Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 316: Lucy’s (Un)Lucky Day

Two days passed in a blur of busyness.

The good news? Master Makarov really didn't have to write even a single self-criticism report.

The bad news? Rhodes lost the bet.

Happy and Warm were now feasting together at a small, low table Lucy had specially prepared for them, piled with fish and Poro-made treats.

Joining them today was a new companion: a petite, snow-white spirit with a round head and a nose shaped like an ice cream cone. He looked like a chubby little snowman.

This was Plue, the ornamental Celestial Spirit.

Like Warm, Plue consumed very little magic, so even Lucy could maintain his presence without strain. Naturally, she kept him around as an adorable magical pet.

At the counter, Lucy was venting her frustrations to Mira.

"Ugh, what a waste! It was such a rare chance to make enough money to pay my rent all at once!"

Mira calmly polished a wine glass with a cloth. "So, how'd the mission go overall?"

Lucy flopped onto the counter, her face smushed flat beside her stuffed bear. She groaned:

"I can't say it went badly, we did complete the mission. But while we were chasing down the thief, Natsu accidentally broke a necklace... and we got docked 100,000 Jewels!"

"Oh no..." Mira gave her a sympathetic smile.

Lucy sat up and raked her fingers through her hair in frustration. "A whole hundred thousand! That means our beast-hunting mission basically earned us nothing!"

"Well... at least the hunting job went smoothly, right?"

"Sort of," Lucy said with a tired sigh. "We did manage to defeat the leopard. But Natsu, he always goes overboard in battles. If we hadn't followed Mr. Rhodes's advice and set up precautions for fire damage, I swear the whole mountain would've burned to ashes."

"Sounds like Natsu alright." Mira nodded. "So Aqua helped put the fire out?"

"Yeah. We made sure to find a spot with water before fighting, but in the heat of battle, I had to summon Aquarius in the mud." Lucy's voice dropped to a pitiful whine as she slumped over the counter again, one hand rubbing her backside.

"She wasn't happy. At all. My butt still hurts."

"Want an ice pack?" Gray offered helpfully, his palm emitting a chill.

"Pervert! You're doing subtle harassment under the guise of kindness!"

"Aye! I want to see Lucy's red butt!" Happy chimed in gleefully.

"That's not even subtle, that's just blatant!"

"Huu..."

"Plu!"

"Warm! Plue! Don't learn bad habits from that rotten cat!"

Though her mouth was full of complaints, Lucy's eyes sparkled, and her voice held a cheery lilt. She was clearly in a good mood.

Despite the broken necklace and the deduction, their combined payout was still 250,000 Jewels. After the penalty, they received 150,000, split evenly, that gave Lucy a solid 50,000 J. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Sure, it wasn't enough to cover her full rent, but she could easily earn the rest with a simpler mission.

Rhodes, meanwhile, thought about the bet he'd lost. He could already imagine the teasing that awaited him.

Still, he couldn't help but be pleased for Lucy. Earning over half the total reward on a dual mission with Natsu was no small feat. She had a bright future ahead of her.

As he mused, Rhodes glanced over at Makarov dozing lightly beside him.

'If I were guild master,' he thought, 'this would be the time to ask'—"Do you like this kind of work?"

He said it out loud, casually.

Makarov opened one eye, then the other. He gazed at Rhodes for a moment and smiled gently. The more he watched this kid, the more he liked him.

Lucy's answer came at once, full of certainty:

"Even if there were some unexpected bumps, I love it. Because it's just so much fun!"

Lucy said excitedly, "Miss Mira, did you know? The jewel thief wasn't a wizard at all, it was a group of crows!"

"Crows?" Mira tilted her head.

"Yeah! They were stealing shiny jewelry and storing it in the nest of their leader as decoration. Isn't that wild?"

Lucy grinned mischievously. "To get the jewels back, we had to climb the tree, and the crow leader ended up pecking Happy's tail. It was hilarious!"

"We went there to do a mission, Lucy! That's just cruel!" Happy huffed, a small piece of fish tail hanging from his mouth. Hearing her teasing, he gasped in horror, dropped the last of his fish, and waddled off while sniffling dramatically.

"Huh?!" Lucy blinked in confusion. "It was just a harmless joke! He was literally making butt jokes a minute ago!"

Mira gave her a mock-sad look and sighed. "To think... Lucy would laugh at a teammate and belittle his hard-earned contributions. Poor Happy must be devastated."

"Did I really go too far?" Lucy clutched her head in both hands, panicking. She turned to Rhodes for help. "What should I do?!"

"It's really not that serious," Rhodes replied casually, clearly unconcerned. "Happy can be coaxed with one or two grilled fish. And even if you don't, he'll be fine."

He glanced between Mira's mock sympathy and Happy's dramatic exit.

Lucy, who'd already endured enough suffering from her Celestial Spirits lately, decided not to question further and nodded. "I'll buy a fish for him anyway, just in case..."

Before she could follow through with her peace offering, Rhodes ruined the prank by calling it out. Mira pouted at him, her eyes narrowing, he still hadn't fulfilled the punishment from their earlier bet.

Just then, a bit of noise broke out in the guild hall. Several people dressed in the white uniforms of the Magic Council stepped through the doors, drawing the attention of everyone inside.

"Excuse us," the lead investigator said. "We're here to continue our investigation into the Eisenwald terrorist incident. We hope those involved can assist by answering a few questions. Master Makarov, if we may..."

They scanned the room and approached the Guild Master with respectful but serious expressions.

Makarov gave a light nod. "Go on, who do you need to speak with?"

The Council member read from a list. "First, Erza Scarlet. Then Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, and Lucy Heartfilia."

"Huh?!!" Lucy suddenly blurted out, startling everyone.

Under the weight of everyone's surprised gazes, she forced a laugh, her expression stiff. "S-Sorry! I just got a little startled... Did you say interrogation? Hahaha... ha..."

She was trying too hard to sound casual. Her nervous energy made her stammer, and even Rhodes narrowed his eyes, something definitely seemed off.

The Council officials didn't seem fazed. One of them clarified politely, "No need to worry. It's not an interrogation, just a standard inquiry. You won't need to come to the Council. We can handle everything right here."

"Erza, Natsu!" Makarov called out, waving them over. Gray was already nearby, he'd just been looking for a new job from the request board.

Natsu shouted back in annoyance, "What now, old man? Erza and I were about to have a duel!"

Makarov suddenly perked up with enthusiasm. "What? A duel? Excellent! I'll be the referee! Where's Cana? Let's get the betting pool started!"

The Council representatives looked at one another in confusion. 'Was this really one of the Ten Wizard Saints?'

Mira gently reminded him, "Master, maybe... try to act a little more serious?"

"Ahem..." Makarov cleared his throat and forced a more dignified expression. "Right, right. The duel can wait. Let's assist with the investigation first, answer everything truthfully."

"The Council?" Natsu suddenly looked guilty. "I didn't set the forest on fire!"

Rhodes smacked him lightly on the head. "You idiot, they're asking about the Eisenwald."

The Council members exchanged wary glances. This pink-haired Fire Dragon Slayer was quickly climbing their suspicion list.

"Come on, over here," Rhodes sighed, leading the group to a round table off to the side. He dragged over some stools and motioned for everyone to sit down.

"Natsu, please don't blurt things out unless you know what they're talking about."