Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 250: Retreat

"Happy!"

"Happy!"

Rhodes and Elfman's joyous voices echoed through the trees for anyone to hear.

"Aye, sir! Rhodes! Elfman! Are you guys okay?" Happy flew over, waving his little blue paws excitedly.

Rhodes let out a tired laugh. "We were just getting chased across the mountains like a pair of amateurs."

Elfman flexed his scorched, battered arms. "But now we're totally fine, because we're manly!"

Looking at their torn clothes and scorched limbs, Happy clearly didn't believe that they were completely fine. But at least they weren't in immediate danger.

"Hey!" Happy chimed proudly, puffing out his chest. "We just took down two bad guys! Two of them!"

Rhodes smiled. "I saw it. That move with the fish? Real stylish."

Elfman's face lit up. "Happy, you're a man among men!"

"Aye-sir! Manly man!" Happy mimicked Elfman's dramatic pose with surprising accuracy.

This kid really was easy to influence.

Rhodes leaned in curiously. "So, where did you come from?"

Happy beamed. "Straight from the guild, of course!"

"That fast?" Rhodes blinked, confused. "Wait, then... who did you come with?"

"We—"

Before Happy could finish, three enemy soldiers burst through the forest canopy, yelling to their comrades.

"There they are!"

"Don't let them get away!"

Rhodes and Elfman glanced at each other, and laughed. A few stray grunts this time? They'd fought worse.

The two of them were ready to throw hands when suddenly the sound of a roaring engine echoed through the trees.

A strange-looking vehicle came barreling out of the woods, launching off a small dirt ramp and soaring directly toward the minions.

"A car?!"

"In a place like this?!"

"Scatter—!"

The panicked shouts were cut off by a loud WHAM as the car plowed through the three attackers, sending them flying like bowling pins.

"Wait... is that a Magic Four-Wheeler?"

Rhodes's eyes widened. With that kind of speed, it made sense how they could've arrived so quickly from the guild.

But the real shock wasn't the vehicle, it was who was behind the wheel.

"Mira?!" Rhodes blurted out.

Elfman's jaw dropped. "Sister?! Why is my sister the one driving?!"

"Aye, sir! That's how we got here!" Happy confirmed cheerfully.

The vehicle didn't even slow down for the unconscious enemies it had just flattened. It screeched to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dirt.

MiraJane Strauss, no longer in her usual calm and graceful state, ripped the SE plug out of the vehicle, leapt from the driver's seat, and ran straight past the downed enemies.

She didn't even glance at them. All her focus was on the two man she spotted ahead.

Seeing Rhodes and Elfman in their tattered, burned, battle-worn state made her heart clench painfully.

"How are you—?" Mira's voice trembled.

"Don't worry, Sis! We're totally fine," Elfman said with a forced grin, trying to hide how exhausted he was.

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"Yeah, everything's okay," Rhodes added with a soft smile. "You—"

But Mira wasn't listening. She ran up and began frantically inspecting both of them, checking every limb, every bruise, every wound. Once she confirmed they were okay and more or less whole, her knees gave out, and she collapsed right in front of them.

"Mira!"

"Sister!"

Rhodes quickly caught Mira as she collapsed, and Elfman dove in too, wrapping both his sister and Rhodes into a firm, protective hug.

At that moment, Erza stepped out of the magic four-wheeler, arms crossed and composed as ever. "She's just drained from using too much magic. She'll be fine with a little rest. She drove way too fast getting here."

Cana climbed out behind her and sighed. "Seriously, we agreed to take turns driving, but the moment she got behind the wheel, she refused to switch."

Magic four-wheelers burned through magic power at an alarming rate, and considering Mira's condition now, it was practically a miracle she'd managed to pilot it all the way from Magnolia.

"You're all here..." Rhodes looked at them with a bit of awe, moved beyond words. One call for help, and they'd crossed the kingdom to reach them. Being part of Fairy Tail really was something else.

Without wasting time, Rhodes summoned Sentinel and placed the Blue buff on Mira to restore her mana. Then, just to be safe, he brought out the Brambleback and cast Red buff for healing.

Cana walked over and nudged one of the flattened grunts still lying in the dirt from the impact. "So... these guys the bad guys?"

Rhodes chuckled. "Just grunts. We've seen worse. But the real problem is the other two."

He gave them a quick summary of what had happened, about Rustyrose and Zancrow.

"They call themselves the Seven Kin of Purgatory. Which means there are at least five more like them lurking within Grimoire Heart."

"The good news," he added, "is that I don't think they've deployed all seven. But we're still in the dark on how important Mal and Vina are to them. If they're considered valuable targets... reinforcements might come."

"Got it." Erza nodded, fully serious. "If it comes to it, we'll pull back using the magic four-wheeler. Worst case, we stall until Master shows up."

Just as she said that, Erza's armor shimmered and transformed into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. She swung one arm effortlessly, and a dozen enchanted swords launched in a wide arc behind her, knocking out every enemy trying to sneak closer through the trees.

Her tone didn't even change.

"Oh, and the Council says they'll be sending reinforcements too. Seems they're trying to save face after what happened in Fiore."

Rhodes blinked. That move just now had been flawless—and she hadn't even broken stride in conversation. It was like watching a battlefield get cleared mid-chat. The kind of cool that made you want to cheer and whistle.

"With this team, we should be good for a while..." he nodded. Then a sudden realization hit him. "Wait. Where's Natsu?"

Cana smirked and pointed toward the magic four-wheeler. "Oh, he's still in the car. Probably alive."

"Natsu~" Happy cheerfully dragged the half-conscious Natsu out of the back of the magic four-wheeler.

Natsu groaned, clutching his stomach. "Stop the car..."

"Aye! It already stopped!"

Rhodes couldn't help but chuckle. He was touched by the familiarity of the scene and also a little worried. If this guy doesn't figure out a way to beat motion sickness, what happens if they get ambushed mid-transit?

Now that the main team had arrived, even when more waves of Grimoire Heart's minions showed up, Rhodes and Elfman no longer had to take the frontlines.

With Erza, Cana, and Natsu in charge, it was basically a cleanup operation. All Rhodes had to do was stand back, cheer, and occasionally shout "666!" with Happy in pure admiration.

...

"Lord Zancrow! We've found them, but it looks like they've got reinforcements!"

"What reinforcements?" Zancrow growled, his eyes burning hotter than his magic. "I'll reduce every last one of them to ash. Take me to them now!"

He didn't even bother tending to his wounds. A few rough bandages wrapped around his scorched frame were enough. His fury kept him standing.

That runt had lied to him. Lied and ran. He was going to make him pay.

"L-Lord Zancrow!" another grunt called out breathlessly, skidding to a stop. "The base just received a message. The Master has ordered a full retreat."

Zancrow seized the man by the collar, lifting him off the ground. "What. Did. You. Say?"

The man choked out the words. "There's been credible intel. The Magic Council is preparing a large-scale mobilization. The Master said our operation's been exposed. He ordered us not to confront Fairy Tail directly. Not yet. It's not time."

Zancrow froze.

"Master said we can't afford to go head-to-head with Fiore's number one guild. And Lord Rustyrose returned to camp. He's seriously injured."

"What?!" Zancrow hurled the man aside, teeth clenched. But deep down, he knew they couldn't afford to challenge both Fairy Tail and the Council at once.

"Fine. We pull back," he spat. "But next time, I'll burn them all to cinders."

A pause.

"What's the damage on Rustyrose?"

"Unclear. He collapsed the moment he returned. One arm was gone. And he's been poisoned. Severely."

...

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