Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 351: Who am I? Where am I? Where is the Phantom?

Apple trees filled the land surrounding Porlyusica's treehouse. It was harvest season now, and the branches sagged with plump, red apples.

She often picked a few baskets to trade in town for daily essentials. She'd been in the middle of doing just that when Makarov was carried to her for treatment.

Now that he had left, Porlyusica sighed and returned to her work.

"Maybe I should pick a little extra this time, send some to the guild. If... if they win this fight."

Her expression tensed.

"No, those brats will win. That crazy, chaotic guild will definitely win."

She looked toward the direction Makarov had gone and suddenly scowled.

"That's why I hate humans! All they do is fight! Their entire history is one war after another! And Makarov, what kind of fool tries to throw away his life at his age?! If he wants to die, then just drop dead already!"

With a huff, she kicked over a full basket of apples, sending them tumbling across the grass. One apple rolled farther than the others—only to be caught by a gloved hand.

Porlyusica's breath hitched. She hadn't even sensed this person arrive.

She turned toward the strange figure, wrapped head to toe in cloth and a cloak despite the summer heat.

"Mystogan?" she asked warily.

"Can I eat this?" he said calmly, lifting the mask just enough to take a bite, without waiting for her answer.

"Don't eat my food without permission!" Porlyusica snapped.

She crossed her arms and glared. "What are you doing here? As much as I hate human wars, you are one of them, aren't you? If you've got time to loiter, then get out of here already!"

She grumbled a string of insults—"annoying," "idiot," "useless" but the truth was, even she knew he'd just lent the guild a massive helping hand.

Mystogan raised one arm. Dozens of tattered flags bearing Phantom Lord's crest fluttered into the air, and scattered across the ground.

"You took down all of Phantom's branch guilds?" Porlyusica blinked in surprise.

What a mess.

"Hmph. Don't litter," she grumbled, covering up her faint smile.

Mystogan finished his apple and said quietly, "I spent some time collecting the master's magic power. But it looks like I didn't need it after all."

Porlyusica's eyes softened. "That's because there's more than just you. Another brat stepped up. Guess Makarov's luck hasn't run out yet."

Then, with her usual snarl, she added, "Still a damn fool though."

Mystogan didn't reply.

"I want another apple," he said instead.

Nearby, Warm had slinked out of the house and was gnawing on the apples Porlyusica had knocked over.

Not stolen, those were dropped on the ground, so surely she didn't want them anymore. At least, that was Warm's logic.

"You two freeloaders... get lost if you're finished!" she huffed.

...

"We beat Phantom!"

"We won!"

"We actually won!"

"We defeated one of the Ten Wizard Saints!"

The air was filled with jubilant cheers.

Everyone laughed, leapt, shouted, and hugged. The tension, the fear, the pressure of the last few days exploded all at once in pure celebration.

Lucy stood at the edge of the crowd, eyes brimming with tears.

This had all started because she ran away from home. But now, everyone was okay. Everyone was smiling.

She smiled too. "Thank you, everyone."

Natsu stumbled toward her, barely standing. He reached out and gently placed a hand on her head, flashing his usual bright, boyish grin.

"Hey, Lucy. No one can just take a Fairy Tail wizard. If you want to stay then stay for good."

Lucy wiped her tears and nodded, her heart full.

"Yeah... I will."

Across the field, Erza lay on the ground, still recovering.

She looked up at the clear blue sky. The image of the fiery explosion just moments ago was still vivid in her mind, like a beacon of victory. Whether it was Natsu or Rhodes, both seemed to hold an incredible power deep within them.

Gray stood nearby with his arms crossed, a faint smile on his lips. But he couldn't help grumbling, "Tch... Natsu totally stole the spotlight in the end."

Elfman gave a proud nod. "That's what being a man is all about!"

Loke, brushing dust from his coat, let out a sigh. "Honestly, I think Rhodes stood out even more. I mean... even Mira listens to him. And Erza? She actually followed his strategy. That's saying something."

Loke still remembered the time Erza pummeled him half to death. The memory made him flinch reflexively.

Cana suddenly wrapped an arm around both Gray and Loke, grinning with a tired kind of joy.

"Come on, quit fussing over who was flashier. We all fought hard today. Now it's time to call everyone back, celebration time! I'm beat, and I need a good drink!"

Loke didn't react. He was used to Cana's spontaneous hugs. Gray, on the other hand, flushed crimson.

Cana raised an eyebrow, then let go immediately. "Jeez, calm down. Focus on finding your clothes first!"

Gray glanced down, and froze. He was down to his shorts and some hastily wrapped bandages.

"HUH?! When did I—?!" he stammered.

...

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Rhodes was resting in Mira's arms.

Her face was full of concern. "How are you feeling?"

Rhodes, unusually serious, gently moved to sit up. "I'm fine. But where's Warren? The telepathy link cut off, what happened?"

Mira leaned in. "Something wrong?"

"Yes. The Phantom Lord branches haven't made a move yet. We can't assume they'll stay quiet," Rhodes said, quickly shifting into guild strategist mode. "We need Warren and the sniper team to stay on alert. The ones who surrendered, we can't ignore the risk of them regrouping. Also, we need to fish Jose out of that lake and tie him up properly. Can't let him stir up more trouble. And..."

He rattled off instruction after instruction, sharp and focused despite his injuries.

After all, a battle might end, but the work of keeping everyone safe never stopped.

Mira couldn't help smiling as she watched him dash into the crowd, grabbing Warren by the shoulder and relaying his orders with quiet urgency.

She'd always admired that about him, his sense of responsibility, the way he carried the guild's weight even when no one asked him to.

Maybe that was when she first started falling for him.

But her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain in her shoulder.

She winced, placing a hand over the wound. Now that the adrenaline was fading, her body was starting to ache all over. Jose's last counterattack had been brutal.

Which meant... Rhodes must've been hit even harder.

She looked toward him again, her heart tightening.

Without a word, she stepped forward and followed close behind.

Under Rhodes' direction, everyone had thrown themselves back into work, patching up injuries, organizing supplies, keeping guard over the captured enemies. The adrenaline hadn't quite faded, but the battlefield was finally starting to settle.

Then, without warning, a familiar magic swept through the air. Warm. Reassuring. Like the sun after a storm.

"Master!" someone called out.

Makarov stood on a nearby ridge, clad in his ceremonial white robe. He looked perfectly fine, his presence steady, his eyes wide with awe.

One by one, everyone turned and saw him. A cacophony of joyful shouts broke out:

"Master, you're okay!"

"Master! We did it!"

"We beat Phantom Lord!"

Makarov's jaw dropped as he took in the scene:

The once-imposing Phantom Lord guild hall now reduced to smoldering ruins. The last of the voidmites still scuttling around, dutifully chewing through the wreckage. Jose Porla, the former Master of Phantom Lord, bound tightly in magical chains and lying in disgrace. And his own children, scraped, bruised, exhausted but smiling. Victorious.

He blinked several times, almost dazed. 'Who am I? Where am I? Am I still dreaming?'

The weight of what he was seeing hadn't quite sunk in.

Then, a quiet voice reached him.

"Master... You're finally here..."

Rhodes staggered where he stood and collapsed forward. Mira, who had never once taken her eyes off him, caught him immediately.

At the same moment, the three void grubs that had been churning out reinforcements flickered and vanished. The crabs that patrolled the perimeter disappeared one by one. Even the raptors in the skies shimmered away like mist.

Whatever contingency plans Phantom Lord might've had, whatever reinforcements might have come, none of it mattered anymore.

The moment Makarov returned, Rhodes let go of everything he'd been holding in.

The weight of the entire battle, the lives of dozens of comrades, the constant fear of making a mistake that might get someone hurt, it all came crashing down. He had held it together, had led them through one of the fiercest battles Fairy Tail had ever seen, but...

Now, finally, he didn't have to.

His throat tightened. His eyes burned. He wanted to cry.

Mira wrapped her arms around him gently, holding him close. Her voice was soft, like a lullaby:

"It's okay now. Everything's okay."