Fairy Tail: I Absolutely Refuse to Be the Guild Master

"Good morning, Miss Mirajane, Miss Laki."

When Rhodes arrived at the guild, Mirajane and Laki were already wiping down the tables.

Although they had cleaned them last night, they still needed to wipe them again before opening for business.

"Good morning, Rhodes."

Mirajane's smile was as bright as ever. "Also, you can drop the honorifics; just call me Mira like everyone else."

"Same here, just call me Laki."

"Mira, Laki?" Rhodes tried calling them, and politely said, "Then I will presume upon your kindness."

Mira corrected him, "In this context, there's no need to use words like 'presume upon.'"

Laki held her face, her purple long hair covering half of her hands, revealing a narcissistic expression:

"Maybe Rhodes wants to express that he sees us as princesses or queens?"

Rhodes denied it, "Sorry, nothing like that."

After helping out a bit, Rhodes sat at the counter to have breakfast—a simple combination of milk and a sandwich.

It was much cheaper than the curry rice he had yesterday, but it tasted great.

He wondered if it was just an illusion, but even though it was the same food, it seemed to taste better on the day he first woke up—maybe he was just too hungry then.

Rhodes leaned against the counter enjoying his breakfast, while watching people entering the guild one after another.

The clothing styles in this world were incredibly diverse: Chinese cheongsams and mandarin jackets, Japanese kimonos and yukatas, European dresses and tailcoats.

Modern casual wear and sportswear like what Rhodes was wearing were also common.

Besides these, there were some rather peculiar outfits. For example, a pretty girl just walked in, wearing a horned headpiece, a tiger-patterned long skirt with a high slit up to the chest, tiger-patterned arm sleeves, and tiger-patterned high boots—the soles even shaped like tiger claws.

She looked like a little horned tigress, exuding a wild beauty.

"That's Miki—Miki Chikentiger," Mira introduced. "She has the nickname 'Ghost Princess.'"

"Huh?"

"Rhodes, you've been staring at her since just now. Could it be..." Mira showed a gossiping expression, enthusiastically giving Rhodes advice,

"Miki loves fighting. If you're interested, you can go challenge her. If you can beat her, she'll definitely see you differently."

"No, it's not..." There were so many points to clarify in that statement. Rhodes carefully organized his thoughts,

"I just think her outfit is quite unusual, and... aren't we all mages? Why would someone like fighting?"

Mira asked curiously, "Shouldn't mages be good at fighting?"

"Ma..." Rhodes fell silent. Is my understanding odd?

Thinking carefully, during these few days in the guild, he often saw people fighting, with punches landing solidly.

Yesterday, he even saw the guild master punch two guys who had flipped a table into the floor...

Do the mages in this world follow the path of battle mages engaging in close combat?

In the mornings, the tavern was usually not too busy. After Makarov arrived, Rhodes began his first magic lesson.

"Generally speaking, to use magic, you need something called 'magic power.'"

"Magic power is a special kind of 'chi.' It exists within our bodies and is also widely present in nature."

"When the 'chi' within our bodies resonates with the 'chi' in nature, magic manifests."

"To achieve this, you need a considerable degree of mental strength and concentration..."

Since Rhodes knew nothing about magic, Makarov had to start from the very basics.

As for the more profound theories about emotions, souls, and the power of the 'heart,' that would have to wait until Rhodes' magic training reached a certain level, or until he comprehended it himself.

"Do I have magic power in my body?" Rhodes had always been worried about this; he wasn't even a person from this world.

Fortunately, Makarov reassured him, "Of course you do; it's just not easy to perceive right now."

"For ordinary people, it's not easy to discover and strengthen this 'chi' in their bodies. Usually, the method used is meditation."

"However, in your case, you can first try another way to feel magic power."

Rhodes asked, "How do I do that?"

"First, focus your attention on the pendant, try to call out to it in your mind. Then, try the incantation I adapted from Celestial Spirit Magic."

Makarov taught the incantation to Rhodes word by word, and Rhodes repeated it parrot-like.

"Once you've memorized it, give it a try."

"Here?" Rhodes looked worriedly at his companions in the tavern. "Will it cause any trouble?"

Makarov said, "Don't worry. With your current magic power, you can't summon any powerful creatures; even if you could, you wouldn't be able to maintain it."

"..." Rhodes didn't like that answer at all.

But since the guild master said it was okay, he followed instructions.

He grasped the pendant on his necklace, staring intently at the gold and blue symbol. After a few seconds, he seemed to really feel a connection between himself and it.

Rhodes hurriedly recited the incantation: "I am the one who bridges the path between two worlds. You, creature from another world, respond to my call and cross the gate!"

The pendant emitted gold and blue light; magic power gathered in the air. Rhodes gripped the pendant tightly and shouted the last line:

"Open, gate connecting to another world!"

Buzz~~~

A deep and heavy sound effect rang out. A vortex emitting blue light appeared in front of Rhodes, with flickering starlight within.

Through this vortex, it seemed one could feel the chill of another world, hear the sound of cold winds howling past cliffs.

In this cold and grim atmosphere, a figure leaped out from the vortex.

The light and sound of magic attracted the attention of most people in the tavern.

This must be a powerful and cold creature!

That's what everyone thought, and Rhodes thought so too.

However, when the vortex disappeared, there was only a palm-sized, fluffy white object on the ground.

"Oolooloo?" The little guy made a strange sound, seeming a bit confused.

But soon its gaze fixed on Rhodes. It stuck out a big pink tongue, huffing and puffing on its short legs as it ran toward Rhodes, hugging his calf.

Rhodes was a bit dazed. He looked at this little fluff ball, feeling it looked familiar. He bent down to pick it up and observe it carefully.

Shiny black eyes, a round chubby body, fur as white and soft as a sheep's wool, a pair of curved little horns on its head, and it stuck out a long tongue like a puppy.

Rhodes placed it on the counter and patted its head. The little guy comfortably rolled over, revealing a heart-shaped pink belly.

"Poro?" Based on his experience mingling in the Howling Abyss, Rhodes recognized this cute little creature.

"Oolooloo~" The little Poro's voice was full of happiness, as if it had found someone to feed it.

Rhodes: "..."

This thing summoned by magic isn't quite what I expected!