Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 303: The Days When Rhodes Was Away

The first day Rhodes was away, I missed him.

Hmph! What a jerk. I didn't miss him at all!

'I said "don't move your hands", did that mean leave them there like that?!'

'Ugh... pervert.'

Mira was thinking all sorts of strange things while going about her morning chores.

'The train should have left by now. Maybe they've already left Magnolia.'

"Sister Mira, you're spacing out again," Laki reminded her.

"I'm not," Mira replied stubbornly.

"But you've wiped that flower vase three times already."

"It gets shinier the more you wipe it," she mumbled. "I was just thinking something might be wrong with yesterday's expense reports."

Laki gave a knowing smirk. "Is that so~?"

"It is! I still need to reconcile the books later." Mira emphasized the word "reconcile" with a little warning in her voice.

Laki quickly dropped the teasing. You don't mess with Mira when she's in that tone.

The guild still had to run smoothly, even with both the guildmaster and Rhodes away.

It just meant a bit more work for Mira.

Staffing wasn't a problem, Sally and Izzy could help out with shifts at the tavern. Unlike Lucy, they weren't interested in quests, and only did part-time work because they occasionally picked up easier jobs elsewhere that paid better. But if Mira or Laki asked, they were always happy to lend a hand.

The real challenge lay in the administrative work: logging and organizing missions, tracking guild income and expenses, and managing the tavern's books.

Mira was capable of doing it all. After all, she had done so herself before Rhodes ever started helping with guild affairs.

But today, everything just felt a little... emptier. A little less efficient.

It was strange, despite constantly teasing and sparring with someone every day, she got more done when that someone was around.

Mira wasn't lying to Laki, she really did need to tally the books. "How many barrels of beer were sold yesterday?"

Cana, who had been drinking since sunrise and wasn't even tipsy, looked up from her barrel. "Eh? How should I know?"

"I wasn't asking you—" Mira turned toward the seat beside her and paused. It was empty.

Cana gave a cheeky grin. "Seriously? You already miss him after just one day?"

"It's not that extreme. I just got used to him helping with this kind of stuff."

Mira tried to play it off, but then paused. A small, warm smile spread across her face. "But I guess... that does count as missing him, huh?"

Cana groaned into her drink. "Ugh. Gross. I don't want to see that expression on your face."

"Then I'm terribly sorry." Mira, who had no shame left to be embarrassed by love, was unbeatable.

Lucy showed up at the guild bright and early, still undecided about which mission to take.

"Hi there~ Are you Lucy?"

"Huh? Yes!" Lucy turned to see a cute girl with bright blue hair smiling warmly at her.

"I'm Lucy, and I just joined the guild a few days ago. Please take care of me!"

"Can I call you Lu-chan? I'm Levy!"

Levy gave Lucy a friendly nickname right away, her tone bright and bubbly. Then she gestured behind her, introducing with a smile, "These are Jet and Droy. They're on my team."

"Hey there!" the two boys greeted cheerfully.

Lucy happily accepted Levy's nickname, it felt warm and welcoming.

Jet and Droy, however, found themselves slightly flustered. As they looked at Lucy, they couldn't help but notice she was just as cute as Levy.

But... hadn't they heard rumors that Lucy was the terrifying new girl who singlehandedly took down the mercenary guild Iron Fang and even defeated a monstrous gorilla?

Of course, in truth, those wild tales were thanks to Natsu.

But once a certain beautiful, mischievous, and gossip-loving lady from the guild, probably Cana retold the story with some artistic flair, the version that spread made it sound like Lucy had done everything herself.

And just like that, Lucy, the "fearsome" newcomer, had become the guild's latest hot topic.

Natsu and Happy also contributed in their own annoying little ways to the growing chatter about Lucy. For example—

"I heard you're writing a novel, Lu-chan?" Levy asked, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

Lucy buried her face in her hands, groaning, "Ugh... Natsu's such a blabbermouth!"

"Actually, it was Happy who told me." Levy admitted, then clasped her hands together, beaming. "Can I be your first reader? I love books so much! But sadly, I'm terrible at writing."

"But..."

"Please? Pretty please?"

Maybe it was because all the other girls in the guild were older than Levy, and Lucy was the first one her age, but Levy was especially eager to be friends with her.

And with their shared love for books and stories, the two hit it off instantly.

After chatting for a while, they even discovered they both owned the latest model of enchanated reading glasses.

Naturally, their bond deepened.

Meanwhile, the guild hall was as lively as ever.

Natsu, growing restless while Lucy browsed the mission board, ended up picking a fight with Gray for no reason at all.

In the middle of their scuffle, Natsu yanked down Gray's pants while he wasn't paying attention, and launched him, pantsless, straight toward Lucy and Levy.

"Ah—my underwear!" Gray panicked for a second, then stood up with his usual deadpan expression and said casually to the two nearby girls, "You two... mind lending me your panties?"

Levy recoiled in disgust, while Lucy's fist rocketed forward and socked him square in the jaw. "You pervert!"

"You jerk! What did you just say to Levy?!"

Jet and Droy immediately charged into the fray to defend their teammate.

As more and more guild members got drawn into the chaos, the entire scene exploded into an all-out brawl.

A long bench soared through the air, heading straight for Mira.

Mira unconsciously found herself waiting, hoping for that familiar, reliable figure to show up.

But no one came.

With a quiet sigh, she shifted into her Satan Soul form. Her fingers curled around the center of the flying bench and, with a sharp crack, she crushed it in one hand.

A wave of overwhelming magical pressure surged through the guild hall, silencing the chaos. Still in her demonic form, Mira wore a sweet, serene smile that didn't quite match the atmosphere.

"Would you all mind... calming down just a little?" she asked gently.

Everyone froze mid-motion.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" they all replied in unison, stiff as boards.

Vijeeter, the unlucky one who'd kicked the bench immediately bowed at a perfect right angle. "I'm so sorry!"

Mira returned to her usual self with a cheerful smile, raising a fist encouragingly. "Alright then! Carry on! Don't hold back!"

Everyone blinked, unsure if they'd heard that right.

Natsu didn't wait. Taking the invitation literally, he rammed his head backward into Nab, who had him in a headlock. Since Mira had technically told them to continue, well, why not?

With that, the fight resumed in full force, as if nothing had happened.

Lucy gaped. "That was... Miss Mira?!"

Levy gave a wobbly smile. "Yup. That's her. She is a demon, after all..."

Truthfully, even Levy sometimes found Mira a little scary in that form.

"It's hard to believe..." Lucy murmured. "I saw something in Sorcerer Weekly the other day about her returning to action, but I didn't expect her to be that intense."

She still felt shaken by the raw pressure Mira had unleashed. "Is she the strongest wizard in the guild?"

"Not necessarily," Levy said thoughtfully. "If we're just talking about the female wizards, there's also Erza, she's just as powerful."

Levy hesitated, then added, "Actually, a couple of months ago, Mira and Erza had a sparring match. Mira was a little on the back foot, but she'd only just returned to active duty back then. Who knows how strong she is now."

"Returned? What happened? Was Miss Mira injured?" Lucy asked, puzzled.

"It's... kind of complicated," Levy began, unsure where to start.

But before she could explain, a shout rang out from the entrance: "Erza's back!" free𝑤ebnovel.com

The guild hall fell into an immediate hush. Those still tangled in the brawl scrambled back to their seats like well-trained soldiers.

Natsu and Gray froze mid-fight, arms awkwardly locked in a grappling pose.

Lucy turned, blinking at the imposing figure now standing in the doorway. A tall, red-haired knight walked in, effortlessly carrying a massive demonic horn over her shoulder.

"I'm back," Erza said firmly. "Is Master here? And where's Rhodes?"