Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 195: At worst, you can speak for me

Since the venue was large enough, each guild master was assigned their own suite.

After dropping off his luggage, Rhodes wasn't quite sure what to do next.

Makarov said casually, "Don't be so stiff. Even though it's a formal venue, the atmosphere here isn't that serious. Just relax and treat it like you're staying at a regular hotel."

"Can I go explore a bit?"

"As long as you don't tear the place down, do whatever you want."

"Got it. I'll be back later."

"Make sure you come back to the banquet hall for lunch. The meeting won't start until the afternoon."

Waving, Rhodes left the room. "Takeover, Scuttle Crab."

Makarov watched as Rhodes vanished into a green afterimage and thoughtfully twisted his beard.

"That form seems to boost his water mobility and visual perception. Hmph, is this kid checking for safety hazards?"

He was spot on. Rhodes was indeed using the opportunity to scout the venue for anything suspicious while also familiarizing himself with the surrounding terrain.

Since he was tagging along with the Master this time, Rhodes hadn't brought much gear. He was just being cautious and taking a look around.

Meanwhile, the other guild masters had started arriving one after another. Some caught sight of a green blur flashing past but didn't think much of it.

Rhodes noted that most of the guild masters weren't particularly alert. Despite him looking quite suspicious darting around, no one even stopped to question him.

By noon, Rhodes had completed his "tour."

Thinking about it, it made sense. With so many powerful guild masters gathered in one place, who would be foolish enough to stir up trouble?

When Rhodes arrived at the banquet hall, more than forty people had already gathered, sitting in small groups at various tables.

Before they left, Makarov had explained that about thirty guilds typically attended these meetings, and sometimes a few extra people would tag along, either aides or promising younger members like Rhodes.

There were around five hundred official wizard guilds across the continent of Ishgar, and nearly a hundred in Fiore alone.

A regional guild alliance with over thirty guilds was no small organization.

Makarov spotted Rhodes and waved. "Finally back! Come over here, Rhodes!"

"Master," Rhodes said, walking over to the table, and immediately spotted a familiar face. "President Goldmine, nice to see you again."

"Ah, it's you. Hello, hello!" Goldmine said warmly, clearly remembering him.

"Hahahaha!" Makarov laughed proudly.

"How about it? This is Rhodes. He joined Fairy Tail just half a year ago. He's only been studying magic for six months, and he's already become an outstanding wizard. Isn't that impressive?"

"So you're Rhodes? How adorable~!"

The speaker was... well, eye-catching.

Bald, with rosy blush painted on his cheeks, bright pink heart-shaped lipstick, a pink vest, tiny fairy wings on his back, and high heels.

Rhodes recognized him immediately, Bob, the Guild Master of Blue Pegasus.

"You... you're President Bob of Blue Pegasus? It's an honor to meet you!" Rhodes said, keeping a polite smile despite feeling a little overwhelmed.

Bob rested his cheek on his hand and said with a twinkle, "Oh my~! So polite, so adorable~!"

"Also, I should thank Hibiki from your guild for his help with that previous matter."

Rhodes made sure to maintain his composure. This table was clearly filled with Makarov's close friends. He couldn't afford to be rude.

Still, Rhodes privately thought: between Ichiya, who Erza had trouble dealing with, and now President Bob, Blue Pegasus was truly a challenging guild.

Makarov, utterly pleased, poured himself several more drinks and started bragging about how well Rhodes had performed on their last major job, even earning praise from the Magic Council.

After hearing that, the other guild masters around the table nodded in understanding.

For a young wizard to pull off such a difficult task at his age, he definitely had a promising future ahead of him.

"Oh~ I think I heard some rumors about him. Something about a 'Beast tamer,' right?"

"I vaguely remember hearing that too."

A few guild masters nodded, recalling some gossip they had heard about Rhodes.

"Hahaha!" Makarov laughed heartily, raising his cup. "I told you, the children from our guild are the best!"

Rhodes felt more and more awkward the longer he listened. Now he finally understood how those poor kids felt when their parents publicly bragged about their embarrassing past.

One day, he swore, once I tame a little dragon, he would ride it all over Fiore and make sure his nickname changed into something far cooler, like Dragon Knight or Dragon Tamer!

But if he got too cocky, he might end up getting roasted by a dragon. Better to stay low-key for now.

Beast Tamer wasn't so bad anyway. If someone underestimated him, he'd just lure them in for close combat and slap them silly with a red buff.

After surviving through Makarov's show-off session, Rhodes finally sat down and quietly focused on eating.

He had to admit, the food here was really good.

From the conversations around the table, he gathered that the meals were personally handled by the master of a small guild.

Their guild name was God of the Cooking Knife, and apparently, the main requirement to join was having at least some cooking skills.

Rhodes didn't quite get why their founder had decided to open a wizard guild instead of a culinary school, but either way, he was grateful. Thanks to them, he was finally experiencing a bit of joy at this meeting.

However, that happiness quickly turned into concern when he glanced at Makarov, who had clearly had a little too much to drink.

"Master, are you sure you'll be okay for the meeting this afternoon? You drank quite a lot."

"It's just a little wine. I'll sober up in no time, hiccup~"

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"You just hiccupped..."

"It's fine! If I can't make it, you can speak for me, hiccup~"

"Don't be ridiculous! How could I possibly speak at a meeting like this?"

"I told you already, it's not that serious around here. Stop nagging so much. You're starting to sound like Mira..."

Rhodes: "..."

Alright. At exactly 12:30 PM on January 15, the Master officially said that Mira is long-winded.

President Bob chimed in sympathetically, "Oh my~ Rhodes is working so hard~"

Rhodes laughed it off with a grin, "Haha, it's nothing, really."

The first session of the regular meeting began at two o'clock in the afternoon. Around thirty guild masters gathered in the conference hall and took their seats.

Even though Makarov had said the meeting wouldn't be too formal, everyone had still changed into different clothes than what they wore at lunch.

It wasn't necessarily a full formal uniform, but everyone wore something that clearly displayed their guild's emblem.

Rhodes glanced around the hall, easily spotting the logos of well-known guilds like Quatro Cerberus and Blue Pegasus, as well as smaller guilds like Titan Nose, Headless Knight, and Sylph Labyrinth.

Of course, there were a few logos he didn't recognize at all.

Rhodes also noticed that Master Roubaul of Cait Shelter, the guild where Wendy and Carla belonged, wasn't present.

Maybe he didn't have time to attend, or perhaps he belonged to a different regional guild alliance altogether.

Makarov's outfit was more striking than anyone else's.

Beneath his coat, he wore his clothes emblazoned with the Fairy Tail guild mark, and over it, he proudly wore the cloak that symbolized his status as one of the Ten Wizard Saints.

Aside from Rhodes, there were about ten other wizards standing behind their respective guild masters. It seemed that attendants besides the guild leaders were permitted at these meetings.

There wasn't a strict seating arrangement either; guild masters mostly clustered near familiar faces.

However, President Goldmine of Quatro Cerberus wasn't sitting next to Makarov this time. Instead, he took the main seat at the head of the hall.

Standing up, Goldmine called out, "Since everyone's here, let's begin the first regular meeting of X784."

It seemed this meeting would be chaired by him.

"The first topic for discussion today is the Kingdom of Fiore's current stance toward wizards," Goldmine began, his tone turning serious.

"As we all know, wizards once went through a very dark era. Fortunately, the founding of official guilds helped unite us, and over time, we managed to turn that tide."

"Today, most nations are far friendlier toward magic, and our Kingdom of Fiore in particular has great admiration for it."

"Even so, government policies concerning magic are still something we must pay close attention to. They directly affect the future of wizards everywhere."

"I've heard that at this year's New Year's celebration in the capital, His Majesty the King mentioned during his speech that he hopes to organize a grand magic event sometime next year or the year after."

"Although no official format or rules have been decided yet, we should discuss what impact this could have on us. If necessary, we could even submit joint advice to the king, or offer assistance in shaping the rules."

President Goldmine's speech was clear and weighty.

Rhodes, who had only ever seen Goldmine acting childish and bickering with Makarov, was surprised by how reliable and serious he was when presiding over an official meeting.

...

Bonus Chapter