Chapter 30: The Next Target
"I can handle the rest myself."
After Mira had helped him apply medicine to the areas he couldn't reach, Rhodes felt bad about relying on her too much.
"Alright then, I'll step out for now," Mira said, setting down the medicine bottle and tweezers. "Take it easy and rest for a while."
"Yeah, thanks."
As Mira left, Rhodes watched the door for a moment before sighing. He pulled off his T-shirt, revealing his bruised torso, and began carefully applying the ointment himself.
At the same time, he mentally reviewed his fight with Natsu.
Aside from leaving him sore all over, today's spar had actually taught him quite a bit.
For one, he could now say he'd been in a proper fight—an important milestone. At the very least, he wouldn't feel nervous just hearing the word "battle" anymore.
He also picked up the basics of using magic defensively.
Right now, it was still difficult to withstand Natsu's punches using just his magic power, but if he were up against a regular person, he was confident he could block their attacks effectively.
During the fight, Rhodes had instinctively mirrored Natsu's movements.