Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 219: Strange Disease

With Wendy's help, Natsu finally experienced the joy of riding in a vehicle, for the very first time.

Unfortunately, his excitement quickly turned into chaos. He bounced around the carriage like a wild animal, shouting at everything that moved, completely disrupting everyone's attempts to hold a normal conversation.

Eventually, Erza, who had tolerated enough, ended it the only way she knew how, with a well-placed punch.

And just like that, Wendy's anti-motion sickness magic was rendered utterly useless for the day.

Still, the journey was long. Their destination lay all the way on the northern coast of Fiore, practically across the entire kingdom from where they began. So Natsu had plenty of chances to enjoy the ride in the days ahead, whether he wanted to or not.

They stopped to cook whenever they were hungry, stayed at inns in towns they passed, and camped out under the stars when necessary.

Everyone had come prepared for a long journey, especially Erza, who had enough food stored away to feed a small battalion.

To everyone's surprise, Happy was also pretty handy in the kitchen. According to Natsu, they usually either ate at the guild or relied on Happy's cooking skills.

"Are all Dragon Slayers raised by cats?" Rhodes often wondered this aloud, especially whenever he saw both Happy and Carla helping Erza cook dinner.

With so many of them traveling together, the trip never felt lonely. Whether it was chatting, playing cards, or talking about magic theory, there was always something going on in the carriage.

Wendy, especially, seemed to be having a wonderful time. It was only her second long-distance mission, and going on an adventure with friends made her light up with happiness.

Rhodes took some pride in having more travel experience than Wendy. It was a small victory, but one worth celebrating.

By the time they arrived in Poppy Town, it was already the evening of the third day since leaving the Cait Shelter.

The group immediately headed to the local inn and booked two rooms.

Wendy, Carla, and Erza shared one room and a bed.

Natsu, Happy, and Rhodes were packed into the other. Based on past experience, Rhodes already knew what to expect: by midnight, either Natsu would roll off the bed or Happy would end up getting kicked to the floor.

Before entering town, Rhodes had sent Scuttle Crab, his scouting summon, to do a quick sweep around the area. Nothing unusual had been detected.

And even after entering, the town atmosphere felt normal, peaceful, even.

Erza and Rhodes both felt some relief. For now, it looked like they could rule out the possibility that the Black Magic Cult had resurfaced or that a demon was already causing havoc.

After unloading their bags and getting settled in, the group decided to split up and investigate.

Natsu, with his sharp nose and combat instincts, ran a circuit around town to sniff out anything suspicious.

Meanwhile, Happy and Carla took to the skies, handling aerial surveillance.

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Erza and Rhodes brought Wendy to visit the client.

The house wasn't far from Poppy Town's main street. It was a three-story building with a small garden out front, though the winter had left it barren and without blooms.

The man who opened the door had a tired face and a solemn demeanor. He was Mr. Jopa, Liz's father and the client who issued the request.

Mr. Jopa worked with the Poppy Town Security Patrol, making him something like a local soldier. Ever since Liz had been kidnapped, he had lived under the weight of guilt for failing to protect his own daughter. And now, after discovering she was sick, he'd taken extended leave from his job and spent his time running from doctor to doctor, desperate to find someone who could help her.

Erza stepped forward and offered a brief introduction.

"We're wizards from Fairy Tail. My name is Erza. This is Rhodes. And this is Wendy, a healer from the Cait Shelter guild."

Mr. Jopa blinked, a little surprised. "You're... from two different guilds?"

Erza nodded. "It's a bit of a special case. You could call it a joint effort. Wendy specializes in healing magic."

Mr. Jopa didn't press further. Whoever they were, whatever guild they belonged to, none of that mattered if they could help his daughter. "Please, come in. Let's talk inside."

The three followed him into the sitting room. As Rhodes scanned the interior, he could tell the household was well-off. The furnishings were tasteful, and the room was warm despite the chill outside.

That was likely thanks to Mrs. Ivy, Liz's mother.

Rhodes recalled from the commission notes that Ivy came from a wealthy merchant family. How she and Jopa had met and fallen in love was still a mystery, but while asking for directions earlier, he had overheard that Mrs. Ivy used to run a clothing shop, though it hadn't opened for some time.

"Please have a seat," Jopa said. "Ivy, the wizards are here to help with Liz. Sana, bring some tea."

Hurried footsteps echoed down the stairs. A woman descended quickly, her eyes red and puffy, as if she'd been crying.

Mrs. Ivy looked like she hadn't slept much. Still, she managed to greet the visitors with poise as Jopa introduced the three wizards to her.

A young maid appeared from the kitchen, quietly placing steaming cups of tea on the table before returning to her duties without a word.

Mrs. Ivy's eyes suddenly widened in recognition. "Wait a moment. You two, aren't you the wizards who took down the kidnapping ring last time?"

Jopa had vaguely recognized Erza and Rhodes' names when he first heard them, but now he finally recalled where: the mayor had mentioned them.

One was the famous Titania, Queen of the Fairies. The other had been called the Beast Tamer, known for summoning a whole herd of magical creatures to escort the rescued children back home safely.

Rhodes still had no idea that his slightly awkward nickname had started right here in Poppy Town and its neighboring village. Later on, people began calling him the Beastmaster, after watching his Take over magic transformations at the Harvest Festival, an upgrade to his original nickname that somehow stuck.

Mrs. Ivy suddenly grew emotional. "So it was you... Please, you have to help my daughter."

Hearing that they were powerful wizards gave Jopa some relief. He gently placed a hand on Ivy's shoulder and tried to steady her. "Let's listen to what they have to say first."

Rhodes leaned forward and spoke gently. "Please tell us everything you know about Liz's condition. Then, if possible, we'd like to examine her ourselves."

Jopa took a breath and began explaining.

"Liz came back the day before you and Erza rescued the other children. She appeared at our doorstep all of a sudden, barefoot, her hair unkempt, eyes vacant. She just stood there... dazed."

He paused, his voice lowering.

"She only said a few things... 'Mommy,' 'Daddy,' 'I want to go home,' and 'I'm scared.' We thought she was simply traumatized from what had happened, so we dropped everything to stay by her side."

He glanced at Ivy, then continued with a bitter tone.

"But days passed, and it never got better. Liz remained distant. If we fed her, she ate. If we didn't, she wouldn't say a word. If we gave her a doll, she'd hold it. But if not, she'd just sit there, staring at the floor. She wouldn't ask for anything. Wouldn't speak."

"She'll sit quietly if you tell her to sit. She'll stand if you tell her to stand. She doesn't protest, doesn't ask for anything," Jopa continued, his voice heavy. "But she gets uneasy the moment she's away from us. If we take her outside, she clings to us and says she's scared. She just wants to go home, even when she's already there."

"We took her to see a psychologist. Then a psychiatrist. They all said the same thing, Liz had been deeply traumatized and needed more time with us. That we should stay close to help her feel safe again."

"We did that," Ivy added softly, wiping the corners of her eyes. "We stayed by her side every single day. But nothing changed."

"Sometimes," Joppa continued, "she would suddenly faint, just collapse with no warning. We brought in doctors from other towns, some of the best we could find, but none of them could detect anything physically wrong with her."

He looked down, then added in a grim tone, "Just a few days ago, one doctor finally suggested the problem might not be physical or mental... but magical. A curse, maybe. That's when we decided to issue a commission to the guild."

Rhodes leaned forward slightly. "Did any of the other children who were rescued show similar symptoms?"

Jopa shook his head. "We asked around. Not a single one. Most of them are already back to normal. Laughing, running through the streets like nothing ever happened."

Mrs. Ivy's voice trembled with grief. "Why... why did it have to be Liz."

Her pain made the room fall silent for a moment. Though her words might have sounded unfair, no one blamed her. It was the cry of a mother who didn't understand why her child was still suffering when others had healed.

Erza turned to Wendy gently. "Wendy, do you have any thoughts?"

Wendy shook her head, her expression serious but soft. "Not yet. But,. I'd like to see Liz."