Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master

Meanwhile, as Rhodes and his companions prepared the Moon Drip, the Edolas army had already mobilized in full force. On one hand, they had tightened the security around the floating island that housed the massive magic crystal. On the other hand, Captain Panther Lily of the First Magic War Division personally led a squad tasked with urgently escorting a similarly sized magic crystal back to the royal capital.

This crystal was to be featured in King Faust's public address the following day.

Over the past six years, the Anima Project had suffered repeated failures, and the King's authority was beginning to waver. If the situation continued to deteriorate, even the Council might accuse him of recklessly draining the kingdom's magic resources.

Although King Faust was bold and iron-willed, he clearly understood the power of public opinion.

Alongside the Anima Project, a military expansion initiative had also been underway, officially to prepare for any counterattack from Earth Land. To move forward with this plan, the King needed the people's approval. And to gain their approval, he needed results they could see and believe in.

That's why this magic crystal and tomorrow's speech were so important.

By showcasing a tangible result of the Anima Project and delivering a persuasive address, the King hoped to rally support across the kingdom. A surge of public confidence would justify both the continued extraction of magic from Aslant and the expansion of the military.

Unlike the Exceed, who clung to arrogance and tradition, King Faust envisioned a nation brimming with energy and innovation, a human-led civilization so prosperous that even the Exceed would one day willingly seek peace and cooperation.

Lily believed in this vision. After being cast out of Exceed, he chose to serve the King precisely because he believed in building a world where humans and Exceed could one day live in harmony.

With that hope in his heart, Lily took his mission seriously.

Carrying the heavy burden of escorting the crystal, he remained alert all night. By dawn, his team successfully delivered the magic crystal to the heart of Capital Square.

Once it was unloaded, Lily carefully organized a security ring around it, assigning his most elite troops to guard it from all directions. Then he ascended to the rooftop of a nearby building, ready to intercept any threats from the skies.

"Gihee~ That cat's pretty impressive," Gajeel murmured from the shadows of a narrow alley. Leaning casually against the wall, he watched both the magic crystal and the upright, disciplined figure of Lily with a faint smirk on his face.

"Cat? You sure about that? Most folks would probably mistake him for a leopard."

Standing beside Gajeel was a man who looked nearly identical to him, though his appearance was far more polished. This version of Gajeel wore a crisp suit, a round hat, and a pair of neat glasses, giving him a refined and intellectual air completely unlike the rough-edged Gajeel from Earth Land.

Gajeel smirked. "Since you're basically 'me,' I figure we've got the same taste, right? If you're gonna have a cat, it should be a tough one like that guy."

The Gajeel from Edolas calmly shook his head. "If I'm keeping a pet, I'd rather it be something docile and cute."

"I'm not looking for a pet," the real Gajeel retorted, cracking his knuckles. "I want a partner, like that flame brain Natsu and that featherweight Wendy."

"I have no idea what you're rambling about," the Edolas Gajeel replied dryly. "But the real question is: should we make our move now? There are already dozens of guards here, and more will show up soon."

Gajeel grinned. "Isn't it obvious? The faster we free our people, the sooner we've got backup. Not that we need it. Hey, wait, what are you doing?"

The Edolas version of Gajeel was adjusting his tie. "Helping, of course. Ghee hee."

"Helping yourself doesn't really count," Earth Land's Gajeel muttered.

"Ghee hee~ At least now you don't have to worry about today's headlines."

Despite their differences, the two Gajeels got along surprisingly well. As soon as they decided to move, matching devilish smiles crept across both their faces.

Even though it was still early, the streets and square were already filled with people. Citizens had gathered from all corners of the kingdom, eager to hear King Faust's upcoming speech. Many had arrived overnight just to secure a good spot near the square.

Rumors had been spreading for days, word that the King would declare Edolas had found a source of infinite magic. The crowd buzzed with anticipation, full of hope and speculation.

Naturally, as people tried to press closer to the glowing magic crystal on display, the guards grew more and more anxious. Captain Lily had given strict instructions to ensure its safety, and now the soldiers found themselves not only protecting the crystal, but also trying to control the growing crowd.

After dealing with wave after wave of excited civilians, their guard began to drop ever so slightly.

It was the perfect opening.

Edolas Gajeel, now disguised as a humble reporter, pulled the brim of his hat low and melted into the sea of people.

Meanwhile, Earth Land Gajeel yanked up his hood and slipped into the crowd from the opposite side.

He had no clue what his alternate self was planning, but before long, a commotion broke out where Edolas Gajeel had gone. Shouting, pushing, and confusion spread like wildfire, and several guards were forced to redirect their focus.

"Now's the time!" Gajeel growled.

With a burst of speed, he shoved through the crowd, ignoring the irritated shouts around him. As he emerged near the guards, he roared, "Iron Dragon's Rod!"

His right arm instantly morphed into a gleaming metal rod. With a swift sweep, he slammed it forward, knocking back the nearest soldiers and clearing the path ahead.

Then Gajeel took a deep breath and shouted, "Iron Dragon's Roar!"

A storm of razor-sharp, gray-black iron shards blasted from his mouth, not at the guards, but directly at the massive magic crystal standing tall in the center of the square.

Only then did the guards snap to attention.

"Enemy attack! He's targeting the magic crystal!"

"A monster! That man's arm just turned into an iron rod!"

"Run for your lives!"

Panic rippled through the crowd like wildfire. Civilians who had gathered to witness the King's speech now shoved and scrambled in all directions to escape the chaos.

Some screamed. Others cursed Gajeel, believing he was destroying the kingdom's hope, robbing them of their future and the precious magic power they had waited so long for.

Meanwhile, the alternate Gajeel, still wearing his press disguise, calmly pulled out a small notebook. He began jotting down notes with a thoughtful look, as if capturing the full range of human emotion during the turmoil.

Everyone expected the towering six or seven-story-high magic crystal to shatter under the force of Gajeel's Roar.

But something completely unexpected happened.

The entire crystal vanished in an instant, as if sucked into another dimension, and in its place, two figures appeared in the center of the plaza.

"Only two people?" Gajeel blinked, clearly surprised. But as he got a closer look at their faces, a cold sweat dripped down his temple.

"Figures. It's them," he muttered. "This must be what they mean by intuition."

Sure enough, now standing where the crystal had once been were none other than Mira and Elfman.

Still disoriented from the sudden shift, Mira glanced around and asked, "Where are we?"

"Sis?" Elfman looked equally confused. "How'd we end up here?"

"Oi!" Gajeel called out, tossing a small vial toward Mira. "You probably can't use your magic yet. Drink what's inside, quick."

As he spoke, Gajeel's right arm transformed again, this time into an iron blade. Without hesitation, he swung it to parry two oncoming soldiers, slashing them down in a single sweep while positioning himself between them and the Strauss siblings.

Mira and Elfman tried to summon their magic, but nothing happened.

They realized they were in an unknown place, surrounded by hostile forces and unable to defend themselves. With no choice, they put their trust in Gajeel.

Mira uncorked the vial, gave one of the pills to Elfman, and took the other for herself.

"Gajeel? What's going on?" she asked while swallowing the medicine.

Gajeel kept his eyes on the encroaching enemies, not even glancing back as he explained, "It's a long story. In short, everyone in Magnolia, including you, was turned into magic crystals. These guys plan to extract our magic power. If they succeed, we're all dead."

Crunch!

Mira bit into the pill, swallowed it, and processed Gajeel's words.

"You said... everyone? What about Rhodes? He was right next to us."

"If he was there with you at the time, then yeah, he was crystallized too," Gajeel said grimly. "Today's the third day. I heard you two were just extracted from a larger crystal."

He hesitated a moment, then added, "Thing is... yesterday they cut out another piece of the big crystal, and no one knows why. If Rhodes was part of that piece..."

Whoosh—!

A wave of intense magic power burst through the air.

Gajeel froze. A sudden chill crawled up his spine.