"Alright, mission confirmed, great job, Wendy," Mira said warmly, checking the signed request form with care. "The client's signature is all in order."
"It was a really simple request," Wendy replied with a bright smile.
Mira poured drinks for both Wendy and Carla, her usual gentle tone returning. "Well then, be sure to take a good rest."
"Okay!" Wendy chirped, sitting down beside Carla.
Meanwhile, Rhodes was chatting with Master Makarov across the room. The conversation had started off pleasantly enough, with Rhodes praising Wendy and Carla's performance on the mission.
But then, out of nowhere, Rhodes asked, "So... have you finished writing your self-criticism yet?"
Makarov let out a long sigh. "I'm going to go fix the wall."
He was, of course, referring to the massive hole Gildarts had left in the side of the guild.
Rhodes tilted his head. "Why not just have Gildarts fix it?"
"Forget it," Makarov said flatly. "If we let him handle it, we'd probably have to rebuild the whole guild by tomorrow."
Then he glanced at Rhodes over the rim of his mug. "By the way, don't leave too soon. I need to talk to you and Mira about something."
"Got it," Rhodes nodded and walked back to his post. Since it was nearly the end of the month, paperwork was piling up. If he slacked off now, Mira would have to pick up the burden.
As he sat down, Mira looked at him curiously. "Back to work the moment you return?"
Rhodes paused, then grinned playfully. "You're right, how inconsiderate of me. I should've started by giving my lovely fiancée a warm hug and a passionate—"
"Who said anything about that?!" Mira quickly reached out to cover his mouth, flustered.
But instead of backing off, Rhodes kissed her palm lightly.
Startled, Mira pulled her hand back and glared at him, cheeks slightly pink. "What I meant was, you've been working hard these past few days. Don't you think you should rest a little?"
"It was just a light physical job," Rhodes shrugged casually. "Though, if someone offered to give me a shoulder massage, I wouldn't say no…"
He patted his shoulders dramatically, clearly fishing for pampering.
Mira sighed with mock reluctance. "Fine, fine~ I can give you a shoulder massage. But I'm not stopping until I say so."
She raised her hands and wiggled her fingers menacingly, cracking her knuckles one by one.
Rhodes's confident smile faltered. He had momentarily forgotten that, despite her graceful looks, his fiancée had enough strength to bench-press him if she wanted.
He tried to backpedal. "Actually, on second thought—maybe not..."
"Too late," Mira said sweetly, forcing him back onto the stool with a playful push. "Sit still. It won't hurt... much. Just relax~"
"Ah?"
Rhodes had braced himself for Mira's shoulder massage to be torturous, but to his surprise, the pressure was just right, firm yet gentle.
He realized then: she'd tricked him.
Turning his head slightly, he met Mira's eyes, brimming with tenderness and mischief.
Mira wrapped her arms gently around his neck, resting her body lightly against his back. In a soft whisper, she said, "You've worked hard out there. Welcome home."
"Yeah." Rhode's voice lowered to match her tone. Their cheeks nearly touched. "Not afraid of being seen anymore?"
Mira smiled warmly. "Now, I want everyone to see."
Rhodes didn't reply. He simply brought his hands up and held hers, pressing them over his chest.
What he wanted to say was already beating in his chest louder than any words.
From behind the counter, Laki watched with a tray in hand and sighed, "Ah—so sweet…"
"If you're so happy, why are you sighing?" Rhodes asked with a sideways glance.
Mira reluctantly let go of him. If they had been alone, she would've made sure he heard her heartbeat.
"Because I'm jealous," Laki said dramatically. "And Lucy was just about to come over, but you two scared her off with all your lovey-dovey energy."
She smirked. "Also, since your public displays of affection are disturbing the tavern's business, your wages are getting docked this month."
What nonsense. Lucy hadn't been scared off. She was very clearly hiding behind a pillar with Juvia, both of them spying on the couple. One of them was silently shipping the pair while the other was fantasizing about switching Mira out for herself, and replacing Rhodes with Gray.
"Dock our wages?" Rhodes grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Who handles payroll again?"
"..." Laki froze for a beat, then huffed, "Fine, I'll report you to the master!"
Mira smiled sweetly. "But I'm also the one who distributes the master's allowance."
Laki put a hand to her mouth in mock horror and called out like a news anchor, "Breaking news! The demon couple has taken over Fairy Tail! Corruption and favoritism abound!"
Mira raised her hand with a teasing look. "Rhodes, as a manager, I'd like to formally report Miss Laki for chatting and neglecting her duties during work hours."
Rhodes nodded solemnly. "Report received. If she's caught once, there are probably ten more instances we haven't seen. I recommend docking a third of her monthly wages."
Mira nodded in agreement. "Approved. And while we're on the topic, shall we talk about your ten days of unauthorized leave?"
"Yes, yes, yes—I surrender!" Laki immediately raised both hands in defeat, bowing her head in mock shame.
The so-called "demon couple," who just scolded her for slacking, ended up gossiping for quite a while themselves before finally getting back to work.
It wasn't until the afternoon, when the guild quieted down, that Master Makarov called Rhodes and Mira upstairs for a private discussion.
Erza was present as well.
Makarov looked at them seriously. "You're all aware that Gildarts failed his mission, right?"
Erza nodded. "Yes. The century-old quest."
Rhodes also nodded. Mira had mentioned it briefly when they were chatting earlier.
A century-old quest. Technically known as a "Hundred-Year Mission." It was an SS-Class job, one tier above even S-Class, and incredibly rare.
The term referred to missions that had gone uncompleted for ten years or more. If no wizard succeeded within a decade and the client still hadn't canceled the request, it was labeled a "Ten-Year Quest."
And if a hundred years passed with no one managing to complete it… it became a "Hundred-Year Quest."
This one was particularly special because the world's first official magic guild was founded only 151 years ago. In other words, the concept of a "Hundred-Year Quest" had only recently become possible.
Even Ten-Year Quests were vanishingly rare. But as for this one, this century-old quest, it was unique. The only one of its kind.
It wasn't exclusive to Fairy Tail either. Other guilds had received the same request form.
Over the decades, nearly a hundred mages had attempted it. Only one ever returned alive, Gildarts.
Many of the larger guilds had since sealed the request away, choosing to protect their wizards rather than send them to certain death.
Makarov, too, was on the verge of letting it go for good. But before doing so, he wanted to hear their thoughts.
"What do you think about that mission?" he asked softly.
Erza thought for a moment before giving a clear answer. "If even Gildarts couldn't finish it… I can't say I have the confidence to succeed."
Mira instinctively reached out and held Rhode's hand. "Same here."
It was simply too dangerous.
She had finally found happiness, something she didn't want to risk for a mission where even the job description was a mystery.
"I'm not even an S-Class mage yet," Rhodes added. "There's no way I'd be reckless enough to take it. But… I am curious. What exactly is the mission?"
"I don't know," Makarov said with a sigh, retrieving a sealed parchment from his drawer. "The client demands complete confidentiality. Only those who accept the job and go to the designated meeting place will learn the details."
"In other words," he continued, "only Gildarts knows what's actually involved. But he won't talk. Not about the danger. Not even the reward."
"The only thing the client guarantees is that the reward is very generous more than worth the risk,' in his words."
"..."
Rhodes couldn't help frowning.
A job where no one knew the objective, the dangers, or even the payout, just a vague promise?
No thanks.
He wasn't tempted. Not by mystery. Not by danger. And certainly not by blind trust in a stranger's reward.
Maybe Gildarts had taken it for those reasons, for the thrill of it, for the chance to help, for the bragging rights of completing the only Hundred-Year Quest.
But Rhodes?
Rhodes just wanted to find a nice house, settle down, and marry the woman he loved.
And he had no intention of trading that future for a mission wrapped in shadows.
...
Stones 🪨🪨