"Where is Mr. Jude?"
"Don't panic, first take us to see the situation."
Wendy and Rhode spoke one after another, calming Lucy down a bit as she led them to the door.
A red Magic Four-Wheeled Vehicle was parked at the entrance, which Rhode thought looked a lot like an off-road vehicle.
Jude was lying on the soft, spacious back seat, his face lacking much color, and his lips were somewhat pale.
However, his eyes contained no sadness or despair, but rather a considerable amount of joy.
It was probably because his daughter, who had been missing for six years, had returned safely.
Seeing his daughter hurriedly bring out her companions, Jude struggled to get up and greet them.
—He thought that after he was gone, his daughter would have to rely on these people to take care of her, so he wanted to leave a good impression on them, and absolutely must not be rude.
Rhode hurriedly pressed him down: "Don't move around, let us check you first."
Jude smiled slightly: "It's useless, I know my body, it's an illness from overwork, my life has already reached its end."
"Don't say that!" Lucy shouted, "There's a way, there will be a way!"
Rhode first cast various halos on Jude and then used a Healing Magic from the Marine Sub-Dragon, smiling at him: "You may know your body, but you don't know magic."
Jude looked at the red, blue, green, and purple lights flickering on his body and suddenly felt a warm current pour into him, feeling very comfortable, and his spirits improved a lot.
He didn't understand magic but was greatly shocked.
He had met Rhode six years ago, and now seeing him again, he felt this person seemed even more reliable than before.
Then this reliable person stepped aside and called a child into the car to ask about his physical condition.
Jude: "..."
He had just thought this person was reliable, was it an illusion?
Rhode had no choice; he was good at healing injuries, even dared to say he was skilled.
But he didn't understand how to treat illnesses.
Although for minor ailments his set of magic was enough to let people tough it out, asking him what the illness was and how to treat it, he wouldn't know.
He was even more clueless about serious conditions.
After all, the Marine Sub-Dragon who taught him Healing Magic didn't understand why humans had so many illnesses either.
However, Wendy was raised by The Sky Dragon Grandeeney, who systematically taught her a lot of pathological knowledge.
Although she later found out that Grandeeney hadn't mentioned many illnesses, having a foundation of knowledge made it much easier for her to learn more when she grew up.
When Rhode asked about this, the Marine Sub-Dragon's thoughts immediately went astray.
She noted that that Dragon named Grandeeney had raised Wendy for four or five years, and Wendy treated her as a foster mother. And she, the Marine Sub-Dragon, also raised Rhode for so long...
Before she finished the sentence, the Marine Sub-Dragon burst into laughter, seemingly finding it hilarious that rounding up a Summoner to a 'foster son' was funny.
Rhode, with a darkened face, pushed the easily amused Dragon out of his mind and asked Wendy how it was.
"It's like Mr. Jude said, an illness from overwork. In detail, he was overworked for a long time, and possibly stressed, sad, with irregular diet..."
Wendy summed up each issue she identified from Jude's answers and her examination, making Lucy feel anxious and uneasy.
She was already blaming herself for letting her dad worry.
Rhode, on the other hand, felt much more assured.
If it were completely untreatable, Wendy should currently be crying as she apologizes to Lucy for being helpless, rather than calmly reporting the exam results.
Sure enough, Wendy finally said, "Magic alone won't work, but if we ask Granny Porlyusica for help..."
"Granny Porlyusica?" Lucy wasn't very familiar with her; she heard Natsu and Hapi say she was quite scary, but she could only brace herself to go.
Rhode didn't hesitate for a moment and directly took the driver's seat: "Let's go now, get in!"
Lucy got into the passenger seat, Wendy took care of Jude in the back, and as soon as they were settled, the Four-Wheeled Vehicle shot out.
Rhode realized upon driving that this new model of Magic Four-Wheeled Vehicle was much better than the previous ones.
The previous ones, while fast, looked shaky and as if they were going to fall apart at any moment, and the riding experience wasn't great.
With this one, Rhode felt that Natsu's motion sickness was even slightly alleviated.
Left behind, Reby stared blankly as the vehicle disappeared into the distance: "I haven't gotten in yet..."
Although she couldn't help much with medical matters, she could comfort Lu, yet they just left her like that!
Reby stomped her foot and went back to tell Sister Mira, saying that Rhode had run away with another girl.
When he returned to the Guild, Mira indeed asked, "What happened? Lucy seemed anxious just now."
"..." Reby paused for a moment, but in the end, she told the truth while feeling her conscience.
On the other hand, in Porlyusica's treehouse.
Although it was annoying to be disturbed at night, Porlyusica earnestly checked the condition and prescribed medication for the patient's sake.
Then, after giving the instruction to take the medicine on time, she unceremoniously kicked them out.
Because after she prescribed the medicine, but before Jude even took it, he was able to walk already.
If it weren't for Lucy's worried appearance, Porlyusica might have thought Rhode and Wendy came to play a prank out of boredom.
"Dad, is there anywhere else you're uncomfortable?" Lucy asked, full of joy as she confirmed for the final time.
Jude looked rather embarrassed.
"I... I guess, I guess I'm fine now?"
He thought he was about to die, but it was so easy to get cured—magic is truly amazing.
Then, could such amazing magic take him back to before he wanted to say his last words?
At the moment of awkwardness, Lucy's embrace interrupted Jude's chaotic thoughts.
Jude held Lucy too, tears in his eyes.
When was the last time he hugged his daughter?
He couldn't remember.
He used to not be a good father, but he would try hard in the future. That would make Reela happy, too, right?
Jude looked towards the first star appearing in the night sky, recalling his deceased wife.
Jude's expression gradually softened: "In a few days, shall we go visit your mom together?"
"Hmm."
The father and daughter quietly embraced, realizing only then that Rhode and Wendy were already gone.
...
Returning to the Guild was lively, and when asked about Lucy, Rhode and Wendy briefly explained.
They stayed at the Guild till late at night before parting ways.
Rhode followed his siblings home, where the four of them each took turns washing up.
Then, under Lisana's suggestive gaze, Rhode and Mira went upstairs to their room together.
Mira turned on the light, and Rhode closed the door behind them.
The lamp in the bedroom was still a product from six years ago or even earlier, its light somewhat yellowish.
The room had already been tidied during the day, with new bedding and pillows on the bed.
—The patterns were handpicked by Mira's considerate little sister, adorned with heart patterns and words like LOVE.
Though Mira found it a bit awkward, Rhode liked it a lot, making a mental note to give his little sister-in-law more pocket money.
Besides the bedding, Mira's room hadn't changed much, except for some clothes in the wardrobe and a desk added beside the dressing table.
Time was tight, so only a few boxes of Rhode's books had yet to be unpacked.
But Rhode almost forgot about those boxes, his attention entirely focused on Mira.
At the moment, Mira was wearing a sleeveless off-white nightgown that slightly reached past her knees, adorned intermittently with the Heart-shaped Cross brand's logo patterns.
The neckline was perfectly sized, revealing just enough without excess, hinting at the treasures hidden within.
Her hair had just been dried, left naturally loose, with her bangs slightly covering her forehead, which somehow made her eyes appear larger and more spirited.
Under the dim light of the lamp, she looked even more beautiful than during the day.
Rhode's breathing became more rapid as he took an involuntary step forward.
Perhaps it was the first time being looked at so intensely by Rhode in her own room, Mira's cheeks flushed, feeling a bit dizzy.
Glancing aside, she saw Rhode's book box and, for some reason, blurted out, "I... I'll help you unpack..."
Then she was immediately embraced tightly, her mouth sealed with a kiss.
What needed unpacking now was the person, not the books.
Upon physical contact, Mira immediately understood this and found herself swept up in the moment.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
For Mira, it was a short separation; for Rhode, it was a long one.
The lights went out, ensuring that the night ahead would be anything but quiet.