Chapter 62: Why?

The two Phantom Lord mages were much more straightforward than Rhodes had imagined.

They were simply unhappy seeing members of Fairy Tail, so they wanted to teach them a lesson. Since they didn't want to cause trouble in the capital, they chose to ambush them in the wilderness.

Perhaps there was also a bit of desire to stand out in their guild or earn some credit.

But ultimately, their motives were simple, their plan was simple, and they were defeated just as simply.

Rhodes wasn't sure how the guild would handle such incidents, so he sought Mira's opinion on what to do with the two.

Mira thought for a moment and said,

"At most, we could file a complaint with the Council. After all, this is just a conflict between a few of us, not something that would escalate into a direct guild war.

"Besides, if we complain to the Council, they might just retaliate, especially given how the Council feels about our guild…"

Rhodes understood what she meant—this was essentially just a kids' fight. If it were escalated to the Council, both guilds would likely receive equal blame, and both guild masters would be expected to submit apologies.

Considering that Fairy Tail tends to get into trouble more often, their own guild master would probably face even harsher criticism.

"So, the best way is to pretend nothing happened—we just found two people who were attacked by beasts on the road?"

Mira nodded, "Something like that. If you still feel annoyed, we can give them another beating."

Rhodes looked at the two:

They both had marks around their waists from the pincers of the Stone Beetles, bite wounds on their arms from the Shadow Wolves—hopefully nothing was broken.

After being forcibly dragged into and out of the ground by the Stone Beetles, they were covered in dirt and looked pitiful.

"Forget it," Rhodes said, "what's the point in beating up people who can't fight back?"

"How long will they stay asleep?"

Mira replied, "If no one disturbs them, the magic will wear off in under half an hour. When they wake up depends on how well they usually sleep."

"Then let them sleep well here." Rhodes suggested, "Should we ask the driver to take a detour?"

Since there were no dangerous beasts nearby, Rhodes silently hoped they might run into a thief or two.

"How devious." Mira laughed, "I agree."

She didn't have any sympathy left for the two who had wanted to teach her a lesson.

…

"Welcome back, Mira!"

By the time they returned to the guild, it was evening, and the guild was bustling with activity.

As soon as Mira walked in, she was warmly welcomed, whereas Rhodes received an enthusiastic… interrogation.

Naturally, Wakaba and Macao led the charge.

"You're so sly, sneaking off with Mira to have fun in Crocus! Damn, I'm so jealous!"

"It was a mission—an escort mission."

"I wish I could take on a mission like that! Hey, you didn't take advantage of Mira, did you? Like, last night…"

"Of course not, we stayed in a suite, but the rooms were separate."

"You jerk, a suite? Let's duel!"

"…" Rhodes thought about it—dueling wasn't a bad idea, considering those two from earlier had been so weak. Practicing with his guildmates sounded good.

"Elfman, come say something too!"

"I just spoke to my sister; she said Rhodes did a great job as a bodyguard." Elfman flexed his arm, "Truly a man!"

"Elfman's betrayed us!"

"What did you say? Betrayal isn't something you can accuse a man of!"

The conversation that had started as questioning Rhodes about Mira soon veered off into a fight, leaving Rhodes standing aside.

Just a minor scene—he was used to it.

"Rhodes, can you come over for a moment?"

The master, sitting cross-legged on the counter, waved at Rhodes. Mira stood beside him, apparently ready to go back to work right after coming back.

"Master."

"Hm." The master nodded, "How did the mission feel?"

Rhodes thought for a moment, "Overall, it was pretty fun."

The master smiled in relief. A kid who stayed at home all day was finally discovering the joys of going out—how wonderful.

But then Rhodes added, "It was also quite dangerous. Just casually walking around, and someone's already targeting us—it's troublesome."

The master's smile vanished. Damn Phantom Lord—why did they have to cause trouble now? Maybe he should just go and fight them!

In his younger days, Makarov was a powder keg that could explode at the slightest provocation. Only old age had tempered his temper somewhat.

And with so many children to take care of, he had learned to be more cautious.

Had Rhodes and Mira returned with injuries, Makarov would not have hesitated to lead the entire guild to settle the score.

But they had come back safe and sound.

From Mira's recounting, it seemed that those troublemakers had suffered quite a bit, not even knowing who had beaten them in the end.

Rhodes did well. Although his methods were a bit…

But as long as he was protecting himself and his companions, that was all that mattered.

The willingness to protect one another was the most appreciated quality in Fairy Tail.

Makarov found himself growing more and more fond of Rhodes.

"Oh, right, Rhodes." Mira suddenly remembered, "Can you give me the request form? We need to finish the last step of the mission."

"Oh, right." Rhodes opened his backpack on the counter, taking out magic books and crystals one by one.

Makarov's expression darkened—Do I really appreciate this kid?

"Oh, Master, I didn't use any of these, so I'll return them to the warehouse later."

Items like these, as long as they weren't consumed, didn't need to be paid for—just a small perk for guild members.

But Makarov was now seriously considering whether he should start charging a rental fee, to curb some of Rhodes' bad habits.

"Here it is." Rhodes found the request form, handed it over, but then pulled it back again, asking, "Should I hand it to the client now, or to the guild assistant?"

Mira smiled, "Now, it's to client Mira Jane, to sign off on Rhodes' completion of the task, and also to pay the mission fee."

Laki and her two friends watched as Rhodes and Mira completed the final steps of the mission, looking like they were playing house, and couldn't help but smile.

Hehe, how did they come back so in-sync after just one trip? Gotta grill Mira about this later, hehe.

Mira took some cash out of her purse and handed it to Rhodes, then filled in the mission log with the completion time.

Holding the two large bills felt almost uncomfortable to Rhodes. "Does this really count as a mission, Master?"

"Why wouldn't it?" Makarov asked with a smile. "Mira, did Rhodes break any mission rules?"

"No, Master." Mira showed the request form and the log, "Every step was done personally by me, absolutely in line with the guild's regulations."

"Then there's no problem. Relax." Makarov jumped off the counter, slowly walking away.

He was going to look into the Phantom Lord situation.

"Understood." Rhodes felt their good intentions, "Thank you."

But it didn't feel quite right just taking this money.

Rhodes thought for a moment, then asked Mira, "How about I treat you to a meal in a few days?"

It seemed Mira understood Rhodes' concerns, nodding, "Sure, I'm looking forward to it."

"Oh~~~~~" Laki and her friends gave Rhodes admiring looks—how could this guy so naturally invite Mira to a meal?

And even more, how could he succeed so easily!