Rhodes ran through what he had gathered and concluded that Minerva's knowledge of the Yakuma clan was probably no better than his own. The trip was unlikely to produce much new information. But since he was already here, he could at least share what he knew of the clan's history with her. She was a descendant. She deserved to know.
"So that's what happened to them."
Minerva was hearing the full story of the Yakuma clan's rise and fall for the first time. "My father only taught me the magic itself. He never explained the summoning contract." She paused. "Wait a moment."
Something had occurred to her. She raised a hand, opened a vivid dimensional space, and stepped into it. She returned shortly with two items in hand.
"I found these while going through my father's belongings." She set them on the table and pushed them toward Rhodes. "This one is a magic tome. It records a form of the summoning technique similar to what I use. And this is a map with location markings. That site may be where the Yakuma clan originally settled."
Rhodes looked at the map. The year marked on it was X730, sixty-two years ago. Beside the location markers were several characters in a script he didn't recognize.
"That's the Yakuma written language," Minerva said. "It means something like 'where I come from.' Homeland. I think this map originally belonged to my maternal grandparents."
Rhodes nodded. It was a reasonable picture. Minerva's maternal grandparents had likely been among the survivors who scattered after Acnologia's second visit, over a hundred years ago. They had fled, built lives elsewhere, and eventually had a daughter. As they aged the pull of home would have grown. They had marked the way back on this map but never gone. After their deaths Minerva's mother had kept it as a memento, and eventually it had passed into Jiemma's hands.
As for the Yakuma Eighteen Battle Gods Magic, it had either come from the same inheritance or Jiemma had found it himself among the clan's ruins.
Rhodes flipped through the tome. It was written entirely in the Yakuma language. Unreadable.
"Who taught you the Yakuma language?"
"My father. He must have learned it from my mother."
Rogue said, frowning slightly, "I don't think I ever saw Master Jiemma use the Eighteen Battle Gods Magic or the summoning ritual. Given how much he valued destructive power, that seems strange."
"He may have only come into possession of one technique, and it may not have suited him." Minerva found the relevant page and pointed. "Beyond that, the summoning ritual has a strict prerequisite. The summoner must worship one of the battle gods and receive their recognition before any contract can be signed. Knowing my father, I doubt he would ever have bowed before any god."
Rogue considered Jiemma's character and nodded. The image of the man who had declared himself the supreme guild master kneeling before a deity and begging for power simply did not come together.
"Is worshipping the battle god genuinely required?" Rhodes asked.
"Yes." Minerva read from the passage. "Where conditions permit, a proper temple or church should be established with regular prayer. Where that isn't possible, a shrine kept at home is the minimum. The ritual requirements are strict and cannot be interrupted. Only those of exceptional character and genuine faith are capable of reaching a god."
Rhodes nodded. Arlock had always worn clerical robes and gone by the title of High Priest. That explained it.
"Does the book describe what the battle gods actually are?"
Minerva scanned further and shook her head. "There is a description, but it's almost entirely effusive praise. Page after page extolling the gods' great power without any concrete information."
Rhodes nodded, unsurprised. A text written by a believer for future generations of believers had no obligation to explain what the gods were. Being that restrained was already considerate.
Minerva said, "Mr. Rhodes, if you're interested, take the tome with you."
"There's no need. I wouldn't be able to read it regardless. Learning the Yakuma language at this point isn't a practical option."
Rhodes declined her offer, pointed to the map instead. "I've noted the location down. When I get a chance I'll go and take a look, and share whatever I find with you afterward."
That said, he wasn't holding out much hope. Whatever valuables the original site may have held, Arlock and Jiemma had likely picked the place clean between them long ago. Going there in person might yield less than simply pressing Arlock harder in interrogation.
Rhodes arrived back at the guild during the midday rest period.
Most people were exhausted, but the hall was still lively enough. Mirajane had apparently been sitting for a while and had just stood up to stretch. Wendy and Carla hovered close on either side of her, watching every movement with barely concealed alarm.
Lisanna was considerably more relaxed, working through a stack of paperwork at the counter with her head down. The focused expression and the posture were so close to Mirajane's that if her hair had been a little longer, the resemblance would have been complete.
Mirajane noticed Rhodes coming down the stairs and smiled. "How did it go? Anything useful?"
"A little." He held up the paper bag in his hand. "I also picked up some of Sabertooth's specialty pastries. Warm ate several and approved."
Carla and Wendy both said, with feeling, "Does Warm ever not approve of food?"
Wendy was nonetheless thinking about the pastries.
Rhodes had brought back more than enough to share. Mirajane tried one or two and passed the rest along to Lisanna, Wendy, and Carla.
"What's the next step?" Mirajane knew this was something Rhodes was taking seriously.
"Wait and see if the Council turns anything up, and do some more research in the meantime." Rhodes rested a hand lightly against her side. "I'm not particularly keen on going far from home right now."
Mirajane smiled. "On that note, have you settled on a name yet?"
"I have, actually." Rhodes said it with complete gravity. "If it's a boy, we'll call him Doggo. If it's a girl, Tigress."
Mirajane's fist landed squarely in the center of his chest and drove a cough out of him.
Before he could recover, she smiled and said, "Those names aren't entirely without charm, you know. When the child is grown, I'll tell them, this was the first gift your father gave you, a name to carry through your whole life..."
Rhodes felt his airways constricting. "I was joking. That was a joke."
A small black cat dropped down in front of them both. "I'm sorry to interrupt."
Rhodes looked at him. "Panther Lily, what is it?"
"Gajeel left without saying anything to anyone. He said he wanted to go train alone in the mountains for a while. I felt someone should tell you, and then I'd like to go with him."
"That's fine with me. Any idea why?"
Panther Lily answered, "I think it's because he heard Natsu went off to train alone and decided he couldn't let him get ahead."
Rhodes nodded. "Go ahead, both of you. Just don't let up too much."
Mirajane glanced across the hall to where Levy was deep in conversation with Lucy, and asked, "Did he tell Levy?"
Panther Lily sighed, with the quiet weight of someone accustomed to this. "I'll go tell her on his behalf."