"What?" Rhodes was surprised at first, then immediately realized Mira was going to set up the exam venue in advance. He thought for a moment and said to Mira in a coded message, "Well, before you leave, spend more time training with me these two days."
"So you two have always been diligent in your training, no wonder you keep getting stronger." Erza looked at Rhodes and Mira with admiration.
"Ah." Rhodes responded absently, his gaze drifting towards the ceiling.
"Y-y-yes." Mira’s cheeks were slightly flushed.
Although what Erza said was somewhat right, it wasn’t entirely right.
Someone shouted, "Hey, it’s snowing outside!"
"Really?" Lucy and Wendy both ran to the door to look at the snow.
Erza instantly changed into a chaotic outfit of a down jacket, a short skirt, snow boots, and cotton gloves. Not only did she go to see the snow, but she was also ready to lead the charge in playing in it.
Mira just glared at Rhodes.
Rhodes deflected, "This person always gets really excited no matter what activity it is."
Mira didn’t respond, just punched him in the chest.
That afternoon, a hearty snowball fight broke out on the street in front of the guild.
Macao brought his son Romeo to participate, demonstrating a father’s willingness to risk his life to shield his son from snowballs.
It really felt like risking one’s life; these Magicians hit too hard, even snowballs could send someone flying.
Actually, if Macao hadn’t blocked, others wouldn’t have hit a 6-year-old child that hard.
Wakaba, for once, brought his daughter to the guild.
She was a cute little girl with shoulder-length hair and a neat fringe, wearing a large hat that made her look adorable.
Rhodes found it really hard to believe that was Wakaba’s daughter, but then he remembered Wakaba’s old photos looked quite stylish, and his wife was a great beauty before she gained weight.
The little girl looked at these boisterous oddballs with disdain, and also at her father, who was fighting like a child.
What was so good about this noisy guild? Was it because her father joined here that he smoked incessantly and was never home?
Until Wendy invited her to build a snowman; until she saw a miniature guild made of snow by Erza.
That could no longer be called a snowman, it was a snow sculpture as delicate and perfect as a work of art.
It turned out this guild had such a cute little sister, and such an amazing big sister!
She developed a good impression of Fairy Tail for the second time.
The first time was when she was rescued from Edolas.
When Warm, who was running around the streets acting as a mobile obstacle, came over, his fluffy, soft touch immediately captivated her.
Maybe joining this guild when she grew up wouldn’t be bad either? Get full chapters from 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝕟𝕖𝕥
After work in the evening, Rhodes and Wendy only did basic training in the guild gym, and then chatted for a while about the S-Class Exam.
Mira, although present throughout, just listened quietly, not revealing any content of the exam questions.
She knew that for the final stage of this exam, the Master would give a certain clue, and this clue involved a bit of word puzzle content, which was precisely Rhodes’s weakest area.
Yes, although Rhodes’s common language was very proficient, when it came to word games, he was always inferior to those who had been immersed in it since childhood.
In comparison, that stage was more friendly to Levy and Lucy, which could be considered a small balance the Master made when setting the exam.
But Mira felt that Rhodes might be able to pass even without relying on clues.
Rhodes looked at the time. "It’s about time, let’s call it a day."
The three people and one cat stretched in unison and went to get their coats to leave.
Considering the weather today, Rhodes did not summon Scuttle Crab, but directly called Warm over and told everyone to ride on him.
The cute pet Warm ultimately could not escape the fate of becoming a mount. This fellow looked round, but his strength was truly considerable.
He carried them slowly, showing no signs of effort at all.
Moreover, with three people sitting on his back, it didn’t seem crowded at all. Most importantly, riding on him was warm and not cold at all.
After dropping Wendy and Carla off at their dorm, Rhodes held Mira in his arms and slowly returned to his own home.
Mira held Rhodes’s hand in hers, gently breathed on it, then closed her hands around it, she felt his hand always seemed cooler than hers.
Rhodes quietly enjoyed Mira’s care, chatting with her about guild matters, future life, and what to eat for breakfast tomorrow.
Time passed ordinarily, so peacefully that it seemed as if nothing had happened.
If it weren’t for the fact that the usual rowdy bunch wasn’t at the guild, and Macao had replaced the person in charge of task registration at the front desk, everyone might have forgotten that the S-Class Exam was about to take place.
Mira, Erza, and Gildarts had already departed for Tenrou Island, unceremoniously taking the Fairy Battleship.
Meanwhile, the Master and the examinees could only eagerly go to the port to rent a boat.
The wealthy Makarov directly chartered a sailboat and, in a whimsical move, painted his guild’s emblem on its sail.
As for whether the boat’s owner was willing, the answer was always more money.
After all, they had just made a large sum of money, and for an important event like the S-Class Exam, how could they not create enough atmosphere?
Since the announcement of the list, it was the first time all the examinees had gathered so completely.
The candidates and their partners had not changed at all, but Lucy curiously asked, "Cana, where’s your partner?"
Cana pointed casually: "Isn’t that him?"
Lucy turned her head to look, only to see a ruffian chewing on screws with a "gah-eh, gah-eh" sound, occasionally taking a swig of alcohol.
"Gajeel? You stole Levy’s partner?"
Kana waved her hand: "Not him, it’s the one next to him."
"Next to him... Lily?"
"Otherwise, why do you think Lily would be on the boat?"
Lucy said: "I thought he came with Gajeel, just like Carla came with Wendy."
"Sorry, Cana, I habitually sat next to Gajeel." The small black cat walked over, dragging a long sword taller than himself.
"It’s fine, it hasn’t started yet anyway." Cana shook her wine bottle, "Want a drink?"
Lily refused: "No, I cannot drink during preparation for the exam."
Lucy couldn’t help but say, "How serious."
Lily smiled: "After all, I used to be a soldier."
A cute little black cat, yet displaying a mature and reliable smile, presented a huge contrast.
Meanwhile, Lucy glanced at her partner; that guy seemed to be eyeing the screws Gajeel was eating.
"Who exactly is taking the exam?" Lucy felt so exhausted; she didn’t remember herself as the type to worry.
"So... so uncomfortable..." Natsu’s face turned green, "Wen... Wendy, help me..."
"I’m sorry, Rhodes said we should conserve magic as much as possible before the exam."
"Rhodes...help me..."