Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 356: Replenishing Mira’s Energy

The Council's review process was long and tedious. Even after everyone had gone through an initial round of questioning, they were summoned multiple times afterward.

Sometimes it was to cross-check details from their comrades' testimonies. Sometimes it was to compare with statements given by the Phantom Lord members. And sometimes, requests came directly from the Council headquarters, asking for additional clarification or confirmation.

Whenever evidence was incomplete, they had to supplement it. When inconsistencies arose, they were re-investigated.

This cycle of interviews and verifications stretched on for a full week.

Rhodes thought it was dragging a bit, but when he saw Lahar and the Council staff working tirelessly, barely stopping to rest, he decided not to complain.

At last, it came to an end.

Lahar officially announced that the investigation and evidence collection had been completed. All Fairy Tail members were now free to return home.

Only Makarov might be asked to visit the Council again in a few days, when the final verdict would be issued. Compensation details and post-trial resolutions would also be announced at that time.

As for Jose Porla, he had regained consciousness three days earlier. However, he could barely move. The Council decided to take him straight back to headquarters.

It was doubtful he'd ever walk free again.

Rhodes watched him from a distance and sighed. Even if Jose were released one day, he would never be the same. Not because of his physical injuries, those would eventually heal, but because the spark in his eyes was gone.

He had been utterly broken.

To be crushed by people he once saw as weaklings, mere pests, would haunt him forever. Unless he accepted the truth, that Fairy Tail was strong and his own path had been wrong, he would never overcome the weight of that defeat. And without that acceptance, his magic would likely wither.

But for a man like Jose, that kind of self-reflection was nearly impossible.

In addition to Jose, several stubborn Phantom Lord members were also taken into custody, those who refused to admit fault or express remorse. Among them were Aria, Sol, and the Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel Redfox.

These members were sent away for mandatory "reeducation." If they cooperated, they'd be released in a few days. If not, they would serve a short sentence.

As expected, Phantom Lord was officially disbanded by Council order. The guild was dissolved entirely, including both its headquarters and all branch locations.

Since the majority of the blame fell on Jose, most regular members would face no punishment as long as they sincerely admitted their mistakes.

Their only penalties were having to pay their own medical bills and figure out how to rebuild their lives.

Makarov, always generous, made an open offer: if anyone from Phantom Lord had nowhere to go, they were welcome to join Fairy Tail.

But not a single person accepted.

Some were too ashamed. Others held on to grudges. A few, disillusioned by the whole ordeal, no longer wanted to be wizards at all. They were already making plans to run small businesses and live quiet lives.

Most of Phantom Lord's former members had been beaten down too hard, both physically and emotionally. Even though they were touched by Makarov's generosity, they couldn't bring themselves to accept it right away.

Rather than join Fairy Tail, many of them preferred to look for smaller, lesser-known guilds.

Originally, they had joined Phantom Lord for the prestige, chasing the title of "Fiore's Number One Guild." But now that they had seen the reality, they realized that being in the top guild wasn't so easy.

Strong guilds were filled with monsters. And the enemies they attracted? Even more terrifying monsters.

Looking back, it seemed a lot safer to stay in a small guild, away from explosive battles and continent-shaking conflicts.

During the week-long investigation, news of the fierce clash between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord had already spread across all of Fiore.

The full details weren't yet public, but wild rumors were everywhere. What people did know was that both guilds' headquarters had been destroyed, both masters had fallen, and the cause of the war remained murky at best.

This made many civilians uneasy. Fiore had enjoyed peace for a long time. A violent confrontation between two of the country's most powerful legal guilds left people wondering whether their daily lives would be affected.

Hopefully, the situation would calm down once the Council released its official verdict in a few days.

But even before that, some of the former Phantom members, those who had witnessed Jose's humiliating defeat, couldn't resist leaking the juiciest parts of the story.

Though it was a team effort that ultimately took down Phantom Lord, Mira, Erza, Rhodes, and Natsu, who delivered the final wave of attacks, quickly became household names.

When more accurate accounts of the battle surfaced, people across the kingdom began to recognize Rhodes as a brilliant "Fairy Strategist." His reputation grew fast, even if he himself wasn't particularly aware of it.

In fact, none of them were paying attention to the gossip.

The moment Fairy Tail members left the Council camp, they threw themselves straight into rebuilding their guild.

The first task was organizing and relocating all important records and documents. Makarov oversaw this personally, while the job of cataloguing and transporting files was given to the girls, Levy, Lucy, and Laki.

Erza took charge of leading the demolition team. She organized the removal of damaged sections of the old guild building, sorted out reusable materials, and directed the sale or disposal of what couldn't be salvaged.

Natsu, Gray, and Elfman were especially enthusiastic about this part. Smashing things to pieces was something they could do with gusto.

Meanwhile, Mira and Rhodes were in charge of gathering essential construction materials like timber and stone. While Laki could provide some wood using her magic, they didn't want to push her too hard.

In addition to supply gathering, the two were also responsible for hiring reliable craftsmen and coordinating with professionals to revise the architectural plans for Fairy Tail's new home.

In the past few days, both Master Makarov and Reedus had tried their hand at sketching blueprints for the new guild building. Unfortunately, Makarov's drawings were too abstract to interpret, and Reedus's were so artistic that no one could figure out how to actually build from them.

So they were back to square one.

After spending most of the day running around town gathering supplies, Rhodes finally paused and reviewed the shopping list in his hand. "Looks like the only thing left is paint. We can grab that later. Wait, didn't we pass a hardware store just now?"

Mira shook her head. "That one's way too expensive. Let's head over to West Street instead. We'll save a good bit."

She opened her palm and held up five fingers toward Rhodes. "We can save about this much."

Her careful budgeting was so adorable that Rhodes couldn't resist. He reached out and gently grabbed her hand.

It was small and pale, her nails neatly trimmed, her fingers slender and elegant. No one would ever suspect this little hand could shatter stone and split boulders.

Rhodes noticed a faint blood scab on the back of her hand. He lightly brushed his fingertips across it. "Does it still hurt?"

Mira smiled. "It stopped hurting a long time ago. It's just been a little itchy lately." She looked a little worried. "I wonder if it'll leave a scar."

"It's fine," Rhodes said softly. "I like you even if you're covered in scars."

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. The scab felt rough, but the skin beside it was warm and smooth.

Mira pulled her hand back and lightly tapped his shoulder. "You're the one covered in scars!"

"If it really bothers you," Rhodes offered, "we can ask Wendy for help. Her healing magic's pretty amazing when it comes to removing scars. Though... Carla might grumble about it."

Then he struck a dramatic pose, hands together like he was pleading for divine intervention. "It doesn't matter. I'll go to her right now and beg her like this—'Wendy! Carla! Please heal Mira's hand! I'll do anything!' How's that? Or should I throw in another line just for flair—"

Mira flicked his forehead. "What other line? Don't be so dramatic!"

But she couldn't help smiling. The worry in her heart quietly faded away.

Then Rhodes wrapped his arms around her.

"Okay," he whispered, "your turn to charge me up."

"Charge you?" Mira blinked.

"It's kind of like recharging a magic crystal," Rhodes said, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder and breathing in the scent of her hair. "I'm running low on Mira energy. I need an emergency refill."

"Alright, alright~" Mira giggled and hugged him back.

After a few moments of warm silence, she asked, "So... how long are you planning to hold me like this?"

Rhodes closed his eyes and smiled. "Let's start with a hundred years."

...

Stones PLzzz