Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 183: Beasts

Where the mountains met the sea along the northern coast of the Kingdom of Fiore, the landscape should have been a beautiful tourist attraction.

However, in the dead of winter, with biting winds and heavy snow, almost no one came here for months on end.

Traveling southeast from the best sightseeing spots, one would find themselves entering a vast, rugged mountain range.

And tucked away in a remote valley near the mountain's entrance, a simple, rundown residence had been built.

Inside the outer hall of the house, four figures in black robes gathered around a small stove, warming their hands while a kettle let off steady wisps of steam.

"I swear, Raven and the others are taking forever," one muttered.

"It's just snatching some brats. How hard can it be?" another grumbled, clearly annoyed.

"Better slow than stupid," a third retorted. "You're the one who killed someone in broad daylight. If the Council catches a whiff of us, we're finished."

"Tch, those fools haven't found us in ten years. After tonight..." the fourth said smugly, letting the sentence hang.

They casually chatted, their words dripping with anticipation for what was about to happen.

Tonight was the culmination of everything they had worked toward.

They had spent a full year locating the place where Carniber slumbered, and months more uncovering the ritual needed to summon him.

Setting up the altar, gathering the sacrifices, it had all led to this moment.

At last, their dream was about to come true.

When Carniber awakened, neither the Magic Council nor any power in Fiore would be able to stop them. The world would belong to them.

From a room deeper inside came the muffled sounds of children sobbing and whimpering, but none of the black-robed cultists paid it any mind.

They were used to it by now.

As long as the children were still breathing, it didn't matter.

In that dark, stinking room, more than a dozen children huddled miserably against the cold stone walls.

Some cried softly, their fear too overwhelming to suppress, but they didn't dare cry loudly, loud crying earned brutal beatings.

Others had been trapped there so long they no longer cried at all.

They sat in a daze, staring blankly into nothing, or simply fell into uneasy sleep, trapped in a nightmare even while unconscious.

The cultists didn't care for them beyond keeping them alive, and the rank stench of filth filled the suffocating space.

Among all the children, there were two who stood out, two who neither cried nor looked vacant.

A little girl whimpered, her voice trembling:

"Big brother... I'm cold."

"Come closer," the gray-haired boy whispered, drawing her into his arms. "You'll be warmer if we stay close."

"Mhm," she nodded, snuggling closer.

Moments later, she whispered again: "Big brother... I'm hungry."

He hugged her tighter, his voice gentle: "Just sleep. If you sleep, the hunger will go away."

"Mhm."

The little girl obediently closed her eyes.

But a short while later, she opened them again: "Big brother, why hasn't Liz come back yet?"

"She's gone home," the boy murmured.

"She passed the test. She's already moved on to the next level. Don't worry, maybe when we wake up, we'll get to go too."

"Okay."

The little boy was lying.

He had been lying to his sister for a whole day and night, telling her that this was just a test arranged by their parents and the "uncles" outside.

As long as they passed it, he said, they would both grow into strong, powerful adults, and when they got home, there would be a cake as big as a wagon wheel waiting for them.

He told her the other children crying after being whipped were just scared of the "acting" by the uncles.

It was all part of the test.

But deep down, he knew. This place was dangerous. And Liz... Liz was never coming back.

The boy silently studied the dim, foul-smelling room.

There were no windows, and the walls were thick and solid. If there was any chance to escape, it would be when the bad men outside fell asleep.

But last night, another shift had stood guard the entire time. They hadn't slept at all.

Their only chance was to be taken out, just like Liz had been.

He could only hope that when the time came, he and his sister would be taken out together.

Creak—

The wooden door swung open, the noise stirring several of the sleeping children.

Some blinked awake with tears in their eyes but quickly wiped them away.

They knew better than to cry.

A man holding a whip stepped inside.

Snap!

Without warning, he lashed the whip down, striking a child who hadn't fully woken up.

"Get up!" the man barked.

"Ah! Wah..."

The child cried out in pain but was immediately struck twice more, the brutal sting burning across his arms and back. The boy bit back further cries, sobbing quietly.

The black-robed man swept a cold gaze across the children to make sure no one else was dawdling.

"Move!" he barked again.

Terrified of the whip, the children scrambled to their feet, shuffling and stumbling.

The gray-haired boy held his little sister's hand tightly, pulling her close as they blended into the line.

'Was this it? Was this the chance we'd been waiting for?'

But when they were herded into the outer hall, the boy's heart sank.

At least twenty black-robed cultists stood outside, each one watching with cold, eager eyes.

It was more than enough to keep an eye on each child, escape was almost impossible.

The cultists forced the children out of the building and onto the snow-covered path leading toward the altar.

Some of the kids, lucky enough to have thicker coats, managed to hold up against the freezing cold.

But others, dressed only in thin clothing, were already shivering uncontrollably, their lips turning purple as they trudged through the biting wind.

The black-robed cultists didn't seem concerned, as long as the children didn't freeze to death on the short walk.

The cultist originally assigned to watch over the place frowned. "It's not even dark yet. Why are you moving ahead of schedule?"

"Raven hasn't returned, and he didn't send the signal like we agreed. He might've been killed. If we delay any longer, something could go wrong."

"That idiot. But if we start the ceremony early, what if we don't have enough sacrifices? And the time isn't right yet."

"The Ghost, will handle it. At worst, Lord Carniber will just be a little weaker when he's summoned. We can always offer a few more... higher-quality sacrifices afterward."

"I see. Hey! You two brats! Get over here!"

—

"This place is a nightmare to find."

Rhodes muttered under his breath, frustrated.

He had used several pieces of clothing he'd collected from Poppy Town, letting the Murk Wolves track the scent.

He even tried taking over the search himself, guiding the wolves directly.

But no matter how hard they tried, the wolves couldn't catch the children's scent.

Maybe too much time had passed. Or maybe the Black Magic Cult had done something to mask it.

In the end, they found the altar not by scent, but by the faint metallic tang of blood carried on the cold wind.

Hidden on a slope not far from the altar, Rhodes and Erza crouched low, using two Krugs disguised as rocks for cover.

On the sunny side of the mountain, the snow was patchy, so no one noticed the sudden appearance of two "stones."

From their hiding spot, they could see the valley below.

There, a rough platform built from stones and timber rose from the ground, and a dark red magic circle was etched across it.

With just a glance, Erza could tell it had been drawn in blood.

As for whose blood...

Her hands tightened into fists. She wanted to charge down there and cut those monsters down immediately.

Rhodes placed a hand firmly on her shoulder.

"It's no use killing them yet. We need to find where they're keeping the children first."

"I know." Erza whispered, her voice strained.

"Any signs yet? If not, I'll—"

If Rhodes didn't find anything soon, Erza was fully prepared to storm the camp and interrogate every last cultist by force.

In this terrain, Scuttle Crabs were too conspicuous, and the scouting had been slow.

But just then, Rhodes's eyes sharpened.

"Got it. Someone's approaching. They'll be here in a few minutes, and the kids..."

He gritted his teeth.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

"They're with them."

His stomach twisted with anger.

'Just what had these animals done to the children?'

...

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