Wollan's Distress Signal

The news that Erza was working as a waitress at a dessert shop spread like wildfire through the guild.

This explosive piece of news caused a significant drop in the tavern's customer traffic.

Most of the guys who frequented the guild chose to go and join the excitement, wanting to see what Erza looked like as a waitress.

Most of the girls… did too.

As for who spread the news… Rhode was the first to be ruled out.

"You did this again, didn't you?"

"I only told Marcus."

"...Which is basically the same as telling the entire guild."

"I didn't expect everyone to be so eager for Erza's service," Mira said with a smile. "Don't you want to experience it, Rhode?"

"Save me," Rhode replied. "She almost strangled me with bandages when she dressed up as a nurse. If she dresses up as a waitress...

Will she smash a customer's head with a tray? Or step on customers?"

Mira waved her hand. "She wouldn't go that far, no matter what."

"I hope everyone stays safe," Rhode prayed for his companions for a second, then took advantage of the quiet period to go train.

In a corner of the guild's backyard, several training dummies and wooden posts were set up, along with a frame for hanging sandbags, all for practicing punches and kicks.

All the wooden parts were provided courtesy of Laki's Wood Shape magic.

The payment was a simple diagram of a 'Blood Droplet' drawn by Rhode.

This thing, in martial arts novels, would be considered a weapon or a hidden projectile, but because its appearance was so fierce and resembled an instrument of torture, Laki liked it.

She said she had already taken it to have someone revise the design in detail and was preparing to start manufacturing it.

Rhode was the one who used the training equipment most of the time, but his other companions were occasionally inspired by his diligence and would go practice when they had free time.

This was especially true for Jet, Troy, and others who had been defeated.

Rhode had originally asked Laki to make two wooden dummies, but Natsu, finding Rhode's hitting interesting, insisted on trying them out.

As a result, only the posts remained of the wooden dummies.

It didn't matter that they were broken; it was actually better because he could hit them however he wanted.

Thudding sounds echoed from the backyard as Rhode became increasingly adept at coordinating his magic with his physical attacks.

"Respond to my call, Crimson Beakbird!"

A crimson magic circle flashed, and six strange birds appeared in the guild's backyard – one large and five small.

"Chirp~" The largest bird tilted its head and let out a somewhat hoarse cry.

Crimson Beakbirds and Beakbirds, commonly known as Six Birds or F6.

They weren't particularly powerful wild monsters in games, but when translated to reality, their sharp beaks possessed considerable piercing power.

In addition, they had a ranged attack method – shooting feathers like throwing knives.

The small ones could only shoot them one by one, while the large ones could shoot them in batches.

Moreover, after shooting their feathers, they could grow them back in a relatively short time. Rhode understood this as a skill cooldown and gave this move the name 'Feather Barrage'.

The only drawback was that they couldn't fly very high. The Beakbirds' wings were a bit small, and their flying ability was probably only slightly better than that of a wild chicken.

The good news was that the large one could carry Rhode for gliding or low-altitude flight. Additionally, thanks to their sturdy legs, their running ability was quite good.

"Success!" Rhode clenched his fist, a surge of joy filling his heart.

It wasn't because he had obtained the Six Birds, but because he had successfully shortened the incantation.

He had streamlined the lengthy incantation to just half a sentence plus a name, which was enough to handle unexpected situations.

He believed that with a little more time, Rhode would reach his goal of being able to activate it by just shouting a name.

He felt the magic consumption for summoning the Six Birds, which was about the equivalent of a little over three River Crabs. It was acceptable.

Rhode directed the Beakbirds to perform some simple movements, then summoned the Three Wolves and attempted to have them cooperate and charge in interspersed formations.

Afterward, he summoned the Stone Beetles, trying to see if he could form an offensive and defensive formation.

After practicing for a while, until his magic consumption was at a level that wouldn't affect his normal actions, Rhode returned to the tavern.

The incident of everyone watching Erza a week ago had passed safely, and fortunately, there were no casualties.

However, the news of the dark guild Scorpion's Tail being wiped out had made it onto the Mage Weekly.

The Council, with great integrity, openly admitted that it was all Erza's doing and made no attempt to claim credit.

Although they were slightly displeased with Erza's unauthorized actions, they did not spare praise for her abilities.

"As expected of Erza," was the evaluation of most of her companions.

"That woman is getting scarily strong," was Gray's thought, and he even instinctively checked if he was wearing clothes.

"Scorpion's Tail... wasn't that a legitimate guild?" Nab's question silenced the area nearby.

It seems so. Erza attacked a legitimate guild? No, no, the Council is involved, that's impossible.

Marcus happily explained to everyone, "Scorpion's Tail was only recently classified as a dark guild.

They've been secretly helping major merchants suppress their competitors through kidnapping and coercion to make money. They were exposed not long ago."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but their uneasy hearts immediately tensed up again.

"Help me!"

Everyone in the guild, including Rhode, heard the voice.

"So scary! Someone save me!"

The same voice rang out again.

Rhode suddenly realized the voice wasn't coming from outside, but directly from his mind.

Before he could ask, Mira said seriously, "Wollan, that's Wollan's 'Telepathy' magic. He can transmit his thoughts directly to others from a distance."

Rhode wasn't familiar with Wollan, only remembering that the man had a peculiar side-swept fringe and preferred to go solo.

The others had also 'heard' it: "It's Wollan's voice!"

"He's calling for help! Is he in danger?"

"But didn't he have a date with his girlfriend today?" This was information Marcus had gotten when he spoke to Wollan yesterday.

"Where are you, Wollan!" Gray shot up, shouting, trying to communicate with Wollan.

Others either shouted or mentally asked for Wollan's location, but no one received a response.

Wollan just kept repeating words like 'scary,' 'terrifying,' and 'help me.'

Loki burst through the guild doors from outside and ran in, asking, "Does anyone know what's happening? Everyone on the street can hear Wollan's cries for help now! It's going to cause panic!"

"He's broadcasting his pleas for help indiscriminately!" Erza couldn't sit still either. "The Master is not here right now, so I'll be in command temporarily! Everyone, prepare for battle!"

Erza quickly assigned tasks. Some people immediately set out to maintain order and protect residents; others were responsible for searching for Wollan's location and preparing for a rescue.

Normally, when a Mage goes out, they are responsible for all their actions and the risks associated with them.

Helping them without their consent could be seen as looking down on them and hurting their pride.

However, if they themselves call for help due to encountering a crisis, then as comrades, they will rescue them no matter what.

At least, that's how Fairy Tail operates.