Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 201: Smuggling Across Borders (Not Really)

"Do you know him?" Rhodes asked.

"We crossed paths during two different missions," Erza recalled. "Neither of us came out on top. He's a formidable opponent, definitely worthy of the S-Class title."

"What kind of magic does he use?" Rhodes asked. He honestly couldn't remember any relevant information.

"It's a magic style that concentrates magical power into the palms, greatly enhancing strength and destructive force," Erza explained.

"Isn't that just... how everyone fights normally?" Rhodes asked, a little puzzled.

Erza nodded. "Exactly. It's one of the most basic ways of using magic power, so most wizards know a bit of it. But Bacchus seems to have an extraordinary talent for it. He's mastered how to bring out its full potential."

"If he gets serious, I'm not even sure if my Adamantine Armor could withstand a direct hit from his palm strikes."

After gathering all the necessary information, they left the village chief's house. As they exchanged notes, they rode a Scuttle Crab toward the ancient battlefield.

Listening to Erza describe Bacchus's strength, Rhodes was a little tempted by the idea of learning that style, but only a little.

His training schedule was already packed tight. He could always study the combat characteristics and force application techniques of different martial arts when he had spare time, but there was no urgent need to train in it seriously.

Bacchus's power wasn't because of palm magic itself, but because it suited him perfectly.

Just like magic, martial arts weren't particularly secretive. If becoming S-Class were as simple as mastering one fighting style, Quatro Cerberus would have been the number one guild already.

The Scuttle Crab steadily carried them eastward, climbing rugged paths as the scenery gradually opened up before them. Wild grass stretched endlessly, patches of unmelted snow clung stubbornly to the earth, and in the distance, the desolate ruins of an ancient battlefield slowly came into view.

The sight wasn't quite what Rhodes had imagined.

He had expected devastation: heaps of bones, broken weapons scattered everywhere, dried blood staining the ground.

Instead, time had smoothed it all away. Two centuries had buried the scars under fields of wild grass and frost.

Only when Rhodes and Erza moved deeper into the battlefield did they occasionally spot fragments of tiny bones, rusted arrowheads, battered helmets, and scraps of rotted leather armor.

Erza crouched down and picked up a spear. The wooden shaft had long since rotted away. The heavily corroded spearhead crumbled in her hands the moment she lifted it.

She dropped the rotten wood and scanned their surroundings. "This must be the edge of the battlefield," she said. "The real fighting probably happened deeper in."

"I'll send out the Murk Wolves and Raptors to scout ahead," Rhodes said. "Even if we can't find the sword right away, at least we can locate the others."

He summoned six wolves and a flock of twelve sharp-eyed Raptors. The creatures scattered into the wilderness, each taking a different direction.

As Erza moved to inspect some of the scattered weapons, Rhodes quickly warned her, "It's probably not a good idea to touch anything in a place that might be cursed."

"I'm just curious about the design of ancient weapons," Erza said calmly. "But you're right. Better safe than sorry."

In a flash of light, she summoned the Spear of Purging Evil, holding it expertly in her hands. Using the tip of the spear, she lightly poked at the objects on the ground instead.

The Spear of Purging Evil had special properties that countered dark, ghostly, and curse-based magic.

Last time, it had been instrumental in destroying the altar of the Dark Magic Cult.

Rhodes watched Erza poking around the battlefield like a curious kitten, and quietly kept a two-meter distance from her.

After thinking for a moment, he released a group of Krugs underground, directing them to follow along beneath Erza's feet.

Rhodes silently prayed he wouldn't have to use them.

The ancient battlefield wasn't some flat, open plain like he had imagined. Instead, it was a gently rolling landscape, with small hills and slopes scattered throughout.

Rhodes and Erza moved forward cautiously, gradually making their way deeper into the heart of the battlefield.

The further they went, the more signs of death and battle they found: scattered bones, rusted weapons, tattered horse harnesses, and even fragments of rotted chariots.

Here and there, they also came across worn stone markers engraved with the words "Boundary Monument."

Without realizing it, the red sun had dipped low in the western sky, casting long shadows across the ruins. They had already crossed into the borderlands.

Rhodes asked a legal question that had been bothering him, "Hey, what's the process if you want to go abroad?"

"Going abroad?" Erza said casually as she stepped over a boundary marker. "You just... do this."

"No, I mean," Rhodes pressed, "don't you need a passport or official documents or something?"

"There's no such thing," Erza replied, pointing to the spot where her Fairy Tail emblem was hidden under her thick winter clothes. "We have this."

Just like Mira had explained when she stamped his guild mark, the emblem of Fairy Tail served as an official identification for wizards, recognized across borders.

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"It's really convenient," Rhodes said, stepping forward to follow her across the line.

And just like that, Rhodes had left Fiore.

He couldn't help but think that, in his previous world, this would definitely have counted as smuggling.

"Wait," Rhodes suddenly stopped. "One of the murk wolves I sent out just got killed."

Erza immediately halted her search, switching into a defensive stance. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure yet," Rhodes said, frowning. Apart from the scuttle crab, most of his summoned creatures weren't particularly good at exploration. If an enemy moved fast enough, he wouldn't even know what happened until his summons refreshed the next day.

Fortunately, a raptor managed to return on its own not long after.

Rhodes quickly summoned it, asking it to lead the way to where the attack had happened. At the same time, he asked it a few key questions: whether the creature it encountered was human or ghost, and whether it had been one enemy or two.

The little raptor nodded and then shook its head, letting Rhodes know that the two people it encountered were indeed the wizards from Quatro Cerberus.

After a brief discussion, Rhodes and Erza decided to go meet them. After all, they would have to cross paths sooner or later, it would be better to understand how far along the other team was.

Following the raptor, they walked for some distance and crossed over another boundary marker.

This time, they crossed from the Kingdom of Bosco into the Kingdom of Seven.

At this point, Rhodes thought to himself: Now I'm officially someone who's traveled across multiple countries.

...

Underneath a barren cliff, the two Quatro Cerberus wizards were waiting.

One of them lay sprawled lazily on the ground, wearing purple arm guards. His black hair was tied into a messy topknot, and he leaned casually on one arm while swigging from a wine gourd with the other.

The second one had wild yellow hair styled into two fluffy tufts that looked like hound ears. He wore a black leather jacket and stood a little nervously to the side, clearly uneasy.

"Are you sure this is okay, Bacchus?" the younger one asked. "We got here before them, so shouldn't we hurry up and look for the sword?"

"Relax," said Bacchus, sounding half-drunk but still sharp. "You saw how that wolf disappeared earlier, right? It was clearly under someone's control."

He raised the wine gourd again and took a long swig before continuing, "No matter which way we go, we'll just be tracked. And judging by that magic, they have the advantage when it comes to scouting."

"So what do we do...?" his companion asked hesitantly.

Bacchus grinned lazily. "Simple. The old man just wants us to settle the score with Fairy Tail, right? Then we don't need to wait around. We just beat them now!"

"Beat them? But, Bacchus, they've got an S-Class wizard too. It's not going to be easy to win in a head-on fight."

"No buts!" Bacchus barked, clearly annoyed at his companion's lack of spirit. "We're wizards of Quatro Cerberus, remember? Winners don't hesitate!"

He suddenly threw out his arm dramatically and roared, "WILD—!"

The younger one jumped in hurriedly, "FOUR—!"

Bacchus, still dissatisfied with the energy, shouted again, louder this time, "WILD—!"

And Rocker answered, nearly tripping over his own feet in panic, "FOUR—!"