Chapter 667: Juvia’s Difficulty
The next morning, two things happened at Fairy Tail.
First, the guild received slightly more requests than the day before. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before Fairy Tail returned to its bustling normal. Macao, sharp-tongued as always, praised Makarov for his brilliance, saying that the Third Master’s return had an immediate effect. The flattery kept Makarov so cheerful that he even continued writing his self-reflection without complaint.
Second, word spread that Erza’s team had gone missing.
The first to break down was Juvia. She sobbed uncontrollably, convinced that "Gray-sama had eloped with Lucy." Her tears flooded the guild hall, rising to nearly a meter high. When Jet and Droy arrived and opened the door, they were swept straight out into the street, left sputtering for air before they could recover.
By the time Rhodes and Mira returned, everyone was busy cleaning the tavern after Juvia’s "storm." Juvia herself was crouched in the corner, knees pulled to her chest, wiping at her tears with a pitiful expression.
The moment she spotted them, she rushed forward and clung tightly to Mira’s waist, whimpering, "Please, Mira-san, tell Juvia there’s news of Gray-sama..."
Rhodes quickly handed her a tissue before Juvia’s tears and snot ruined Mira’s brand-new clothes...clothes he hadn’t even had the chance to properly admire yet. The sheer volume of water, however, was still enough to make him uneasy.
Mira stroked Juvia’s head gently. "Rhodes is about to go out and gather news. Do you want to come with him?"
"Yes!" Juvia answered without hesitation.
Rhodes sighed inwardly. He thought it unnecessary, but he understood her feelings. In the end, Mira stayed to handle the questions and worries of the guild, while Rhodes set off with Juvia at his side.
He raised his hand, tracing a glowing blue circle. "Close your eyes. This kind of travel can make you dizzy."
But Juvia shook her head firmly. "No! Juvia wants to see every detail of the journey to find Gray-sama. That is Juvia’s love for Gray-sama!"
"You’ll get dizzy," Rhodes reminded her flatly.
"Before Juvia sees Gray-sama, Juvia will never get dizzy!" she declared passionately.
"As you wish."
The spell activated. Blue light enveloped them both, and in a blink, they arrived inside the Pomelo Hotel. Because Rhodes had drawn the array beneath the bed and carefully concealed it under the bedding, the two of them phased in neatly beside the bed without disturbing the covers.
Juvia, who had just sworn she would never falter, immediately swayed, her eyes spiraling into dizzy mosquito-coils. She pressed a hand over her mouth and insisted weakly, "Juvia... will absolutely not get dizzy..." before nearly collapsing.
"You should rest for a bit," Rhodes began, but he didn’t even finish before Juvia’s head snapped up.
"Gray-sama’s scent!"
With sudden feral energy, she dropped to all fours and scrambled out of the room, staggering as her dizziness threw off her balance, but refusing to stop. She crawled forward with single-minded determination, straight toward Gray’s trail.
Rhodes could only stare, silent. ’In some ways, Juvia really is terrifying.’
Rhodes first checked the room carefully, confirming there were no signs anyone else had been inside. Then he went to the front desk to prepay for two more days, intending to use the hotel as a base until Erza’s team was found.
It cost extra, but convenience mattered more, and besides, he figured he could always make Erza reimburse him later, so he didn’t feel guilty about it.
When Rhodes returned upstairs, Juvia had calmed a little. She was lying across Gray’s bed, clinging to his satchel and burying her face in it, inhaling deeply.
She was undeniably a beautiful girl, but in that moment she looked suspiciously like a lovesick stalker.
"Once you’ve rested enough, let’s go," Rhodes said flatly. "We’ll see the Town Mayor."
"Yes!" Juvia bounced up, hugging Gray’s bag tightly to her chest as if someone might try to steal it.
Rhodes considered stopping her but decided it wasn’t worth the argument.
Out in the hall, however, the hotel clerk gave Rhodes a very strange look. Yesterday he had brought in a white-haired beauty; today he was leaving with a blue-haired one. Worse still, this one’s face radiated starry-eyed devotion.
The clerk hesitated, remembering the man was a Wizard Saint and a benefactor who had helped their town, and wisely chose not to comment.
Rhodes, however, couldn’t help but notice. That look, the one the clerk had given him, was exactly the sort of look people usually gave Loke.
"Great," Rhodes thought bitterly. "Now my reputation’s in shambles. All because of those missing idiots!"
The two finally arrived at the mayor’s office.
"Ah, Mr. Rhodes, Miss Mi—" The Town Mayor almost blurted Mira’s name but caught himself just in time. His eyes flicked to Juvia in confusion. "And... this young lady?"
"This is Juvia," Rhodes explained smoothly. "She’s one of our guildmates. She came along because she’s worried about our missing companions."
The mayor clearly wasn’t sure whether to believe him, but he politely nodded and moved on.
"Here is a list of everyone who claims to have seen your friends," he said, handing Rhodes a neatly prepared document. "One was asked for directions, three are hotel staff, and the others simply noticed them in passing on the street."
Rhodes scanned the document. Each entry listed names, addresses, and approximate times. It was thorough, well-organized work.
Juvia leaned in, her eyes immediately locking on any female names, and in her heart she was already deciding that every single one was a potential rival for Gray-sama’s affections.
Rhodes sighed and handed her the list. "All ordinary residents of the town?" he asked.
The mayor turned to his secretary, who confirmed, "They’ve all grown up here since childhood."
"And are any of them known to use magic?"
"Not that I know of," the secretary replied. "They might know how to handle simple magic tools, but nothing more."
"Thank you." Rhodes nodded, then looked to Juvia to see if she had questions.
She blurted out instantly, "Which of these people are unmarried? Who’s in love with Gray-sama? Who would dare to kidnap...mmph-mmm-mmm....!"
With each question Juvia asked, her eyes grew sharper, and her face moved closer and closer to the poor secretary.
Before she could terrify the woman into tears, Rhodes quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, grabbed her by the collar, and dragged her away.
"Excuse us," he said smoothly, giving a polite smile. "We still have matters to investigate, so we’ll take our leave. Thank you for your help!"
"Mm-mm-mm—!" Juvia squirmed, trying to protest, but Rhodes didn’t let go. She waved her arms frantically as he hauled her out of the administrative office, heels screeching across the floor and leaving two parallel grooves all the way onto the street.
Only when passersby began to stare at them strangely did Rhodes finally release her.
"From here on," he said firmly, "we’ll investigate these people quietly. No causing trouble."
"That’s right, a personal investigation is far more reliable!" Flames of determination lit in Juvia’s eyes. "We must absolutely find the one who kidnapped Gray-sama!"
"It hasn’t even been confirmed that they were kidnapped." Rhodes gave up halfway through. There was no point. She wasn’t going to listen. He only needed to keep a closer watch on her so she didn’t cause trouble.
With a wave of his hand, Rhodes released the Alchemical Mist and the Crown of Shattered Queen. Using the list of names and addresses, they began visiting houses one by one. The Alchemical Mist provided a veil of invisibility, while the Crown of Shattered Queen let them slip soundlessly through walls, perfect for discreet investigations.
As a diligent Fairy Tail mage, Rhodes split the work: he would observe the men, and Juvia would observe the women.
The method worked well enough, though there was one constant problem, whenever they encountered a particularly pretty girl, Juvia would stare too long. Her observation quickly shifted into "rival-in-love" mode, her glare sharp enough to make even ordinary people shiver as if a predator’s eyes were on them.
Rhodes repeatedly had to drag her away before she caused a scene.
After a while, Rhodes frowned. "They really are all just ordinary townsfolk. I don’t sense anything unusual."
"Juvia thinks all of these are suspicious!" she declared, dramatically circling seven or eight names on the paper.
Rhodes glanced down at her list and sighed. "You only picked out the pretty ones, didn’t you?"
"But if Gray-sama were charmed by them, then Juvia..." She bit her handkerchief, eyes welling with tears.
Rhodes rubbed his temple, exhausted. He ignored her antics and made the final decision. "We’ll do one last sweep of the town. Then we’re heading back."
...
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