Refusal was only natural.
Aside from being examined once by the Master and toyed with by Mira, Rhodes's pendant had never been handled by anyone else.
It was tied to his very life, how could he allow anyone to touch it so casually?
Bryliens looked genuinely regretful after being turned down but quickly redirected his enthusiasm, this time toward Guild Master Makarov's staff.
"Guild Master Makarov, could your staff..."
"Take it." Makarov tossed it over without a second thought.
Bryliens studied it intently for several seconds, as though no one else were present, before returning it with visible disappointment.
It was merely an ordinary staff; though a small magic crystal was set at the tip, its only real use was as a flashlight.
In truth, Makarov carried it more as decoration. The only other purpose it ever served was probably for bonking Natsu on the head.
Unwilling to give up, Bryliens's eyes wandered to Jura, who carried nothing, then paused on Wolfheim's glasses.
"Wolf..."
Wolfheim groaned. "I told you last time, they're just a bit sturdier than normal glasses!"
"But this pair looks different from the last."
"I just changed the color! Are you a child?!"
'He really is a research maniac,' Rhodes thought as he watched them bicker.
Those two must have met before; Wolfheim had mentioned once that he'd wanted to "test" Bryliens's skills, and it seemed he'd found them acceptable.
Hyberion, seeing the conversation going nowhere, quickly stepped in. "Alright, let's go inside and sit down first. We can talk slowly once we're settled."
The group began filing toward the meeting room. Bryliens trailed behind, glancing back every few steps like he'd left something important outside.
Hyberion humored him, saying, "If you're curious about that small flying-ship design we passed earlier, it was brought by Mr. Jura. You can discuss it with him later."
Even so, when everyone sat down, Bryliens still looked restless.
Moments later, a waiter hurried in, looking anxious.
"Lord Hyberion, our food cart has been stopped by a strange gentleman. He's… trying to unload all the dishes."
"That idiot!" Wolfheim roared, leaping up and storming out. Within seconds, he returned, dragging Bryliens back inside with a beast-arm large enough to crush a table.
'He's definitely not normal either,' Rhodes sighed, feeling somewhat out of place among this collection of eccentrics.
Wolfheim dumped Bryliens onto a chair and growled, "There. Now hurry up and discuss the important matters so he can go tinker with whatever he wants!"
"Alright, alright." Hyberion motioned for the waiter to continue serving food; what came next wasn't confidential anyway.
"Let's begin with the first matter," he said. "This meeting is partly for introductions and also to reaffirm one thing:
Although the title of the Ten Wizard Saints began as a Council designation, bearing this name carries a responsibility, to uphold the stability and prosperity of the Magic World.
Each of you was chosen for your remarkable past achievements, and I hope you will continue to live up to that title in the future."
Everyone nodded in agreement. There was no objection; Hyberion's reminder was mostly aimed at the "newcomer," Bryliens.
"Next," Hyberion continued, "is the matter of Rhodes's ranking. Considering the bandit crisis recently resolved in the Joya Kingdom, the Council proposes to advance Mr. Rhodes by one position. What are your opinions?"
"Moving up one spot?" Rhodes looked puzzled. "Wouldn't that just swap places with our Guild Master? There's no need for that. The current order is fine."
There was no benefit to a higher rank, and pushing the old man down a notch just didn't feel right. Rhodes had never cared for such titles.
Makarov, however, beamed and tapped him lightly on the head with his staff.
"What do you mean, 'no need'? I say there's plenty of need! I agree, let's do it!"
Jura chuckled. "Since Guild Master Makarov says so, I have no objections either."
"How can you treat it so casually?" Wolfheim barked, clearly dissatisfied with Rhodes's indifference. "Rank reflects contribution. If your record justifies it, you should be promoted!
If you resolve two more incidents of that scale, I'll gladly hand over my own position to you, and have no complaints!"
"Lord Wolfheim speaks with reason," Bryliens said immediately, raising his hand in agreement.
"Then that's how it'll be!" Makarov declared cheerfully. "Rhodes moves up one spot, I move back one spot. From now on, I'll be the, uh…" He tilted his head. "Wait, which number was it again?"
He honestly couldn't remember, nor did he particularly care.
"Seventh," Wolfheim said with a long-suffering sigh.
'What is wrong with this guild?' he thought, rubbing his temples. 'Every single one of them is completely undisciplined.'
With everyone voting in favor, Rhodes's opinion became irrelevant.
Hyberion officially announced, "Then, effective today, Mr. Rhodes is promoted to sixth among the Ten Wizard Saints, and Mr. Makarov becomes seventh."
Jura applauded politely.
Rhodes forced a wry smile.
'Great. Just what I needed, one more reason for the Guild Master to retire early. And this one's going to be hard to talk my way out of.'
"Ah, that reminds me!" Bryliens suddenly exclaimed, turning to Rhodes. "My guild's Jenny, thank you so much for saving her last time! We're all very grateful!"
Jenny,, right. That reckless little girl who'd trailed after Raven Tail, been captured, and turned into a magic crystal.
Ivan and his cronies had even used her to deceive him, pretending the crystal contained Lucy, trying to take him hostage.
Rhodes remembered her vividly, the small girl wielding a staff far too big for her, topped with a ridiculous oversized lollipop.
Now that he thought about it, that staff had probably been Bryliens's handiwork too. Considering it had once managed to trap Gajeel off guard, it was clearly no ordinary tool.
Rhodes nodded slightly. "Don't mention it. It was just a coincidenc, and I already knew her beforehand."
Bryliens pressed his palms together earnestly. "Even so, you saved that reckless child's life, and I..." He paused, glancing around. "Wait, did I just go off topic?"
No one answered. Jura and Wolfheim remained silent. Makarov, meanwhile, continued eating without even looking up. They'd long since grown used to this absent-minded inventor drifting off into tangents.
"It's fine," Hyberion said good-naturedly. "It's not as if this is a particularly formal meeting."
He cleared his throat and straightened his notes. "Now then, let's move on to the next topic."
He hesitated briefly before continuing, "the independent guild Crime Sorcière.
"They abducted Jellal Fernandes and five members of the former Oración Seis two months ago, and have since become a formidable group.
"Recently, the Council's efforts to capture them had begun to relax, and almost immediately, their activities surged again.
"Several Dark Guilds have been quietly eliminated by them, and a few days ago, a Celestial Spirit Mage reported being rescued by them.
"I've already spoken privately with Mr. Rhodes on this matter," Hyberion added, turning his gaze to the others. "Now, I'd like to hear everyone else's opinions."
...
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