Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 299: A Book

"Eighteen Vulcans?" Rhodes blinked in disbelief. "Didn't you say there were only three?"

"W-Well..." Macao scratched the back of his head, sheepish. "Counting the two Natsu took down, it turns out we encountered a total of twenty. I, uh... might've accidentally wandered into their nesting grounds."

"You're incredible," Rhodes muttered, not sure whether to be impressed or horrified.

"But I definitely defeated three!" Natsu said proudly, tilting his head.

Lucy shouted, her hands clenched in frustration, "That was my Celestial Spirit. I have to apologize to him the next time I summon him!"

"Anyway," Macao said, exhaling deeply, "I really have to thank you all. I owe you one."

By the time he had taken down eighteen Vulcans, Macao had been completely spent. He could have holed up in the cave for a bit longer, but with the cold, hunger, and exhaustion mounting, the odds of lasting much longer were slim. If Natsu and Lucy hadn't shown up when they did, he'd been ready to go down swinging.

Natsu just grinned. "That's what we do, we're all guildmates."

Romeo bowed politely. "Thank you, Natsu, Happy, Lucy. Brother Rhodes, Sister Mira."

"Let's save the rest for tomorrow," Mira said kindly. "Right now, your dad needs rest."

Rhodes passed the medicine box to Macao. "Here. The crab will take you back to town."

They watched as the crab carried Macao and Romeo away. Natsu immediately leapt onto the back of another crab.

"Rhodes! I'm borrowing this one!"

"Go ahead, but remember to—"

"Go!" Natsu shouted mid-sentence and sped off, not hearing a word after that. Happy flapped after him, grabbing onto his scarf as they vanished into the distance.

Rhodes sighed. He could have ordered the crab to toss Natsu into the river just to teach him a lesson, but no. He had an image to maintain in front of the newcomers. No use stooping to Natsu's level. Besides, they could deal with that conversation tomorrow.

"I feel like I've been through ten quests today..." Lucy groaned, then gave a polite farewell. "Miss Mirajane, Mr. Rhodes, thank you. I'll head off now."

As she turned and walked away without hesitation, Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going back to?"

"Eh? Of course I—wait!"

Lucy froze mid-step, suddenly remembering.

"Ahhh! I haven't rented a place yet! What do I do?!"

This girl... Rhodes sighed.

She really was cut out for Fairy Tail.

Mira smiled warmly and said, "If you don't mind, you can stay at my place for the night. Tomorrow, you can look for a place properly."

"Really?! Thank you so much!" Lucy's eyes sparkled like stars.

Rhodes turned to Mira with a pleading look that clearly said: Can I stay too?

Mira gently pushed his face away without even looking. The answer was clearly "no."

Left with no choice, Rhodes escorted the two girls to Mira's house, then headed home alone.

That night, after finishing his daily training, Rhodes flopped onto his bed, deep in thought.

With both his and Mira's savings combined, they could already afford a house comparable to the one he was currently renting.

But thinking ahead, they'd need a bigger house, either buy one with room to grow or purchase a modest one and renovate it later. Add a floor, knock out some walls... whatever it took to turn it into a proper home. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Either way, it meant they'd need extra funds.

Thankfully, if both of them worked together, saving up would be much easier. Just taking one or two high-paying jobs each month would stack up quickly. Missions around the million-Jewel mark were ideal, decent payout, decent safety margin.

"If we keep this up, we'll have what we need in just a few months." With that happy thought, Rhodes drifted into a peaceful sleep.

...

The next morning.

At the Strauss residence, four people were gathered around the breakfast table.

"Wait, why is Mr. Rhodes here too?" Lucy blinked in surprise.

"Huh? I'm the one who should be asking, you're the one sleeping over at my girlfriend's house," Rhodes shot back with a smirk.

"Ah! S-Sorry, I forgot!" Lucy's cheeks turned red. She had slept so well the night before, she almost forgot it wasn't her home.

"But you and Miss Mira seem to have a really close relationship."

Her tone when addressing Mira had shifted subtly, no longer nervous or overly formal. Clearly, they'd bonded a bit.

Still, compared to the seasoned teasers like Cana or Laki, Lucy was a rookie. Mira leaned into Rhodes' shoulder and, with a playful wink, teased:

"We're in our honeymoon phase, of course we're close~"

"H-Honeymoon phase?!" Lucy turned even redder. For someone with no dating experience, just hearing that kind of phrase was enough to fluster her.

Mira grinned, "So Lucy, have you ever been in love?"

"Of—of course I have! Three times, even!" Lucy blurted, lying on reflex.

Much like Cana, she didn't like falling behind in love stories.

Rhodes joined in, playing along smoothly: "Wow, three? That's a lot. Mira and I just fell for each other once, true love from the start."

"That's not being fickle!" Lucy shouted in protest, completely off guard.

The devious couple burst into laughter. Teasing newcomers was a guilty pleasure neither of them seemed able to resist.

Elfman, used to the chaos, calmly finished his breakfast as if none of it had happened. "Sis, I'm heading to the guild. Planning to take a job today."

"Alright. Let us know once you pick one," Mira replied gently.

After he left, Lucy finally voiced what had been on her mind all night.

"I... didn't expect Elfman to be your brother, Miss Mira."

"Why's that?" Mira asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, aside from the hair color, you two don't look related at all."

Mira was elegant, gentle, and radiant, like a fairy tale heroine. Elfman was... well, not.

Rhodes leaned back and grinned. "That's because Mira's stronger, she inherited all the good traits for herself."

"That's too mean," Mira said, casting a pouty glare at Rhodes. "Elfman is already pitiful enough."

Lucy added with a deadpan look, "Honestly, the way you said that just made him sound even more pitiful."

Unlike Elfman, Lucy wasn't as skilled at ignoring teasing. After breakfast, she tagged along with Mira and Rhodes as they headed out for the day.

Since she was still a newcomer, Rhodes didn't tease her much. On the way, he asked, "So, have you decided where you're going to live?"

"Yeah. Miss Mira mentioned the guild has a girls' dormitory, but the rent's 100,000J a month..." Lucy sighed. "I'm gonna look around town first. If I don't find anything cheaper, I'll settle for the dorm."

Lucy ended up lucking out.

After checking out several listings, she actually found a quaint little apartment for just 70,000J per month. It was right by the canal and not far from the shopping district. In fact, in terms of convenience, it might've been better than Rhodes' own place.

After striking a deal with the landlady and getting her keys, Lucy rushed back to the guild to grab her luggage.

She told everyone that today she'd unpack and rest, and that she'd officially start her work as a Fairy Tail wizard tomorrow.

...

Later that afternoon.

Natsu and Happy scoured the mission board before running over to find Rhodes.

"We picked a job!" Natsu declared.

"Yeah!" Happy added, "This one looks fun!"

Rhodes took the request form and read it aloud. "Retrieve or destroy the book Daybreak from Duke Everlue mansion."

He raised an eyebrow. "Wait, are we allowed to steal stuff now?"

Mira smiled and clarified, "It's not stealing if the item rightfully belongs to the client. Sometimes nobles hoard things they shouldn't, or keep property that was lost in legal disputes. If it can't be retrieved through normal channels, that's where we come in. But we don't do common thievery."

"Got it," Rhodes nodded. "So, when are you heading out?"

Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Tomorrow! We'll blast in and—"

Before he could finish, Rhodes interrupted, smiling slyly. "Perfect. Then tonight, I'll show you something that'll really get you fired up."