It's Being Used Anyway

Rhode was assigned the task of searching for Wollan's tracks by Erza.

Mira would stay behind. After the truth was revealed, she would be responsible for appeasing the nearby residents, and in the worst-case scenario, guiding civilians to safety.

At Erza's command, the guild members quickly took action, each performing their duties and doing everything they could without holding back.

This was Rhode's first time witnessing the guild operating at such high speed.

This guild, which argued and fought every day, actually had such strong cohesion.

"Answer my call, Shadow Wolf!" Rhode, infected by the atmosphere, summoned six wolves in one go.

In Summoner's Rift, there were two groups of Shadow Wolves, a total of six.

"Erza, their sense of smell is very strong. If there's anything Wollan used, they should find it quickly. If anyone needs to travel fast, I also have Swift Crabs."

Nab said, "I know where Wollan's house is. Follow me with a few of them!"

Mira also said, "There might be something Wollan left behind in the guild. I'll go look for it."

"That's a great help. I thought we wouldn't be able to track by smell without Natsu," Erza said. "Let's do that. We'll split up."

"Okay." Rhode divided one group of Shadow Wolves to follow Nab, and left another group with Mira to search for things in the guild.

"So high, so scary, help!"

Those responsible for the search paused, narrowing their search area to higher ground.

Rhode was worried about Wollan's safety, but also relieved that he could help.

However, this relief vanished completely within a few minutes.

The other companions also put down their worries, and even wanted to beat up Wollan.

Because...

"I'm saved! I finally got off that damned suspension bridge. I'll never go to such a high place for a date again!"

"Oh no! Has my 'Telepathy' always been..."

Wollan's voice abruptly stopped.

However, a chorus of curses erupted both inside and outside the guild.

"Wollan!"

"You bastard, are you playing us?"

"We won't let you off!"

"Is it another Fairy Tail Mage? What are they up to this time?"

"I thought they were quiet for once!"

"Pulling a city-wide prank like this is too much!"

All sorts of voices echoed throughout Magnolia, and the public's outcry on the streets could be heard even within the guild.

Erza covered her forehead with one hand. After she had so majestically directed everyone, it turned out to be like this.

Mira stopped rummaging through things, and a smile returned to her face. "My, my... this has gotten out of hand again."

Rhode's mood was complicated. "So, Wollan was on a date with his girlfriend on a suspension bridge, and because he was scared, his magic went out of control, and the whole city heard his voice?"

Erza nodded. "Ah, that guy seems to have a severe fear of heights."

"..." The situation was so absurd that Rhode found it unbelievable. "Will our guild be torn down by the residents because of something like this?"

"No, no," Mira waved her hand. "This kind of thing isn't uncommon. There's an even more outrageous uncle in the guild. When he returns, the whole city turns upside down."

"But we still need to apologize properly and gain everyone's understanding. I'll go find him now." Erza's eyes sharpened. "Rhode, Swift Crab."

"Ah, here." Rhode summoned a River Crab. "It's similar to riding a horse; use the antennae as reins."

"I understand." Erza jumped onto the crab's back, flicked the 'reins,' and the River Crab carried her rapidly out of the guild hall.

Rhode thought of Erza's terrifying gaze just now. "Won't Wollan be chopped to death by her?"

Mira said, "He probably won't be chopped to death."

So he'll be chopped, but not to death? Rhode realized his common tongue had improved again, as he could easily understand Mira's meaning.

Moreover, after something like this happened, even if he wasn't chopped to death by Erza, wouldn't he be utterly humiliated?

Rhode imagined himself crying and screaming in everyone's minds across the city due to his fear of heights...

It was too embarrassing. How would he ever go out again!

Out of concern, Rhode decided to connect to the River Crab's vision, preparing to check on Wollan's condition.

The River Crab's vision entered his mind. The scenery 'before his eyes' rapidly receded, clearly indicating Erza was driving the River Crab at full speed.

A second later, Rhode voluntarily cut off the vision connection.

The River Crab's perspective was quite wide. He hadn't thought about it before, but if he kept looking... it was a bit impolite.

Good luck, Wollan.

The "Citywide Prank" incident had a rather bad impact.

On the day of the incident, Erza and Mira stepped forward, bringing Wollan to explain and apologize to many citizens. After the Guild Master returned, he even made a personal trip to the city hall.

However, both the mayor and the citizens were very forgiving about the matter.

"It was just shouting in everyone's hearts across the city, not like we smashed the whole city."

According to gossip spread by someone other than Mira, this is what the mayor said when he met the Guild Master.

After the citizens complained for a few days, the incident became a laughing matter.

"Did you know, the Mages of Fairy Tail a few days ago..."

The citizens had more to talk about during their leisure time, and this added a minor blemish to the reputation of the guild that loved to cause trouble.

Even big brother Goodman couldn't help but ask Rhode about what magic that was that day and what kind of person Wollan was.

The matter could be considered resolved for now.

However, after that, Wollan didn't appear at the guild for quite some time.

When he was out of money and had no choice but to take on missions, he would hide in a corner outside the guild and quietly send messages to Mira using 'Telepathy'.

Mira would carefully select missions suitable for Wollan and then find a way to send out the mission request.

Well, this is what Mira told Rhode.

This was because Rhode's Shadow Wolf was responsible for delivering the mission requests.

A few days ago, the "speed" characteristic of the River Crab was used by Erza to catch Wollan.

Now, the Shadow Wolf's characteristics of "excelling at stealth" and "keen sense of smell" were being used to find Wollan and secretly deliver mission requests to him.

"I originally wanted them to help rescue Wollan, but look at this now." Rhode shook his head slightly. Regardless of how they were used, they were being used.

Since significant progress had been made in the phased goal of shortening magic incantations, Rhode recently had more time to browse the Encyclopedia of Magic.

He was selecting magic suitable for his 'minor specialization'.

Of course, to be on the safe side, before starting his training, he still needed to consult the Guild Master to see if there were any dangers.

"Most magic is not dangerous as long as you train step by step and there are no issues with 'compatibility'."

This is what the Guild Master said.

Compatibility is easy to understand; it's roughly the talent suitable for a certain type of magic. It often determines the entry barrier for a magic and its future potential.

As for how to confirm compatibility, generally speaking, magic that can be awakened spontaneously is the most suitable.

For example, Erza mastered magic suddenly during a crisis in her childhood.

For those who cannot awaken it spontaneously, they can only choose magic they are interested in and try to get started quickly.

Rhode had already selected a few targets he was interested in.

The Wollan incident was not depicted in the main story, but it was mentioned in the settings. It's estimated that not many old fans of Fairy Tail would know about it.