Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 215: We want to bet on Rhodes

"Wait, am I seeing this right? Is Natsu actually getting completely overwhelmed?"

"That's Rhodes, isn't it? What's with that form?"

"Didn't he just start learning Take Over magic recently? Looks like he received something pretty crazy."

"No wonder he was able to team up with Erza last week. This guy's growth is insane."

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Thanks to the hole Natsu had blasted in the guild's wall, everyone inside had a front-row view of the fight, and the bored guild members now had something exciting to crowd around and watch.

Happy watched nervously as Natsu got pushed back again and again. His voice trembled a bit.

"Isn't anyone placing bets? I want to bet on Rhodes to win!"

Mira giggled and gently patted Happy's head. Honestly, she was kind of tempted to place a bet too.

"You're so annoying, vines again?!" Natsu shouted as multiple thorny vines sprouted from Rhodes' arm and wrapped tightly around his body like enchanted ropes. Just as Rhodes lifted Natsu to toss him across the yard, the vines were incinerated by Natsu's flames midair.

"Tch, come on! Why can't I eat that fire?!" Natsu growled, wiping soot from his face.

Taking a breath, he shouted, "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

Rhodes didn't dodge. Instead, he braced, crossing his arms in front of his face and tanking the brunt of the blast.

Flames engulfed his body, singing the wooden beams and blackening parts of his armor, but the bright red orb at his chest pulsed with energy, quickly repairing his damage with regenerative magic.

Mira clenched her fists behind the counter. These two idiots, one always going all out, the other never dodging when he should. A few months ago, she would've stormed in and smacked them both.

...Or maybe, back then, she would've egged them on.

"You've gotten strong!" Natsu shouted with a wild grin. "In that case, how about I show you this one?"

Flames exploded around him as he began charging a new technique.

Rhodes crouched, one hand pressed to the ground as he weighed whether to interrupt it or not.

"Dragon Slayer—"

"Scarlet—"

"Cut it out already!"

Two massive hands burst through the side of the guild wall, grabbing Natsu and Rhodes mid-chant, one in each palm.

"Whoaaa!" Natsu flailed in the air, gripping Makarov's fingers. "What gives, old man?! I was just about to win!"

Rhodes didn't struggle. He simply released his Take Over magic and shrank back down to normal size, quietly settling into Makarov's open palm like a scolded cat.

Makarov's booming voice echoed across the yard. "Take a look at what you two did to the guild!"

Natsu rubbed the back of his neck, eyes darting away. Whenever the old man brought up property damage, guilt always won.

"And you, Rhodes!" Makarov barked. "Why are you going along with this nonsense?!"

"My bad," Rhodes said immediately with a sheepish smile. "It was a good chance to test my strength... so I gave in."

Just then, Mira chimed in innocently, "Um, Master... your giant hands just did more damage than Rhodes did."

Makarov froze mid-lecture, eyes twitching. That comment hit like a lightning bolt, and the next part of his scolding got completely stuck in his throat.

With a loud huff, he gently set both boys back down and returned to normal size.

"Whatever! You two, come with me! You're helping fix the guild!"

"Yes, sir," they answered in unison.

The spectators groaned.

"Awww, what a shame! That fight was just getting good!"

"Yeah, I really thought we'd get to see Natsu beat up Rhodes today."

"Honestly, I was hoping it'd go the other way, Rhodes beating Natsu sounds way more fun."

Plenty of guild members had secretly hoped to see Rhodes take a beating. Not because they disliked him, but because watching him lose would just be entertaining. Besides, they all knew it was easier said than done.

A few of them started to regret not sparring with Rhodes more back when he wasn't this strong. They'd missed their chance.

"What a waste..." several of them sighed together.

Gray, meanwhile, had been watching from the side with his arms crossed. He was secretly glad Natsu got thrown around, but seeing the two go at it sparked something in him.

Their power levels were rising fast, and Gray felt a growing itch for a real match. It wouldn't be long before he stepped in for a round himself.

Rhodes, meanwhile, had been assigned to repair the outer wall. Thankfully, he was already pretty experienced at that.

Inside, Makarov and Natsu were patching up the shattered wooden structure. Also not their first time.

Because the mission board had been completely obliterated in the scuffle, Mira had Laki handle its repairs. They busied themselves with picking up scattered job flyers and pinning them back up one by one.

As they worked, Laki leaned over and grinned, "Looks like your man's starting to rub off on you, Sister Mira."

Mira rolled her eyes, not even bothering to correct him. "Rhodes is usually sensible. He just has... impulsive moments."

"Really now?"

"Mm-hmm. Just the other day, we went to help Madam Mari look for her lost wallet, and then we ran into—"

"What? What happened?" Laki leaned in, eyes gleaming.

Mira paused, then waved it off with a flustered smile. "Nothing."

"You're the worst! Don't stop halfway!" Laki pouted. Then, with a teasing smirk, she added, "You know, you've been saying 'we' a lot lately when you talk. 'We ate lunch.' 'We helped someone.' 'We trained.' Sounds very... couple-y~"

"Have I?" Mira blinked. She hadn't noticed. But when she thought about it, Laki was right.

Lately, whether it was eating, shopping, patrolling, or even just cleaning up, Rhodes had been by her side through it all.

...

Later that month, near the end of February, Rhodes teamed up with Elfman for another job.

By now, Elfman had cooled down a lot. He no longer glared daggers every time Rhodes stood within five feet of Mira.

Sure, as her little brother, he'd been a bit resistant at first. That was only natural. It wasn't so much possessiveness, it was worry. He just didn't want his sister getting played by someone unreliable.

He'd seen too many sleazy types like Loke, charming everyone with a wink. Or hotheaded idiots like Jet and Droy, who couldn't even land a hit in a real spar.

But Rhodes... after so many missions, so many brawls and shared meals, Elfman had to admit, the guy wasn't half bad.

Reliable. Level-headed. Definitely manly enough.

The only thing Elfman really had to adjust to now was... well, the fact that this guy might actually be sticking around. As part of their lives.

But then again, Rhodes had been training with them every day for ages now.

Maybe, Elfman thought with a deep frown, he'd already gotten used to it.

'Wait a minute... when exactly did this guy start bothering my sister in the first place?'

'When did this guy start bothering my sister? Was it right after the Master picked him up off the streets?' Elfman thought darkly.

"Welcome back, Elfman. Welcome back, Rhodes." Mira looked at the two of them up and down, scanning for any signs of injury. "You didn't get hurt, right?"

"Nope," Elfman replied with a casual shrug. "Didn't even have to fight this time."

This mission had been a simple one: escorting a family of four as they moved across a long distance. They had carts full of furniture and valuables and were worried about getting robbed on the road, so they hired wizards for protection.

For Rhodes and Elfman, it was a great deal. No combat, just travel, and they earned 200,000 Jewels for it.

Mira turned to Elfman with a smile, then shifted her gaze to Rhodes, her eyes quietly asking a question.

Rhodes looked back at her with an apologetic expression and gave a small shake of his head.

Mira's expression softened as she nodded back gently, silently telling him it was fine.

"???" Elfman blinked.

'What was that? What kind of strange non-verbal language were they using?'

'Were these two... communicating through eye contact now?'

'Or did they learn some kind of telepathy magic behind his back?'

Unable to hold back, Elfman finally asked, "Sis, what are you two talking about?"

Mira smiled sweetly and replied, "Oh, nothing. You both traveled so far and worked so hard. Go get some rest."

Still suspicious, Elfman walked off, his mind racing.

'They're definitely hiding something. But what?'

'Did Mira get secretly engaged?'

It seemed a little sudden, but still, it wasn't something worth hiding...

He clenched his fists.

Ugh. Now he really wanted to fight Rhodes again.

...

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