Rhodes and Mira claimed they wanted to take a short break and asked the coachman to wait for a while. It wasn't an unreasonable request, and the coachman didn't refuse, moving the horses into the shade to rest.
Rhodes then took Mira a bit further away.
From the coachman's angle, he could only see Rhodes' back, with Mira's figure blocked.
The coachman lit a cigarette and shook his head slightly, "Young people these days..."
In reality, the two were just having an ordinary discussion.
"I checked the rearward Swift Crab's vision, and currently, there are no other carriages or horses on this road, which means their target is very likely us."
Mira furrowed her brow, "But why? Can you confirm their identities?"
"I don't recognize them... The guy with the staff has a 'Phantom' emblem on the back of his neck." Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "The Swift Crab got spotted, and they seem a bit cautious, but they let it pass without much concern."
"'Phantom'? As in 'Phantom Lord'?"
Mira knew that Phantom Lord had some bad blood with Fairy Tail, and their mages occasionally had minor conflicts when they crossed paths.
Rhodes nodded, "Yep, the one that, like us, is considered one of the strongest guilds in Fiore."
He remembered Phantom Lord's Guild Master and the key members, and these two clearly weren't among them.
Rhodes thought for a moment, "I've got three plans right now; help me think this through."
For someone in our guild to face a situation without rushing in headfirst but instead propose solutions first—let alone three at once—the Guild Master would be so proud!
Just to be sure, Mira asked, "The three plans don't include just rushing over and throwing Explosive Magic Crystals at them, right?"
"How could I be so violent? Seeing a wizard standing in the middle of the road and blowing them up or something, even a dark guild wouldn't do that."
Jenny might have something to say about that.
"The first plan is the easiest. Since we know their location, we can just go around them," Rhodes said. "That way, we avoid any possible conflict altogether, with no risk. The downside is we don't learn their objective, and if we avoid them this time, they could come back again."
Mira nodded, "And if they aren't targeting us specifically but rather our guild, our companions might be in danger later on."
"The second plan is to keep moving forward, and as soon as they make a move, we fight back. That way, they're the ones starting the conflict, and the Magic Council will deal with them.
"But since we don't know what their magic is or their strength, there's a chance we could mess up, and it might even affect the coachman.
"I don't recommend this approach."
If Erza or Natsu were here, they'd probably pick this one—if you're in the right, just fight it out.
Mira agreed that neither she nor Rhodes was suitable for that kind of impulsiveness, given the amount of Explosive Magic Crystals they carried; it could easily turn deadly.
"So, the last plan must be the safest?"
Rhodes nodded, "Yep. The third plan is for us to rest here. I'll send out a bunch of summoned creatures to see if we can deal with them.
"Then we'll interrogate them to learn their intentions. If it doesn't work out, we can always circle back and ask the Guild Master to handle them."
As long as it's not Phantom Lord's key members, dealing with them definitely wouldn't require the Guild Master himself.
Mira felt that Rhodes could handle it on his own. She nodded, "Then I'll leave it entirely to you, Mr. Bodyguard. Do you need my help?"
"Miss Mirajane, please relax. I've got some snacks prepared; maybe offer them to the coachman to keep him from getting anxious."
Mira smiled, "Yes, Mr. Rhodes."
Rhodes immediately started taking action, first moving the rearward River Crab to join the one in the front.
Opening up vision before a fight to prevent being ambushed—this is called anti-gank awareness.
Then he summoned two groups of Stone Beetles, instructing them to burrow underground and move forward.
Next, he summoned two groups of Shadow Wolves, instructing them to take advantage of the roadside trees and bushes for stealth.
Finally, he summoned a group of Beak Birds, ordering them to spread out and fly low, ready to launch an aerial attack at any time.
As for the last group of Beak Birds and the two Swamp Frogs, Rhodes decided to conserve his magic for a backup force—no point in exhausting himself before a fight even started.
Mira watched as the summoned creatures left in groups, feeling uncertain whether there were two enemies or twenty.
...
Behind the small dirt slope, about a kilometer away.
The wizard holding the flute asked, "Stad, we've been waiting for an hour now. When are they coming?"
The wizard holding the staff replied, "Be patient, Fal. If they're heading to Fairy Tail from Crocus, they're bound to pass through here. Even if they're slow, they'll be here by noon."
"Oh." Fal pressed the holes on his flute out of boredom and suddenly added, "Did you see that big crab just now? It's weird—what kind of species runs around on land this far from water?"
"Who knows? Probably a local creature." Stad pointed with the tip of his staff, "Look, there's another one."
Fal licked his lips, pretending to lift the flute to his mouth, "How about catching one to see how it tastes? We skipped breakfast to block their path."
"Don't do unnecessary things," Stad said, "If we can embarrass Fairy Tail, we have a chance to get transferred to the main headquarters.
"Then... we could meet Mr. Gajeel! The great Mr. Gajeel!"
At the mention of that name, Stad's eyes were filled with admiration, and Fal looked envious.
"Huh, why did that crab stop moving?"
"Could it be... it sees us as food?"
The River Crab's size and appearance were quite intimidating, making the two wizards nervous. They picked up their weapons, keeping an eye on the crab.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook, and two Ancient Stone Beetles burst out of the earth, clamping their pincers around the backs of the two men's waists.
"Whoa! A monster!"
"What is this thing?!"
In their panic, one lifted his staff, while the other blew his flute.
Just then, two more Stone Beetles emerged from the ground, their targets being the staff and flute.
A glowing orb shot out from the pentagram at the staff's tip, and a sonic wave blasted from the flute's tail, each hitting a Stone Beetle.
The two Stone Beetles hit the ground, splitting into four Mini Stone Beetles, continuing to charge per Rhodes' orders.
"What the heck are these monsters?!"
The two were already panicking, and seeing that their attacks only multiplied the enemies made them even more terrified.
In such a situation, without proper intel, facing creatures that seemed to grow in number with every strike naturally made their scalps tingle.
But they had no choice; they had to keep fighting.
At that moment, six Shadow Wolves lunged out from the roadside bushes.
Four ordinary wolves bit down on the two men's wrists, making them drop their weapons, while two two-headed wolves stood in front of them, each of the four heads growling softly into their ears.
The four Mini Stone Beetles faithfully continued their task of "destroying weapons," heading towards the discarded staff and flute.
Sixteen stone-like legs stomped down, snapping the staff and crushing the flute.
With their arms bitten and unable to struggle, their weapons destroyed, ferocious wolf heads growling in their ears, and the smell of blood mixed with wolf saliva splashing onto their faces...
"We're done for..." Stad fell into despair, giving up all resistance.
Fal simply rolled his eyes and fainted.
Six red-feathered Beak Birds flew overhead, landing a short distance away, ready for an airstrike if needed. But it turned out they weren't needed at all.
Observing through the River Crab, Rhodes wore a look of disbelief. He had prepared so thoroughly, and yet these guys—
"Is that it?"