Chapter 403: The Council is Gone
The next morning, when Rhodes woke up, the sun was already shining brightly.
He had made quite a ruckus the previous night and only managed two or three hours of sleep. The exhaustion from yesterday still weighed heavily on him, and even now, he felt like he could doze off again if he just closed his eyes.
Mira was already up and dressed, wearing a pajama set similar in design to Erza’s, though in a different color. When she saw Rhodes’s dazed and sleepy expression, her heart ached a little.
"Want to sleep in a bit more?" she asked gently.
Rhodes sat up on the bed and rubbed his face to wake himself. "No... I’ve got too much to deal with today."
He started listing the responsibilities weighing on him: There was the issue with the Three Ravens—although they were dangerous criminals, he’d gone a bit overboard with his attacks and would need to explain himself. He also needed to dispatch one of his crabs back to the Tower of Heaven to survey the scene and possibly search for any traces of Jellal.
Then there was the matter of the Magic Council. They’d likely show up today, so it might be better to take the initiative and file a report himself—especially about the usage of Etherion and the traitor’s involvement. And finally, there was the issue of what to do about Erza’s former companions.
Just thinking about it all gave Rhodes a headache. He held out his arms and said playfully, "Where’s my good morning kiss?"
"I already gave it to you," Mira said with a wink. "While you were still asleep."
"That doesn’t count! That’s sneaky—you kissed me in secret! I want to return the kiss!"
"You’re so childish," Mira teased, walking over and placing a light kiss on his forehead.