Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master
Chapter 504: Luuu~cy

Chapter 504: Luuu~cy

The three siblings cried themselves into a heap, clinging to one another. Only after the flood of tears finally slowed did Mira and Elfman begin asking Lisanna about everything she’d been through in Edolas.

Rhodes, now certain Mira was safe, finally relaxed. He quietly stepped away and walked toward the flame chariot.

Meanwhile, the two Natsus were locked in a ridiculous standoff. One was trying to pull the other out of the car to talk face-to-face, while the other stubbornly tried to drag his counterpart into the car for a chat. Neither was willing to back down.

The two Lucys were also engaged in their own bizarre exchange, arguing in perfect synchronization.

"You’re so rude!" one snapped.

"You’re the loud one!" the other retorted.

Just a few feet away, Gajeel had laid Lily out flat on the ground, letting the little Exceed rest. He then sat beside him and began muttering to himself, as if trying to pep-talk Lily into waking up so he could "go teach that flame brain’s cat a lesson."

"Lucy."

"What?"*2

Both Lucys turned their heads at the same time.

Rhodes raised an eyebrow, then gently pulled the Lucy he knew aside. She frowned slightly at the gesture but followed him anyway.

Once she was out of earshot, Rhodes turned to the Edolas Lucy and said sincerely, "Thank you. All of you."

Edolas Lucy casually waved her hand. "We were just doing our job. Natsu and I were heading to the capital for recon when we suddenly got caught up in the chaos your companions caused."

She paused, then smirked. "Still... your Mira and Elfman...wow. I didn’t expect that kind of power."

"Strong?" Rhodes asked, tilting his head.

"Crazy strong," she confirmed. "They wiped out an entire battalion and even defeated two of the army’s top captains. Don’t you know?"

Rhodes blinked. "No... I knew they were powerful, but I didn’t think they could still use magic in this world."

He hadn’t had time to ask Mira about what happened in the capital. He had assumed the three of them ran into trouble and were rescued by this world’s Natsu and Lucy.

He made a mental note to ask about it later.

"In any case," he said, "we’re grateful for the help. As thanks, there’s an airship we parked nearby. We stole it yesterday."

He gave a dry chuckle. "It’s completely out of fuel now, but feel free to take anything you want from it. Rip it apart if you’d like. Or just take the whole thing."

Edolas Lucy’s eyes lit up with recognition. "So you were the ones who stole the magic crystal yesterday!"

Then a new realization struck her. "Wait, so that Erza and Gray I saw earlier... they’re your Erza and Gray?"

"That’s right," Rhodes confirmed.

"Even Erza is one of yours? Just how strong is your guild?"

At that moment, something seemed to click in Edolas Lucy’s mind. She stared at the Fairy Tail members from Earth Land with wide eyes, her expression shifting.

If anyone could change this world...

If anyone could bring hope to the oppressed guilds... it was the people standing in front of her now.

If only she had asked them.

But how could she ask outsiders to fix the problems of her own guild, when her fellow guildmates hadn’t even tried themselves?

That thought stung.

Still, Lucy of Edolas was not someone who hesitated once her mind was made up. She turned sharply on her heel. "Let’s go, Natsu!"

Before Rhodes could say another word, she’d climbed into the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut.

"Huh?" Edolas Natsu blinked, caught off guard by her sudden command.

But just then, Earth Land Natsu tugged him down by the arm.

"Ahh!" Edolas Natsu yelped, cowering immediately and covering his face. "S-sorry! I didn’t mean to compete with you!"

"Huh?" Natsu’s jaw dropped. He had assumed that the only difference between them was motion sickness, but this guy, was he seriously scared of him?

"So much trouble!" Edolas Lucy grumbled, yanking Natsu back into the car. "Get in already!"

"Leave it to me! FIRE!!"

The car’s engine roared to life, and Edolas Natsu’s hands moved with practiced ease as they zoomed off down the road.

"Lisanna, my Earth Land self, everyone...goodbye~~!"

Edolas Lucy’s playful farewell echoed through the air, her voice fading into the wind.

Lisanna, still curled in Mira’s embrace, lifted her head and waved, eyes shimmering.

Lucy ran a few steps after the car. "Wait! I still have a hundred questions!"

"I haven’t even asked about your secret to beating motion sickness!" Natsu added, chasing after her.

Gray caught up beside him and teased, imitating Edolas Natsu’s timid voice: "’S-sorry, I didn’t mean to compete with you~’ Hahaha! Honestly, you’re kinda cuter like that, Natsu!"

"What was that?!" Natsu growled, smashing his forehead against Gray’s. "Don’t make me say it, your counterpart here wears ten layers of clothing in summer and follows Juvia around all day!"

"Tch! That’s his problem, not mine!"

"And that timid guy? He’s your problem?!"

"Aye~" Happy chimed in with a mischievous grin. "Gray over there says he’s Natsu’s best friend."

"THAT’S NOT TRUE!!" both Natsu and Gray shouted in perfect sync.

"Aye, we figured," Happy said with a shrug.

Marl chuckled gently. "Looks like the child’s found himself a lively guild."

"Hmph! Still too green!" Luky scowled with folded arms.

"Mmm, mmm!" Erza nodded with full seriousness. "No matter what world they’re in, Natsu and Gray are good friends."

Lucy muttered under her breath, "Yeah... when you’re watching."

Wendy giggled at the familiar chaos. "It’s good to see everyone acting like this again. It’s comforting."

"It’s gotten noisy again," Carla added, though her tone wasn’t unfriendly.

Rhodes clapped his hands together. "Alright, everyone. Time for serious business. How did you all get to the capital?"

He wanted to talk to Mira more, but for now, there were bigger priorities.

"Let Gajeel explain it," Mira said with a small smile.

She looked torn, her arms hovering in midair, wanting to keep holding Lisanna close, but also wishing she could stay in Rhodes’s embrace just a little longer.

And as for Rhodes’s current hairstyle, it was so ridiculous, Mira had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. She really wanted to tease him about it later. Everyone else’s hair looked wild too. She made a mental note to ask Reedus to sketch everyone as they were right now.

As everyone’s attention shifted to Gajeel, he reluctantly paused his conversation with the cat he’d just reconnected with, and stood up to speak.

He explained how Mystogan had sent him, how he gathered information, and how he shattered the magic crystal.

"Wait a second," Rhodes interrupted, confused. "You can just... smash a magic crystal to get your companions back?"

Gajeel nodded. "Not quite. You have to use Dragon Slayer Magic to do it."

He looked toward Erza and Gray, raising an eyebrow. "But if you didn’t know that, how did they recover?"

"It’s a long story," Rhodes muttered, staring up at the sky. "But even if we know it now, it’s useless. Natsu and Wendy still can’t use their magic."

Natsu leapt forward, frustrated. "Exactly! We’re Dragon Slayers too! Why are you the only one who can use magic?!"

"Simple. Take this." Gajeel casually tossed him a small medicine bottle. "Mystogan gave me these."

Mira also pulled out her own bottle, shaking it gently. "He gave them to us too, back in the capital."

Natsu turned to glare at Rhodes, dramatically squinting. "So after all that thinking and planning, it just comes down to taking medicine?!"

Rhodes coughed and replied defensively, "My theory wasn’t wrong! Lisanna’s been here for a long time, so she probably regained her magic naturally. This just... speeds it up."

Everyone took one of the pills Gajeel handed out. Within moments, their magic flowed back into them as naturally as breathing.

Wendy immediately ran to Mira’s side and began healing her injuries, smiling gently as her magic sparkled in the air. "In the end, only Miss Lucy regained her magic on her own."

"Ah!" Lucy suddenly slapped her forehead. "Now that you mention it... Mystogan did feed me something earlier!"

Swish!

Rhodes’s head snapped toward her like a sharpened blade. His glare was so intense, it made Lucy yelp in surprise.

She flailed a little, her hands waving uncertainly as if trying to block his stare. "T-that..."

"Luuu~cy..." Rhodes dragged her name out with a slow, ominous grin. "Why, oh why, would you forget to mention such a tiny detail?"

"I’m sorry!" Lucy bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle, flustered. "I completely forgot!"

...

Bonus @2000 Ps

Read 40 Chapters ahead @/Keepsmiling818