"Ghost?" Mira frowned, "Is anyone hurt?"
Erza said, "No one is hurt, they just took advantage of the night to attack the empty guild."
No one being hurt was the best news, but thinking about the possible state of the guild now, a wave of anxiety surged in Rhode's heart.
"Is it because of what I've done before?"
Rhode remembered beating Ghost members twice, once with Mira, once with Erza and Natsu, though they were just from the branch.
Erza said, "The reason is still unclear, we've always been at odds with Ghost, maybe the hostility has accumulated to a breaking point? I think it's not just your problem, don't dwell on it."
Rhode wasn't the only one who had clashed with Ghost; most of them had made Ghost suffer losses, and only a few had suffered themselves.
But those who suffered were usually too embarrassed to talk about it in the guild, so it was hard to judge who had the upper hand in that regard.
"Let's return immediately." Mira asked, "What did the President say?"
Erza replied, "The President said that since no one was injured, there's no need to bother with those who only dare to launch sneak attacks. So don't pay them any mind."
"No way, if we don't react to this kind of thing, they might get bold."
"But the President already said that." Erza was unwilling to let it slide but had no better ideas, "Anyway, you should come back quickly; the guild may need to be completely rebuilt, and there will be a lot of work to do then."
"We'll set off right away..." Rhode checked the time, it was already noon, "We can reach there by tomorrow morning if we travel overnight."
Erza wanted to say it wasn't that urgent; the President mainly wanted them back to handle the guild's reconstruction affairs.
But she knew these two could never be at ease after hearing about the guild, so she just nodded.
Rhode thought for a moment and added, "Try to persuade the President; they attacked the buildings now, but they might target people next. We need to find out what their exact purpose is, and then..."
Rhode didn't know what to do next; the most advantageous approach would be to let the Advisory Council intervene, but the most satisfying would undoubtedly be to fight back.
Given Fairy Tail's style, they'd undoubtedly choose the latter in the end; Rhode felt he just needed to think about how to deal with the Council.
After this fight, either Ghost would be disbanded, or Fairy Tail would be; the 'No Violent Conflict Between Guilds Pact' was no joke, and perhaps the President was considering this too.
Minor disputes in normal times were fine, but such a major incident involving two of Fiore's top guilds going to war... as a Ten Wizard Saint, he probably had to consider the stability of the Magic Realm.
Just damaging buildings didn't seem to cross the threshold.
"I understand." Erza wasn't someone without her own judgment, "Even if the President doesn't say anything, I'll make sure everyone stays vigilant. Well then."
"See you at the guild."
"See you at the guild."
The contact was cut, and the Communication Magic Crystal returned to its normal state, like a regular big glass ball, reflecting the silhouettes of the two people within it.
The two exchanged a glance, holding each other's hand with comfort and encouragement in their eyes.
"Let's go." They said in unison.
Whether it's anger or sadness, it has to wait until they return.
Rhode patted Wendy's head gently, "Sorry, Wendy, Carla, something happened at the guild, we have to head back right away."
Wendy quickly asked, "Do you need our help?"
Mira smiled at her, "Don't worry, we can handle it, we'll visit you again in some time."
Such troublesome matters shouldn't involve the Cat Transformation Inn as well.
The two bid farewell, quickly packed their luggage, and hurriedly set off on the River Crab.
Mira didn't even have time to change her clothes back.
This time they didn't plan to take a car or a boat via the sea; instead, they intended to travel straight back to the guild day and night.
They took the River Crab on flat roads, switched to the Beaked Bird on rough paths, and the Stone Beetle or Shadow Wolf for climbing mountains.
Along the way, Mira and Rhode didn't talk much, but they could feel each other's worry through the sweat in their palms.
The best news is no one is hurt, though the guild being damaged to the point of needing reconstruction...
Ghost shouldn't expect to have a single intact building.
They sped through the landscape, changing mounts several times as the day wore on.
The two barely munched on some bread to replenish their energy, barely tasting it.
Rhode spread a blanket on the River Crab's back, "There's a big plain ahead, you can sleep a bit, we'll arrive tomorrow."
"What about you?"
"I'm not sleepy, plus I need to keep an eye on the road."
Mira thought for a moment, leaned against his chest, closed her eyes, and wrapped his arm around herself like a blanket.
Actually, Mira didn't want to sleep either; she just wanted to take over in the latter half of the night, even if she just dozed.
Rhode's mind was a mess, struggling to recall any information related to Ghost while comparing the strengths of the two guilds.
Dozens of branches plus a main base with a shifting location — it was said to be called the Six-legged Walking Guild, able to move anytime.
The number of people wasn't much of a problem, but technically they seemed inferior.
Their guild leaders were both Ten Wizard Saints, but his own grandfather was ranked higher and had even beaten Joseph.
Ghost's trump cards were the Four Elements and the Iron Dragon Slayer Mage, roughly equivalent to S-Class Mages.
On our side, there's Erza, Mira, Laxus, and Mystogan. While Natsu isn't S-Class, he probably wouldn't lose to any other Dragon Slayer Mages.
It's just that Mystogan had just left, always elusive, and Laxus's personality was somewhat problematic, making it hard to predict his reaction to this incident.
Perhaps he'd taunt first before coming back to help, creating a chance to ease tensions, or maybe he'd charge in anger and challenge all of Ghost himself?
Rhode was willing to believe the President's grandson wasn't a bad person, but he also had to consider worse scenarios. If Laxus ignored it, he had to prepare to deal with an S-Class.
If he estimated based on Mira's fighting strength, no... if they were enemies, there was no need to use the method from his fight with Mira.
Rhode's thoughts were jumbled; instinctively considering the scenario on the assumption that a battle was inevitable.
Upon returning, he planned to amass fighters first, reversing any disadvantage in numbers.
As night deepened, a crescent moon hung in the sky; it was summer, so the River Crab's swift movement was at least a bit cooling.
Rhode took a coat to cover Mira, also applying insect repellent spray on it.
On normal nights, he would have done this as soon as night fell; his mind was still a bit scattered.
Then again, on ordinary nights they wouldn't be rushing through the night for no reason.
Late into the night, Mira rubbed her eyes and sat up, "It's your turn now."
"I feel like you didn't really sleep at all."
Mira replied earnestly, "I did sleep, even if it was pretending. It's your turn now."
"...Alright."
Rhode stopped the River Crab, called another one to switch shifts, then lay in Mira's embrace and signaled the River Crab to move on.
"Get some good sleep, I can handle this." Mira's fingertips lit up with a pink glow; she had made great progress in her Sleep Magic lately.
"No need, just lying down is enough for me." Rhode refused her Sleep Magic and stopped her from covering his eyes with her hand.
That felt like someone closing a dead man's eyes.
A moment later, Mira tapped Rhode's forehead, "No secretly connecting to the Swift Crab's vision; leave the guarding to me."
Too perceptive. Rhode severed the vision connection and tried to let himself fall asleep.
No matter what happens, they'll need to be in good spirits tomorrow.
...
The next morning, as daylight broke, the River Crab rushed into Magnolia, heading straight for the Fairy Tail Guild.
Despite having mentally prepared himself, the sight before him made Rhode's blood boil.
The once neat three-story small building had been pierced by dozens of enormous iron rods, now in ruins.
For a moment, Rhode felt his hand squeezed painfully by Mira, evidently masking her inner turmoil.
Suppressing their anger, they entered the guild's basement, only to find it empty.
"President?"
"Erza?"
"Elfman?"
"Natsu, Gray, Kana?"
No response.