Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 312: This is my room!!!

They said they'd leave that night, but there was no real urgency.

Mira first brought Rhodes to one of the guest rooms, gently removed his shoes, hesitated for a moment, then decided against taking off his clothes. Instead, she just covered him with a light blanket.

Before leaving, she sat by the bed, quietly gazing at his peaceful face for a long time. Then, with a gentle smile, she leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips. After that, she quietly stood and slipped out, closing the door behind her.

She didn't plan to take Rhodes with her.

Mira knew he had been on high alert the past few days, helping the Master manage guild business, sorting paperwork, attending meetings. He must have barely slept. So she used a little sleep magic to give him the rest he deserved.

And when he woke up and realized she tricked him, he'd probably throw a fit or worse, use it as an excuse to do something ridiculous.

So she decided to vanish for a bit... let him cool off.

...

"Master," Mira said before boarding the magic four-wheeled vehicle, "don't let him drink a single drop of wine."

Then she added with a threatening tone and a sweet smile, "Or else... hm~"

Makarov raised his hands in surrender. "Got it, got it. I'll return him in one piece."

He sighed, staring at the night sky.

This old guild master has no dignity left. First Natsu had smacked him on the head, then Erza had headbutted him, and now Mira was threatening him too.

Too pitiful.

Jenny came to see them off. "I'll beat you next time, Mira! Just you wait!"

"Sure, go for it!" Mira replied with a grin. "Though I don't do much modeling these days... maybe try competing with Erza instead?"

"Oh?" Erza's eyes sparkled. "You want a competition? I'm all in!"

She still remembered her last photoshoot had gotten rave reviews from fans. Though... for some reason, the magazine never asked her back.

Were they just rotating for freshness?

Jenny's lips twitched. "Your attitude is seriously irritating."

Mira just chuckled. "Then I'll look forward to your next feature. I'll read it with my boyfriend."

"Tch." Jenny sulked harder. Mira and Rhodes were both just too good at these verbal sparring matches.

"See you back at the guild, Master!"

Everyone waved goodbye to Makarov as they climbed into the magic four-wheeled vehicle, previously stolen by Kageyama.

"I wanted to ride Rhodes' big crab," Natsu grumbled as he got in. fгeewebnovёl.com

"He's resting," Mira replied sweetly. "Don't disturb him, okay?"

Erza, ever the disciplinarian, said sharply, "Move it. Stop wasting time."

Under the combined weight of Mira's smile and Erza's glare, Natsu wisely zipped his mouth.

Gray smirked from the back seat. "Would've been better if you'd shut up earlier, Flame Brain."

"You wanna—ugh—" As the car started moving, Natsu's stomach flipped.

Gray burst out laughing and patted him on the head. "What's wrong? Lost your fire?"

Natsu clutched his mouth. "I'll remember this..."

Shame Lucy and Happy were still out cold. Gray would've had a field day if they were awake.

The return trip was smooth. Mira, Erza, and Gray took turns channeling magic into the vehicle. With no train delays, they sped down the railway far faster than any train could manage.

Though a portion of the tracks at Clover Canyon had been damaged, the bridge wasn't completely destroyed, it was still barely passable.

They arrived in Magnolia before midnight, just in time for showers and a good night's sleep.

Then morning came...

"EEEEEEEK!"

Lucy's scream echoed through the house.

"This is... this is MY room! Why are YOU here?! And how did I get back?!"

"Yo."

"What the heck just happened?!"

...

At around the same time, Rhodes finally woke up naturally after a deep nap.

When he got up for breakfast, he casually asked where everyone was, only to be told by Master Makarov that the others had already returned to Magnolia.

He was completely caught off guard. If he had even a little bit of his usual alertness left, he would've noticed Mira's scheme before she hit him with sleep magic. At the very least, he could've shut her down before nodding off.

Rhodes touched his face suspiciously.

'Why do I feel like someone played a prank on me while I was out...?'

This clearly called for payback when he got back.

...

Despite the minor chaos from the night before, the regular guild conference still proceeded as scheduled.

However, by noon, a team from the Magic Council arrived to investigate.

As expected, the expressions on many of the guild masters were anything but friendly. Having nearly been annihilated by a cursed flute due to the Council's negligence, their resentment was clear, even if unspoken.

Still, the Council representatives could only endure it in silence.

After all, the failure here was undeniably theirs.

If Lullaby had been played during the meeting, and dozens of guild leaders were killed or cursed, the Magic Council would've been unable to withstand the public outcry.

At minimum, the council members responsible would've been forced to resign. At worst... prison. And in a truly catastrophic scenario, heads might have rolled, literally.

In that sense, they now owed Fairy Tail a massive favor.

Not that they'd ever admit it out loud.

Rhodes, following Makarov's subtle signal, helped mediate the tension on behalf of the old man. He diplomatically explained that the Council had promised to "launch a full investigation," which at least allowed the guild masters to move on from the issue with barely concealed grumbling.

Once the atmosphere had calmed down a little, Makarov waved again for Rhodes to formally report what had happened.

Since Erza had briefed the Master before she left, Rhodes stepped up to deliver the report in her place.

Naturally, a retelling from Rhodes came with a slight personal spin.

For instance, when discussing the panic and destruction at the station, Rhodes stated that it wasn't due to any reckless behavior, but rather because Eligor of Eisenwald had taken innocent civilians hostage, forcing Erza to act swiftly and efficiently to evacuate the crowd and neutralize the threat.

For example, Rhodes explained that the railway bridge was damaged during battle as part of the effort to stop Eligor's scheme and prevent a much greater disaster.

Whereas Erza's original report had focused purely on the facts, Rhodes' version placed more emphasis on their good intentions and the positive outcome.

"Our actions were always aimed at protecting innocent lives," he concluded confidently. "And in the end, we succeeded."

Interestingly, Kagayama didn't refute any of this.

In fact, he remained silent, perhaps because he genuinely believed what Fairy Tail stood for. When it came time for his interrogation, he might even speak in their defense.

He wasn't a fool. Though he was involved in the incident, he'd clearly decided to turn over a new leaf. If he genuinely repented, he might one day build a decent life for himself once he'd atoned.

After finishing the report, Rhodes added politely, "Had we not discovered in time that Eisenwald had obtained the cursed flute Lullaby, and had the situation not been so urgent, we absolutely would've reported it through proper channels before taking action."

Whether that would've been possible in reality was another story, but at least the attitude was there.

The Council officials were visibly uncomfortable. With so many guild masters watching them, they couldn't exactly shift the blame.

In the end, all they could do was thank Fairy Tail for its cooperation and note that they might follow up with Erza and the others for more details later.

As for the damages at the station and the Clover Grand Canyon railway bridge, the Council told them not to worry, those repairs wouldn't come out of Fairy Tail's pocket.

When the Council members finally left with Kagayama and the sealed flute, Makarov turned to look at Rhodes with sparkling eyes.

If not for the crowd, he might've kissed him right then and there.

Avoiding any financial compensation for that level of destruction was practically a miracle.

If the venue for the conference had been destroyed too, the consequences would've been a whole different story.

Thank goodness Rhodes had been there.

With this outcome, Makarov might even avoid writing a self-criticism report when he got back.

Truly, what a blessing.

...

Bonus @800 PS

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