"It's resolved," Hibiki said to Makarov. "Master Makarov, I'll be heading back now."
"Ah, thank you for your hard work," Makarov said. "I'll send the request form and the commission fee to Blue Pegasus later."
Rhode quickly said, "Thank you, Master, for saving my life, and thank you, Mr. Hibiki, for your help. I'm incredibly grateful!"
Mirajane covered her mouth and chuckled, "What kind of expression is that? Is Rhode going to become like Laki? How interesting."
Makarov looked at Hibiki, his gaze seeming to ask what was going on.
"Ah, well... since the knowledge was forcefully implanted, it will naturally take some time to digest."
Hibiki said apologetically, "So, he might occasionally speak incoherently lately. Just help him correct it a bit, or should I try again once my magic improves?"
"No... no need! Please allow me to respectfully decline!"
Rhode expressed that he didn't want to experience that splitting headache again. Knowledge gained through one's own efforts felt more reliable.
It definitely wasn't because he was afraid of pain.
Makarov nodded, "That's that then. The request is concluded."
Mirajane saw Hibiki off, while Makarov called out to Rhode, "Rhode, right? Has Mira told you the general situation?"
"Well, due to the language barrier, I only understood a part of it," Rhode said. "You were the one who rescued me from the forest, weren't you?"
Makarov said, "No, to be precise, I only brought you back from the forest."
Rhode looked puzzled, "Then the beast that attacked me... wasn't it defeated by you with great effort?"
Makarov didn't have the patience to correct Rhode's wording at the moment. He sat cross-legged on a chair by the bed—he was even taller sitting than standing.
Rhode felt it was impolite to look down on an elder, so he obediently sat down by the bed.
Makarov slowly said, "Actually, I went there because someone sighted a monster rampage: strange birds, giant frogs, evil wolves... and even a dragon."
"The mayor believed that a large group of monsters in the eastern forest would affect the safety of the entire Magnolia City, which is why he commissioned me to investigate."
In fact, Makarov personally went to investigate mainly because Porlyusica lived in that forest, and he was a bit worried.
"But when I arrived there, the only things at the scene were the corpse of a pig-bear, the severely damaged forest, and you lying on the ground."
The more Rhode listened, the more alarmed he became, feeling incredibly lucky to have survived in such a situation.
Perhaps he should even thank the one that sent him flying... was it called a pig-bear? What a strange name.
Makarov asked, "Do you have any impression of the beast horde?"
Rhode shook his head, "I don't remember any of that, but before I fainted, I think I heard many strange noises. The forest had been very quiet before that."
Makarov nodded. So, the beast rampage must have happened around the time he fainted. Or... it was Rhode who accidentally did something to trigger the beast tide.
"So, why did you go into the forest?"
"I... don't know," Rhode said, his face full of struggle.
"You might not believe it, but I just fell, and when I got up, I was already in the forest."
"I see," Makarov mused. He knew of several such cases of suddenly moving from one place to another.
For example, Porlyusica, who treated Rhode earlier, suddenly appeared decades ago. According to her, she came from a world called Edolas.
Then there was Natsu, who suddenly appeared nearby 6 years ago. At that time, he could speak but couldn't read, yet claimed to have learned writing.
Rhode's situation, with the language barrier, seemed more similar to Natsu's.
Moreover, Natsu appeared looking for a dragon, and Rhode appeared accompanied by the legend of a dragon. These two might have some connection.
Makarov guessed that these two might have been affected by a powerful Magician's spatial magic on another continent and were directly transported here.
"I generally understand the situation."
Rhode looked at him in surprise, "You believe it so easily?"
"Why not?" Makarov looked into his eyes. "I have a little confidence in discerning whether young people are lying."
"But..." Rhode suddenly realized, oh, right, this was a world of magic. Someone like him suddenly appearing didn't seem so strange after all?
Makarov asked, "So, what are your plans now?"
"I... have nowhere to go for now." Rhode had considered it for two days, and staying here seemed to be the best option.
If he went out randomly now, he worried he'd encounter another pig-bear or pig-tiger as soon as he stepped out, and if his luck was bad, he'd be dead.
But Fairy Tail should be full of Magicians, right? A normal person like himself...
To survive safely, Rhode could only steel himself and ask, "Can I stay?"
"Of course."
So casual! Rhode looked at the old man in front of him. Was there no hesitation at all?
"You don't even know my background."
Makarov asked, "Are you willing to tell me?"
"I..." Rhode hesitated. He had no idea where to begin.
"Then tell me when you've figured out how to explain it," Makarov said with a benevolent smile.
"There are plenty of homeless children in the guild, some who can't even explain where they came from. They were as uneasy as you are now."
"But it doesn't matter. It's precisely because of that uneasiness that companions are needed, and that's why there are guilds."
"Everyone supports each other to live strongly, treating each other as family. That is a guild, that is Fairy Tail."
Makarov explained his view of the guild to Rhode, his eyes seemingly sparkling.
Rhode learned about the purpose of Fairy Tail for the first time. It was different from the task guilds he knew from games and anime.
Fairy Tail seemed to be more than just an intermediary; it was a place with more warmth.
...
The process of joining the guild was very simple.
Makarov took Rhode to Mira at the front and added Rhode's name to the member list.
"This is Magnolia City, located in the east of the Kingdom of Fiore, with a population of about 60,000. It has been a city where magic flourishes since ancient times."
"Fairy Tail is the only legitimate guild in this city. And then there's this..."
Because Rhode severely lacked common sense about this place, Mirajane had to start explaining from the geographical location.
When she got to Fairy Tail, she took out something like a stamp and let Rhode choose a favorite color and the location for the emblem.
Rhode rolled up his sleeve and asked Mirajane to help stamp the blue emblem onto his left arm.
The process was as simple as a regular stamp.
Rhode touched the location of the emblem, feeling no difference from his previous touch. It seemed to be another magical trick. "This won't fade, will it?"
"Of course not," Mirajane put away the stamp and explained.
"This emblem represents a Magician of Fairy Tail. You can use it to prove your identity anywhere."
"A Magician..." Rhode covered his arm and asked nervously, "But I don't understand magic at all. What should I do? Will I be kicked out?"
"How could that be? If you want to, you can just start learning now," Mirajane said. "It's just that it will be a bit difficult to find requests you can complete at first."
"You don't understand magic?" Makarov pointed to Rhode's chest. "Isn't that your magic item?"
"Huh?" Rhode picked up his necklace pendant and looked at it. It was a capital letter L, with a blue background and gold border circle underneath it. Upon closer inspection, there were also intricate patterns inside.
"You're saying this is a magic item? No way?"
This thing was just the software icon of a certain 5v5 competitive game. It was a gift from his roommate, Da Ye, for Rhode's birthday.
Although it looked quite exquisitely made and shouldn't be cheap, it was just a normal pendant...
Could it be that Da Ye, that seemingly straightforward guy, was actually a Magician?