Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master
Chapter 508 - 3.5 Dragon Slayer

Chapter 508: 3.5 Dragon Slayer

"That’s how it is. Take the medicine first to recover your magic," Rhodes said, handing out the pills to Levy, Jet, and Droy.

The three didn’t hesitate and swallowed them at once.

Jet muttered under his breath, "So that means... Gajeel saved us?"

Droy crossed his arms. "We can thank him later. Should we go help break the magic crystals too?"

Levy held out her hand to stop him. "Don’t be reckless. Rhodes said only Dragon Slayer Magic can shatter them."

Jet and Troy looked at each other and quieted down, their fighting spirit temporarily curbed.

"Then what should we do?" Jet asked.

"Comfort the residents," Levy replied, her tone steady. "Reassure them. Tell them we’re trying to bring everyone back. And if anyone else wakes up confused, help explain what’s happening. There might be enemy attacks, so be ready to defend the civilians."

It was the same message Rhodes had already repeated to group after group, and now it was their turn to carry it forward.

What he really needed now was for someone like Warren or Max to appear. With their abilities to transmit information and coordinate across distances, things would be so much easier.

Just as he was thinking that;

"Ah~~~ I really hope Gray-sama was the one who broke my crystal~~~"

A dreamy voice floated over like mist from the valley.

Everyone turned their heads.

Juvia had her arms wrapped tightly around Gray, pressing herself against him like a vine to a tree.

Gray looked like he had seen this scene in a past life and already given up.

Nearby, a few confused civilians glanced between Juvia and Gray, then turned to Rhodes’s group with looks of growing suspicion, as if wondering, ’Are all Fairy Tail mages like this?’

Rhodes covered his face and sighed. "I really want to say I don’t know that woman."

Just then;

"Yo!" a booming voice rang out, followed by the sound of boots crunching on gravel.

Gildarts approached with his signature easygoing grin, black cloak fluttering behind him, and that aura of quiet power still clinging to him, even with one cheek visibly swollen.

Apparently, someone had taken full advantage of his temporarily magic-less state.

Despite the bruise, Gildarts looked energized, like a man who’d just woken up from a long nap and was ready to punch mountains again.

Rhodes had noticed earlier how a massive chunk of the mountaintop had suddenly vanished and assumed it had been Master Makarov at work.

But seeing Gildarts now, it made more sense.

After all, this guy was one-man demolition squad material.

"Even you fell for it?" Rhodes asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hahahahaha!" Gildarts laughed heartily, scratching the back of his head. "Didn’t expect to make such a fool of myself right after getting back to the guild!"

Mira, who had been quietly monitoring everything while helping the injured, turned as soon as she heard Gildarts’s voice. When she saw him, bruised but clearly in good spirits, her eyes lit up.

"Gildarts! Are you okay?" she called, rushing over with concern.

This wasn’t just any guildmate. Gildarts was like a goofy uncle who’d watched all of them grow up. Mira had shared memories of his messes, his lectures, his way of crashing through walls, both literally and emotionally.

He might have been reckless, but he was family.

"Completely fine, except I can’t use magic," Gildarts said with a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck.

Erza hurried over, her usual stern expression softening into a warm smile. "Gildarts, with you here, we all feel much more at ease."

Lisanna finally couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped forward. "Gildarts, long time no see!"

Gildarts turned and waved casually, but then his eyes widened, his smile freezing mid-wave. "Lisanna?! You, you..."

Lisanna gave him a bright smile and a small nod. "Yes, I’m still alive~"

Gildarts looked like his brain had just short-circuited. He pointed at Lisanna, then at Mira, then at Natsu still shouting at the top of the mountain, and finally jabbed a finger at his own chest. "Natsu must have been lying to me this whole time!"

Lisanna gently pulled him aside to explain things properly.

Meanwhile, Mira and Erza exchanged a glance, then quietly pulled Rhodes away.

"We think it’s better not to give Gildarts the magic recovery pill just yet," Mira said in a low voice.

Rhodes blinked. "Why not?" He looked at Mira, half-expecting a petty reason.

Mira rolled her eyes at him. "Because we’re on a floating island. If Gildarts regains his magic and accidentally gets excited... Magnolia might really be destroyed this time."

Erza nodded solemnly. "He only really focuses when he sees an enemy. Otherwise, he’s more destructive than helpful."

"That makes sense." Rhodes scratched his head. He hadn’t seen Gildarts go wild in person, but he trusted Mira and Erza’s judgment. And given the way the mountain had cracked from just Natsu’s attempts, he didn’t want to imagine what Gildarts might accidentally do.

Mira sighed. "His power is overwhelming, but in battle, it’s actually useful. Let’s just put him in charge of leading the counterattack. That way, he can unleash it all on the enemy."

Erza folded her arms. "Yes. As long as you point him in the right direction, he won’t stop until the enemy is flattened."

Rhodes narrowed his eyes. "Will he even listen to arrangements?"

Mira smiled knowingly. "Don’t worry. Gildarts is just like the rest of us. Give him a place, give him a target, and say ’smash,’ and he’ll go. He’s simple like that."

"..."

Rhodes thought of Natsu, Gray, Elfman, and even Laxus. Yeah. That tracked. Birds of a feather really did flock together.

Just then

Thump... Thump... Thump...

The ground trembled slightly. They turned and saw the towering silhouette of the Blue Sentinel slowly trudging across the field. Wendy was sitting in its open palm, her legs dangling over the edge as the giant carried her forward.

"Rhodes..." Wendy called out as she hopped down, breathing heavily. "Sorry, I’m out of magic again."

Her small hands clenched in frustration. Despite the blue buff, her stamina was still far behind that of Natsu or Gajeel. She had to stop and rest every few crystals.

"It’s okay. You’ve done great." Rhodes gave her a reassuring smile and looked around.

Wendy had already cleared almost an entire street. Meanwhile, Lucy, Levy, and Juvia were busy helping residents regain their bearings and calm down. Goodman was directing volunteers, distributing weapons and armor to newly awakened civilians.

But...

Progress was still too slow.

Rhodes squinted into the distance, scanning for something, or someone.

And then his eyes landed on Lucy, who was helping an elderly man with a bandaged arm.

A sudden thought struck him.

"Lucy!" he called out.

Lucy looked up in surprise, pointing at herself.

"Yes, you! Come here!"

Curious, Lucy jogged over. "What is it?"

"I was thinking," Rhodes said thoughtfully, "if we had one more Dragon Slayer, we could speed things up."

Lucy tilted her head. "Huh?"

Rhodes gave her a light pat on the shoulder. "So... why not let Gemini transform into a Natsu?"

Lucy blinked in surprise, then her face fell. "Ah... that won’t work."

"Why not?"

"Because Gemini can’t transform into someone whose magic is way stronger than mine," she explained, looking a little embarrassed.

"Natsu and Gajeel... are too far above me."

"Right." Rhodes remembered that limitation, but it still surprised him how big the gap seemed.

Lucy continued, "Maybe Gemini could copy Wendy, but the transformation only lasts five minutes. And with how massive this mountain is..."

"That’s still helpful," Rhodes said. "One more Wendy is still one more magic source. But we’ll need Wendy’s permission first."

Lucy nodded and ran off to talk to Wendy. The moment she explained, Wendy agreed without hesitation.

However, Carla flew between them with a stern look. "Only on one condition. Gemini must not leak Wendy’s memories, thoughts, or anything private. Understood?"

"No problem!" said Gemi brightly as the twin spirits popped out.

"Chirp~ Chirp~!" Mini added, spinning in midair.

"Besides," said one of them with a mischievous grin, "we’re only interested in exposing Lucy’s secrets~"

"That’s right!" the other chimed in. "Like her height, weight, measurements, how much she eats in one sitting, how many pounds she’s gained lately."

"Heeey!!" Lucy shouted, her face red. "I’ll send you both back right now if you say one more word!"

Wendy quickly crossed her arms over her chest, mumbling, "I... kind of regret this now too."

Even so, amidst the teasing, the atmosphere remained cheerful. With one more Wendy, well, a Wendy clone that needed breaks every five minutes, they managed to increase their pace.

Thanks to the Dragon Slayers’ efforts and the buff, the floating Magnolia had almost been fully restored. The streets were filling up with relieved townsfolk, houses reformed, and shops reopened. The skyline looked like it belonged to home again.

More and more Fairy Tail members emerged from shattered crystals.

To Rhodes’s delight, Natsu had even managed to bust out the Thunder God Tribe. Freed wasted no time, he immediately began inscribing runic formulas all around the perimeter.

A magic barrier to protect the town? That was definitely something Freed could do, and he worked swiftly and precisely.

Seeing Freed at work, Rhodes turned to Evergreen, hoping she could assist, but she quickly waved him off.

"I, um... know a little about rune arrays too! I’ll go help Freed!" she said hurriedly, before slipping away into the crowd like a shadow.

Rhodes blinked. "She’s definitely avoiding me, right?"

As everyone stayed busy, healing, restoring, guarding, Carla suddenly swooped down from the sky, landing right in front of Rhodes with a serious look.

"Rhodes! Incoming. About a hundred people, approaching from the east!"