As soon as they returned to the guild, Lucy greeted Rhodes with an exaggeratedly resentful glare, watching him all the way from the door to the counter.
Mira immediately understood why and smiled in amusement, curious to see how Rhodes would handle it.
Completely unfazed, Rhodes greeted Lucy with a cheerful wave, pretending to be innocent. "Hey, you're back too! How was the mission? Did you uncover anything interesting?"
Lucy's jaw dropped. "You liar! How can you ask me that with a straight face?!"
"Why not?" Rhodes grinned. "I helped solve your rent crisis and added some excitement to an otherwise boring job. Be honest, didn't you find the mission fun before learning who the restaurant owner was? And once you did, didn't Natsu and Gray stop messing around so you could earn rent money in peace?"
Lucy fumed, but couldn't exactly argue. It was true. After discovering that the restaurant owner was none other than former Council member Yajima, Natsu and Gray had been stunned into good behavior, and she had managed to work without trouble. At the time, she had almost passed out from the shock. A Fairy Tail member with their record helping investigate a Council member? She'd nearly had a heart attack.
"But you still lied to me! The Master said there wasn't even an official investigation. It was just a last-minute request to send some wizards as restaurant staff! I thought I did all that work for nothing!"
"Blame the Master for that one," Rhodes replied with a shrug. "He and Mr. Yajima had an agreement. When the restaurant opened, Fairy Tail's strongest team would help out."
"You're making that up! No way that's true."
Erza walked out and nodded. "It's true. They agreed to it around the time of last year's Harvest Festival."
"What?!" Lucy's head spun. That long ago? It still sounded sketchy—but Erza wouldn't lie.
Mira raised her hand with a bright smile. "I was there too. I overheard the Master talking to Porlyusica about it."
With gossip about Makarov now in the air, Lucy was successfully distracted.
After a few minutes of chatting, Mira glanced around. "By the way, where is the Master?"
"He left at noon for the regular Guild Master meeting," Erza replied. "I was hoping to wait until you returned, but he didn't want to be late."
"Aw, thank you for waiting anyway," Mira said warmly. "Speaking of which... Erza, would you mind holding down the fort a little longer?"
"Is there still work left undone?"
"Well, we picked up a lead during our mission. I need to follow it up while it's still fresh."
While Mira explained the situation to Erza, Rhodes slipped into the back room to borrow the communication lacrima.
He wasn't particularly skilled at using it, but after fumbling with it for a bit, he managed to connect.
Master Roubaul of Cait Shelter answered. Rhodes greeted him politely and asked to speak to Wendy.
Roubaul said he'd send someone to get her immediately, but to Rhode's surprise, Wendy and Carla appeared in the lacrima's projection almost instantly.
It was almost suspicious, like Carla had carried Wendy over on purpose.
Wendy's cheerful face lit up the crystal. "Brother Rhodes! How have you been?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Rhodes chuckled. "But you look well. How's Carla?"
"Also doing great!" Wendy stepped aside so Carla—arms folded and looking unimpressed—could appear in the frame too.
Carla gave a curt nod. "Rhodes. Mira. Erza, Natsu, Gray, and... Warm."
She conspicuously skipped over Happy, but that wasn't anything new. Rhodes didn't bother pointing it out.
"Sorry for leaving so suddenly last time," he said.
Wendy shook her head. "It's okay! Carla and I heard about what happened to Fairy Tail. Is everyone alright?"
Even though the news had already reported it, Wendy clearly wanted to hear it directly.
"We're fine. I took a few hits, but I'm fully healed. You should've seen it, everyone teamed up to fight Phantom Lord. Even a Wizard Saint was involved."
Rhodes recounted the battle with growing enthusiasm, describing the fierce teamwork, the high-stakes fight against Jose Porla, and the clever strategies they had to pull off.
Wendy listened with wide eyes, reacting with worry, awe, and excitement. Unlike the stiff tone Rhodes used when reporting to journalists or Council members, he spoke freely to Wendy, his tone warm and full of pride.
"That's incredible!" Wendy exclaimed. Her admiration felt genuine, and Rhodes basked in it.
But Carla, ever suspicious, narrowed her eyes. "You didn't call just to brag, did you?"
"No, no. I actually have important news," Rhodes said, sitting up straight. "Mira and I got intel that a dangerous individual might be heading your way. Just wanted to give you a heads-up. Be extra careful for a while, alright?"
"That happens to be our next target, so we'll be dropping by to bother you again," Rhodes said with a relaxed smile.
"Really? When?!" Wendy's face suddenly zoomed up to the crystal, practically hijacking the view from Carla. Whatever concern she had for the dangerous person was instantly replaced with excitement.
"We'll wrap things up at the guild and leave soon. If all goes well, we should arrive at Cait Shelter tomorrow afternoon."
Wendy's eyes lit up with joy. "That's amazing! I'll start preparing right away!"
"There's really no need to prepare anything special... and the important part of my sentence was the first half, be careful of any suspicious individuals in the area," Rhodes reminded her gently.
"Got it!" Wendy responded cheerfully, giving a bright and sincere nod.
She was such a good kid, Rhodes really felt relieved whenever she was involved.
While the two continued chatting, Mira walked in and flashed Rhodes an "OK" gesture behind Wendy's smiling face, signaling that everything was settled with Erza.
"Sis Mira!" Wendy chirped excitedly, immediately shifting focus to greet her.
Rhodes stepped aside to let the three girls catch up, while he moved on to another task.
Out front, Erza had already taken over Mira's usual post and was diligently sorting through mission files, assisting guild members with their request applications.
"Thanks for holding the fort," Rhodes said as he approached.
"It's nothing," Erza replied calmly. "I'm always grateful for the help you two give. Besides, it's nice to try different kinds of work every now and then."
"In that case, let me add something to your pile." Rhodes handed over a small notebook.
"What's this?"
"I picked up some intel on the Oración Seis during our last job. I wrote it all down. Later, we'll organize it into a reference guide for the whole guild, just in case someone runs into them unexpectedly."
He remembered Rustyrose. Ninety-nine out of a hundred people would never cross paths with someone like that, but for the one who did... not knowing anything could be deadly.
It was better to be prepared.
"Oración Seis?" Erza's expression sharpened slightly. "Right, Mira did mention your run-in with Black Unicorn, one of their affiliate guilds."
"Yeah, I squeezed the info out of one of their members. It's rough and incomplete, but it's something."
Erza flipped through the notebook briefly. "This is already more than I expected. I'll get started right away, compare it with what we've already got in the archive."
Erza was nothing if not dependable when serious. With the matter in capable hands, Rhodes felt confident enough to move on to his next task: reviewing the old intelligence files on Erigor.
Although Rhodes felt confident he could probably take down Erigor now, he remained cautious. The man was an assassin by trade, and reckless overconfidence could easily lead to trouble.
"Oh, right, one more thing," Rhodes added. "I heard the Magic Council is going to be restructured soon. Nobody knows when it'll resume normal operations. Make sure to remind everyone not to cause any trouble. They might try to make an example out of someone to re-establish their authority."
"I understand. Mr. Yajima mentioned it too," Erza said with a frown. "There may not be anyone left in the Council willing to stand up for Fairy Tail anymore. I'll make sure to warn Natsu."
"..."
Rhodes had to bite back a sarcastic remark.
Once Mira and Wendy finished their conversation, Rhodes and Mira gathered their things and set off again.
If this mission succeeded, it would mean more than just bounty money, it could finally cover the down payment for their house, with enough left over for savings and future plans. Their small family's dream was slowly becoming a reality.
…
Since they left late in the day, they had to spend the night aboard a boat. When they docked the next morning, Rhodes still felt like the ground was swaying under his feet.
Thankfully, neither of them was seasick. They stopped near the southern port for a quick meal and then took a ride on the Crab, straight to their destination.
By the time they arrived, it was nearly noon.
Meanwhile, back in Magnolia, the guild hall buzzed with discussion as Erza shared the summarized intel Rhodes had compiled on Oración Seis.
They talked about the Balam Alliance, the web of dark guilds operating beneath the Oración Seis, and the troubling signs that many of these guilds had started moving again.
In the middle of the chatter, Makarov returned to the guild earlier than expected.
"Master?" someone called out.
Everyone looked up in surprise. The Council's routine meetings usually lasted three days, yet Makarov was already back by noon the next day.
He must have taken the morning train—had the meeting ended early?
"Did the old man get into another fight again?" Macao muttered under his breath. Wakaba chuckled beside him.
The senior members knew the master's... colorful track record. Although, to be fair, he usually won those fights, so maybe it wasn't exactly black history.
"I heard you all talking about the Oración Seis?" Makarov asked, glancing around the room.
Everyone fell silent for a moment and nodded hesitantly.
Makarov's face turned serious. "We've been assigned to defeat the Oración Seis."
The guild exploded.
"What?!"
"Did I hear that right?!"
"Defeat the Oración Seis?!"
"Old man, did you pull the worst mission slip again?!"
Shock rippled through the room. Oración Seis, one of the three pillars of the Balam Alliance were notorious. Each member was said to possess the power to single-handedly destroy an entire guild.
Fairy Tail was the number one guild in Fiore, but even so, taking down Oración Seis?
That was a declaration of war against one of the most dangerous forces on the continent.
If Fairy Tail had to face Oración Seis alone, it would be a tall order. And if the other two major dark forces under the Balam Alliance stepped in to support them…
The pressure would be overwhelming.
Thankfully, Makarov continued, "To be precise, we won't be fighting them alone. Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale will form an alliance with us. The three guilds will take them on together."
As soon as Natsu heard the word "fight," he lit up with excitement. He punched the air and shouted, "We don't need three guilds! I can take them all down myself!"
Makarov didn't deny his guild's strength, but he explained carefully, "They're not opponents to be taken lightly. This alliance isn't just for battle power, it's also to share the aftermath. If there's retaliation, the burden won't fall on one guild alone."
Natsu didn't care at all about diplomacy or consequences. He just kept insisting that he had to go, until Erza silenced him with a solid punch to the head. He dropped like a rock and finally lay still, muttering quietly.
Makarov continued, updating everyone on the Council's intel: Oración Seis were planning a dangerous operation. They had to be stopped now, before things escalated.
Then he paused, his expression shifting. "Wait... where are Mira and Rhodes?"
Erza replied, "They returned yesterday but left again shortly after. They received intel on Erigor's location and went to capture him."
"Erigor?!" Lucy's eyes widened. That was a name she remembered well. Back then, Natsu had fought him tooth and nail, it wasn't an easy win.
Happy raised his paw. "Aye, the guy who almost wiped the floor with Natsu!"
If Natsu had been conscious, he would've sprung up yelling. Instead, he groaned from the floor.
Gray frowned. "Isn't it a bit... much for just the two of them?" He stopped himself, realizing who they were talking about. Actually, for Mira and Rhodes, this might not be that strange.
Makarov asked, "Can we get in touch with them?"
"They're probably in transit," Erza said. "We might not be able to reach them until later."
"I was hoping to send the Thunder God Tribe with them," Makarov muttered.
He thought to himself that with Evergreen's petrification magic, Bickslow's Possession Eyes, and Freed's enchantments, even Oración Seis might not stand a chance under Rhodes' command.
But unfortunately, none of them were in the guild. With the situation changing so suddenly, the guilds had no choice but to act quickly and make the best of who was available.
There was no time to delay.
"In that case, leave it to us." Erza stepped forward, flipping through a few sheets of paper. "Rhodes left behind some excellent intel. It'll be enough for us to act."
So, Erza, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy packed up, made a few preparations, and rented a carriage to meet up with the allied guilds.
Lucy followed along dazedly, stopping with the others at Porlyusica's cabin to gather medicine and antidotes. She even bought some specialized glasses, mostly as a precaution against enemies like Cobra and Hoteye, whose magic could mess with sight and sound.
As the carriage rolled out of Magnolia, Lucy finally snapped.
"Why am I going on this mission too?!" she shouted, clutching her head. "There are way stronger people in the guild, aren't there?!"
Erza, calm as always, reassured her. "Most of the stronger members are out. Besides, team composition and trust matter. You're competent, Lucy. And the Master chose you for a reason."
Lucy flushed a little. Being praised by Erza made her feel proud. If the Master trusted her, that meant her magic had really grown.
But then Happy piped up cheerfully, "Also, Loke's really strong. Bringing Lucy is like bringing Loke!"
Lucy glared. "You didn't need to say that part out loud!"
"Aye~" Happy giggled.
"And the power of my Celestial Spirits is still my power!"
"Aye~" Happy replied again, not even pretending to listen.
"You stupid cat!"
Lucy lunged at him, and the two scuffled around in the carriage, nearly knocking Natsu off his seat.
Leaning by the window and rocking with the bumps in the road, Natsu moaned, "Rhodes… where are you… I want crabs…"