As for whether to ask or not, Rhodes and Gray didn't actually know much anyway.
Carla understood the rule that mission details had to be kept confidential but wasn't happy about it.
The dark guild was operating just dozens of kilometers away from their guild, and they couldn't know why. How was that fair?
Still, since the dark guild members had been captured, it probably wouldn't be an issue anymore.
Carla frowned as she called them to breakfast. She also needed to inform the guild master about everything afterward.
The three of them continued resting at Cait Shelter, and it wasn't until the afternoon that two soldiers from the council came for Deput.
Roubaul gave them special hospitality and privately talked to Deput for a while before arranging new accommodations for Rhodes, Gray, and Deput.
After resting for another night, Deput recovered quite well and said his farewells to Wendy and Roubaul the following morning.
When they exited Roubaul's tent, Rhodes and Gray were nearby, chatting:
"You think, given how dangerous this mission was, the reward will be increased a bit?" Rhodes asked.
Gray shook his head, "There's no rule for that. Reward changes only happen when we meet the client and confirm the mission before starting."
Or if the wizard acting on the mission goes on a spree and damages things, Gray didn't say that part.
Rhodes said, "But this time there were unexpected events. They might give us a bonus or something as a reward."
Gray responded, "You said it yourself, it was unexpected. There won't be any bonus, stop dreaming."
"But it's the Council," Rhodes said, recalling the guild master's never-ending apology letters, "Even if we don't get a reward, at least they should ease up on the guild master sometimes, right?"
Gray thought about himself, then about the other unreliable members, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Well... let's hope so."
Deput and his two subordinates approached, and Rhodes and Gray stopped talking in time.
"Leaving so soon?" Rhodes asked.
"Is your body alright?" Gray added.
"Ah, Wendy's magic is even more incredible than I imagined. She really is the Sky Maiden," Deput said in admiration.
Whether or not he overheard their previous conversation, Deput looked somewhat embarrassed.
"I will always remember the kindness from both of you. And as the deputy of the Third Special Restraint Force, I express the gratitude of our entire team for your assistance.
Moreover, I will request the captain report your contributions faithfully to the Council members. Thank you."
The two soldiers behind him bowed, "Thank you both for your help!"
Rhodes said, "Well, helping the Council eradicate a dark guild is also part of our duty, so there's no need to thank us."
Gray felt uncomfortable, "The Council thanking me? Hahaha... this must be a joke."
When it came to Council missions, the payment wasn't made on-site after completing the task. Instead, they had to wait for Captain to submit the report, and someone would later deliver the reward to the guild.
Considering the Council's efficiency, it would probably arrive in about a week.
However, judging from Deput's current attitude, he might help push things along, which would speed it up.
All in all, the Council's credibility was decent, so they weren't too worried about not getting paid.
Rhodes and Gray stayed at Cait Shelter for another day, fully experiencing the culture of the Nirvit tribe.
Basically, Wendy led them on a tour around the village and to nearby spots for fun.
Wendy would take them to the woods to find some delicious wild fruits, only for Carla to complain that they didn't wash the fruits.
She would also convince Wendy to sneak onto a hill to steal honey, and when Wendy tripped over a tree root as she tried to run away, Rhodes would lift her up and they'd be chased all over the hillside by bees.
Or they'd go to the nearby lake to compete in catching fish. Rhodes chose to Take Over the Scuttle Crab and made the lake his playground, but Gray froze half the lake at once.
After that, Rhodes would break through the ice, fight with Gray, and Wendy would end up winning the fishing contest.
By evening, they would make a fire by the lakeside to roast fish, quarrel with Carla (which counted as teasing the cat), and, somehow, Carla would always end up smiling.
These two days with Rhodes and Gray were the happiest Wendy had been in a long time.
Now she was thinking that maybe the guild master's suggestion was correct. Although everyone in the village was nice, Wendy didn't have a single peer to play around with.
After finishing their roasted fish, they carefully put out the fire and returned to the village.
Magna was waiting at the village entrance: "Wendy, you're back. Pepel seems unwell; can you go check on her?"
"I'll go right away!" Wendy ran toward Bebel's home.
Magna then said, "Rhodes, Gray, the guild master asked me to pass on a message. He has something he'd like to discuss with you."
Something that required sending Wendy away first?
Rhodes and Gray exchanged a look and answered, "We'll head over now."
Carla had a pretty good guess about what it was, hesitated for a moment, but still decided to stay with Wendy.
"Master, you asked for us?" Rhodes and Gray entered the tent and greeted the master.
"Foolishness. I have a question for you two," Roubaul said, speaking while the alcohol dripped from the corners of his mouth as usual. "What do you think of Wendy?"
Why did it sound like a father trying to marry off his daughter?
Rhodes asked, "Why do you ask?"
Roubaul said, "I'm asking if Wendy is qualified to join Fairy Tail."
Gray frowned, "What do you mean? Wendy likes Cait Shelter a lot, doesn't she?"
"Cait Shelter is too small and too remote. A wonderful child like Wendy shouldn't be confined here," Roubaul said.
"Wendy has never been this happy for these past two days. Foolishness. I think perhaps Fairy Tail is where she truly belongs."
"So that's what you're thinking." Gray smiled, "There is one important requirement to join Fairy Tail."
What? Rhodes looked at him in surprise. There was a requirement for the guild? I didn't know that.
Roubaul asked, "Foolishness. What is it? To possess rare magic? To reach your level of skill?"
"No, it's her own will. That is the most important standard. If Wendy says she wants to join Fairy Tail, we'd bring her in no matter what. But if she doesn't want to..."
Gray smiled, "Master, even if you are thinking of Wendy's future, making such a decision on her behalf is unfair to her. Chapters fırst released on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Just from a few days of interaction, we can already tell that Wendy, just like us, considers her guild as her family. You must understand this even better than we do."
Rhodes laughed, "We really are the type of scoundrels who would kidnap people into our guild, provided they were willing."
"Hahaha... Foolishness," Roubaul laughed aloud, "Fairy Tail, indeed, is a wonderful guild."
After laughing, Roubaul turned serious.
"Then, how about making a promise?
If there ever comes a day when Cait Shelter can no longer be sustained, Wendy and Carla... I'll leave them in your hands."