SUMMONER'S JOURNEY

Richard sat back in his chair, watching another chaotic close-combat fights between Wizards erupt in the middle of the guild hall.

He had made it back safely from his last mission, and now, with nothing urgent on his plate, he had the rare luxury of a free day.

Kana had already left with a wine barrel in her arms, leaving behind Makarov with his legs crossed and a snot bubble hanging from his nose.

Richard waved his hand in front of Makarov's face. No response.

"...Is he alright?" Richard muttered.

Mira giggled from behind the bar. "Yes, he just passed out. Kana got him drunk again."

Rhodes glanced at the woman who was holding a wine barrel and tasting wine with Macao: "So fierce?"

"Haha, actually Kana..."

Mira wanted to reveal a little bit about Kana's nature to Richard to avoid any bad misunderstandings, but she felt that would not be fun, so she immediately changed her words.

"She's a very good person."

"...Ya probably." Rhodes tried his best to believe Mira's words.

"Hey, Mira, is there any magic in this world that lets people instantly take off their clothes?"he asked remembering something.

Mira blinked. "Huh?"

Richard sighed, rubbing his temples. "I mean, I've seen Gray strip down way too many times for it to be normal. It's almost like his clothes vanish instantly. Is that some kind of magic?"

Mira laughed. "Oh! You mean Re-Equip Magic!"

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter. "Re-Equip Magic is a type of Holder Magic that allows a mage to store weapons, armor, or even outfits in a special pocket dimension and switch between them instantly. It's very useful in battle."

Richard nodded. That made sense. "So Gray's using Re-Equip?"

Mira's lips twitched. "Nope. Gray's just weird."

Richard blinked. "...What?"

Mira giggled. "Gray uses Ice-Make Magic, which is completely unrelated to Re-Equip. His habit of stripping is just that—a habit. He developed it when he was training as a kid, and now he does it without thinking."

Richard groaned. "You're telling me he's been doing that his entire life?!"

Mira nodded, laughing.

Richard sighed. "That's so much worse."

Just as he was about to ask another question, Mira suddenly perked up.

"Oh, speaking of Re-Equip Magic, there's actually someone in the guild who does specialize in it—Erza."

Richard tilted his head. "Erza?"

Mira nodded, smiling. "Erza Scarlet. She's the strongest female wizard in Fairy Tail. She can instantly switch between dozens of weapons and armors in battle, making her incredibly versatile. Speaking of which, Erza is almost coming back."

Mira continued, "By the way, she is also very beautiful, so look forward to it."

"Also, if you want to try to pursue her, I have information here." Mira suddenly became more talkative:

"The last person in the guild who pursued Erza was Loki, but he was beaten half to death. Maybe Richard is just the type she likes..."

"Spare me." Richard showed a helpless expression.

Miss Mira, your bad taste seems to be becoming more and more undisguised. Moreover, do you also have a tendency to like gossip? ——

With no mission planned for the day, Richard enjoyed a rare moment of peace inside the guild hall.

Well—as peaceful as Fairy Tail could get.

Tables flipped, mugs shattered, and occasional spells misfired. The usual chaos.

Richard had already learned to dodge first, ask questions later.

By noon, his stomach growled. He made his way back to the bar and ordered lunch.

Today's main dish was Fairy Tail's special Cassoulet.

The moment the dish arrived, his mouth watered.

The thick, savory aroma of slow-cooked meat and beans filled the air. The dish was golden-brown on top, crispy on the edges, with tender meat falling apart beneath the surface.

Richard took a bite—and his eyes widened.

"This… this would be perfect with rice!" he blurted out.

Mira chuckled. "You really like it?"

Richard nodded furiously, already stuffing another spoonful into his mouth.

"The chicken skin is crispy and sweet, but the meat inside is so soft and juicy!"

"Oh wow, the pork is just as good!"

"And even the beans taste amazing!"

Mira laughed as Richard practically transformed into a food critic.

Twenty minutes later, he patted his full stomach, satisfied.

Laki, who had been sitting nearby, smiled. "It seems Richard is very satisfied with the contents of his stomach bag."

Richard blinked. "...My what?"

Mira giggled. "She means your stomach,.Laki has uuhh Unique vocabulary."

"Sister Mira~" Lali said angrily, "What you said is too much. My way of expression is obviously very poetic."

"Yes, yes~" Mira said accommodatingly, "

"Really." Laki pouted.

——

After his meal, Richard decided to follow Master Makarov's advice—it was time to search for a suitable secondary magic.

He approached Oba who was as free(always) and standing before Mission board as usual , and asked for directions to the Fairy Tail library.

The library was much quieter than the rest of the guild, with tall bookshelves stacked with ancient tomes. A faint scent of parchment and ink filled the air.

Richard walked toward the Magic Section and started scanning through titles.

"Let's see… Elemental Magic, Caster Magic, Holder Magic…"

He had read up on Summoning Magic before, but today, he wanted to explore something new.

Maybe he could find a secondary magic that complemented his Summoning abilities?

Technically, Summoning Magic was part of Celestial Spirit Magic, which fell under Holder Magic. But Richard's version didn't require physical keys—meaning his magic functioned closer to a Caster type.

"Hmm… maybe I should find a support-type Magic?" he mused as he already tried elemental Magic back at DWARF'S GEAR and results were not very satisfactory Even after training for 3 years.

Healing Magic? Barrier Magic? Maybe something for direct combat when he couldn't rely on his summons?.

Living with Fairy tail wizards that rather talk with there fist then magic really changed him.

Richard closed the book ,looked at rows -rows of books and exhaled.

"This might take a while…"

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