Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 249: Sense of Security

A deep crater tore open in the forest floor, and from it erupted a pillar of black flame that towered high above the treetops.

The infernal column blazed outward from Zancrow's hands, carving a blistering wall of fire across the forest. The heat alone scorched everything in its path.

But the scene Zancrow wanted to see, his prey blown out of the ground like rats from a trap, never came.

Clutching his wounded arm, he staggered forward and snarled, "Find them! I don't care if you have to turn over every rock or rip up the earth inch by inch. I want them found!"

His lackeys didn't dare offer a word of protest. They scattered in every direction.

While Zancrow raged, several meters beneath the surface, Rhodes and the others were doing their best impression of a high-speed underground escape.

"Down, down. Faster. Left. Sharp turn here. Hey, follow my lead!" Rhodes barked instructions like a panicked drill sergeant as the two Krugs barreled through the earth.

They were deep enough and winding far enough off course that the devastation above was unlikely to reach them. But that wasn't what had him worried.

None of the others could breathe down there.

He was the only one who had fully taken over the Krug's form and could survive underground comfortably. The others would suffocate if they stayed too long. If they surfaced too early, they'd be caught.

So Rhodes pushed the krugs to dig faster.

After two or three minutes of frantic tunneling, Rhodes paused, listening carefully. No footsteps above.

"Surface."

The beetles burst from the ground in a quiet clearing. Fresh air hit them all like a blessing.

Elfman and Mal collapsed to the ground, gasping and coughing, gulping down every breath like it was their last.

Rhodes checked Vina's pulse. Weak, but steady. Still alive.

"Can you save her?" Mal asked, kneeling beside his sister. His voice trembled, but there was hope in it, desperate hope.

"Not yet," Rhodes replied. "My magic's still running low. Give me a second."

He closed his eyes, focused, then opened them and said, "Re-equip."

With a shimmer of light, a medic's kit appeared in his hands. He handed it over.

"Here. Dress her wounds. Bandages, disinfectants, glucose, saline. Use what you need."

"Thank you." Mal immediately got to work, handling the supplies with careful urgency.

"Elfman," Rhodes turned, "how bad are you hurt?"

Elfman puffed out his chest despite his burns. "Man."

Which Rhodes interpreted as, "I can still stand."

He nodded. "Alright. I'll heal you both when I've regained enough mana."

Elfman gave a quiet grunt of acknowledgment, but then narrowed his eyes. "What about your fight? Did you win?"

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Rhodes tilted his head, thoughtful. "I guess you could say the other guy flinched first."

He quickly relayed what happened. After recovering just enough magic, he went to track down Rustyrose using the two Exploding Magic Crystals as backup.

But all he found was an arm.

Cleanly severed. The wound was flat and tinted purple, a clear sign of heavy poisoning.

Rustyrose must've realized the poison was spreading and made the ruthless decision to amputate before it was too late.

Rhodes hadn't seen where he fled. The guy had been knocked so far back that by the time he got his bearings, the battlefield was empty.

So Rhodes concluded, "He's tough. Could've kept fighting, but he ran instead. Either he thought I had more strength left, or he needed to find a cure."

Either way, there was no point in chasing him. Instead, Rhodes had flown straight to the mountains to find Elfman, only to arrive and discover that not just Elfman, but the siblings were also badly injured.

A simple recon mission had become a life-or-death battle with Grimoire Heart.

And both Fairy Tail brothers had nearly died trying to complete it.

It really echoed what Master Makarov had said just a few days ago: "Sometimes the job is simple, and you walk away with a bag of jewels. Other times, you're fighting for your life and left with nothing but scars."

After Rhodes said that, Elfman filled him in on everything that had happened since the wild monsters disappeared.

As he listened, Rhodes couldn't help but glance at Mal with a touch of disapproval.

But given the hatred burning in Mal's heart, Rhodes understood why he'd acted impulsively. Still, it didn't change the fact that he'd put others in danger.

What mattered now was that Elfman had managed to use Full-Body Take Over.

Rhodes wasn't sure if he should be proud or concerned, this definitely hadn't followed the "gentle awakening" script he'd envisioned.

What he'd hoped for was a safe, low-stakes mission that might shift Elfman's mindset, not a high-risk showdown against Grimoire Heart where both brothers nearly died.

Whether this would turn out to be a blessing or a burden would have to wait until they got out of here alive.

"It's done," Mal reported as he finished tending to his sister's wounds. His voice was full of guilt and hope as he looked at Rhodes.

But Rhodes shook his head lightly. "I haven't recovered enough magic yet. We need to find somewhere to lay low for now."

Just then, one of the Krugs emerged from underground and tapped its leg in a specific direction.

It had picked up footsteps.

"Time to move. They're getting close."

With no time to spare, the group veered off into a new route. They ran for over an hour, weaving through the forest. But no matter how far they went, they couldn't fully shake the pursuit.

The biggest issue was the condition of their group. Carrying someone seriously wounded, they had to avoid rough terrain, steep climbs, and fast travel methods, each one sacrificed to protect Vina.

Finally, once Rhodes felt his magic nearing replenishment, he summoned the Blue Sentinel and cast Blue Buff on himself and Elfman.

It wasn't a full heal, but it gave both of them a bit more stamina and clarity. It was enough to settle the nerves.

A few minutes later, Rhodes called forth the Brambleback and layered Red bufff on Elfman and Vina.

As for himself, he'd wait a little longer. As long as they weren't in battle, he could keep cycling Blue then Red summons, back and forth, like a walking support engine.

Sure enough, color began returning to Vina's face. Her breathing steadied, and the deeper wounds began to close.

Unlike their father, her injury had been more recent, and the emergency aid had helped just enough. She was young, strong, and now, out of danger.

"There! I see one of those weird crabs again!"

A sharp-eyed grunt from the enemy's search team had spotted a Scuttle Crab blending in with the underbrush.

Rhodes and Elfman both rolled their wrists, checking their joints. Their injuries hadn't fully healed, but neither of them had any intention of running now.

"Damn it... Being chased all over the mountain by a bunch of low-level grunts... this has to be the most humiliating day of my life," Rhodes muttered through gritted teeth, his frustration boiling over.

Just then, a red flare burst across the sky like a shooting star.

At the same moment, a small blue figure zoomed into the Scuttle Crab's vision, slamming head-first into a staff-wielding soldier and sending him flying.

Then, with a sharp turn and two heavy whacks, he pulled a fish from the pouch strapped to his back and knocked out a knife-wielding enemy in one clean combo.

After casually disabling both, the tiny figure flapped its wings, hovered over to the Scuttle Crab, and cheerfully waved.

"Happy?!" Rhodes exclaimed, stunned.

Elfman blinked. "Huh?"

Rhodes could hardly contain his excitement. "It's Happy! The real Happy! That means..."

Happy couldn't possibly have flown this far alone from the Fairy Tail guild. Which could only mean—

"Natsu's nearby!"

Either the duo happened to be within contact range... or Natsu and the others had followed the flare signal and come to back them up.

Either way—

"Reinforcements have arrived!"

Rhodes and Elfman nearly collapsed from relief. They were so close to breaking. Injured, exhausted, low on magic, all while trying to protect Mal and Vina through a relentless chase, it was the most helpless Rhodes had ever felt since becoming a wizard.

Even when facing demons or dark wizards, he always had the confidence to fight back.

But now, just seeing that familiar blue cat flying through the sky made him feel like the entire world was lifting off his shoulders.

A warm, powerful sense of safety surged through him.

Rhodes wanted nothing more than to lie down right now.