Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 314: Lucy’s Mission

Mira's prediction was spot on. Not long after they returned to the guild, a letter arrived from the Magic Council, an official bounty notice for Erigor.

The reward: 5 million J.

It was... an odd amount.

If the mission was being treated as S-Class, the reward felt too low. But if it wasn't classified as S-Class, the risk was far too high. Erigor was a ruthless killer with powerful magic, this wasn't some back-alley thief. It was unclear what the Council was thinking with a price like that.

After some discussion between Mira and Master Makarov, they decided to post the notice on the guild's first floor. If nothing else, the high bounty would make one thing clear to everyone:

Erigor was dangerous. Do not engage him recklessly.

"Five million J?! We let five million J get away?!"

Lucy, already stressed over her rent, practically collapsed at the front counter, banging her forehead on the desk without any sense of grace.

Happy lifted his little paws and asked curiously, "Hey Mira, how many fish can you buy with 5 million J?"

Mira giggled, "Hard to say exactly, but probably enough to fill your and Natsu's house."

Happy drooled at the mental image. "Natsu, let's go catch Erigor!"

"Oh, I'm fired up already!" Natsu pumped his fists. "But didn't we agree Lucy gets to pick the next job?"

Happy blinked, then turned to Lucy. "Lucy, are you picking this one?"

Lucy let out a long sigh. "This isn't something you choose like a normal request, there's no info or clues to follow. How would we even take it on?"

She turned back to Mira hopefully. "Miss Mira, is there a job that actually suits me you can recommend?"

Mira tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... Well, the park's fountain broke down. They need someone to fix it, or use water magic to keep it running."

Lucy's eyes lit up. "Oh! That sounds—"

"Didn't you summon Aquarius?" Mira added helpfully.

Lucy's face fell. "Forget it. If I ask Aquarius to do something like that, she'll drown the entire park and me."

"Okay, what about a sparring partner gig? There's a boxing gym looking for volunteers. You have Taurus and Virgo, right?"

Lucy blushed. "Taurus, maybe... but why Virgo?!"

Mira gave her an innocent smile. "Didn't you say Virgo likes being punished? Getting punched a few times might be right up her alley."

"That's so sad!" Lucy groaned. "Even if she'd agree, I can't do that to her, or Taurus either, that horn dog..."

"I think Virgo might enjoy it..." Mira mumbled, half to herself.

"Alright, how about this, Cancer can help trim hair! Why not open a little pop-up salon right here in the guild?" Mira suggested, her eyes sparkling. "You can run it with a temporary commission."

"That's actually... a cute idea. Cancer does love cutting hair."

"It's perfect timing too," Mira said, clasping her hands together. "Rhodes's hair has gotten a bit long. He'd look even more handsome with a trim."

"I feel like you just want to pamper your boyfriend," Lucy sighed, facepalming. "I talk this long and still end up cutting someone's hair for free."

She slumped over dramatically. "And it's not like my magic power lasts forever."

Lucy was still feeling a little weak.

Mira cupped her cheek, her tone half-genuine, half-teasing. "Lucy's really picky sometimes."

"Aye, Lucy's always like that," Happy chimed in. "Just yesterday morning, she wouldn't let me sharpen my claws on her wall."

"That's because it's my wall!" Lucy snapped, exasperated. She could never understand how her friends treated her home like it was some kind of public rest stop.

They ate her food, used her bathroom, napped on her bed, and even read her draft manuscripts, completely shameless.

She had spent all of yesterday morning complaining about it... and yet, in everyone's eyes, she never actually seemed that upset. In fact, it kind of looked like she enjoyed their company.

Thinking back on it, even Mira felt a little sheepish.

When she'd dropped Lucy off the night before last, the atmosphere in the apartment had been so lively and fun that Mira had ended up staying the night with everyone else. Somehow, she even joined in on bath time with Erza, cooked dinner together, and helped Lucy change into her pajamas.

Mira came to one very important conclusion that night: Lucy had a great figure, and so did Erza.

"Anyway," Mira said, shifting gears with a bright smile, "as a formal apology for crashing at your place, how about summoning Cancer, to give Rhodes a haircut?"

"Fine." Lucy sighed, fingers automatically brushing the keys at her waist before suddenly pausing. "Wait, hold on. Who exactly are you apologizing to?"

Mira waved a hand breezily. "Oh, don't worry about those little details."

Rhodes, who had just been summoned over by Mira, arrived to find Lucy mid-summoning.

"Open, Gate of the Crab! Cancer!"

A golden glow lit up the room as a large, flamboyant man with crab-styled hair and scissors in both hands appeared through the shimmering gate.

"What are we trimming today, shrimp?" he asked, twirling his scissors dramatically.

"It's the crab who ends every sentence with 'shrimp!'" Happy gasped.

"You've already pointed that out before," Lucy reminded him with a sigh.

"Please help Mr. Rhodes with his hair."

"OK, shrimp." Cancer spun his scissors with a flourish and motioned for Rhodes to sit down.

Rhodes glanced around, half-expecting a smock or cape to keep his clothes clean. But before he could even ask, Cancer was already moving, the scissors flashing with blinding speed around his head.

Rhodes sat as still as stone, barely daring to breathe as blades danced past his ears.

And yet, miraculously, not a single hair landed on his clothes or the floor. His hair was definitely being trimmed-neatly too, but it was as if the stray hairs were being magically erased.

Mira watched Cancer's technique with interest. After a moment, she frowned thoughtfully. "Looks like... this won't be easy to learn."

"Miss, are you interested in learning hairdressing?"

"I'd like to pick up a little," Mira replied. "Would you be willing to teach me?"

"No problem," said Cancer, his scissors never slowing. "This technique is a form of specialized magic, it depends on your talent whether you can master it."

Cancer's hairstyling magic was indeed incredible. With just a few snips, he could trim hair shorter, make it longer, or even give it a glossy, salon-quality finish.

"Ooh~ Miss Mira, planning to cut Mr. Rhodes' hair yourself after this?" Lucy teased, her eyes flitting between the two. "You two are awfully close, after all."

Happy couldn't hold back his commentary: "They're this close!"

Mira didn't deny it in the slightest. "Yep, that's right," she said with a soft smile. "No shame in wanting to help him out. Lucy, don't you have any guys you'd want to do something nice for?"

"Nope." Lucy sighed, visibly dejected.

She mentally reviewed the guys she'd met since joining the guild: a wild man-beast, an ice-stripper, a shameless flirt, and a hyperactive fire-breather...

As for the normal ones? One stared at Bisca all day, and the other well, he was already Mira's boyfriend.

In Fairy Tail, normal guys were practically an endangered species.

"All done!"

"Looks great!" Mira exclaimed, holding up a mirror for Rhodes.

Rhodes checked his reflection. His dark hair was neat, smooth, and had a healthy shine, better than any salon he'd been to.

"Just two pairs of scissors, and you get the full wash, cut, dry, and treatment? That's some next-level magic."

"The customer's satisfaction is the greatest reward," Cancer said with a graceful bow, then disappeared in a shimmer of light.

"Thanks, Lucy. Can I get an annual membership card from you?" Rhodes asked jokingly.

"There's no such thing!" Lucy shot him a look. "And... I'm starting to doubt you're one of the 'normal' ones too, Mr. Rhodes."

"But since Mira's helped me so much, if you ever need Cancer again, just let me know."

"In that case, let me return the favor by recommending a couple of missions," Rhodes offered. "I know you like a bit of adventure, but nothing too dangerous. These would suit you, Natsu, and Happy perfectly."

"Really?" Lucy blinked. "You have jobs tailored to us?"

"Yup. First, there's a hunt. A village's poultry and livestock have been getting mauled recently. Their hunters went into the forest, but they came back scratched and bitten. Traps don't work either. They suspect it's a quick, carnivorous predator, probably a leopard or jackal. The reward is 100,000 J."

"Ooh, that sounds great!" Natsu's eyes lit up. A good old-fashioned beatdown of some mysterious beast? Right up his alley.

Lucy looked thoughtful. That did sound manageable, if they split the 100,000 J reward evenly, each of them would get over 30,000 J. That would cover half her rent at least.

But she didn't jump at the offer just yet. "What about the second one?" she asked.