Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 358: Moving Bricks and Love Bento

After hearing Rhodes' proposal, Master Makarov gave a cheerful wave. "Sounds good! Let's go with that. I'll leave it to you!"

To him, handling these logistical issues wasn't nearly as fun as hauling bricks. The old man was dripping with sweat, but full of energy, never seeming to tire.

Makarov had come to realize that life was much more enjoyable as a hands-off guild master. Just look at his kids, planning, leading, building their future all on their own.

A true guild master wasn't the one solving everything, but the one who guided the next generation to grow.

With the idea approved, Rhodes had no choice but to find the foreman, Erza, and ask her to assign a team to help with the setup.

As soon as Erza heard that it was for the sake of everyone's livelihoods, she jumped into action without hesitation. She personally led the team, with Cana charging ahead like a storm, and Elfman, Natsu, and Gray, the "Trio of Muscle and Mayhem", acting as her top lieutenants. With such firepower, the whole operation moved quickly.

As for Rhodes, he headed down to the basement to dig through old mission records. Some of the tasks were leftovers from before the conflict with Phantom Lord. Others had piled up during the past seven or eight days.

He carefully selected the most urgent jobs first, filling out each request form by hand. Then, he picked out simpler tasks that offered decent rewards for those who just needed quick work. The rest could be rotated in later.

Mira was swamped with duties at the construction site, so Rhodes handled the entire job board setup on his own.

By the time he returned, a stack of mission slips in hand, the central area had been fully cleared. A notice board had been installed, and a counter was being constructed beside it.

Apparently, Erza had taken the initiative to build a small temporary tavern as well. A wooden shed now stood just behind the counter.

Rhodes had a strong suspicion this was Cana's idea. She was the most enthusiastic one moving tables and chairs into place.

Still, it wasn't a bad idea. Life at a construction site could get dull, and having a space to relax was important too.

By the time everything was ready, the sun had already set. It was too late to start operations that evening, so they would launch the next day.

The tavern, however, opened right away.

Many guild members, especially Cana had been holding back for days during the Council's tight supervision. Now that they were free, they were eager to blow off some steam.

There was still wine in storage, and the basement kitchen was intact. Mr. Cook worked late into the night to make sure everyone had a proper, hearty meal.

The conditions were still basic, but the noise, laughter, and familiar scent of warm food made it feel like home again. Fairy Tail's signature liveliness had finally returned.

...

The next morning, Mira stood tall behind the new counter and made an official announcement.

"From today on, our temporary job request counter is open for applications!"

A crowd instantly surged forward.

"Rhodes has already selected urgent missions and tasks with varying difficulty and solid rewards. Please, if you're in immediate need of money for rent or food, come up first!"

"Awesome!"

Mira took charge of the counter, while Rhodes went to move bricks.

After all, the moment a group of spendthrifts and broke freelancers ran off for job requests, the construction team lost most of its labor force. Rhodes had to fill in and at least it counted as physical training.

The counter stayed busy for quite a while before things finally calmed down.

Lucy stood silently next to Nab in front of the bulletin board, her gaze fixed.

She had spotted a few jobs she was interested in. But each time she reached out to grab one, she hesitated, then pulled her hand back, uncertain.

She lingered there for a long time before finally turning and walking away.

Lucy had realized something. Until she resolved that matter, she wouldn't be able to truly focus on anything else.

One person quietly leaving didn't draw much attention.

Everyone was either too busy to notice or simply assumed Lucy had picked a solo job and gone off on her own.

That morning, Makarov arrived a little later than usual. As soon as he got there, he called Rhodes and Erza over.

"I'm heading to the Council," he said. "I'll be leaving the guild in your hands for now."

Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "Didn't they say you had a few more days?"

"Yajima told me there's been too much delay already," Makarov explained. "Because the incident happened a while ago and the rumors are still flying around, the Council wants to resolve it quickly. If they wait any longer, people will start questioning whether they're capable of handling it at all."

"Don't worry," Erza said, patting her chest confidently. "We'll handle things while you're gone."

Rhodes folded his arms and added sternly, "Just don't fall asleep again. Especially when they start talking about money."

"Wha—! I would never... ha, haha... of course not..." Makarov laughed awkwardly, scratching his head.

Mira gave him a sweet but menacing smile. "It's alright, Master. But if we don't get the funds we deserve this time, we'll send you out on an S-Class mission and confiscate the reward."

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Makarov immediately stood upright, full of energy. "I swear I'll stay wide awake this time!"

The group burst out laughing.

"By the way," the master added as he was leaving, "Laxus might be coming back in the next couple of days. About what happened recently..."

He trailed off, but the message was clear. He gave them a few instructions, and Rhodes, Erza, and Mira each nodded in understanding.

There were still hard feelings, of course, but what was done was done. There was no point in arguing over whether Laxus had been involved or not. For the master's sake, they would let it go.

Hopefully, Laxus would come to his senses someday.

If not... well, they'd just have to organize a team to beat some sense into him, like they did with Jose.

Rhodes shook his head with a smile. "Alright, I'm heading back to work, Sunshine"

Mira blinked, then laughed once she caught on. "Got it. Keep up the good work, Captain."

Erza touched her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... what should my nickname be? Red? Iron heart?"

By then, it was already noon.

Amid the hustle of construction and sorting, everyone took a brief break to gather for lunch.

It was the peak of summer, and after working for half a day under the blazing sun, the entire crew was soaked in sweat, packed shoulder to shoulder.

\

A group of workers groaned in unison, "Gray! Hurry up and give us some ice! It's so hot!"

"Tch... so annoying," Gray muttered. "Ice-Make: Parasol!"

Swish!

Large, semi-translucent umbrellas of ice appeared beside each table, glistening under the summer sun. They weren't great at blocking light, but the temperature dropped noticeably, bringing instant relief to the sweaty crowd.

Hidden behind a nearby pile of lumber, Juvia peeked out with sparkling eyes full of admiration.

'What beautiful magic.'

To her, Water and Ice Magic were a match made in heaven, naturally compatible, like soulmates.

And ever since she met Gray, something miraculous had happened.

It had stopped raining around her.

The day she met him was the first time Juvia ever felt the warmth of the sun on her skin.

Gray felt someone staring at him and snapped his head toward the source, but once again, saw nothing.

He rubbed his stomach. "Ugh. Using magic always makes me hungrier..."

Just as he said it, a blue blur zipped past, and suddenly, a lunch box was cradled neatly in his arms.

"What the heck is this?"

Elsewhere, Rhodes was eating lunch with Mira and Elfman. Mira didn't even flinch at the sight of her brother and Rhodes sitting there soaked in sweat. She was used to it, this was what they looked like after every training session anyway.

"Did you see that?" Rhodes asked, a bit impressed. "That speed... no doubt about it. One of the top four Elemental users."

Mira chuckled softly. "Funny. She didn't move that fast back when I fought her."

Elfman furrowed his brows. "Why is she even here? Revenge for Phantom Lord?"

Rhodes raised a brow. "You think she'd bring a lunch box for revenge? That's a love lunch box, Elfman."

He gave Mira a meaningful look. "A love lunch box."

Without missing a beat, Mira picked up a piece of meat and popped it into Rhodes's mouth.

'What are you staring at?' her eyes seemed to say. 'It's not like I've never made one for you before.'

After a moment of mock seriousness, she smiled and added, "Would you like that kind of lunch box again? I could ask Elfman to make it for you tomorrow."

Rhodes nearly choked.

Elfman's face went pale with horror. "Sis..."

As expected of the demon Mira Jane, she could take down two grown men with a single sweet sentence.

...

Bonus @1600

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