just see for yourself." The passerby pointed towards the main street.
From the main street as the center, all nearby buildings began shifting, with the foundations rising and roads descending.
If viewed from above, it would look as though the entire Magnolia had been cut into pieces like a map and then reassembled, revealing a road leading straight from outside the city to Fairy Tail.
It was a straight road, with buildings on either side elevated by two or three meters relative to the road surface, like a massive channel built in an instant.
Then a human figure leisurely strolled in from outside the city, walking directly towards the guild along this special road.
As the figure approached, Rhode saw that it was a man with reddish-brown hair, draped in a ragged black cloak, carrying a bedroll on his back, walking steadily but with a dejected expression.
This look easily reminded people of Macao.
"Is this Kildas?"
He looked older and more desolate than in the photos Rhode had seen.
But this Magic Power... it shouldn't be inferior to the president.
Wendy joyfully said, "Was this 'Kildas Mode' designed just for him? That's amazing!"
Rhode said, "I knew he was strong before, but I didn't expect Magnolia would undergo such transformation specifically for him. Is he such a highly respected mage?"
The passerby probably guessed that they were newcomers to the guild, smiled wryly, and said, "That's not wrong... but rather than respect, it's more like importance.
"Actually, he, when walking, often loses focus and would directly collide with any obstacles. His magic, coincidentally, is exceptionally powerful, and whether it's trees, stones, or walls, as long as he touches them, they immediately shatter.
"So, to minimize damage, everyone collectively agreed to remodel the city, allowing for a direct road to Fairy Tail no matter which direction he returns from..."
"..." Rhode was silent.
So that's what 'importance' means.
Should I say, as expected of Fairy Tail's strongest mage?
Carla thought of how Wendy just praised Kildas, and said with a helpless expression, "Isn't he just an amazing fool?"
"Have you ever thought about how much destruction he caused before, to force the entire city to remodel..."
Rhode now felt that even Natsu wasn't really a disaster maniac, as he hadn't forced Magnolia to develop a 'Natsu Mode'.
Wendy and Carla, considering Rhode's point, now felt a little sympathetic for the residents here.
"I'm sorry for the trouble everyone." Rhode involuntarily apologized to the passerby, then pulled Wendy to head back to the guild.
He was curious about what kind of person this overwhelmingly strong man was.
Boom!
A figure broke through the guild's wall, drawing a beautiful parabola, heading towards Rhode.
Seeing that pink hair in the air, Rhode calculated the landing spot, pulling Wendy back a step.
Thud!
Natsu crashed onto the ground, sprawled in all directions.
"Mr. Natsu?" Wendy covered her mouth, worried, "Are you okay? Why did you fly out?"
She crouched down to check Natsu's injuries.
However, Natsu himself jumped up, angrily pointing at Rhode, "Why did you dodge?!"
Rhode replied bluntly, "Because I didn't want to get hit by you."
"Then catch me!"
"Sorry, I'm not very good at handling flying objects."
Natsu bristled, "Who would believe that?!"
"You're fine, aren't you." Rhode didn't ask why he flew out because he probably knew, "Aren't you going to continue the challenge?"
"Right! Kildas!" Natsu ran back excitedly.
As expected, it was because he tried to challenge Kildas and got knocked flying.
"We're back."
"Yo, Rhode's back!"
"Wendy! Still as cute as ever!"
"So, did Rhode bully you?"
"Someone missed you, you know~"
"You guys know what, just now..."
Different individuals with varying personalities greeted the returning members in their own ways.
Overall, Wendy and Carla received more concern. After all, Rhode was no longer the newbie from last year that needed looking after, but a seasoned mage who could look after others...
Wendy and Carla were happy to receive so much concern, just responding somewhat shyly.
Rhode was more casual, waving as he walked towards the counter.
While glancing around, he noticed a large hole in the side wall of the guild, through which he could see Kildas's back.
Some people were complaining about Kildas causing trouble as soon as he returned.
Hapi had just greeted Carla when Natsu eagerly dragged him away.
Going for another challenge?
Rhode walked up to Mira, but she was too engrossed in thought to welcome him. Her brow was slightly furrowed.
"Snap out of it~" Rhode waved a hand in front of Mira's face.
"Ah!" Mira awakened, and upon seeing Rhode's face, she was pleasantly surprised, "You're back!"
"What were you so engrossed in thinking about?"
"It's Ka..." Mira suddenly stopped, "Nothing, it's about Kildas. Did you just see him?"
"Yeah, you mentioned before that he looked after you, right?"
"Yeah." Mira smiled, "But he didn't recognize me just now."
"A big change after all." Rhode pondered for a moment, suddenly realizing, "He still doesn't know about Lisana's situation, does he..."
"...Yeah." Mira nodded, catching Rhode's worried eyes, "It's fine, that's not what I'm concerned about."
"Then..."
"Don't ask anymore." Mira interrupted him, placing her hands on her hips, "Hurry up, Miss Mira needs to check the task now, where's your team? Don't tell me you lost them?"