Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master
Chapter 506: Goodman: Is that you, Rhodes? Come in!

Chapter 506: Goodman: Is that you, Rhodes? Come in!

Mira looked up at the massive floating island suspended in the sky. "Is that where everyone is?"

Rhodes nodded. "Yeah. We spotted it from a distance earlier."

After trekking for nearly half a day, the group finally arrived at the base of the island, where the enormous magic crystal was located. The surroundings were sparse, save for a few abandoned supply crates and watch posts.

Though this site was supposed to be heavily guarded and responsible for both vigilance and transporting materials, not a single soldier was in sight.

Rhodes gestured toward the grounded supply ship nearby. "Looks like they left in a hurry. Since no one’s using it..."

He turned to the scattered, unconscious guards on the ground. "I’ll take that as permission."

Then he raised his voice: "Everyone, get on board!"

Just as the others began climbing aboard, Natsu raised his hand to object. "No way, I’m not riding any ship! I’ve got Happy!"

Gajeel sneered. "Tch. Figures. Still can’t handle a simple ride, Fire Dragon?"

He muttered under his breath, annoyed that Lily was still refusing to carry him. It would’ve been nice to fly above the chaos for once.

Rhodes looked at Natsu with a slightly tired expression. He considered asking Erza to knock some sense into him, but then remembered Natsu’s magic would be key later.

He waved it off. "Fine. You two can fly alongside us."

"Aye, sir!" Happy raised his paw energetically.

Relieved, Natsu gave a satisfied nod. As long as he didn’t have to board a ship, he had no complaints.

Everyone took their positions. Lisanna quickly stepped up to pilot, her movements showing the confidence of someone familiar with Exceed technology. Under her guidance, the floating vessel began to rise steadily into the sky.

As it ascended, the massive shape of the magic crystal slowly came into full view, its sheer size like a mountain carved from pure mana.

Natsu and Gajeel stood at the edge, cracking their knuckles in anticipation. This was going to be a good fight.

Only Wendy looked a little hesitant, staring wide-eyed at the crystal’s overwhelming scale.

Meanwhile, stationed along the island’s edge were several squads of Edolas soldiers. They had been deployed here after reports of a stolen magic crystal, though none of them took the alert seriously.

"Can’t believe we got stuck with guard duty out here..."

"Yeah, it’s not even resupply day."

"Maybe Captain Hughes sent something to lift our spirits. He’s always looking out for us."

"Wonder if his injuries healed. That beast that hit him last time wasn’t normal..."

Suddenly, one of the guards pointed. "Hey... is that an Exceed up there?"

Another narrowed his eyes. "Wait, is that Captain Erza from the Second Magic War Division?"

Their eyes widened as they got a better look.

It was a familiar supply ship... but those standing at the front weren’t soldiers.

At the bow stood a small, elegant white cat. To her left and right stood a blue and a white Exceed, both gripping weapons like elite bodyguards.

It wasn’t long before panic began to spread among the idle troops.

They hadn’t gotten word from Hughes yet.

And now the enemies were flying straight at them.

The familiar figure of the "Captain" stepped forward confidently and raised a hand as if making an official announcement.

"This is Princess Carla," she declared, gesturing to the white Exceed beside her. "Daughter of Queen Shagotte, here to deliver the Queen’s orders. Assemble the entire unit immediately!"

Her voice carried the full weight of authority, and visually, she was the spitting image of Edolas’s own Erza. No one questioned the disguise for even a moment.

In Edolas, it wasn’t uncommon for members of the Second and Fourth Magic War Troops to cooperate, so it was entirely plausible that Erza would be delivering orders in Captain Hughes’s absence.

Between the commanding tone and the appearance of a royal Exceed, the stationed soldiers moved without hesitation.

Within moments, all troops on the island had fallen into formation.

Erza surveyed them with practiced ease. "Is everyone present on the island?"

"Reporting in, ma’am!" shouted a soldier. "Provisional Guard Unit of the Second Magic War Troop, 196 members, present and accounted for!"

"Excellent," Erza nodded approvingly.

Then she raised a hand to her ears, and the signal was clear.

Carla, Lucky, and Marl quickly followed her lead and covered their ears.

The soldiers exchanged confused glances, until a soft, entrancing melody drifted through the air.

One by one, they began collapsing.

From the deck of the flying ship, Mira stepped forward, her voice gently humming the next phrase of the haunting tune. Her body shimmered as she activated Take Over: Lullaby Soul, and the rest of her transformation completed in an elegant burst of magic.

The remaining troops fell like leaves in autumn, peacefully unconscious.

Mira gave a soft wave to signal the spell had passed, and the others uncovered their ears.

Though she could focus the target of her song, Mira preferred to take precautions when using this kind of mass hypnosis magic.

Lisanna blinked in awe. "That’s the first time I’ve seen Sis in that form..."

"Beautiful, isn’t it?" Rhodes grinned proudly. "We helped her get it. That’s Lullaby, the demon from one of Zeref’s books."

"Wha—wait, Lullaby?!" Lucy gasped. "Then why haven’t I seen it before?"

Gray crossed his arms. "Because the first time she used it, you were already out cold before it even reached you."

Erza added calmly, "Natsu carried you back."

"Na-Na-Natsu?!" Lucy’s face turned beet red in an instant.

"Ehh~~" Lisanna teased gently, turning toward the sound of flapping wings.

Natsu and Happy were just now catching up, flying in from the rear of the ship.

"Natsu’s finally maturing," Lisanna said sweetly.

"Gray was way too shy at the time," Erza mumbled, glancing at him with disappointment. "No fun at all."

Rhode had little say, as he was caught off guard by Mira and went down rather quickly.

With all the soldiers subdued, the group disembarked from the airship.

Rhodes moved efficiently, summoning two Crabs and a pack of Wolves.

"Fan out. Make sure no one’s hiding or faking it," he instructed.

The monsters scattered in different directions, tails low and ears alert, scouring the area for stragglers or hidden threats.

The crowd stepped aside as Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy moved forward, each preparing to take on the massive magic crystal that loomed above them like a mountain.

Gajeel cracked his fists together with a metallic clang. "Alright, Fire Dragon! And you too, little one! Let’s make this a proper Dragon Slayer contest. Let’s see who can rescue the most people!"

"Ehh? We’re competing?" Wendy blinked, clearly startled.

"I’m gonna win this for sure!" Natsu grinned, fire erupting from his clenched fists. "Happy, take me to the top!"

"Aye sir~!" Happy saluted and took off with Natsu in tow.

Gajeel didn’t wait either. "Tch! I saw the mountaintop first, you sneaky bastard!" he shouted, leaping up the side of the crystal with brute force.

Rhodes wasn’t sure whether his Dragon take over counted as true Dragon Slayer magic, he might’ve just summoned it to breathe fire on them both for a little "discipline."

While the two bickered and scrambled up the crystal like children, Wendy remained focused. She took a few running steps, stumbled, faceplanted, got back up, dusted herself off, and quietly resumed her climb.

Watching this, Lucy whispered, "I feel like all three of them are... kinda unreliable."

Everyone turned to look at her.

Lucy froze and bowed quickly. "I’m sorry!"

She almost forgot, when it came to reliability, she was in no position to judge.

"Sky Dragon’s Roar!"

Wendy’s voice rang out clearly, her hands forming a claw shape as a torrent of wind burst from her palms and cut into the surface of the massive crystal.

Though it cracked, it didn’t shatter.

"Ah—" Wendy looked back, a bit disheartened, but everyone offered her encouraging nods.

She took a deep breath and tightened her fists. "Okay. I can do this!"

A magic circle flared beneath her feet.

"Arms of the Sky Dragon!

Her attack spell activated, enhancing her strength. Blue wind surged around her, and with a determined cry, she sprinted forward, leapt into the air, flipped mid-spin, and—

"Sky Dragon’s Claw!"

Boom!

The strike hit with a sound closer to a clean slice than a blunt kick. The entire side of the crystal trembled.

A large section, taller than a grown man, cracked off and shattered into five sparkling pieces as it hit the ground.

From within the glowing shards, three figures emerged.

Rhodes blinked in disbelief when he saw their faces.

"Wait a second, Brother Goodman?!"

Indeed, standing there were Goodman, Molly, and their son Bayer.

"Eh? Rhodes?" Goodman rubbed his eyes. "Is that you? What are you doing here? Come on in, come in!"

Rhodes was stunned. "Come in? Into where?!"

...

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