"Okay, task confirmation complete. Well done, Wendy." Mira seriously looked at the signer on the submitted task list and praised her.
"It was a very simple task." Wendy shyly smiled.
Mira prepared drinks for her and Carla: "Take a good rest now."
"Mm!"
On the other side, Rhode was chatting with the President, originally talking about Wendy and Carla's performance, and the atmosphere was quite good.
But suddenly Rhode asked: "Have you finished writing your review?"
Makarov sighed: "I went to repair the wall."
It's about the wall Kildas demolished.
Rhode asked curiously: "Why don't you ask him to come back and fix it?"
"Forget it, if I let him fix it, we'll have to redo the entire Guild tomorrow." Makarov decisively decided to repair it himself, "By the way, later on, don't rush off, I have something to discuss with you two."
"Okay." Rhode returned to his post, aware that it's almost the end of the month; if he slacks off, Mira would have to work harder.
Mira looked at him: "Immediately working upon return?"
Rhode paused, smiled and said: "Oops, my mistake. I should give my darling fiancée a hug when I return, and a passionate…"
"Who said that?!" Mira reached out to cover his mouth, but he kissed her palm directly.
Mira withdrew her hand, glared at him shyly, and then said: "I meant, after working hard for several days, why not take a rest first?"
"Just some physical work, not much… uh, actually, a bit tired. It'd be nice if someone could give me a shoulder rub." Rhode pretended to pat his shoulder.
"Alright~" Mira accepted reluctantly but soon mischievously cracked her fingers, "A shoulder massage, sure, but I won't stop until I feel it's enough~"
Rhode listened to her fingers crackling and suddenly realized his seemingly delicate fiancée could crush his shoulders.
He smiled awkwardly: "How about we skip it?"
"Too late, sit properly!" Mira pushed Rhode back into the chair, "It won't hurt much; bear with it~"
"Ah… ah?"
Rhode felt a slight pain in his shoulder, thinking he'd scream, but realized Mira's touch was just right.
Fooled by her.
He turned his head to meet eyes full of warmth and laughter.
Mira wrapped her arms around Rhode's neck, pressed her body against his back, and softly said: "It was hard outside. Welcome back."
"Mm." Rhode's face pressed against hers, speaking softly: "Not worried about being watched now?"
Mira continued to smile warmly: "I want everyone to see now."
Rhode didn't speak, just held her hands and placed them against his chest.
Everything he wanted to say was in the sudden quickening of his heartbeat.
Laki sighed with a tray in hand: "Ah… so blissful…"
"If it's blissful, why sigh?"
Mira regrettably let go of Rhode, thinking if it were private, she'd let him hear her heartbeat too.
"Because I'm envious, and Lucy just wanted to sit over, but you scared her away." Laki chuckled, "Since romance is affecting the tavern's business, this month you'll both receive salary deductions."
Nonsense, where did Lucy get scared off? She was clearly hiding with Jubia in the corner watching.
Though, one was shipping the couple, the other imagining swapping the pair with herself and Gray.
"Deducting our salary?" Rhode similarly chuckled at her, "Who's responsible for payroll again?"
"..." Laki choked, "Then I'll report to the President!"
Mira smiled and reminded: "But, the President's stipend is also managed by me."
Laki cupped one hand around her mouth like a loudspeaker: "Demon Lord couple monopolizing the Guild, corruption and lawlessness!"
Mira raised a hand: "Manager Rhode, I'm reporting Miss Laki, idling during work hours."
Rhode nodded: "Report valid, evident once suggests at least ten hidden cases, recommend financial director deduct one-third of Miss Laki's salary."
Mira nodded: "Accepted suggestion, Miss Laki, let's discuss your ten days of absenteeism."
"Yes, yes…" Laki raised a hand, lowered her head, "I concede to you."
From idle chatter to ten hidden slacking instances, to absenteeism for ten days, at this rate, she'd owe the Guild her salary in debt repayment.
The demon couple mocking others for idling, yet idled themselves before starting work.
By afternoon, the Guild quieted slightly, and Makarov called Rhode and Mira upstairs to discuss matters.
Erza was there too.
Makarov asked: "You heard about Kildas' task failure, right?"
Erza nodded: "Ah, that century-long task."
Rhode also nodded, hearing Mira talk about Kildas earlier in idle chatter.
Tasks harder than S-Class tasks, SS-Class tasks, if not completed within ten years while the client hasn't canceled, are called decade tasks.
Similarly, if not completed within a hundred years, they're called century tasks.
Century tasks are the toughest so far, as it's only 151 years since the world's first Mages' Guild was founded.
Decade tasks are few, and currently, there's just one century task.
Not only Fairy Tail has this task; other Guilds received the same commission.
Nearly a hundred have accepted the task, but only Kildas returned alive.
Many big Guilds lost hope in completing it, not wanting their mage to die; many kept the commission form.
Makarov was almost ready to give up, but he wanted to seek opinions first.
"What do you think about that task?"
Erza thought briefly, quickly responded: "If even Kildas can't, I'm not confident either."
Mira held Rhode's hand: "I feel the same."
Too dangerous.
She found her happiness, with no reason to risk everything for an unknown task.
"I'm not even an S-Class Mage yet." Rhode certainly wouldn't recklessly dive in, "But I'm curious about the task content."
"I don't know either." Makarov shook his head, directly taking out the task form, "The client demands confidentiality; only those who accept and go to the designated place can know the task content.
"So, now only Kildas knows specifics, but even if asked, he won't reveal. We don't even know the rewards; the client says they're rich, won't disappoint."
"..." Can't accept what isn't known from head to toe? Rhode won't touch such a fully unknown task.
What's driven Kildas to accept, probably curiosity and the mage's creed of 'solving troubles.'
For adventure, or the reputation for completing the sole century task, these motives might have been what killed nearly a hundred mages.
Rhode now only wants to find a house to marry, without such dangerous thoughts.