Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master

The mission to retrieve the herbs had been a success.

If there was one lingering regret, it was that they didn't take the reward, instead bringing back an IOU.

Both Rhodes and Elfman agreed—Mr. Karut's family was in no condition to hand over their last savings. They needed time to recover and rebuild. Forcing them to pay now would only make their lives harder.

But Mr. Karut and Mrs. Weiss held firm. Even if they couldn't repay the people who had saved their family twice over, they couldn't allow themselves to offer nothing in return—not even the smallest token of gratitude.

Rhodes had pointed out that most of the herbs had been found by Jenny, but Mrs. Weiss insisted. Jenny never would have made it back without their help.

So, Rhodes compromised. He agreed to an IOU—with no interest and a repayment deadline of one hundred years.

To cover their meals and stay, they used the meat from the two Labons they'd brought back. The remaining meat was saved for Mr. Karut to help him regain his strength.

Early the next morning, the two of them departed the village. Before leaving, they made a point to formally apologize to Mrs. Nepol next door and even gifted her a Labon leg as compensation.

The villagers had never seen such ferocious beasts up close and crowded around the Karut household, eager to buy cuts of Labon meat.

Rhodes didn't involve himself in those details. He simply hoped the sales could provide the family with a bit of starting capital for a new beginning.

Being able to save a family on the verge of falling apart—it brought a quiet kind of joy and fulfillment.

Rhodes realized that as he grew stronger, so too did his ways of making a living.

Even if he didn't continue life as a guild wizard someday, he could still survive comfortably by hunting, selling meat, and trading pelts.

But that would be a last resort. If possible, he still hoped to stay in the guild just as he was now.

And maybe one day... find a gentle, beautiful wife.

Sitting in the carriage, Rhodes ran his hand over the Labon fur they'd cleaned and prepped. The next step would be to find a good tailor.

Elfman also held a pelt, neatly folded on his lap. According to the village's local tanner, his was higher quality than Rhodes's—so Rhodes had very generously handed it over to him without argument.

But Elfman's mind was elsewhere. He stared blankly out the window, lost in thought.

Seeing this, Rhodes decided to pry a little. "Still thinking about what happened?"

Elfman gave a silent nod. He wasn't thinking about Jenny and Hunter anymore, not directly. His thoughts had turned inward.

"Did I do something wrong back then?"

Rhodes paused for a moment before replying. "Did you do everything you could?"

"Of course I did! The three of us gave it our all. We had nothing left in us! If we didn't…" Elfman trailed off, his voice tightening.

"Did you ever blame your sister?" Rhodes asked. "Blame her for taking that mission, for being too weak to protect you both? For not being enough?"

"What? No! Of course not!" Elfman's voice rose, defensive and firm. "It wasn't her fault the mission failed. Besides, Lisanna and I—we're wizards too. We can't just expect our sister to carry us forever!"

"Exactly." Rhodes looked him in the eyes. "Lisanna is a wizard in her own right. Even if you're her brother, you shouldn't underestimate her resolve."

"But... I didn't go in prepared to control the Beast Soul. I lost control. I did it with my own hands." Elfman clutched his head with both hands, his voice shaking. The memories of that day overwhelmed him, and the man broke into tears, weighed down with regret.

"It wasn't you. It was the Beast King's consciousness that took over." Rhodes placed a firm, reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"You did everything you could. All three of you have good hearts. And I believe Lisanna would want you to show that same kindness to yourself—to remember that you fought with everything you had and to accept who you are now."

"Guilt and self-blame won't make you stronger. They won't bring you closer to the person Lisanna looked up to. But facing forward and accepting yourself—maybe that's what she'd admire most."

Rhodes had been holding onto those words for a long time—since the day he made it his mission to help Mira find closure. If he'd said them back then, in a calm moment, maybe they would've only stirred a little emotion, then faded away. Like when he tried to comfort Mira in that quiet café before.

But now, in this moment, they might actually make a difference.

"Accept myself... the way Lisanna would admire..." Elfman murmured.

"Big Brother Elf, don't cry anymore."

He could hear a memory—his sister's voice—just like when the villagers avoided him.

"Just like how Sis used that power to protect us... this time, it's our turn to protect her." Another memory. The day he first learned to use Take Over magic.

"Elfman... do you think... we deserve to try forgiving ourselves?"

His sister had asked that just a few days ago.

All those moments replayed in his mind, overlapping. Slowly, Elfman wiped the tears from his face. It was still hard—but he wanted to try again.

"I won't cry anymore... man!"

But those tears hadn't quite stopped yet. Rhodes gave a soft sigh.

Maybe it worked. Maybe this really was a step forward.

He figured there was no need to say anything else today.

"Man," Rhodes replied, matching his tone.

"Don't tell anyone."

Rhodes smiled gently. "Alright. I won't tell."

After getting off the carriage, Rhodes and Elfman dropped off the Labon fur at a local tailor shop for processing.

When the shopkeeper heard they were wizards from Fairy Tail, he immediately offered a discount, proudly stating that Fairy Tail members often brought them business.

"Especially that guy named Gray," the boss added, "and the one who breathes fire... Natsu. And that red-haired lady, Erza—she orders custom gear from time to time."

"I only found this place thanks to Natsu's recommendation," Rhodes said with a chuckle. "He said you could make fire-resistant clothing."

"Oh yes, that's one of our specialties!" The tailor beamed. "Want to commission one?"

"What's the price?" Rhodes asked.

The boss gestured with both hands, indicating a hefty sum.

"Never mind," Rhodes said, already turning to leave. "I don't need anything that fancy right now."

By the time they returned to the guild, Elfman had adjusted his mood and walked in alongside Rhodes.

The moment they stepped through the doors, someone rushed past them in a hurry, clutching a task request sheet.

The guild was quieter than usual. Only a handful of members who had no plans to participate in the S-Class trials were around, making the hall feel unusually spacious.

Even the request board looked sparse. Just a few task slips fluttered there.

And yet, Nab stood before it like a scholar studying sacred texts, reading each one with the utmost seriousness. Whenever he grew tired, he ordered a drink and returned to study more.

"Oh-ho! Look who it is—Rhodes and Elfman!" Macao waved from the corner. "You two heading off to challenge the S-Class exam too?"

Rhodes shook his head. "Nah, just wrapped up a standard mission. Trying to earn a little spending money."

Not that they actually earned anything from it in the end.

"What? I figured you'd be breaking the guild record for 'fastest to reach S-Class after joining,'" Wakaba said with a grin, puffing his cigar.

"Is that a real record?" Rhodes raised an eyebrow, wondering if the two old-timers were just bored from the lack of conversation over the past few days.

But before he could say anything more, they were met with the most familiar and comforting sight.

"Welcome back, Elfman. Welcome back, Rhodes," Mira said with a warm smile that never failed to brighten the room.

"I'm back, sis," Elfman said.

"We're back," Rhodes added with a nod.