Rhodes gently grabbed Mira's hand, reassuring her, "I had a small accident, but I'm almost healed. It's nothing serious."
Mira quickly pulled her hand back, slightly flustered. This was one of those curious gaps in Rhodes' understanding; they had hugged numerous times and even walked arm in arm, yet holding hands still seemed off-limits. It confused him, but he figured it would all come naturally with time.
Noticing her own reaction, Mira softened her tone, "I'll check your wounds later, okay?"
"Yeah, it's probably time to change the bandages anyway," Rhodes smiled warmly.
"Shouldn't we discuss the mission?" Mira suggested, regaining composure.
"We should get the master involved too. It's a bit complicated," Rhodes replied, noticing Erza had finished managing the guild chaos, perfect timing for a quick meeting.
"Is it that serious?" Mira's concern deepened, evident in her eyes.
Rhodes gave her a helpless look, knowing things had escalated far beyond their initial expectations. Their presence might have hastened the demon's release due to prematurely using exorcism, healing, and detoxification magic on Liz. Yet, doing nothing would've led to even greater catastrophe.
Mira, anxious to understand the situation, swiftly climbed to the second floor to wake Master Makarov, who was still napping.
Erza and Natsu were already at the counter, Erza looking stern, Natsu impatient but subdued.
Meanwhile, Happy and Warm sat nearby, busily dividing fish in their own secretive discussion.
Master Makarov, cross-legged on the counter as usual, yawned, "What's the big emergency?"
"Master," Rhodes began solemnly, "We ran into some significant trouble."
"Ugh..." Makarov clutched his chest dramatically, "Mira, quick, fetch my medicine."
"Right away," Mira quickly complied.
At 88, despite being one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Master Makarov had his share of health issues, especially his heart, necessitating regular medications prepared by Porlyusica.
Hearing Rhodes, typically reliable, mention trouble so seriously, Makarov braced himself instinctively, though when had he started doing that automatically?
Putting such thoughts aside, he reasoned calmly. Trouble from Natsu was expected, and Erza, though responsible, had her moments too. Yet, even Rhodes couldn't manage the combined antics of these two?
In the end, why did the three of them team up?
"Master," Mira returned swiftly, handing over the medication.
Holding it tightly, Makarov opened the bottle preemptively. "Alright, out with it."
Rhodes hesitated briefly, "Would you prefer the big trouble or the smaller one first?"
"There's more than one?!" Makarov nearly jumped, preparing himself mentally, opting for the smaller trouble first.
"The smaller issue is we got into a fight with over thirty Phantom Lord members on our way back," Rhodes explained casually.
Makarov relaxed visibly. A mere fight wasn't a huge issue. Still, he frowned slightly, "Did they injure you?"
"No way!" Natsu immediately boasted, "Those guys were easy to beat!"
Relieved, Makarov nodded. Rhodes explained how the incident stemmed from their previous encounter during his trip to the capital with Mira.
Mira seemed surprised, recalling that incident from so long ago.
"Phantom Lord again," Makarov sighed. "Let them report to the Council if they dare; they'll be the ones punished for initiating conflict."
Guild conflicts were strictly regulated, and typically, the aggressors faced harsher penalties. This issue seemed manageable enough.
Suddenly, he remembered something critical, "Wait! Did you damage anything important during the fight?"
Rhodes shook his head, "Just a minor crater or two on the road and some flattened plants. Nothing major."
Relieved, Makarov breathed deeply, "Alright, what's the big trouble then?"
"During our mission, we encountered a sealed demon that broke free," Rhodes explained carefully.
"You defeated it, right? That's good news!" Makarov said optimistically.
"But," Erza intervened solemnly, "we technically entered a forbidden sealed area without permission and, during the battle, leveled two entire mountains."
"Two mountains?!" Makarov almost fainted.
"Haha!" Natsu laughed proudly, immediately earning a knock on his head from Erza.
Rhodes and Erza detailed the full situation carefully.
"Hmm," Makarov pondered deeply. "Although we technically violated some Council rules, it's ultimately their oversight."
Ideally, the Council should be grateful Fairy Tail handled the demon, but knowing the Council, complications seemed inevitable.
Suddenly, Macao burst into the guild hall anxiously, "Master! The Council's here, and there's a whole squad!"
Their arrival immediately caused a stir in the guild, with members panicking, recalling past misdeeds, or even dramatically lamenting imagined consequences.
Makarov was more alarmed by the guild's reaction than by the Council itself. Just how much trouble had these kids caused?
"Quiet, please!" A commanding voice echoed, and a man with frog-like features entered, clad in official Council robes. Behind him, a squad of enforcement officers stood ready.
Rhodes remained calm, intrigued rather than surprised. A frog-man wasn't particularly strange in the magical world. He wondered briefly if summoning Gromp would help smooth things over.
The official spoke sternly, "Regarding the large-scale battle on the kingdom's northern coast a few days ago, Erza, Rhodes, Natsu, and associates are hereby summoned to the Council branch for investigation. Charges include destruction of public property and trespassing on restricted Council grounds. Resistance will result in forceful measures. That is all."