Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 241: Seven Kin of Purgatory: Rustyrose

"Awoo~ Awoo~!" One of the wolves let out a short bark and began pawing at the ground. It had clearly discovered something.

Rhodes and Elfman rushed over to find a weathered hand protruding from beneath a collapsed wall. Thankfully, the slab had landed on a pillar, leaving just enough space to keep the man from being completely crushed.

Without hesitation, Elfman dug his heels in and heaved the fallen wall away, flipping it into a nearby clearing.

Beneath the rubble lay an older man, perhaps in his fifties. His features bore a resemblance to the man in the photo, Mal's father, most likely.

His chest was caved in slightly, and a broken spear was lodged deep in his abdomen. He was barely hanging on.

"Summon; Brambleback! Red Buff!"

Rhodes immediately called upon the Brambleback to cast a healing field, even though he knew deep down that the man's injuries were far too severe.

Still, he had to try.

The old man stirred. His deathly pale skin took on the faintest trace of color, and his eyes fluttered open with great effort.

But when he caught sight of the two strangers, fear and fierce determination flared in his gaze. He looked ready to go down fighting.

"We're mages from Fairy Tail," Rhodes explained quickly. "We just arrived after accepting the request to find Mal and Vina."

At his words, the fear faded. What replaced it was a desperate kind of hope.

"I... I'm Peter..." he rasped.

"You're the chief of Monotropa?" Elfman asked.

"Yes..."

Rhodes gestured at Elfman to stop. The old man didn't have much time, and every word counted.

Peter, fully aware, focused all his remaining strength. "Mal and Vina... north woods... save them... enemies... strong... many... run... please..."

Before the spell's light could fade, the glow from Red Buff had already vanished.

Peter's brief vitality dimmed with it. His face turned ashen, the color drained away as quickly as it came.

"Mr. Peter! Mr. Peter!" Elfman called, panic rising in his voice. But there was no answer.

His fists trembled. He clutched his chest, overwhelmed. The weight of watching a life end before his eyes was unbearable. Memories surged, grief, guilt.

Suddenly, a sharp jab to the gut jolted him.

"Focus." Rhodes stood over him, his tone serious. "The chief made his final request. Our job now is to find Mal and Vina, and bring them back alive. His reward... is peace."

Elfman was silent for a beat. Then he took off his coat and gently laid it over Peter's body.

"Yeah... A man completes his mission."

Rhodes summoned another crab and turned to Elfman with a calm, strategic tone:

"Listen. The target's location is the northern forest. The enemy may still be nearby, and strong. But our mission isn't to fight them head-on. It's to find Mal and Vina and get them out of there safely."

"So don't engage the enemy directly. Our top priority is getting the targets out safely. If escape becomes impossible... then focus on delaying them as much as possible."

Rhodes wasn't placing too much faith in reinforcements. The distance from the guild was too great, it had taken them nearly eight hours by carriage just to get here.

Unless they could somehow contact another Fairy Tail team already out on a mission, or luck out with a nearby Magic Council unit, they'd be on their own.

All he could do now was hope that Grimoire Heart hadn't dispatched one of their top enforcers for a small rural raid.

He and Elfman mounted the crabs and soared northward.

But they didn't get far.

A gray-haired young man suddenly appeared, blocking their path in the middle of a mountain pass. He struck a dramatic pose like he'd been waiting for this exact moment.

Rhodes stiffened. His summoned Scuttle Crab had scouted the area earlier and hadn't sensed this guy at all.

"Ah, wayward fairies..." The man's voice rang out with theatrical flair. "Lost in these forsaken wilds, shall your tale unfold in a song of surrender... or the canvas of combat?"

Whether he'd overheard their conversation or simply recognized the guild emblem on Elfman's shoulder, it was clear this man knew they were Fairy Tail.

Elfman scowled. "Who the hell are you?! Was it you who did this to that village?!"

Rhodes instinctively placed a hand over his pendant, silently activating his detection magic to check for hidden threats nearby.

"Guiding forgotten warriors to their long-awaited rest... is but a trivial duty for a demon," the stranger mused, striking yet another needlessly elegant pose.

With a grand sweep of his arms, he conjured a flurry of magical illusions—glimmering stars and blossoms that swirled around him theatrically.

"Let me grace your memories with my name before you depart this world. I am Rustyrose, of Grimoire Heart. One of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."

As he introduced himself, sparkles and petals danced behind him, his own magic casting special effects for dramatic flair.

He even conjured a magical rose, which he twirled beneath his nose as if savoring the scent. "Pity, though... even a name as beautiful as mine can't mask the stench of death I smell around you."

Rhodes could only think one thing: this guy was ridiculously theatrical.

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Sure, Laxus could be arrogant, but even he didn't pull stunts like this.

Elfman clenched his fists. "Who are you calling dead, you creep?!"

"Watch it," Rhodes warned quietly, still monitoring the enemy's mana fluctuations. "Feel his magic. It's not normal."

Elfman's brow furrowed. "This pressure... it's like standing in front of Erza."

"Oh? So you've noticed the difference in power." Rustyrose adjusted his glasses with a smug smile. "Then allow me to carve your fears into eternity. May your last thoughts be of the futility of resistance."

Honestly, if this guy weren't an enemy, he and Laki might've gotten along well, she could even learn a thing or two about over-the-top dialogue from him.

Rhodes figured if Rustyrose liked to monologue so much, he might as well squeeze some intel out of him.

"You weren't the one who cast that black flame in the village, were you?"

"Hmph," Rustyrose scoffed lightly. "That messy display? Tch, Zancrow never bothers with cleanup."

Rustyrose shook his head disdainfully and added, "That hideous inferno had no art. Not even a shred of beauty. Certainly nothing like my creations."

More dazzling special effects flared to life again, but Rhodes only focused on the key words he'd just caught: "Zancrow" and "Imagination."

Zancrow, clearly a companion of this man, and likely just as strong. Dangerous.

As for "Imagination"... Rhodes couldn't figure that part out, so he decided to ask directly. It was a good chance to both learn something and gauge how much of a show-off this guy really was.

"Imagination?" Rhodes echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, imagination!" Rustyrose twirled dramatically. "For instance, my guardian beast: Thunder Berserker Belcusas!"

With a sweeping gesture, a massive beast suddenly took form. It had twin horns and wore dark, heavy armor. As it roared into existence, its iron-clad fist came crashing down toward them.

The Scuttle Crab reacted instantly, leaving behind an afterimage as it darted out of harm's way with both riders in tow. The creature's strike landed hard, smashing a deep crater into the earth. The shockwave trembled through the soil, momentarily disrupting the crab's footing.

Elfman stared, stunned. "He's like a second you! It's a summoning magic just like yours!"

"Maybe not exactly," Rhodes muttered. "But whatever it is, it's not simple." He narrowed his eyes. "You go on ahead. He's not alone—and his teammates are probably after Mal and Vina."

What was even more troubling was how this guy clearly wasn't an idiot. That was always the most annoying kind of opponent.

Rhodes leapt down from the crab. "Summon—Sentinel!"

The enemy beast charged again, and Rhodes' Sentinel rushed to meet it. Their fists collided with a resounding boom, unleashing a shockwave that flattened the nearby weeds and kicked up a whirlwind of dust.

Neither side gave an inch. For now, they were evenly matched.

Rustyrose blinked, surprised.

'So this unassuming mage had a summon strong enough to match his? Interesting...'

Elfman hesitated, torn about leaving, but the crab, obedient to Rhodes' earlier command, carried him sideways, toward the forest.

Blue light shimmered around Rhodes as the Blue buff activated, enhancing his magical reserves.

Elfman glanced back and, for a brief moment, saw Rhodes' figure framed against the light, his stance firm, his eyes steady.

It looked... manly.

"Even if I hate to admit it," Elfman muttered, "don't forget—if something happens to you, my sister's going to be heartbroken."

"I know. And the same goes for you," Rhodes shot back, still facing forward. "But don't be reckless! I mean it!"

He rattled off his final instructions in quick succession:

"Your mission isn't to beat the enemy, it's to find Mal and Vina and get them out safely. That's all that matters."

"Manly!" Elfman bellowed, gripping the crab's antennae like reins. "Go!"