Ultear asked, "You've already decided to participate in the Grand Magic Games, haven't you?"
"Yes," Rhodes nodded.
A few days earlier, the guild master of Lamia Scale, had accepted an interview with a reporter. She boldly claimed that this year she would be sending Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints, along with Lyon, who had become extremely famous lately, to compete.
The old woman even declared that Jura, the Fifth of the Ten Wizard Saints, would definitely defeat Rhodes, the Sixth Saint, and take the championship.
Jura himself didn't dare guarantee victory, but Ooba was brimming with confidence.
Perhaps she simply thought Rhodes was still too young.
No matter how the world interpreted her declaration, one thing was certain: This year's Grand Magic Games were going to be massive.
It had been years since a Wizard Saint joined the Games,
and now two were participating at the same time.
Countless mages across the Kingdom of Fiore were waiting eagerly, and even foreign nations were showing intense interest.
Most notably, the Kingdom of Joya had immediately sent envoys to negotiate the rights for a live broadcast.
It was said that their king actually wanted to visit personally to witness the battles, but his ministers talked him out of it, forcing him to settle for watching through a lacrima crystal.
Naturally, with all this attention, news of Fairy Tail's participation was no secret.
Rhodes asked casually, "Don't tell me you plan to participate? I can't help you with that."
"Of course not." Ultear laughed softly. "There's no way we'll ever be recognized as an official guild."
Raven Tail had managed it by paying a little money and because they had no unforgivable crimes on their record.
But Crime Sorcière, fugitives with stained pasts, could never hope for something so simple.
Meredy gently added, as if comforting Ultear, "This way suits us better anyway."
They had long since made peace with the lives they chose.
Rhodes asked, "Then what did you come for?"
Ultear's expression turned serious. "We received information that every year during the Grand Magic Games, an unusual magical power appears."
"That magic feels very sinister… and faintly carries Zeref's aura. We want to investigate."
Rhodes frowned. "What do you mean 'received information'? The last six years, you two were sealed on Tenrou Island with us. And the rest of your guild has been in prison this whole time."
"With all of you combined, not a single person has actually seen the Grand Magic Games recently. So where exactly did you sense Zeref's aura?"
Ultear stuttered, "T-This… is a difficult source to explain."
"'Difficult to explain'? Don't tell me you..."
Rhodes gave her a meaningful look. He had to admit, her looks, figure, and aura were flawless from any angle.
Ultear's eyes narrowed, offended. Meredy instantly stepped in front of her, snapping, "What are you thinking?!"
"Sorry." Rhodes cleared his throat, growing serious. "I met with Loke earlier this morning. My imagination got contaminated."
"What kind of excuse is that?" Meredy said, completely baffled.
"I get it," Ultear sighed. She had heard of Loke's reputation back when she worked in the Council, and instantly understood.
"Hmm?" Rhodes suddenly turned toward the forest where the two had been hiding earlier. A surge of powerful magic flooded out.
He swept it with Void Vison, and immediately recognized the presence.
"Second Master… Precht?" Rhodes said, stunned.
Ultear and Meredy didn't react with surprise. Instead, both wore matching expressions that clearly said:
"We messed up."
"Hahaha!" Precht stepped out of the woods with a booming laugh. "I told them to find someone else. With this boy's personality, he wouldn't stop bothering them until he got a straight answer."
The last time Rhodes had seen him was at the wedding. Precht had gifted him a magic tome back then, one Rhodes had benefited from immensely.
So even now, meeting again felt oddly familiar.
Rhodes asked, "Since you're already here, why hide?"
And he had even slipped past Rhodes's earlier Void Vision. The Second Master still had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.
Precht shrugged. "These two were worried that showing up with me would make it look like we came to fight you, so they insisted on approaching you alone."
Rhodes raised a brow. "Then what was that part about telling them to 'find someone else'?"
Precht chuckled. "With the identities of their guild members, wouldn't it be easier to talk to that kid who uses Modeling Magic, or the one who uses Transformation Magic, or even the Star Spirit Mage girl? All of them are easier to deal with than you."
Rhodes nodded. He had full confidence in his guildmates, those three weren't just easy to talk to, they were easy to trick.
Ultear sighed. "But for something like an investigation, Mr. Rhodes is more dependable."
"Thanks for the compliment," Rhodes smiled before turning back to Precht. "So the one who discovered the anomaly at the Grand Magic Games… was you, Second Master?"
Precht waved a hand dismissively. "I just heard that some of my former subordinates were stirring up interesting trouble. I merely handed them a bit of information."
Ultear and Meredy both wore matching helpless expressions, very similar to Natsu whenever Makarov scolded him.
Rhodes glanced at the two women, then at Precht, a strong sense of déjà vu washing over him.
These three really did have the same dynamic as a dad scolding his wayward children.
As for the truth in Precht's words, Rhodes had indeed heard about the Second Master's actions after Tenrou Island disappeared.
It seemed Precht had spent years quietly managing the "re-employment" of former Grimoire Heart members after the guild dissolved.
Those who chose to live in seclusion, Rhodes didn't bother with.Those who joined legal guilds under new identities, also fine.
But those who continued mixing with Dark Guilds, including the two ridiculous so-called "chickens and dogs", were always captured by a mysterious figure and dumped at the Council's doorstep.
Both Makarov and Rhodes had agreed: Only Precht would do something like that.
And now that Ultear and Meredy had escaped prison, formed Crime Sorcière, and dedicated themselves to hunting Dark Mages, they had undoubtedly caught Precht's attention.
It looked like he'd only approached them recently.
Come to think of it…The Council had spent years failing to locate any of these people, not even a trace, yet Precht could find them effortlessly whenever he wanted.
Rhodes sighed inwardly. 'Fine… maybe people with underworld experience know special channels. Let's just assume that. The Council can't be that incompetent… right?'
Precht, meanwhile, had already begun recounting his story.
Back on Tenrou Island, because he had left early and chosen his path wisely, he encountered neither Zeref nor the Black Dragon. He safely returned to a hidden base he'd once established in a small country.
But only days after Grimoire Heart disbanded, he received shocking news:
Fairy Tail and Tenrou Island had vanished together.
Horrified, he tried searching countless times.
But Fairy Sphere was simply too powerful, blocking all perception, detection, and scrying. Just like everyone else, Precht found nothing.
Of course he was devastated.
He later clashed with Warrod in the desert, and the two of them ended up lying in a sandpit, battered from head to toe, talking for hours until they were nearly buried alive before finally dragging themselves out.
Most people would never believe that:
One of the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar, and Hades, the leader of one of the three great powers of the Balam Alliance, nearly suffocated to death in the sand.
...
Stones PLzz
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