Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 17: Fairy Queen

That afternoon, the tavern was even noisier than the day before.

The main reason? Natsu had returned from his mission, and Gray was still here.

The two of them had started off standing at opposite ends of the guild, a good ten meters apart. But as soon as their eyes met, for no apparent reason, the insults started flying.

"Droopy eyes!" Natsu barked.

"Ice bastard!"

Gray shot back immediately, "Hanging eyes!"

"Flame idiot!"

It took less than ten seconds before their foreheads collided, and just like that, they were throwing punches.

Unlike Macao and Wakaba, who at least held back a little during their fights, these two had no restraint whatsoever. Within moments, a stool leg went flying—smashing straight into Elfman's back.

"That's manly!!" Elfman roared, throwing himself into the fray with his fists raised—only to be promptly sent flying by both Natsu and Gray at the same time.

His airborne body crashed into Cana's table, knocking over her wine.

Cana, naturally, did not take this well. Without hesitation, she grabbed her empty bottle and hurled it.

Her target? Unclear.

Her victim? A particularly handsome man who had been sitting nearby, casually entertaining two women in his arms.

The bottle struck him squarely on the head.

But instead of getting angry, the man simply let go of the women in the most graceful manner possible, straightened his collar, and murmured,

"Excuse me for a moment, ladies. I'll be joining in."

He threw them a dazzling wink before stepping forward.

The two women, utterly captivated, swooned on the spot and cheered him on.

And just like that, the tavern descended into pure chaos.

One after another, more guild members were dragged into the fight. Even Reedus, who had been peacefully painting, Nab, who had been scanning the mission board, and Levy's entire team were caught in the whirlwind.

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Mira, as always, remained behind the counter, watching the madness unfold with a serene smile.

Laki... was already fighting. Of course, she was. That girl was never one to sit on the sidelines.

Rhodes, on the other hand, made the very wise decision to abandon the plate of food he had been about to deliver and instead station himself safely next to the drunken guild master.

The closer to Makarov, the safer he felt.

Rather than watching the fight for fun, he kept his focus sharp—on high alert for the inevitable airborne projectiles that could come flying at any moment.

Having been a seasoned veteran of Fairy Tail for a whole two days now, Rhodes knew that survival required quick reflexes.

The situation was escalating fast. It was only a matter of time before the brawl turned into a full-blown magic battle.

At this point, Rhodes figured it was about time to wake the master up to put a stop to things.

This felt like a routine procedure.

But before he could make a move—

BANG!

The heavy doors of the guild swung open with force, slamming against the walls.

Brilliant noonday sunlight streamed through the entrance, casting a long, slender shadow into the chaos of the tavern.

A hush began to settle over the room.

Someone had arrived.

As Rhodes' eyes gradually adjusted to the light, the figure had already stepped inside with steady, confident strides.

She had long, crimson hair cascading down her back and a strikingly delicate face—one that remained completely unreadable, betraying no emotion. Her black boots and blue skirt complemented her long, toned legs, yet...

She wore gleaming metal armor on her upper body, complete with shoulder plates, arm guards, and gauntlets.

If she had been carrying a sword and had armor plating over her skirt, she would have looked like a full-fledged knight.

But instead—She was holding a thick, three-meter-long rope in her hand.

And at the other end of that rope?

A massive flatbed cart, stacked sky-high with luggage.

Rhodes stared. The pile of suitcases towered over her like a small mountain.

His first thought?

This woman was definitely strong.

Then, as he noticed the unmistakable crimson hair, realization struck him.

Mira mentioned her yesterday... This must be Erza!

The moment Erza stepped through the doors, the guild—previously roaring with chaos—fell into an eerie silence.

It was as if someone had slammed a pause button.

People who had been grabbing each other's collars and throwing punches froze mid-motion.

Mira, completely unfazed by the change in atmosphere, greeted her with a bright smile.

"Welcome back, Erza!"

"Ah, I'm back." Erza responded politely, nodding to Mira. Then, she shifted her gaze across the guild.

Instantly, her expression hardened.

The silence deepened.

A few brave souls tried to break the tension.

"Erza... M-Miss Erza, how did your mission go?"

Even the way they addressed her had changed—now laced with respectful honorifics.

Erza wasn't buying it.

"Don't try to change the subject. I heard about the mess you lot caused again."

A collective flinch rippled through the room.

But Erza wasn't done yet.

"Let's start with the obvious. Vijeeter, stop dancing on the table!"

The man immediately scrambled down, looking sheepish.

"Nab, quit loitering in front of the request board and pick a job!"

The man in question gulped and nodded, suddenly finding a mission very, very interesting.

"Wakaba, watch where your cigarette ash is going!"

The smoker quickly patted out any loose embers.

"And Cana..."

Cana, who had been casually sipping from her barrel, barely spared Erza a glance. "What?"

"Drink less."

Cana snorted but made no move to argue.

One by one, Erza called out nearly every troublemaker in the guild—naming them directly and reprimanding them for whatever chaos they had caused today.

No one—not a single person—dared to talk back.

But the funniest scene?

Natsu and Gray—who had just been brawling moments ago—now stood arm in arm, grinning like best friends.

Erza nodded in satisfaction. "It's good that you two are getting along... but Gray, your clothes."

"Huh?" Gray looked down, realizing he was in his underwear again. "When did that happen!?" He frantically grabbed his pants and put them back on.

However, Erza wasn't finished. She turned to the guildmaster and spoke sternly. "Master, they're getting drunk in broad daylight again. Shouldn't you do something to restrain them a little?"

Makarov, sitting comfortably on the counter, waved a dismissive hand. "Eh, what does it matter..." He barely looked awake and even let out a small burp.

Rhodes, who had been cautiously observing the situation, suddenly noticed something odd.

The tavern had returned to its usual, lively atmosphere as if nothing had happened.

The chaos from just moments ago—tables breaking, chairs flying—was now replaced with casual drinking and laughter.

Even Natsu and Gray, who had been at each other's throats, were now sitting across from each other, clinking glasses with stiff smiles. But the moment Erza's gaze swept over them, their forced camaraderie became alarmingly enthusiastic.

"Haha! You're my best friend, Gray!"

"Same to you, Natsu!"

Rhodes watched in quiet awe. She's basically the disciplinary officer of this place.

Then—

Erza's sharp gaze shifted to him.

Rhodes felt a chill but quickly realized her expression was far from hostile.

"A new face," Erza observed. "Are you a new recruit or a resident of Magnolia?"

Rhodes straightened up and greeted her politely. "Hello, I'm Rhodes. I just joined the guild two days ago.

I heard Mira mention your bad deeds before—they're quite legendary."

The guild fell silent.

Erza stiffened.

Her expression faltered for the first time since entering the guild. She turned to Mira in shock.

"B-Bad... bad deeds!?"

For someone as proud and disciplined as Erza, hearing such a claim was a devastating blow.

Mira, who had been casually wiping a glass behind the counter, sighed. "It's not like that, Erza... Rhodes still has some issues with the common language."

She quickly explained Rhodes' language struggles, making sure to clear her own name in the process.

"To put it simply, Rhode is still learning magic and Fiore's common language. In the meantime, he's working as a temporary waiter at the tavern."

Erza, now understanding the situation, softened a little.

"I see. I'm Erza." She crossed her arms and gave him a nod of approval. "Since you've joined the guild, that means you're family now. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask me."

She clenched her fist, her tone serious, her crimson hair swaying slightly with the movement.

"Erza took down dozens of criminals all by herself~" Mira chuckled, resting her cheek on her hand. "How about it? Our 'Fairy Queen' is pretty cool, right?"

Rhodes nodded. "Yeah... definitely cool."

To be fair, Erza was incredibly strong, and her personality was... well, serious. She seemed like one of the few truly responsible people in the guild.

And appearance-wise? She was just as stunning as Mira. Rhodes was sure that Erza was the object of admiration for many.

But... he didn't dare have any romantic thoughts.

Because Mira had already told him all about Erza's glorious battle records:

Natsu, after challenging her, was beaten so badly that even Happy couldn't recognize him. Gray, caught wandering around half-naked, was nearly buried alive. And Loke, who tried to flirt with her? Beaten within an inch of his life.

Rhodes suddenly felt that calling Erza's history a 'bad deed' earlier might not have been entirely wrong.

At that moment, Mira noticed something.

"Laki? What's that?"

She had spotted Laki returning after sending Erza off. But this time, she was carrying a massive gift box— over a meter tall.

"It's a souvenir Erza brought back for me!"

Laki happily set down the large red box with a loud thump.

From the sound of it... it was really heavy.