Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 130: Rhodes, Do You Know How to Write a Self-Reflection?

Mira had already changed back into her usual outfit—but she kept the extra bracelet on.

As for Rhodes, life returned to normal, though he now carried a little more warmth in his heart.

Once everyone in the guild finally woke up, they began cleaning up the aftermath of the party. Tables and chairs were put back in place, the broken ones got patched up, and soon everything was as it should be—some people headed home, others took on jobs, and a few just hung around to chat.

Makarov watched as the younger members crowded around the job request board after helping clean up. He felt proud, yet slightly worried at the same time.

After a bit of internal debate, he called out tentatively, "Rhodes."

"What is it, Master?" Rhodes was gently trying to coax Mira into heading to the lounge to rest. She insisted she hadn't stayed up too late, but the sleep-deprivation written all over her face said otherwise.

"Have you considered teaming up with someone else?" Makarov glanced toward the job board. "Maybe, with Alzack, for instance?"

Rhodes immediately saw through the old man's ploy—it was way too obvious.

"Master, I just got back. Let me rest for a few days first," he replied with a knowing smirk.

"Right, right." Makarov gave a sheepish chuckle and sighed in mild defeat.

Rhodes raised a brow. "Why the sudden concern? Alzack's usually pretty steady, isn't he? Doesn't cause much trouble."

Mira stepped in to explain, helping Makarov save face. "It's because Alzack's been having a bit of a rough patch lately. After the Harvest Festival, he took two jobs. Everything started off fine, but each time, he lost focus at a critical moment. He nearly hit the wrong target both times."

"Last time was the worst," she added. "The client came back complaining that one of Alzack's magic bullets grazed his ear. It gave the poor guy quite a scare."

Rhodes frowned. "That serious, huh? If this keeps up, someone might actually get hurt."

Mira nodded, stifling a yawn. "It's not that bad yet. Alzack uses mostly paralysis bullets, so it's not lethal—but still, he's clearly not in a good state."

"Losing focus at the worst moment. Sounds like he needs a solid rest." Rhodes gave Mira a pointed look. "Don't you think so?"

Mira gave him a soft, exasperated look in return. "Yes, yes, after I finish calculating last night's bar tab."

"I'll help with that. I'm a numbers guy—never scored below 140 on a math test." Rhodes confidently took the pen and ledger from her hands.

"What does that even mean?" Mira blinked, baffled by the grading reference, but from his tone, she could tell it was meant to be impressive.

Not wanting to brush off his enthusiasm, she smiled and gave in. "Master, I'll go take a short break. You can go talk to Alzack instead."

"You've earned it." Makarov nodded. Mira really had been working nonstop lately.

He turned to Rhodes, watching the young man work beside the job board. Both Rhodes and Mira, they were solid, dependable kids.

...

More than a week had passed since the Harvest Festival. Magnolia had finally returned to its usual rhythm.

With the out-of-town visitors gone, the tavern had quieted down too. Most of the remaining guests were either guild members or locals. Business wasn't as hectic as before, so Mira could manage just fine on her own.

Rhodes, meanwhile, continued assisting at the guild.

While only the Guild Master could approve or reject official requests, Rhodes had taken to helping with the paperwork—registering jobs, stamping them, looking up background info—all to lighten Makarov's load. After all, he'd watched Mira do it a hundred times and had practically memorized the process.

Makarov glanced over at him again.

Technically, only he and Mira were supposed to handle sensitive request files, but letting Rhodes take a look didn't feel wrong anymore. The boy had earned that trust.

Come to think of it, Rhodes really could do just about anything.

Whether it was leading a team into dangerous territory or supporting the inner workings of the guild, he pulled it all off—and not just well, but exceptionally.

Makarov was quietly hatching a new scheme—one that involved offloading everything onto Rhodes.

Sure, it might be a bit much, but Mira was around too, so if they split the load, it wouldn't be too bad.

As he drifted into deeper thought, Makarov suddenly turned and asked,

"Rhodes, do you know how to write a self-reflection letter?"

"What?" Rhodes stopped mid-stroke with his pen. "Why are you asking about that out of nowhere?"

"I mean the kind of formal apology the guild master has to submit to the Council whenever one of our members causes trouble."

Rhodes immediately responded, "Not a chance. I'm not writing a single word for you."

He folded his arms and said firmly, "I just helped bring in a massive contribution to the guild. Gray literally coughed up blood for Fairy Tail. And you want me to write a self-criticism?"

"I wasn't saying you had to write it now—"

"And I won't write it tomorrow either," Rhodes interrupted. "In fact, you might want to get started on one right away. You'll probably have to write one tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that."

"..."

Makarov looked like he'd been turned to stone. This kid was too brutally honest.

Just then, a cheerful voice called out, "Master! Hey Rhodes, you're back! Feels like I haven't seen you in ages."

"Goodman! I just got back yesterday. With the welcome party and all, I've been stuck here in the guild and haven't even made it home yet."

Rhodes was a little surprised. Goodman wasn't a regular fixture at the guild. Including today, he'd only seen the man twice around the tavern.

"Did something bring you by today? Got a job request?"

"Nah, just wanted to take a break after being buried in work for so long," Goodman replied with a grin. "Oh, and you really stood out during the Magic Parade."

"Ugh, don't remind me. That whole thing was kinda embarrassing." Rhodes chuckled and poured Goodman a glass of wine with practiced ease. "Oh—by the way, I brought a little something for you."

From his suitcase, Rhodes pulled out a finely-carved wooden figure, a piece of patterned cloth, and a small toy that resembled a propeller-topped bamboo dragonfly.

"This, this is way too much," Goodman said, startled. His family ran a business in woodcrafts and weaving—he could tell at a glance these items were high-quality.

"I picked them up in the South. They're actually pretty cheap there, but the craftsmanship's unique. I figured you'd appreciate it."

Rhodes rummaged through his pocket and found the amulet Goodman had once gifted him. "Think of it as a thank-you for the charm you gave me back then."

"That was just an ordinary trinket," Goodman replied, flustered. "This doesn't compare at all."

"To me, it does. Honestly, that amulet might mean even more."

Goodman didn't know much about Rhodes's background—or just how rough things had been for him in the past.

So he didn't realize how much a small act of kindness had meant to Rhodes when he'd had almost nothing.

"Well then, I'll shamelessly accept," Goodman said with a laugh, though he already felt a little guilty. "Molly and Bayer are gonna love these. I'll bring them by to say thank you sometime soon."

"It's just a little souvenir. Don't make it a big deal," Rhodes replied casually.

Goodman reluctantly set the gifts aside and joined in with a drink. He chatted with Rhodes about his travels and caught up with Makarov on recent happenings in Magnolia. Eventually, he made his way over to Macao and Wakaba, and the three started trading stories about family and kids.

After helping a couple of people register their job requests, Rhodes looked up to see a disheveled-looking man walk toward the counter.

"Master Makarov, I'd like to join Fairy Tail, and specifically, I want to join Levy's Shadow Gear team."

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