Fairy Tail: I Really Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 9: Intelligence Saves the Day

It all began that morning.

After being publicly shown off far too early, Elfman and Lisanna arrived at the guild ahead of schedule.

Lisanna had her usual shift as a waitress, while Elfman, finding that most of his regular companions hadn’t arrived yet, ended up sitting around with nothing to do.

Not long after, the Thunder God Tribe dropped by.

They explained that Laxus had been wound far too tight lately, so they planned to take an easy, low-risk mission to help him relax.

Bickslow, naturally, decided that relaxation was best shared. He nudged Evergreen into inviting Elfman along.

"It’s a leisure mission anyway," he said. "One more won’t hurt."

Evergreen, who had mellowed a great deal compared to the past, walked over without much fuss and extended the invitation.

Elfman agreed immediately.

As it happened, Yajima’s restaurant was short on hands and looking for a few temporary waiters. A simple, low-risk request like that was naturally offered to Fairy Tail.

In return, the restaurant could borrow the fame of the Grand Magic Games’ champion guild, a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Everything went smoothly.

Until the afternoon.

While everyone was resting, a dark-skinned, strikingly handsome man walked into the restaurant.

Without a word, he attacked.

A massive wind-attribute spell erupted outward, tearing through the building from the center in a single blow. The restaurant collapsed into ruins almost instantly.

Elfman reacted on pure instinct.

He scooped Yajima into his arms, his massive frame completely shielding the old man as debris and shockwaves slammed into his back.

The Thunder God Tribe responded immediately.

At first, they treated the intruder as a wind-attribute mage, but midway through the exchange, the enemy abruptly switched tactics, unleashing fire magic of equal intensity.

Caught off guard, the three suffered minor injuries.

Once he gained momentum, the attacker didn’t press his advantage.

Instead, he shifted his focus.

Straight at Elfman, or more precisely, at the Yajima being protected in Elfman’s arms.

Realizing this, Elfman felt constrained, but escort missions were something he excelled at.

The people under his protection were only ever injured by him, never by the enemy.

Carrying Yajima, Elfman dodged whenever possible. When he couldn’t, he turned his back and took the attacks head-on.

He activated a newly learned Take over Magic, partial reception only.

His body hardened like stone.

Two consecutive waves of powerful wind and fire slammed into him at point-blank range.

Elfman didn’t move an inch.

Yajima, cradled in his arms, remained completely unharmed.

"Well," Yajima joked afterward, "my ribs hurt a little. A normal old man might’ve fractured something. Try to be gentler on future jobs, will you?"

With Yajima perfectly protected, the Thunder God Tribe no longer needed to hold back.

They surrounded the enemy, and for a time, the battle reached a stalemate.

Then, the attacker revealed a third attribute.

Lightning.

Three bolts descended simultaneously, striking straight toward the Thunder God Tribe’s heads.

And then, the lightning abruptly changed direction.

All three bolts veered midair and flew straight into the mouth of a handsome young man.

Laxus.

He had just returned from shopping, casually holding a kraft paper bag filled with vegetables.

He swallowed the lightning effortlessly.

Then he took in the scene.

The ruined restaurant, the injured Thunder God Tribe, Elfman’s torn shirt.

There was a brief pause.

Then;

Bang.

The paper bag exploded in his hands.

Shredded vegetable leaves scattered everywhere.

At the same instant, the unknown enemy took a devastating punch to the chest and was launched backward. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Laxus now stood where the attacker had been.

Several meters behind him, a tomato hit the ground at the same moment as the airborne body.

The tomato burst, splashing a small pool of red juice.

And from the corner of the enemy’s mouth, a mouthful of blood spilled out.

"Who are you?"

Out of a magician’s basic sense of responsibility toward a client, Laxus asked the question calmly.

"One of the Nine Demon Gates," the man replied as he straightened up. "Humans call me Calamity. As for my name, Tempester."

Perhaps out of respect for strength, Tempester answered plainly, without mockery.

"It’s him!" Elfman’s eyes widened. "The one my sister and brother-in-law fought, no, he’s a demon!"

Based on the name and the eerie sounds the man made while attacking, Elfman recalled a piece of intelligence he could never forget.

Because forgetting it meant getting beaten.

’A mixed doubles beating.’

"You know me?" Tempester glanced at the guild emblems on their chests and nodded. "I see. Fairy Tail. In that case, even if you hand over the Council Member now, I cannot let you leave."

"It’s really him?!" Freed’s expression changed. "But... wasn’t he already dead?"

"Tartaros is immortal," Tempester replied flatly. "And you will die here."

Did he deceive Rhodes and Mira back then? Or did he resurrect somehow?

Freed rapidly reviewed every detail Rhodes had ever posted on the guild’s intelligence board, and reached the real conclusion.

The most dangerous thing about Tempester wasn’t his multiple elemental attacks.

It was demon particles.

"Elfman, run!" Freed shouted instantly. "East, into the forest! Take Mr. Yajima and get out of here! We’ll hold him!"

Bickslow and Evergreen froze.

Run?

With Laxus right here?

But Freed had always been the tactical core of the Thunder God Tribe. Trust kicked in before doubt.

Neither of them questioned it.

Even Laxus didn’t object.

As for Elfman, his brain lagged behind, but his body had already moved.

It was a habit formed from working with Rhodes: when someone issued a decisive order, he obeyed first and thought later.

Or didn’t think at all.

Then came the performance.

Although Laxus had already displayed overwhelming strength, he deliberately made it look like he was struggling against Tempester’s fire-attribute attacks.

Thanks to a certain someone, lightning aside, fire was the element Laxus understood best.

His acting was flawless.

Elfman sprinted away with Yajima, while the remaining four fought and retreated, drawing Tempester steadily out of town and deep into the forest.

Tempester didn’t find it strange.

To demons, human magic failing against Curses was the natural order of things.

What he didn’t expect, was for the humans to suddenly stop retreating.

They turned.

Surrounded him.

Tempester sneered at their arrogance, and was immediately beaten into the dirt.

With Laxus no longer holding back, the fight ended in only a few exchanges.

Tempester roared and entered Second State.

The result?

A large section of forest was annihilated.

Nothing more.

A few rounds later, he was back on the ground.

Just as expected, Tempester chose to self-destruct.

Everyone was already prepared.

Holding their breath, they launched themselves out of range of the demon particles.

Including Yajima, there were six of them.

Four could fly.

One was effectively flying through sheer speed.

And one was being carried.

Freed finished his report gravely.

"In short, we escaped safely. But the biggest problem now is the contamination. The forest has been exposed to demon particles."

"I tried to suppress the spread with Enchantment magic," he continued, "but the effect is limited. If this continues, it could reach the town."

...

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