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

The early morning sun was filtered through soft white clouds, casting only a pale, gentle light over the land.

By noon, the sky had cleared. The sun now shone warmly, bright, but not scorching, as it bathed the cemetery in gold. Three figures stood quietly beneath its rays.

The cemetery lay behind cathedral. Lisanna's grave was nestled among many others, modest and humble.

Though it had rained several times recently, her grave was clean and well kept.

"Lisanna, we came to visit you," Mira said softly as she knelt by the grave. "You probably don't know yet, but the guild was rebuilt a while ago. It's still just as lively as ever. Everyone's full of energy… and of course, Elfman and I are too."

She went on to share both big and small things that had happened lately. Mira even told her about the pajama party she hosted in the girls' dorm a few days back.

Whenever she mentioned something funny, she chuckled lightly, just like she would if Lisanna were really sitting there, listening.

It wasn't disrespectful at all. If anything, laughter made the moment more genuine. Mira believed with all her heart that if Lisanna were watching from another world, she'd much rather see her family smiling than mourning.

Mira liked to believe her little sister could still hear her.

"And… there's one more important thing I wanted to tell you."

Her cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink. She stood up and gently took hold of Rhodes's arm. "This is Rhodes. You've seen him before. Last week… he proposed to me."

They looked at each other, warm and shy, before kneeling to place the bouquet in front of the grave.

Rhodes didn't say a word, but Mira quietly began sharing all their wedding plans with Lisanna, as if painting a picture just for her.

Once she had said everything she wanted to say, Mira fell silent. She stood for a long while, eyes resting on the name etched into the stone.

At last, she reached out and brushed her fingertips across Lisanna's name, a tender smile forming on her face. "Your sister is going to do her best to live happily. I'll take good care of Elfman too. So… you do your best over there, okay? Don't worry about us."

"Well then… that's it for today. I'll come visit again soon."

It was time to leave. Mira gently took Rhodes's hand, and Rhodes gave a soft wave toward the grave before holding her hand with both of his.

Mira looked at him and smiled, her eyes telling him there was no need for any more words, she was okay.

"Let's go, Elfman."

But Elfman didn't move. "You go ahead, Sis. I want to talk to Lisanna alone for a while."

Mira paused, noticing that he hadn't said much earlier. Her little brother had grown up—maybe there were things he could no longer say, even to her.

"Alright. Just don't stay too long."

"I know."

He watched them leave in silence, not moving until their silhouettes disappeared down the hill. Then, quietly, he crouched in front of the grave and gently brushed away some imaginary dust.

"Hey, Lisanna… Sis wasn't joking back there. She really is getting married. The same sister we were all worried would never find anyone."

He glanced back with a slightly guilty expression before continuing, "And it's not like she was forced, or hiding anything on purpose. I mean, yeah, Sis has changed a lot, but it's still hard to believe sometimes."

"And that Rhodes guy… he's really a man!"

Elfman sighed and sat cross-legged in front of the grave, mumbling to Lisanna like he used to when they were kids. He poured his heart out, rambling through stories and thoughts only a little brother could share with a big sister gone too soon.

…

Meanwhile, Rhodes and Mira didn't wait around on purpose. It was nearly the end of the month, and plenty of tasks still needed handling back at the guild.

On the way back, Mira stopped by a newsstand and bought a newspaper, handing it to Rhodes with a smile. "Here, forgot to grab it this morning."

Rhodes accepted it with a nod. He had made a habit of keeping up with the news, ever since he first started studying the everyday life and culture of this world.

He glanced over the front page casually, then froze.

The headline read:

"Heartfilia Group Declares Bankruptcy. Chairman Jude Heartfilia Reported Missing."

"Lucy's family?" Rhodes muttered in disbelief.

Just a week ago, the news only mentioned that the Heartfilia Group was facing financial strain. Now, bankruptcy? And her father, the chairman, had disappeared?

"How could a railway empire collapse this fast? And the family head vanishing too…?" His brow furrowed.

Mira leaned closer, eyes widening. "Something happened to Lucy's family?"

Rhodes handed her the paper. "Looks like it. Lucy might not know yet."

Mira flipped through the article quickly, then looked up with concern. "Even if she said she cut ties with her father… he's still her family. If he's missing, she deserves to know."

Rhodes nodded. "Let's get back to the guild."

But just before they could reach it, they spotted a familiar figure stumbling toward them on the road.

"Gajeel?"

"Wait… what happened to him?"

His hair was a mess, his clothes dusty and torn in places. A thin cut above his brow bled slightly, and the corner of his mouth was bruised. Scrapes ran along his arms.

He looked like he'd just walked away from a brutal fight.

Rhodes immediately wondered if Natsu had challenged him again. But no, Natsu's usual scuffles didn't leave people bleeding like this.

Gajeel looked up, eyes heavy with something unreadable. Without a word, he trudged past the two of them.

"Hey, what happened?" Rhodes called out, watching Gajeel's back as he staggered away. He couldn't ignore it, if someone had targeted Gajeel, they might be targeting the guild too.

Even if the fight had been personal, Gajeel was still a member of Fairy Tail now, officially acknowledged by Master Makarov. That meant protecting him was part of the deal.

But Gajeel didn't seem interested in their concern. Without turning around, he growled, "Nothing happened. It's none of your business!"

Rhodes and Mira exchanged a look of concern, but there wasn't much else they could do. So they headed back to the guild to see if anyone else knew what had happened.

…

The guild seemed as lively as ever. The usual chaos filled the air, people chatting, drinking, arguing over petty nonsense.

The only thing missing was the rowdiest bunch. Even Lucy wasn't around.

The second Makarov spotted the two entering, he jumped off the bar counter and made a sneaky beeline for the stairs.

Rhodes squinted. 'He definitely just swiped a bottle of booze again.'

That tiny, ridiculous sight actually reassured him. If the old man was up to his usual antics, things probably weren't too serious after all.

Still, Rhodes decided to check the mission records just to be sure.

"'Seeking a magic classroom teacher to help teach children.' Assigned to… Gajeel?"

Rhodes read the name three times, not quite trusting his eyes. 'Gajeel? A teacher? That doesn't sound right at all.'

He hadn't even been gone that long. Had he been beaten up by some angry parents for scaring their kids?

When he showed the mission log to Mira, she looked just as confused.

But then Levy quietly approached and sat down beside them, looking nervous.

"Miss Mira, Rhodes… we just saw Laxus."

Her voice was unusually soft and hesitant.

Mira immediately straightened up. "Laxus? What did he say this time? Did he cause trouble again?"

Levy bit her lip and shook her head. "No… He didn't say much. But… he beat up Gajeel. Badly."

That answered everything.

'So that's what had happened.'

Rhodes and Mira both fell silent for a moment.

They understood now why Gajeel had looked the way he did. But what they didn't understand was why.

Wasn't Laxus the one always claiming he didn't care about the guild's choices? Why would he go out of his way to pick a fight with Gajeel?

Rhodes frowned deeply. "What happened exactly?"

...

Bonus Chapter