Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 239: New Mission: Guarding the Tears of Chris

More than half a month had passed since the Cherry Blossom Festival.

The lively scenes from that day were still fresh in Rhodes' mind.

Everyone had gathered to drink, admire the blossoms, perform, and play together. Even though not all the members had taken part in every activity, the entire event had been full of life and joy.

The most anticipated event had been the "Bingo Game," which was essentially a lottery.

The grand prize? Two all-inclusive tickets to a famous resort in Fiore. The lowest-tier prize? A small snack.

Unfortunately for Rhodes, luck wasn't on his side. Even after getting Warm to enter as an extra participant to double his chances, all they ended up winning was a tiny cake.

And that cake was won by Warm.

As for the grand prize... it somehow went to Nab, who then turned around and invited Vijeeter to go on vacation with him.

Rhodes didn't even know what to say about that.

Still, the thing Rhodes missed the most wasn't the prizes. It was the magical cherry tree, enormous, ancient, and glowing in rainbow hues under the night sky.

To stand under those petals with dozens of fellow wizards, all people he could trust in battle and laugh with in peace, it was something Rhodes had never experienced before.

In that moment, he hadn't just been focused on Mira. He had been swept away by the joy on everyone's faces, the laughter, the sparkle in their eyes, the warmth in the air.

Even now, every time he thought of the rainbow-colored blossoms, he swore he could still see the glow of everyone's happiness in them.

Now, more than two weeks later, Rhodes found himself working alongside Elfman. As they made their way toward a mission site, he couldn't help but sigh dramatically:

"Why is Nab so lucky?!"

He looked like a background character, yet he'd pulled a prize like some divine chosen one. Was this what people called reverse prophecy?

Elfman turned to him, unimpressed. "You're still hung up on that?"

"Of course! It was a three-day, two-night trip to Akane Resort! Who wouldn't want that?"

"I wanted it too," Elfman said with a nod. "I was gonna give the tickets to my sister."

Rhodes nodded solemnly. "Same... sigh."

"Sigh... a man!" Elfman suddenly grunted, looking ready to punch something again.

Rhodes quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, let's focus. Do you remember the details of the mission?"

Elfman crossed his arms and answered, "We're helping a tribal chief find his kids who ran away from home, right? And we're supposed to protect the village while we're at it."

"Close, but not quite," Rhodes corrected. "The siblings didn't exactly run away. They left on their own without permission."

He took out the job scroll and held it up. "The village we're headed to is called Monotropa. It's a small tribal village, and the chief is both their village leader and their tribe leader."

"There's a passage in Fiore's ancient history that mentions Monotropa, a very old tribal village," Rhodes explained. "Though the tribe has started to be influenced by modern culture in recent years, it still preserves many traditional customs passed down through generations."

"The village treasures an heirloom called the Tears of Chris. It's made of gold and gemstones, but its real value doesn't lie in its material worth. According to legend, as long as the village holds this treasure, their lands will be blessed with good weather year after year."

"The tale's been passed down for ages, and every year, the village holds an elaborate festival to honor their ancestors. It's a bit like our Harvest Festival."

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"But this year, something strange has happened. The Tears of Chris started to emit a strange light at times, and several villagers claimed to have seen suspicious figures wandering near the outskirts. The village chief suspects someone's planning to steal the artifact."

Elfman crossed his arms, his brow furrowed. "Let me guess, the chief's kids ran off to investigate the suspicious activity on their own?"

Rhodes nodded. "More or less. As the chief's children, they probably felt responsible for protecting the village's sacred treasure. They likely wanted to investigate things quietly and catch whoever might be behind it before any harm came to the village."

"Why is it always like this..." Elfman muttered, struggling to find the right words.

It seemed like every time he and Rhodes accepted a mission, they'd end up chasing after some impulsive kid acting without permission. Good intentions, sure, but reckless behavior always made things worse.

Rhodes didn't respond out loud. Of course they kept running into cases like this, because he and Mira picked out the missions carefully. Still, there really were too many youths charging headfirst into danger without a second thought.

So many times, it would've been safer and simpler just to hire a wizard in the first place.

Rhodes had already prevented more than a few tragedies thanks to his careful planning and dependable strength. It was something to be proud of, but deep down, he always wished these situations could be avoided altogether.

Elfman asked, "So what are the chief's kids like? Are they... actual kids again?"

This time, the client had been particularly thorough. Worried about their children's safety, the village chief had provided detailed information.

Rhodes pulled out two photos and handed them over. "It's not too bad this time. The older brother's name is Mal. He's twenty-one. The younger sister's name is Vina, and she's eighteen."

"Since their village has a long history of martial tradition, both the brother and sister have been training since they were young," Rhodes explained. "They've already become the strongest fighters in the tribe at such a young age. They could easily take on a tiger, or even a rampaging rhino, without breaking a sweat."

"If they have one weakness, it's that they're incredibly stubborn. Our biggest challenge might not be finding them... but actually convincing them to come back."

Elfman crossed his arms. "If they're that strong, why'd they even need us to find them?"

"At first, the request was just to investigate who might be targeting the Tears of Chris," Rhodes said. "But yesterday, some villagers found the bodies of a grizzly bear and a wild boar just outside the village."

"They were both killed with a single strike. Clean, precise, and not at all like the combat style used by the tribe. That made the village chief think a mage might be involved. That's when they added a request to locate the siblings... and increased the reward."

Elfman clenched his fists with fiery resolve. "So a mage wants to steal someone else's treasure? That's not something a real man can let slide!"

"Just don't underestimate the situation," Rhodes warned. "Anyone who can take down beasts like a grizzly and a wild boar with a single hit... they're no ordinary opponent. And we don't know how many of them there are. Could be trouble."

"Don't worry," Elfman said, nodding firmly. "I've been through my share of life-or-death battles. I'm not scared of a few punks."

And besides, even if they were up against overwhelming odds... Elfman glanced sideways at Rhodes.

If anyone had the upper hand in a numbers game, it was Rhodes.

The moment trouble showed up, sometimes even before it did, Rhodes would summon his beasts in full force: flanking from above, below, and all sides. Sky, land, and underground, nowhere to hide.

Every time Elfman teamed up with him, it was the same: blink, and the battlefield was already swarming.

Truthfully, missions were a breeze with Rhodes around. But the manly Elfman wasn't satisfied with a victory where he didn't even get to throw a punch.

He was determined to earn this one with his own two fists.

...

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