By mid-April, the situation had calmed somewhat.
Since the end of the previous month, reports of rebellious Celestial Spirits being defeated kept coming in, about fifty in total.
However, after verifying with the Celestial Spirit Realm, fewer than thirty had truly returned.
That meant many hadn't been destroyed, merely repelled.
The rebellious Celestial Spirits seemed to have realized that both realms were taking coordinated action, so they temporarily halted their movements.
Even so, searches for their whereabouts continued across the continent, but they had become far harder to find than before.
Lucy and Laxus's mission went surprisingly smoothly.
Major Cloud and Minor Cloud were Celestial Spirits skilled at concealment and escape; their raw combat strength wasn't particularly high.
After Lucy analyzed their magic formulas and deduced their principles, Laxus took them down effortlessly.
But ever since returning from that mission, Lucy had been acting strangely.
Every time she saw Laxus, she looked like she wanted to laugh but didn't dare to. And Laxus, whenever their eyes met, seemed about to say something, only to tighten his expression and silently walk away.
This odd behavior set the entire guild ablaze with curiosity. Everyone was convinced something must have happened between them.
Lucy kept denying it, insisting it had been an entirely ordinary mission.
But her evasive smile did nothing to convince anyone.
The Thunder God Tribe had, of course, questioned Laxus directly, but they refused to reveal what they'd learned.
That made things even worse.
Mira, the guild's self-appointed chief gossip officer, was the most frustrated of all.
First, she tried interrogating Lucy herself, but Lucy stayed firm. Then she sent her brother to subtly pry into the Thunder God Tribe for information, but he came back empty-handed too.
For Mira, who prided herself on being the best-informed person in Fairy Tail, this was a catastrophic defeat.
She was so vexed that she ended up "interrogating" her husband at home that night instead.
Rhodes' advice was simple: "Intensify the effort."
In her determination to uncover the truth, Mira even teamed up with Lucy on a later mission involving suspicious Celestial Spirit activity.But when they returned, she still looked defeated.
Rhodes couldn't help laughing as he poured tea for his weary, dust-covered wife.
"Are you really that curious?"
"I just want to know," Mira said, taking a sip of tea. Then she put down the cup with an aggrieved look and opened her hands.
"Look, I know Chico likes Laxus. I know Sally had a crush on him before. Then there's the daughter of that men's clothing shop owner on Main Street, and..."
"You already know too much, don't you?" Rhodes chuckled as he watched her counting on her fingers. He reached out and took her hand. "There are too many people who like Laxus."
Mira rolled her eyes. "Do you think you have fewer admirers?"
"Wait, what? How am I involved in this?" Rhodes blinked, completely caught off guard.
"Of course you're involved," Mira said, pulling her hand free and jabbing him in the chest.
"Even before you became one of the Ten Wizard Saints, there were plenty of girls who had crushes on you, both inside and outside the guild."
"If it weren't for…" She trailed off, her lips curving into a teasing smile as her pokes grew gentler.
"If it weren't for how obvious your feelings for me were back then, hmph~"
"I honestly didn't notice at all." Rhodes slipped an arm around her waist, his voice dropping lower. "I guess most of my attention was focused on someone else back then. Now who could that have been, hmm?"
Even after all their years together, Mira still blushed under his gaze, torn between wanting to kick him and kiss him. Unfortunately, they were still in the guild, so she couldn't act on either impulse.
This man was still just as smooth as before their marriage.
"Oh, stop it," she huffed, pushing him lightly away. "Your mouth really is the strongest magic you have. Get back to work."
"Yes, ma'am." Rhodes returned to his papers, though after a few seconds, curiosity got the better of him again.
"By the way… who were those girls you mentioned earlier?"
Mira gave him a death glare. "Why do you ask?"
Rhodes smiled playfully, completely unfazed. "Because now I finally understand how you felt before. I'm just curious."
Mira blinked, then smiled sweetly. "Then I won't tell you. That way, you'll understand me even better."
"You didn't snip them all, did you?" Rhodes gestured across his neck dramatically.
A dark aura flared behind Mira, shadowy energy writhing like vengeful spirits. Her lips curved into a chillingly sweet smile.
"Maybe~"
"Fine, keep your secrets," Rhodes muttered with a pout. 'She can wait to be interrogated tonight.'
Just then, Makarov came downstairs.
"Rhodes, come with me."
"What's up?"
"Routine meeting," Makarov replied.
"Oh..." Rhodes gave him a troubled look. "I can't, Master. There's too much going on lately, and Mira's already exhausted handling things on her own. Besides, there's still that Celestial Spirit of unknown strength secretly observing us. Who knows if they'll retaliate? I need to stay here to protect the guild and coordinate Lucy's safety."
"I see…" Makarov sighed. He had wanted Rhodes to come along to ease some of the burden at the meeting, but the guild's safety, and Lucy's, were just as important.
"Alright then," he said finally. "We'll talk after this period. Oh, and after the meeting, it'll soon be time for the Ten Wizard Saints' gathering. Don't forget to clear your schedule."
"Got it. I'll make the arrangements," Rhodes agreed.
Satisfied, Makarov nodded and left. He felt relieved knowing Rhodes would stay behind; it meant he could travel without worrying about Magnolia.
But halfway through the carriage ride out of town, Makarov suddenly froze.
'Wait a second… Doesn't that brat have teleportation magic?'
If something came up, Rhodes could just use a communication crystal and teleport straight back within seconds. There was absolutely no need for him to "stay behind" at all!
Makarov leaned back against his seat, chuckling helplessly. "That little rascal… tricked an old man like me!"
By the time Rhodes finally set out for the Saint Ten meeting, the rebellious Celestial Spirits had gone completely quiet.
No new attacks had been reported.
Even when missions involving "Celestial Spirits" came in, they turned out to be simple monster disturbances, rare creatures mistaken for Star Spirits, nothing more.
The eerie calm made some Celestial Spirit Mages uneasy. Others, however, began to relax, convinced the danger had passed.
That kind of complacency could easily lead to disaster.
But Rhodes had no way of knowing this. All he could do was keep watch over Lucy and ensure that anyone who dared attack her would regret it.
After settling all guild matters, Rhodes joined Makarov aboard a small airship bound for Bosco Kingdom.
The meeting venue was the same as usual, the luxurious hotel managed by Hyberion.
Apparently, the old man thought that after the spectacle of last year's gathering, this time would be quieter… and hopefully better organized.
When Rhodes and Makarov arrived, they were the first guests aside from the host himself. Hyberion personally welcomed them and had rooms prepared immediately.
Makarov wasted no time before grabbing a bottle and pouring himself a drink beside Hyberion, who, as always, sipped from a glass of milk instead.
Meanwhile, Rhodes, as per tradition, released the Scuttle Crab to wander around the premises… just in case anyone decided to stir up trouble again.