Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master

Reception Magic: A type of magic that allows the user to absorb the power of an animal, granting enhanced physical abilities.

However, there are significant risks—if a mage attempts to absorb a creature that is too powerful, and their own strength or willpower is insufficient, they may lose control or even go berserk until they collapse from exhaustion.

The basic training methods for this magic are as follows...

Snap!

Rhodes slammed the book shut and stared at the cover in disbelief.

It was just a regular encyclopedia, yet it contained actual training methods for different types of magic?

Was this something he was even allowed to read for free?

Thud!

Warm tumbled off Rhodes' shoulder and landed right on the book's cover. The little furball blinked drowsily, looking utterly confused.

Rhodes sighed. "Yeah, I can tell you're not exactly a scholar."

Picking Warm up and placing him back on his shoulder, Rhodes hugged the massive encyclopedia and hurried out of the library.

He needed to confirm if this was really okay.

...

"The Encyclopedia of Magic? Of course, you can read it," Mira reassured him with a warm smile.

"But it has actual training methods for different kinds of magic," Rhodes hesitated. "Is that... really okay?"

Mira tilted her head slightly, already guessing what he was worried about.

"That's the whole point of keeping books in the library, so people can learn magic," she explained.

"But aren't some of these techniques, you know… dangerous?"

Mira giggled. "Don't worry. Any magic that's truly dangerous wouldn't be left lying around."

Hearing this, Rhodes nodded in relief.

"Oh… Then I'll go all out."

Mira blinked. "That's… not how you use 'go all out' in this context."

Ignoring her correction, Rhodes waved a hand and hurried back to the library to dive into his reading.

Flipping through the pages, Rhodes finally found an entry on Celestial Spirit Magic.

It was classified as a Possession Magic, since it required a contract with an external entity, rather than relying purely on one's own power.

At the same time, it was also considered a type of Spatial Magic, as it involved summoning beings from another dimension.

Celestial Spirit Magic was an ancient art, with a history spanning over 400 years.

Each Celestial Spirit was tied to a constellation in the sky and required a specific key to be summoned.

Ordinary spirits were linked to Silver Keys. The twelve most powerful spirits, known as the Zodiac Spirits, were summoned using Golden Keys.

Since Rhodes was reading from an encyclopedia rather than a specialized book on Celestial Spirit Magic, the information was relatively surface-level.

The training methods described in the book detailed how to open the Celestial Gate using a key and the steps required to form a contract with a Celestial Spirit.

However, Rhode had already learned the most important parts from Master Makarov.

For more advanced knowledge, such as the deeper principles of Ancient Magic and Spatial Magic, he would need to find specialized books.

He glanced at the vast rows of bookshelves.

'This was going to be a massive undertaking.'

...

Rhode buried himself in reading for several hours.

Meanwhile, Warm had spent the entire time alternating between sleeping and waking up on the desk.

Eventually, the little furball woke up from hunger and let out a soft, pleading "Woo~", reminding Rhode that it was almost dinnertime.

Rhode stood up and stretched his arms. He checked the time and realized it was almost five o'clock.

"Wow… I've been working harder than I ever did in school!" he muttered, shaking his head in amusement.

"At this rate, I'll become a magic master in no time!"

"Woo woo woo~"

Warm's little horns drooped as if urging him to stop bragging and hurry up.

But there was no rushing this. Rhode had to carefully return the book to its original place and make a quick stop at the washroom to clean his hands before heading back to the guild tavern to start his evening shift.

Back at the Guild Tavern

As a waiter, Rhode's mealtime was either before or after the usual rush. This way, when the evening crowd arrived, he wouldn't be too busy to eat.

Tonight, Rhode and Mira opted to eat a little early, along with some of the other staff.

However, the moment a customer walked in, someone had to set down their food and go take the order—which was quite a hassle.

Just as Rhode was about to take another bite—

"Mira! We're back!"

A cheerful voice called out as a blue-haired girl walked into the tavern, followed by two tall, lanky young men.

Mira immediately set down her chopsticks and turned toward the newcomers with a bright smile.

"Levy! Welcome back! Jet and Droy, too!"

The guild members scattered around the tavern turned toward the entrance, greeting the trio warmly.

From the way everyone reacted, it was clear that these three were well-liked in Fairy Tail.

Mira stepped forward, her expression filled with curiosity.

"You're two days later than expected. Did the mission go well?"

"Yeah!" Levy said excitedly. "The client was really nice. He even invited us to stay a couple of extra days at the shop!"

"Hey~~" Mira put on a playfully stern expression. "You know that accepting extra rewards without approval is against the rules, right?"

"It wasn't an extra reward!" Levy clung to Mira's arm and spoke in a slightly whiny tone, her voice full of charm.

"The client just wanted to make sure we were available in case anything else came up. He called it 'after-sales service' or something like that."

Levy was petite and cute, standing only slightly above Mira's shoulders.

When she snuggled up to Mira like this, she looked even more adorable—at least, Jet and Droy certainly thought so. They both wore envious expressions, though… they were envious of Mira.

Mira gave Levy a teasing look before sighing in defeat. "Fine... I'll let it slide this time."

"Thanks, big sis Mira!" Levy beamed as she let go and handed over the mission report for registration.

"So, did anything change while we were gone?" Levy asked as she leaned forward on the counter, propping herself up on her toes.

Mira smiled as she checked the report. "Not much… but we did get a new member recently. Actually, he wanted to ask for your help a few days ago because of some language issues."

Levy's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Oh? What happened?"

As a Letter Magic user, Levy's ability allowed her to create words out of magic, giving them real effects.

For example, if she wrote the word "Fire", it would ignite into real flames.

Because of her unique magic, she had an in-depth knowledge of languages, including ancient scripts, and was always fascinated by anything related to words and text.

Seeing her interest, Mira chuckled. "Well, let me explain..."

While finalizing the mission registration, Mira gave Levy a quick summary about Rhode and his situation.

"I'll introduce you to him later," Mira finished with a gentle smile. "I'm sure he could use your help right now."

Jet and Droy, who stood behind Levy like two loyal knights, immediately caught onto a crucial detail.

"He?" They said in unison, their expressions sharpening as if sensing an impending challenge.

At that moment, Rhode had just finished his meal and was heading over to take over his shift.

Mira took the opportunity to introduce them. "Rhode, these are Levy, Jet, and Droy."

Rhode had already heard Lucky mention their names earlier, but before he could properly greet them, Jet suddenly jumped onto a nearby table.

Levy followed suit, gracefully hopping onto a stool, while Droy propped one foot on a chair and the other on the table, striking a dramatic pose.

With synchronized energy, the three of them proudly declared:

"We are Shadow Gear!"

The guild members nearby, who had been drinking peacefully, were so startled by the sudden outburst that they nearly spat out their drinks.

Rhode, on the other hand, was completely speechless.

Watching the three strike their signature over-the-top pose, his mind immediately went to Team Rocket from an entirely different world.

With a hand raised mid-air, he found himself unsure whether to applaud their enthusiasm or cringe from secondhand embarrassment.

Leaning toward Mira, he covered his mouth with one hand and whispered, "Uhh… they're not the type that constantly stirs up trouble, right?"

Mira placed a thoughtful finger on her chin. "Hmm… how should I put it… Compared to Natsu, they cause far less trouble."

Rhode's expression darkened.

By now, he had fully grasped Natsu's reputation—a walking disaster who spent most of his job earnings on damage compensation.

If these three were being compared favorably to Natsu, it meant… they were still somewhat of a handful.

He sighed. "That's… not exactly reassuring."

His gaze shifted back to Levy, petite and undeniably adorable.

Was it really possible that someone this cute could be just as much of a troublemaker?