Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master

Natsu didn't have the patience to wait for Makarov or Levy to return.

The moment he heard that Reedus might be able to help, he immediately dragged him over.

With Reedus' illustrations, Mirajane's patient gestures, and her soft-spoken explanations, Rhodes finally managed to understand what they were asking.

But he really hadn't seen a dragon.

All he had encountered was a massive spotted bear with the features of a pig—and that thing had nearly killed him.

Wait… were dragons even real in this world?

Considering that magic existed, the idea of dragons didn't seem far-fetched.

Natsu still looked frustrated. "Mira, when's the old man coming back?"

"Tomorrow or the day after," Mirajane answered. "Routine meetings don't usually take too long."

Natsu made a quick decision. "Happy, we're not taking any jobs until the old man gets back!"

The blue cat raised a paw in response. "Aye, sir!"

Without hesitation, Natsu strode over to a table and plopped himself down. "Mira, I want the Flame Set Meal!"

"Got it, it'll be right up." Mirajane relayed the order to the kitchen.

She turned back to Rhodes, sensing his confusion.

"Natsu doesn't mean any harm. He just gets impatient sometimes."

Rhodes nodded.

Even though he didn't fully understand the situation, it made sense that the protagonist of a shonen manga would be impulsive and hot-headed.

At that moment, the blue cat suddenly stood up on the table and raised his paw. "Mira, I'll have a grilled fish!"

Rhodes' eyes widened in shock.

The cat talks?!

Mirajane giggled. "Happy isn't an ordinary cat."

Rhodes slowly nodded.

A talking cat wasn't too surprising in a world with magic.

But his understanding of this world was challenged once again when Laki brought out Natsu's meal.

On the tray were two plates and a cup. At first glance, the food seemed normal in shape.

But there was one very big problem—They were all on fire.

Rhodes stared at the burning dishes in disbelief.

Mirajane gently explained, "That's flame pasta, flame fried chicken, and a flame drink. They're prepared with a special cooking method."

Rhodes barely had time to process her words before Natsu casually grabbed a handful of fire with his bare hands and stuffed it into his mouth.

Rhodes nodded slowly.

I guess it's normal for food in a magic world to be a little… different?

Mirajane noticed his reaction and smiled knowingly.

Rhodes had no idea that, in reality, only Natsu was capable of eating something like this.

As time passed, Rhodes met more guild members—each more unique than the last.

He witnessed different kinds of magic, some practical, some bizarre, and some outright ridiculous.

At one point, he even saw a full-blown fight break out.

It had started because of Elfman and Natsu, and before long, a quarter of the tavern was caught up in the chaos.

To Rhodes' surprise, Mirajane didn't seem concerned in the slightest.

She simply stood by with a warm smile, calmly asking Rhodes to step back while the brawl escalated.

Rhodes couldn't help but question his initial impression of her.

Maybe Miss Mirajane isn't as gentle as I thought. She just acts that way because I'm a stranger?

He had expected the protagonist's guild to be lively.

But this...This was way too lively.

...

Time passed in a strange mix of calm and unease.

For Rhodes, there was little to do besides continue learning the language and observing the daily life of the guild.

That is, until the afternoon of the third day after his arrival.

Things finally changed.

Makarov had returned.

And he wasn't alone.

With him was a blond, handsome man who immediately drew attention.

A group of excited girls quickly gathered around, their voices rising in excitement.

"It's Hibiki from Blue Pegasus!"

"The Hibiki, who ranked first on the 'Mages I Want as My Boyfriend' list!"

"He's so dreamy!"

Hibiki responded to their admiration with a charming smile, pressing his index and middle fingers together in greeting.

His effortless charisma sent the crowd into another round of squeals.

Across the room, a bespectacled man in a green jacket visibly panicked at the attention Hibiki was drawing. Hoping to avoid comparison, he quietly slipped out of the guild while everyone was distracted.

Mirajane, balancing a tray in one hand, welcomed them with a warm smile.

"Welcome back, Master. You must be exhausted from the trip."

As Makarov stepped further inside, various guild members greeted him one after another.

Natsu, however, wasted no time. He rushed forward with urgency.

"Old man! You're finally back! I need to ask you something!"

Makarov held up a hand to stop him.

"I already have an idea of what you're going to ask, but now's not the time to explain. Give me a moment."

Natsu scowled but didn't push further. Though clearly frustrated, he chose to hold back—at least for now.

Makarov turned to Mirajane. "How's the kid doing?"

Mirajane glanced at Rhodes. "His name is Rhodes. His injuries have healed well, but communication is still a challenge."

"I've been teaching him the common language, but it's going to take time."

Makarov nodded approvingly. "You've done well. But I have a faster solution."

He turned to Hibiki, who was still surrounded by his admirers, then glanced back at Mirajane.

"Let's take him to the infirmary first."

Mirajane nodded. "Alright."

Rhodes followed Mirajane back to the infirmary, confused.

Were they going to check his injuries again?

His wounds had already healed remarkably fast over the past two days. By now, only a bandage remained on his forehead.

Whatever medicine they had used on him clearly wasn't ordinary.

As he pondered this, Makarov and Hibiki stepped inside, ready to begin whatever they had planned.

As soon as Hibiki entered the infirmary, he didn't hesitate for even a second.

With practiced elegance, he stepped forward, placed one hand over his chest, and gave a gentlemanly bow to Mirajane.

"You must be the famous Miss Mirajane. I must say, you are even more dazzling in person than in the magazines! It's truly an honor to meet you. I am Hibiki of Blue Pegasus—please, allow me the pleasure of buying you a drink."

Mirajane rested her cheek against her palm and smiled.

"This really isn't the time or place for that, is it?"

"Ah, you're absolutely right! My apologies for my rudeness." Hibiki suddenly dropped to one knee in an exaggerated display of chivalry and extended his hand. "Then… are you free tonight?"

Rhodes, who barely understood what was being said, could still tell that this guy was a unique character.

Even by Fairy Tail standards, Hibiki stood out.

Wait… now that he thought about it, wasn't there someone in the guild who looked quite similar to him?

But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.

Pushing the thought aside, Rhodes turned toward Makarov, stood up, and gave a polite bow.

In somewhat stiff but clear common language, he said, "Thank you… for saving me!"

Makarov chuckled.

"Well, I hope this has been a good learning experience for you. But it wasn't me who saved you."

Rhodes blinked in confusion.

Before he could ask, Makarov's right hand suddenly stretched outward and grew in size, grabbing Hibiki's entire upper body in his palm and yanking him closer.

Rhodes' jaw nearly dropped.

Old man Luffy?! Wait… old Chōji?!

Makarov's grip tightened slightly as he scolded, "I called you here for a reason, Hibiki. Not to flirt with the girls in my guild."

Hibiki, once released, brushed off his jacket and ran a hand through his hair, as if restoring his handsomeness to its peak form.

"I understand the assignment." He nodded, exuding confidence. "You need me to help him grasp the basics of the common language as quickly as possible, correct?"

"Exactly," Makarov affirmed. "And without damaging his body in any way."

"Naturally," Hibiki assured him. "With my magic, I can do it with ease. However…" He adjusted his glasses. "Receiving such a large amount of information all at once may cause some temporary headaches. Will that be alright?"

Mirajane, standing beside Rhodes, carefully conveyed Hibiki's explanation through gestures and simple words, waiting for his response.

Using magic to instantly learn a language… and the only price is a headache?

Rhodes didn't hesitate. He nodded decisively.

Suffering through a few minutes of pain to master a language was far better than struggling for months trying to learn it the hard way.

Short pain was always better than long pain!

Makarov nodded approvingly. "Alright, let's begin."

Hibiki raised his hands, summoning a golden magic circle beneath them.

At the center of the glowing formation… a keyboard appeared.

As Hibiki's fingers danced over the keys, multiple holographic screens made of shimmering light materialized in the air.

Lines of text and symbols scrolled rapidly across them, processing vast amounts of information. One by one, the floating displays vanished, leaving only a single screen.

Rhodes was stunned.

This is magic?

It looked more like something out of a sci-fi movie than traditional fantasy magic.

Mirajane's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, I see! This is Archive Magic! No wonder the Master asked you to come."

Hibiki flashed a confident smile. "That's right. Now, just to confirm—you're only requesting basic Common Language skills, correct?"

Then, with a teasing smirk, he added, "I do have an extensive library of knowledge. For example, I could also transfer 100 Flawless Pickup Lines and 80 Ways to Make a Woman Happy. Interested?"

Makarov immediately waved him off. "Absolutely not! Keep that nonsense out of this!"

"What a shame." Hibiki sighed dramatically before turning back to Rhodes.

He reached out and placed a glowing finger against Rhodes' forehead.

Golden light instantly enveloped him.

Rhodes had no idea how much "valuable" knowledge he had just narrowly avoided.

The only thing he felt was an intense pressure in his mind.

It was as if someone had cracked open his skull and force-fed him information.

Pronunciation, writing, sentence structure, grammar—all of it flooded his brain at once.

And then—

"AAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

The pain was worse than Rhodes had imagined.

It felt like his head was caught between slamming doors, being squeezed from both sides. He clutched his temples and let out an involuntary scream.

Makarov and Mirajane winced in sympathy, watching him endure the process.

Luckily, it didn't last long.

The golden glow faded, and the floating screens and keyboard vanished into thin air.

"It's done," Hibiki announced smoothly, as if he hadn't just put someone through excruciating mental torment.

Rhodes collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling with lifeless eyes.

His hands remained on his head as he took deep, shaky breaths.

"Finally… it's over…"

Mirajane chuckled. "That was a very well-formed sentence."

"Huh?" Rhodes blinked in surprise. "Wait… I can understand you!"