Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 217: Motion Sickness? Powerful Treatment

"Mira, do you have any more detailed information?" Rhodes asked, his tone turning serious.

"Just a moment." Mira quickly flipped through the request logs behind the counter. "The client is a Mr. Jopa from Poppy Town."

Mira's eyes flickered with recognition. Poppy Town, that was one of the towns Rhodes and Erza had visited during the mission to eliminate the Black Magic Cult that had been kidnapping children.

So this little girl, Liz... she must've been the one who escaped on her own and made it back home.

"It's her," Rhodes said softly, his heart tightening.

Back then, the mayor had insisted Liz returned safely. The girl had been so shaken from her experience, she couldn't clearly recall how she escaped. The mayor had personally vouched for her safety, so Rhodes and Erza hadn't pressed further. They'd even celebrated the successful mission.

Now it seemed, they might've missed something.

"Mira," Rhodes said, glancing at her with concern.

She understood immediately and nodded. This wasn't something to keep to themselves. They needed to tell Erza.

"Erza," Mira called out across the guild. "Can you come here for a second?"

Erza blinked in confusion, setting down the fork she'd been using to eat her cake. "What is it?"

"Take a look at this first," Rhodes said, handing her the commission form.

Erza scanned the paper quickly. "Liz?"

Rhodes gave a grim nod. "Most likely the same girl."

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Erza's brows furrowed. "Did we miss something back then?"

"I think so. I want to go back and check it out. If there are still remnants of that dark cult, or if the Council's sealing magic failed, we can't ignore it."

"I agree," Erza said firmly. "I'll start preparing now."

"Hold on," Rhodes stopped her. "Before we head to Poppy Town, I want to stop by the Cait shelter."

"The Cait shelter? Why?"

"In the best-case scenario, Liz's condition really is just an unknown illness, not a curse. If that's true, we'll need a mage who knows healing magic. Wendy from the Cait shelter might be able to help. She visited our guild during the Harvest Festival."

Erza nodded thoughtfully. "That's the girl who brought the white cat with her, right?"

"Yeah. Carla. She can fly, just like Happy."

The keyword hit its mark.

Happy, who had been mid-negotiation with Warm, tossed his grilled fish and perked up. "Did someone say Carla? Let's go! Count me in!"

"Happy, don't be a bother," Mira said, amused. "Rhodes and Erza are on an important mission."

"I know, I know! Just let us tag along, we'll help out, and we don't even want a reward!"

Mira raised a brow. "What about Natsu?"

"I'll go get him! We're going no matter what!" Happy darted off, scarf trailing behind him.

Mira turned back. "Are you really planning to take those two with you?"

Rhodes grimaced. Natsu was a handful. And he'd sworn up and down that he would never team up with Erza again.

Erza, however, was pragmatic. "Better to bring him. If things go south and we're facing a demon again, we'll need all the firepower we can get."

"Come on, Natsu!" Happy tugged hard at his scarf. "If you don't move, they'll leave without us!"

"I don't wanna go if Erza's going!" Natsu resisted, flailing a bit.

"Too bad! You're coming!" Happy insisted, flapping his wings to drag him along.

Maybe Natsu was worried about damaging his beloved scarf, because despite all his complaints, he didn't actually break free.

Erza looked him straight in the eyes. "Natsu, this mission could be dangerous. We're going to need your strength. Come and help us?"

"Ai-ye!" Natsu shouted, mimicking Happy's voice with a dramatic flair.

Rhodes gave him a withering look of contempt.

Natsu stiffened his neck defiantly. "I only agreed because of Happy. So what's the mission?"

Erza crossed her arms. "I'll explain everything on the way. For now, go pack your things. We'll meet at the station."

"I'll have the crabs take you there."

It was fine for Erza to head over from the girls' dorm, but Natsu and Happy lived way out in the countryside. To save time, Rhodes summoned two Scuttle Crabs to give them a ride.

Once the two left, one human and one cat clinging dramatically to their rides, Mira wrapped both hands around Rhodes' arm.

"Shouldn't I go too?" she asked softly. "If the enemy turns out to be a demon..."

Rhodes shook his head gently. "The master has a council meeting coming up soon, and we don't know how long this mission will take. If you're gone too, the guild might actually collapse."

If Mira still had her full S-Class powers, Rhodes wouldn't hesitate. But now... she wasn't able to use her Take-Over Magic in full, and Rhodes couldn't risk her safety.

And besides, there was no confirmation they'd even encounter a demon this time.

Without another word, Rhodes pulled Mira into a hug and lowered his head to nuzzle her hair with his cheek.

"Wait for me at home."

"Okay," Mira murmured, placing her hands softly on his back and hugging him in return. "Be safe, okay?"

...

"Ugh... Help me down..."

No sooner had the train started moving than Natsu began groaning like a man on his deathbed.

"I'd rather ride the crab the whole way... or even just run! Anything but this... let me down..."

Rhodes let out a sigh. "You know we'll have to take a boat later too, and that's gonna be at least half a day. Think of this as preparation."

Natsu looked absolutely devastated.

"I'm sorry, Natsu," Happy said quietly, ears drooping. "It's my fault for insisting."

Unlike a typical guild mission, this trip was personal, and Natsu had agreed only for Happy's sake. Now, motion sickness was hitting him like a freight train.

In a rare show of resolve, Natsu forced a grin. "It's fine. You wanted to go, and I said I'd come. So I'll tough it out... guh."

"Move over, Happy," Erza said suddenly, patting the seat next to her. "You're hopeless, Natsu. Sit here."

Natsu groaned and shuffled over, collapsing beside her with great effort.

Without warning, Erza calmly raised her fist and delivered a clean punch to Natsu's gut. He blacked out instantly, slumping across her lap like a ragdoll.

"Natsu!" Happy gasped in horror.

"Wha—" Rhodes blinked, completely caught off guard. "Did you just knock him out?!"

Rhodes stared at her.

Erza answered confidently, like it was the most natural thing in the world. "This way, Natsu won't get motion sick."

"Yeah, sure. He's not sick anymore, he's unconscious." Rhodes sighed. "We agreed to explain the mission to him during the ride. How exactly are we supposed to do that now?"

Erza froze mid-thought, her fists clenched as she gave a very serious, almost comical look of regret. "You're right. I was careless. I should've explained everything to him before knocking him out. I'll wake him up now."

"No, no, no!" Rhodes quickly raised his hands to stop her. "We still have to take a boat when the train ride ends. We can tell him then!"

'Good grief, he thought. She's seriously going to knock him out again after the explanation, isn't she? Natsu doesn't deserve this!'

Erza blinked and nodded solemnly. "That does seem safer."

Meanwhile, Happy noticed something that made his fur bristle in surprise, Rhodes had just gone toe-to-toe with Erza's decision, and won. He tugged on Rhodes' coat and whispered, "Rhodes, aren't you scared of Erza?"

Rhodes glanced down, amused. "Why would I be?"

Sure, he'd been a bit intimidated by her presence when they first met. But thanks to Mira, he'd seen the softer, more sincere sides of Erza too. He'd eaten her cooking, watched her get excited over armor and costumes, and fought alongside her in battle. After all that, there was really nothing to fear.

Later, once they reached Hargeon Port, Erza finally explained the details of the mission to a groggy Natsu, who'd just woken up.

"I'm fired up now!" Natsu declared, flames licking his fists with renewed energy.

Which lasted all of five minutes.

As soon as they boarded the boat, he wilted like a dying flower, draped over the railing and moaning miserably.

"Rhodes, how much longer 'til we get there," he groaned, barely able to keep his head up.

"If we're lucky, before sundown. If not, we may have to sleep on the boat," Rhodes replied sympathetically.

"I want to swim there instead, just leave me in the ocean." Natsu muttered, already halfway to climbing the side.

Happy flew over and yanked him back down with effort. "You'll drown, idiot!"

Rhodes gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Hang in there. Once we're on land, I'll summon a Scuttle Crab for you to ride."

"Please... just summon it now."

...

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