The title of "Saint Ten" really was a powerful tool. The moment the Town Chief heard it, all his doubts vanished. His tone shifted immediately, becoming respectful and even a little eager to share more than necessary.
Rhodes couldn't help but think: 'From now on, I should wear the Saint Ten robe every time I head out. If not the full attire, then at least the medal. Makes things a whole lot smoother.'
According to the Town Chief's account, the Black Knight Gang had eight members, six men and two women. They always appeared in full suits of black armor, faceplates included. The only reason anyone could even tell the women apart was… well, their breastplates were noticeably shaped.
Their weapons varied: sword and shield, lance, war hammer, battle axe, great saber, bow and arrow, musket, and, a clarinet.
Rhodes raised a brow at that. A clarinet among heavy weapons sounded absurd, but the Chief swore it was a Magic instrument. Anyone who heard its melody would fall asleep on the spot.
Worse, their armor itself seemed enchanted. The Chief couldn't describe it exactly, but other hired Mages had reported it had both offensive and defensive functions, making them incredibly tough opponents.
The gang had squatted on Parsen Flower Mountain for years. At first, they were little more than bullies, but once they started acquiring Magic equipment, they turned into a true menace. By last year, they were robbing caravans and extorting townsfolk openly.
Two months ago, they even disrupted the Harvest Festival, stealing supplies. That was the final straw. The Chief and the townspeople scraped together enough to hire outside Mages.
Unfortunately, the Guild they called, Earth Spirit's Wheel, had been soundly beaten and fled in disgrace. That humiliation lingered, but this time, the Chief had turned to Fairy Tail.
The first group hadn't shown up. But now, seeing Rhodes, a Wizard Saint, standing before him, the Chief felt relief. Maybe his gamble hadn't been in vain after all.
After a round of respectful questions and answers, Rhodes and Mira were shown out.
Once they'd put some distance between themselves and the hall, Rhodes quietly summoned the Void Scuttle Crab's ability to scan the area. Detecting no tails, he turned to Mira.
"What do you think?"
Mira tapped her chin. "He doesn't seem to be lying. Do we really need to suspect the Town Chief?"
"When comrades go missing, the first thing you do is question the client," Rhodes replied flatly. "What if this was all a setup?"
Mira sighed. Only Rhodes would treat every client like a potential conspirator. "Either way, for now, let's rule him out. Shall we check the hotel next?"
"Of course."
It didn't take long to track the place down. Rhodes described Erza and the others to the receptionist. The woman's eyes flicked to the Fairy Tail emblem on his chest, and she hesitated.
"May I ask what your relation to them is?"
That hesitation said everything. Rhodes straightened, already bracing for trouble. "They're my companions."
Her expression lit up. "Wonderful! Please wait a moment." She pulled a small ledger from behind the counter, flipped through a couple of pages, and turned it toward him.
Rhodes had a bad feeling before she even spoke.
"They booked a room the night before last. But they never checked out. And…" She winced. "they left a very large hole in the floor. Since then, they haven't been seen."
Rhodes's expression darkened more and more. 'Those troublemakers…'
Mira, on the other hand, covered her mouth and laughed softly. To her, it looked less like an accident and more like Erza's team had tried to sneak out without paying the bill.
'Could it be they didn't bring any money when they left?'
"Since you're their companions, could you please pay the room fee, and the damages?" the receptionist asked cautiously. While Rhodes studied the bill, she subtly signaled her colleague by the door to block the exit, as if expecting him to run.
Rhodes sighed helplessly. "I'll cover the room fee for them. As for the damages, could you take us to the room so I can see it myself?"
The receptionist thought he wanted to confirm the destruction and quickly fetched a spare key.
As they followed, Mira took the chance to ask, "Do you know where they went afterward?"
The receptionist shook her head. "I'm not sure. No one saw them leave through the front. But when we did our daily rounds, the room was empty. Yesterday morning, we noticed a window left open, so we guessed they might've climbed out. The room's on the ground floor, so… it wouldn't be strange for odd guests like them."
She unlocked the door, revealing a large suite with a shared living room, bath, and four adjoining bedrooms.
In the center of the floor was a massive crater, so familiar Rhodes could almost name the culprit at first glance.
He asked evenly, "Aside from your staff, has anyone else entered this room?"
"No. I don't believe so," she replied quickly. "The guests' belongings are still here, untouched."
Rhodes and Mira glanced through the bedrooms. Sure enough, Erza's cart of suitcases, Lucy's rolling luggage, Natsu's old bedroll, Gray's shoulder bag, and Wendy's small pack were all still there.
Happy's green bundle was missing, but Rhodes figured the Exceed was probably carrying it.
Aside from the crater, the rest of the suite was strangely intact. Beds looked as though someone had only just sat on them, sheets rumpled but blankets untouched.
So they had checked in, and then vanished almost immediately.
Rhodes counted out several fat bills and handed them to the receptionist. "I'll pay the damages. Please keep this room reserved for us another day, and don't clean it."
"Yes, sir." She bowed and quietly closed the door behind her.
Mira frowned. "Other than this hole, there's nothing here. Should we check their luggage?" Her eyes gleamed with a suspiciously playful look.
Rhodes raised a brow. He knew her habits well enough, if she got into Lucy's trunk, she'd go straight for the underwear drawer, as she'd done before. Still… if some kind of clue came out of it, maybe he would benefit in the end. He didn't stop her.
"Then I'll check the hole," he muttered.
He tapped his nose, activating the keen sense of smell he'd inherited from the wolf. The scents in the air were faint, his companions' traces almost gone. He sifted carefully, excluding his own, Mira's, and the receptionist's scent.
There was something familiar, but just out of reach… until it hit him.
"Virgo?" Rhodes narrowed his eyes, staring again at the crater.
Yes. That made sense.
If the Celestial Spirit Virgo had been summoned here, this gaping pit looked exactly like her handiwork.
But why? What had happened that required Virgo to dig such a vertical shaft?
He sent a wraith drifting down into the dark. It reported back quickly, the hole went straight down, no exit tunnels.
A pit. Nothing more.
If this wasn't an escape route, then what was it? What were they thinking?
Mira came back from rummaging through luggage with a pout. "Nothing. Just ordinary things. No notes, no distress signals, nothing."
Rhodes pointed at the pit. "The only solid clue is that Virgo was here. Whatever happened, she was involved."
He exhaled and stood. "Alright. Let's stop here. Before dark, we'll go deal with the Black Knight Gang."
He could question Virgo directly later, but for now, the commission came first.
Inwardly, Rhodes hoped the missing team had simply been ambushed with sleep Magic, sacks thrown over their heads. That would mean they were alive. And, better yet, it would give him an excuse to thrash both bandits and 'hostages' in one blow.
He scratched a magic circle onto Lucy's bed frame, then carefully set the mattress back into place. A Hex Gate anchor, just in case.
Rhodes left his wraiths behind to guard the hotel room, then scooped Mira into his arms, leapt out the window, and soared toward Parsen Flower Mountain.
The stronghold lay roughly ten kilometers west of town. With his wings, the trip only took minutes.
Parsen Flower Mountain was the name given to this stretch of jagged hills, over thirty peaks in total. From the sky, Rhodes quickly spotted a suspicious structure nestled in the range.
They touched down on a ridge opposite it. Across the valley stood a cylindrical, three-story fortress. Each level was punctuated by narrow openings, too small to be proper windows, more like arrow slits. It was a design built for war.
At the gate, a hulking man with muscles rivaling Elfman's was casually pumping iron. Shirtless. In the middle of winter.
"Doesn't look like armor," Mira said. "Shouldn't we just go straight in?"
Rhodes shook his head. "Not yet. We've never really seen how these New Mages fight. I'll send a few monsters to test them first."
Mira tilted her head. "Didn't you face some yesterday?"
"They toppled before I even tried," Rhodes said flatly, a little offended by the memory. "I saw nothing but a few flimsy Magic shields."
Mira laughed softly. "Yes, yes, you're the strongest. Go on, let me see properly this time."
At his gesture, the ground shimmered with summoning light. Dozens of wild monsters appeared, then, shockingly, lined up in perfect ranks.
Two Crabs lumbered to the front, followed by neat squads of Golems and Krugd. Behind them came snarling packs of wolves, then Raptors swooping into formation, while Wraiths drifted ominously overhead. In the rear row, Gromps and the Brambleback and Sentinel stood at the ready.
Rhodes added a handful of Void grubs to the side, instructing them to burrow into the cliffs and multiply, whether or not they'd be unleashed later depended entirely on his mood.
"They actually march in queues now?" Mira blinked in surprise. She remembered how chaotic they used to be, rushing enemies like a wild stampede.
"I trained them," Rhodes replied proudly. "If Fairy Tail holds another Magic Parade, they'll look much more impressive this way."
Mira's eyes sparkled. "So it wasn't just for parades, was it?"
She glanced at the altered Sentinel and Brambleback, noting their new void-touched forms. "Do you like purple now?"
Rhodes gave her a sideways look. "Purple's fine too."
Mira caught his gaze, blushed, and gave his arm a quick punch. "I meant them, not that!"
"Oh, those two? A void-dweller gifted them new power. Their official names are Void Sentinel and Void Brambleback. But to me, they're still just Little Blue and Little Red."
He rubbed his arm and grinned. "Though, I was serious earlier."
Another punch landed squarely on his arm.
Across the valley, at the fortress gate, Eters the "muscle" of the Black Knight Gang was finishing his daily routine. Ranked lowest among the eight knights, his raw strength was still unmatched.
The gang had recently pulled off a lucrative job, leaving them flush with coin and supplies. So aside from occasional forays to intimidate villages, they spent their days idling.
Foster, Second, Third, and Fourth were gambling inside. Fifth snored in his bunk. Sixth and Seventh, women with flawless figures, were doing their usual "beauty regimen," smearing their faces with creams beneath masks. Eters never understood why, if they wore helmets everywhere, why bother?
Flexing his arms proudly, Eters cursed his comrades for wasting their lives. His solid bulk was proof of discipline!
But before he could resume training, a sound rumbled from the mountain road below.
He stepped forward and squinted. Two massive purple crabs thundered up the slope, dust clouds billowing in their wake. Behind them, more shadows stirred in the haze.
"A stampede?" Eters muttered.
But he wasn't concerned. The mountain was riddled with traps designed to repel armies. Even if it was a waste to spring them on beasts, at worst… it meant fresh meat for dinner.