Out of concern for triggering a conflict between the two guilds, Yukino did her best to explain the philosophy and current situation of Sabertooth.
But no matter how she sugar-coated it, Rhode and Mira could still tell that Sabertooth just looked down on other weaker guilds, especially the once number one, Fairy Tail.
A couple of ignorant individuals was normal, but for the entire guild to be like this was rather odd, wasn't it?
This attitude reminded Rhode of those Dark Guilds that wanted to attack the Ten Wizard Saints gathering, utterly clueless in his heart.
Just wait until this year's Great Demon Fighting Martial Arts to give them a brutal lesson...
Or maybe during their honeymoon, they could travel to the city where Sabertooth was located to give them a chance to flaunt.
Either way, this would be easy to manage, Rhode muttered, "Just can't let Yukino feel embarrassed then."
Yukino seemed to hear her name and asked in confusion, "What?"
Mira, on the other hand, heard clearly, and could almost guess what mischievous idea Rhode was thinking. With a nonchalant smile, she suggested, "If Yukino isn't happy at Sabertooth, why not come to Fairy Tail?"
Rhode gave a thumbs up to his wife, good idea indeed, if they could poach Yukino over, then causing trouble wouldn't be a concern anymore.
Yukino politely declined, "Thank you for the kind offer, Mirajane, but…"
Rhode suggested, "Instead of standing here, how about finding a place to sit and chat?"
Yukino saw that Dobe Gal wouldn't wake up anytime soon and nodded in agreement, as she also wanted to inquire about some things.
The group found a café to sit down, and the waiter gave a strange look at the man draped over the wolf, but Rhode indicated that the man had just drunk too much, so not to mind it.
Being the 'celebrity' in the Royal Capital lately, Rhode's face was quite recognizable, so the waiter quickly believed him.
A Sabertooth mage getting drunk in the morning, really? She silently noted this bit of gossip.
After ordering coffee, Mira inquired, "You haven't mentioned yet, what brings you to the Royal Capital? Is there anything we can assist with?"
Yukino nodded gently, "We're here looking for someone. Do you know any nobles from the Royal Capital?"
Nobles... that was a complicated subject, Rhode nodded, "I've heard of two. Who are you looking for?"
Yukino replied, "Baron Cooper and Baron Ailuon."
"…" They certainly had heard of them, Rhode and Mira exchanged a glance and replied, "Those two are probably in jail now, maybe their entire families are too."
"Huh?" Yukino didn't expect such a response, pondered for a moment, then nodded, "No wonder Dobe Gal said we were late."
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Yukino explained, "This has to do with our current mission. Yesterday, we arrested a slave trafficking group. After handing over the criminals to the local law enforcement, the mission was technically completed.
"However… I was uneasy, so I did some additional investigation and discovered these people might be connected to two nobles from the Royal Capital, so we decided to continue digging.
"Today, Dobe Gal and I were separately investigating information on the two barons, and then..."
And then they had just discovered a hint of information when, due to their arrogance, they were subdued.
Mira suddenly understood, "No wonder they were investigated just for brawling, Princess Jade must have found something during her interrogation."
Rhode added, "So at the time, the girl those two barons' sons were fighting over might very well have been a slave they abducted?"
It might seem unworthy for two barons' sons to contend over a single slave, but among young men, pride and such might lead to rash behavior.
After all, they were bold enough to bring a slave openly into a private dining room at a restaurant.
Yukino became suddenly agitated and stood up with her hands on the table, "What type of person was that girl?!"
The loud voice attracted quite a few glances.
A beautiful woman loudly questioning a man about 'what kind of person that girl was' obviously sounded full of gossip.
Especially when that man was sitting next to an even more beautiful woman...
Yukino, realizing her loss of composure, gently bowed to those around her in apology before sitting back down, eyes fixed intensely on Rhode, "I'm sorry, but this is very important to me."
"It's alright." Rhode briefly described the girl's height, clothing, and appearance.
Upon hearing that the girl's hair color was brownish-yellow, Yukino's hopes were already dashed.
Mira looked at Yukino tenderly, "Are you looking for someone very important? Would you mind telling us about it?"
Yukino hesitated for a moment but finally succumbed to the 'sisterly' gaze, "It's my sister. I lost her when I was very young, my sister was taken by bad people to protect me."
She really has a sister!
If Yukino is so much like Lisana, wouldn't her sister be a lot like Mira?
"What kind of people took her?"
"They wore black robes and claimed to be followers of Zeref."
So it was the misdeeds of Zeref's followers again...
"I have been searching for my sister ever since joining the guild, always taking tasks related to kidnappings, abductions, and slave trade..."
Yukino lowered her head, gripping her left arm with her right hand, "Sabertooth is the strongest guild; only here could I obtain as much information as possible, as many such tasks as possible, this time too, yet..."
Yet again, she hadn't found her.
A tear fell into the coffee cup, causing an imperceptible ripple.
Mira empathetically embraced Yukino, who held strong for two seconds before burying her face into Mira's shoulders, sobbing and releasing her longing for her sister.
No wonder she insisted on staying with Sabertooth; beyond just aspiring to the name of the strongest, likely, there was this underlying reason as well.
No wonder even after apprehending the criminals and completing the mission, she still wanted to chase down the masterminds.
However, Yukino's story eerily felt familiar.
Rhode thought of how Simon was also captured by bad people to protect his sister, and how the square-built Wally was forcibly separated from his brother.
Simon mentioned how his sister Kagura had been striving to find him, and Wally's brother too had been searching for him.
They were just a bit luckier, though they encountered many trials, even one landed in prison, they at last heard from their family.
Mira gently patted Yukino's back until her emotions calmed.
Yukino blushed a little as she wiped her tears, "I'm sorry, Miss Mirajane, I've behaved so improperly."
"It's okay. Until you find your sister, you can consider me your sister anytime." Mira smiled and stroked Yukino's head, "By the way, what is your sister's name? We'll also keep an eye out for you."
Yukino quickly replied, "Kono, her name is Kono Aiguria."
Rhode furrowed his brow; the name sounded somewhat familiar.
Mira thought for a moment and then exclaimed in surprise, "...Could it be?"
```