The man approaching had black hair tied up in a headscarf, his cheeks flushed from drink. His upper body was bare except for a single purple shoulder guard and matching arm bracer, revealing his sculpted chest and abs. A wine gourd dangled from his waist, and he wore loose capri pants and light cloth shoes.
There was no mistaking him, Bacchus Groh, the S-Class Mage of Quatro Cerberus, better known as the Drunk Falcon.
Two others followed him. One was Rocker, the split-haired blond boy Rhodes had met before, and the other was a bulky man with a clown-painted face and a body shaped almost like a barrel.
Rhodes gave them a once-over. "Funny, I was about to ask the same thing, why is it you again?"
Bacchus uncorked his gourd, took a deep drink, and laughed. "Because the Master said we've got to beat Fairy Tail and haul that three-headed mutt back to guard the gate. Hah! He sure knows how to pile on the work."
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "That's not what I heard. Weren't we told this was a friendly exchange?"
His own Master had hinted at wanting to win, of course, but not so blatantly. Typical guild rivalries, they could turn even a "friendly" match into a brawl.
Bacchus snorted. "Who wants to exchange with a bunch of guys? Now, if it were Erza, I'd reconsider."
'Sure you would,' Rhodes thought. 'Last I heard, Erza said you never meet without trading blows.'
"Brother Rhodes, we found them!" Wendy ran up, Carla perched neatly on her shoulder. Her gaze darted between Bacchus and the others. "Um… who are they?"
Lucy appeared just behind her. "What's going on? Who are these people?"
Before Rhodes could answer, Bacchus leaned in, eyeing the group. "Why does your guild have so many cute girls?"
He glanced from his own scruffy teammates to Rhodes's companions, sighed dramatically, and muttered, "Our Master should really recruit more beauties…"
Rhodes waved a hand through the alcoholic haze. "This is Bacchus Groh. He used to be a mage on Erza's level. Not sure if that's still true."
Lucy's eyes widened. "Wait, Bacchus the Drunk Falcon? The ace of Cerberus? He's been in Sorcerer Weekly!"
Wendy blinked in surprise, and even Carla looked faintly impressed, though she quickly hid it behind a skeptical squint.
Rhodes asked calmly, "So, what's your plan for this mission?"
Bacchus grinned. "Same as last time. Either we work separately and see who finishes first, or we settle it here and now. Loser walks home."
"Brother Bacchus," the round man whispered nervously, "that's a Ten Wizard Saint."
Bacchus waved him off with a hiccup. "So what? our guild doesn't raise cowards who faint at big titles!"
He raised his gourd and roared, "WILD!"
His two subordinates joined in immediately:
"FOUR!"
"WILD!"
"FOUR!"
Carla flattened her ears. "Are they always like this?"
Lucy leaned back. "What's with the shouting?"
Wendy whispered, "Maybe it's their battle chant…"
Satisfied with his team's enthusiasm, Bacchus turned back to Rhodes. "So, how about it? Care for a fight?"
Rhodes glanced around the crowded street and shook his head. "No thanks. Wrong place, wrong time. We've got something urgent to handle. Let's just work separately and compare results later."
Bacchus blinked, then frowned. "Hold on, you mean you picked up another mission on top of this one?"
"Just bringing some new people along," Rhodes said evenly. "We already ran into a Hellhound once on the way here. That thing uses fire and earth magic, and possibly spatial magic too. Its saliva is most likely poisonous, so be careful."
He spoke openly, even sharing the location where he had encountered the three-headed beast.
Rocker and Semmes nearly pulled out notebooks to take notes, but Bacchus glared daggers at him.
Rhodes raised his hands in mock surrender. "Don't look at me like that. I'm a rival, not an enemy. We're on the same mission; it's only fair to share what we know."
Semmes couldn't help showing an expression of admiration.
'Is this the magnanimity of a Ten Wizard Saint?'
Rocker, however, found it hard to believe.
Back then, he had been Brother Bacchus's junior, while Rhodes had been Erza's. Their strength had been somewhat comparable, Rhodes had been stronger, sure, but not this much stronger.
Now the difference between them felt like a canyon. In strength, in presence, even in the calm way Rhodes carried himself, Rocker could barely compare.
Bacchus swayed slightly as he turned away, waving for his teammates to follow. "When you lose, don't regret being so generous."
Rhodes only smiled and shook his head. If the "children" of his old master's friend ended up in danger because he'd kept quiet, that was what he'd regret.
He waved to his team. "Let's go."
His companions, however, seemed more fired up than ever.
"This time concerns your reputation, Mr. Rhodes, we'll definitely win!" Lucy declared, eyes sparkling.
"I don't want to lose to someone like that either," Carla said firmly. "I'll share all my predictions with you."
"I'll hurry up and recover!" Wendy said, then hesitated. "No, what if I go ahead to Phantom Wing first?"
Rhodes sighed softly. "It's good to be motivated. But don't overdo it. We searched so carefully and still found nothing. It's unlikely they'll make quick progress either. We'll handle this step by step."
He wasn't worried. He still had eyes, his network of summoned familiars, spread throughout the area.
The two girls and Carla all nodded together, though their determination only burned brighter.
Wendy didn't want to hold the team back. Carla didn't want Wendy to blame herself. And Lucy...Lucy had already started planning her next move.
If opening two Celestial Gates at once hadn't impressed Mr. Rhodes, then next time, she'd go all out, her ultimate move.
Even if it meant using it on the Hellhound… or on that Bacchus.
Later that day, they arrived at the Phantom Wing Guild.
"Mr. Rhodes!"
The receptionist, a dignified woman in her forties, immediately froze when she saw him.
She was the guild master's wife, and she looked like she'd just seen a ghost. Her face went pale, then red, then pale again.
She had heard about the mission being transferred to Fairy Tail, but she hadn't expected an actual Ten Wizard Saint to come personally.She'd always dreamed of meeting one… just not like this.
'Could he have come to shut us down?' she thought in horror. 'Maybe he's here because we failed the mission… oh no, the guild might get disbanded!'
Her panic was so visible that Rhodes felt a twitch forming in his temple.
Keeping his composure, he asked plainly, "Excuse me, are Miss Phil and Mr. Doru here?"
Her eyes widened further. 'He really came for that mission!'
The receptionist stammered, "I'm sorry, both of them are still hospitalized."
Rhodes turned to Wendy. "Let's head to the hospital."
Just as he was about to ask which ward they were in, the receptionist suddenly blurted out, voice trembling with guilt:
"P-please don't blame them for the mission! It was our fault for not realizing the danger. They went without authorization, my husband and I take full responsibility! If you want to blame anyone..."
Rhodes blinked. "Huh?"