The news of Erza working as a waitress at the dessert shop spread quickly throughout the guild.
Such sensational news directly led to a significant drop in foot traffic at the tavern.
Most of the guys who usually hung around the guild decided to check it out, wanting to see what Erza looked like as a waitress.
Most of the girls... did too.
The person who spread this news... was definitely not Rhodes.
"Was it you again?" Mira asked.
"I only told Max," Rhodes replied.
"Which is the same as telling the entire guild."
"I didn't expect everyone to be so interested in being served by Erza." Mira chuckled, "Don't you want to experience it too, Rhodes?"
"Spare me," Rhodes said. "The last time she dressed as a nurse, she almost strangled me with bandages. As a waitress..
Will she smash customers' heads with the tray? Or maybe step on them?"
Mira waved her hand. "She wouldn't go that far."
"I hope no one gets hurt." Rhodes offered a silent prayer for his guildmates, then took advantage of the quietness to train.
In a corner of the guild's backyard were some dummies, wooden stakes, and a frame with hanging sandbags for practicing punches and kicks.
All parts involving wood were kindly provided by Laki's wood-shaping magic.
The payment was a simple diagram of a "Flying Guillotine" that Rhodes drew.
It was a weapon or concealed tool from wuxia novels, but because of its grim, guillotine-like design, Laki liked it.
She said she had already taken it to someone to have the design modified in detail and was preparing to have it made.
Most of the time, Rhodes was the one using the training equipment, but occasionally his diligence would inspire his companions, and they'd drop by to train.
Especially Jet, Troy, and others who'd been defeated by him.
Originally, Rhodes had asked Laki to make two wooden dummies, but when Natsu saw Rhodes practicing with them, he insisted on giving it a try.
Now, all that was left of the dummies were the stakes.
It didn't matter if they broke—at least they could punch without restraint.
The sound of thudding echoed from the backyard, as Rhodes became increasingly proficient in coordinating his magic with his physical attacks.
"Answer my call, Raptors!"
A crimson magic circle flashed, and in the guild's backyard appeared one large and five smaller strange birds.
"Chiu~" The largest bird tilted its head back and let out a slightly raspy cry.
Crimson Raptors, commonly referred to as Raptors.
In the game, they weren't considered strong monsters, but when translated to reality, their sharp beaks had considerable piercing power.
In addition, they had a ranged attack—the ability to shoot their feathers like knives.
The smaller ones could shoot a feather at a time, while the larger one could launch a barrage.
Moreover, it didn't take long for the feathers to grow back after being shot. Rhodes saw this as their skill cooldown and gave the move the name "Feather Rain.
If there was a downside, it was that they couldn't fly very high.
The good news was that the largest one could carry Rhodes while gliding or flying at a low altitude, and thanks to their strong legs, they could run quite well too.
"Success!" Rhodes clenched his fist, feeling a burst of joy.
It wasn't just about acquiring the Raptors, but also because he had successfully shortened the incantation.
The lengthy spell had been reduced to just half a phrase plus a name, enough for emergency situations.
He believed that with more time, he could achieve his goal of summoning with just a name.
Rhodes felt the magic consumption of summoning the Six Raptors—it was a bit more than summoning three Scuttle Crabs, which was manageable.
He commanded the Raptors to perform some simple maneuvers, then summoned the Three Wolves, trying to have them work together, advancing and breaking through.
Afterward, he summoned the Krugs, experimenting with whether he could form a well-rounded attack and defense formation.
After a thorough practice session, reducing his magic energy to a level that wouldn't hinder normal activities, Rhodes finally returned to the tavern.
The event from a week ago, when everyone rushed to see Erza, had already passed peacefully, and fortunately, there were no casualties.
Meanwhile, the news about the dark guild Scorpion's Tail being eradicated made it into the Sorcerer's Weekly.
The Council was quite dignified; they openly acknowledged that the credit belonged solely to Erza, without trying to claim any glory.
Although they were slightly displeased with Erza for acting on her own, they were not stingy in praising her abilities.
"Truly, it's Erza." That was the evaluation from most of her companions.
"That gal's power is becoming scarier and scarier," Gray remarked, even taking the initiative to check whether he was wearing clothes.
"Scorpion's Tail... isn't that a legal guild?" Nab's question made everyone around him fall silent.
It seemed to be true—did Erza act against a legal guild? No, no, it had the Council's involvement, so that couldn't be it.
Max was more than happy to explain to everyone: "Scorpion's Tail was only recently classified as a dark guild.
They were secretly working for some wealthy merchants, using kidnapping and coercion to suppress competition. It only got exposed recently."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief, but soon their concern returned.
Everyone in the guild, including Rhodes, heard a voice .
"It's terrifying! Somebody save me!"
The same voice sounded once more.
Rhodes suddenly realized that this voice wasn't coming from outside—it was ringing directly in his head.
Before he could ask, Mira said seriously, "It's Warren's 'Telepathy magic'. It allows him to transmit his thoughts to others over a distance."
Rhodes wasn't familiar with Warren, only remembering the guy with a unique side-swept fringe who preferred keeping to himself.
Others had already "recognized" it as well. "That's Warren's voice!"
"He's asking for help! Is he in danger?"
"But wasn't he on a date with his girlfriend today?" This was information Max had learned from talking to Warren yesterday.
"Where are you, Warren?" Gray jumped up, yelling as he tried to communicate with Warren.
Some people shouted, while others asked Warren's whereabouts in their minds, but none of them received a response.
Warren only kept repeating words like "scary," "terrifying," and "help."
With a bang, Loke pushed open the guild's front door from outside, rushing in to ask,
"Does anyone know what's happening? Everyone out on the street heard Warren's cries for help—it's causing a panic!"
"So it's a non-discriminatory call for help!" Erza couldn't sit still any longer. "The master isn't here now, so I'll take command! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Erza quickly assigned tasks—some people set off immediately to maintain order and protect the residents, while others were in charge of searching for Warren and preparing for a rescue.
Generally speaking, when a mage went out, all their actions and the risks involved were their own responsibility.
If others offered unsolicited help, it could be seen as an insult to the person's abilities, hurting their pride. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦•𝘯𝘦𝘵
But, if that person called for help during a crisis, then as companions, they would go all out to save them.
At least, that's how Fairy Tail did it.