Chapter 548: Is it too late to join Fairy Tail now?
Rhodes was feeling a little guilty at the moment. He wasn’t sure if it was the true damage from the Red buff that caused the result, or if the Crown of the Shattered Queen and Hecarim, was simply too powerful. After all, the magic tester, supposedly designed to withstand even Super Magic, had been completely destroyed by his hand.
But was it really his fault?
No, it wasn’t. The Speaker had told him not to worry about it.
Rhodes had only done as he was instructed, carrying out the Speaker’s orders to the letter.
The conscience of Fairy Tail, which often overrode common sense, poked out timidly and asked, "So... what do we do now?"
"I think it counts as accidental damage," Lahar said hesitantly. "Maybe we should head back to the Council? I figure the Councilors’ Thought Projections will reconnect soon."
Rhodes nodded. "Yeah, that works."
None of the soldiers present, nor Rhodes or Lahar, seemed particularly alarmed by the sudden disappearance of the Councilors’ Thought Bodies.
It wasn’t all that unusual. Remotely projected magic like that sometimes lost connection, especially after being hit with the kind of overwhelming magic energy that had just been unleashed.
Little did they know, the Council’s main chamber back at headquarters was already in complete disarray.
All nine Councilors, including Speaker Gran Doma, had collapsed from their chairs, clutching their heads in agony as they curled up on the floor.
One of them had even started bleeding from his nose.
It took a full ten minutes before the pain finally subsided, and the Councilors slowly, painstakingly dragged themselves back into their seats.
Gran Doma held his forehead, his voice hoarse as he rasped, "It felt like my brain was being yanked out and roasted over a fire. Is everyone else alright?"
"Same here."
"Me too."
"I thought my skull was splitting open..."
"To think something could harm us through a Thought Projection... I’ve never even heard of such a spell."
"Could it have been some kind of mental magic?"
"Was that Rhodes kid trying to assassinate us?"
"No... I don’t think it was intentional. Pulling something like that right in front of us all would be stupid. That’s not his style."
"Yeah, and he did warn us to step back."
"Maybe even he didn’t realize it would have that kind of effect?"
The room fell into uneasy silence as the murmuring died down.
This was... embarrassing.
They were the Magic Council, most influential and respected mages in Fiore, and yet a single magic test had nearly taken them all out.
And worst of all? It was entirely their fault. Their arrogance, their carelessness, their boundless curiosity...
Who could’ve imagined there was a spell strong enough to attack the minds of real bodies through a projection? That completely defied magical logic.
"So what do we do now?" Councilor Org finally voiced the obvious. "They’re probably still waiting on us to reappear and confirm the test results."
Another few seconds of silence passed.
To be honest, none of the Councilors really wanted to go back now.
Who would’ve thought that a seemingly ordinary magic power test could turn into something so dangerous?
And if they used their Thought Bodies again, only to end up grimacing and clutching their heads in front of everyone... well, that would be far too humiliating.
At last, Gran Doma broke the silence and made a decision. "Let’s use the communication magic crystal instead."
It might not be as formal, but under the circumstances, it was the best option.
Even so, none of the Councilors moved immediately.
They still needed time to recover, to compose themselves, and, most importantly, to make sure no one could tell they’d just been rolling around on the floor moments earlier.
Back at the Council branch, Rhodes, accompanied by Lahar, waited patiently.
Half an hour had passed, and there was still no sign of the Councilors’ Thought Bodies returning.
"What’s going on?" Rhodes asked.
Lahar thought for a moment before responding, "Maybe something urgent came up at headquarters and is holding them up. Or... maybe they’re already discussing whether you passed the test."
He couldn’t help but glance sideways at the young man beside him, a little awe in his eyes.
That devastating attack earlier had completely stunned Lahar, and without realizing it, he had started using honorifics when addressing Rhodes.
Even though this young man hadn’t officially been named one of the Ten Wizard Saints, he was already powerful enough to earn that level of respect. So powerful, in fact, that Lahar couldn’t help but look up to him.
But the most terrifying part?
Rhodes had only been studying magic for less than two years.
Less than two years!
What kind of monster could reach the threshold of the Ten Wizard Saints in that short a time?
The thought sent a chill through him, and also sparked a flicker of inspiration.
"Mr. Rhodes," he began hesitantly, "I know this might be a bit presumptuous, but... would you be willing to share a bit of your experience with magic practice? If your guidance could help the Enforcement Unit train even one or two talented mages—"
At that, the surrounding soldiers immediately perked up.
The practice experience of someone at the level of the Ten Wizard Saints?
That was practically a treasure.
Rhodes gave a modest shake of his head. "My experience comes with some extremely harsh prerequisites. It probably won’t be very replicable. But, for what it’s worth... in the beginning, it was just relentless training. Developing both my magic power and my physical strength. Then I started sparring with my guildmates regularly. And I made sure to solidify my fundamentals every step of the way."
Lahar nodded in earnest.
Foundations were everything, and sparring was something they already did regularly during their training rotations.
"Then, once my magic and combat skills improved a bit, an S-Class Mage began training me one-on-one every day. She could spar with me anytime I needed."
Rhodes paused for a moment, then added casually, "Oh, right, an S-Class Mage is one of the top-ranking mages in our guild. And if I ever had a question, I could just ask her, or even our Master... who happens to be Makarov, one of the Ten Wizard Saints."
He spoke calmly, but deep down, he knew full well, his environment and "mentors" were probably the best any mage could ask for in the entire Kingdom of Fiore.
Lahar clearly realized that too.
With each new point Rhodes mentioned, Lahar face grew a little more numb, until at last, all his ambition completely deflated.
Which rookie mage had access to such a ridiculous training setup?
Daily sparring with opponents of all different strengths and specialties...
Personal guidance from an S-Class Mage...
And a literal Wizard Saint available to answer questions?
Was this what life at Fairy Tail was like?!
Lahar and all the soldiers around him suddenly felt a deep pang of envy.
And when they realized who the S-Class Mage guiding Rhodes most likely was...
They seriously began considering quitting the Enforcement Unit and applying to join Fairy Tail.
At Fairy Tail, not only did you get access to incredible magic resources...
Apparently, you also got a wife, and not just any wife, but Fiore’s most beautiful model!
What kind of divine guild was this?!
Unfortunately... a guild that amazing probably had insanely high recruitment standards, right?
Everyone’s spirits sank again.
Sensing the awkwardness, Rhodes scratched his cheek and shyly used Transformation Magic to conjure a scroll of paper. "Uh, this is the training schedule I followed back when I was still laying my foundation. Feel free to take a look, maybe it’ll help?"
Lahar perked up with a flicker of hope.
Maybe there was something they could copy after all!
But as he scanned the scroll, that flicker died just as quickly. His expression crumbled.
"You... actually followed this schedule?!"
Rhodes nodded. "Yup."
Lahar stared at him, wide-eyed. "With this kind of intensity, wouldn’t a normal person just... die?!"
Well, "die" might’ve been an exaggeration. But there was definitely a good chance they’d end up hospitalized, or worse.
Rhodes tilted his head thoughtfully. "Oh... that’s probably because our guild’s pharmacist cares a lot about me. She often makes special potions to help with recovery. Also, Mira is really good at taking care of people, so—"
"..."
The paper in Lahar’s hand crinkled slightly under the pressure of his grip.
Unbelievable. This guy even had a high-level medical consultant monitoring his condition and adjusting medicine just for him.
And Mirajane, Miss Mirajane, was personally tending to his care like a doting nurse?
He genuinely wanted to strangle this man.
Lahar took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Even if he brought his entire unit and ambushed Rhodes with a surprise attack, it probably wouldn’t work.
But still.
Was it too late to submit a transfer application to Fairy Tail?