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

"Are you sure you don't want to partner with Natsu or Gray?"

Generally, when choosing a partner for the S-Class trial, the smart thing to do is find someone who can cover your weaknesses. If you're not the brightest, pick someone with sharp instincts. If you lack field experience, go for someone seasoned.

For candidates like Cana and Warren—both of whom had brains, battle awareness, and a knack for support magic—teaming up with a powerhouse like Natsu seemed like the logical choice.

Cana shook her head. "Strength does matter. Natsu and Gray are both strong. But you're no slouch either, Rhodes. I heard you were actually on the list for potential candidates this year, right?"

Warren looked surprised. "Really? Is that true?"

Cana groaned. "Then why did you run over here to recruit him if you didn't know that?!"

Warren scratched the back of his head. "I overheard everyone talking about partner choices. Rhodes's name kept popping up, and then I saw you heading this way…"

"You idiot…" Cana clenched her fists. Was this guy trying to sabotage her chances?

Warren averted her glare. "Anyway, both of us want you as our partner, Rhodes. So what do you say?"

What could he say? It felt good being trusted by others. But at the same time, it put pressure on him not to let them down.

Even though he hadn't planned to take the exam himself, going along as a partner could help him understand the difficulty firsthand—solid prep for next year.

Instinctively, his first choice would've been Warren. It was easier teaming up with a guy—fewer chances for awkward misunderstandings.

But Cana was a close friend. They'd been through a lot together, and there was no weird tension between them.

"Wanna settle it with rock-paper-scissors?" Rhodes suggested.

"Sure!" Warren agreed immediately.

"No way!" Cana shot the idea down fast. "Warren's unbeatable at rock-paper-scissors!"

It was true. Warren's telepathy gave him an edge in anticipating people's moves. Challenging him in a game like that was suicide.

"Then how about drawing lots?" Rhodes offered.

"That's fine by me," Cana nodded.

"Absolutely not!" Warren countered, throwing his hands up. "She's a card mage—drawing lots is literally her specialty! She's probably already cursed the deck."

Rhodes sighed. "Wizards are such a pain."

Mira laughed gently. "You're a wizard too, you know."

Rhodes glanced at her. "Mira, what do you think I should do?"

Mira tapped her chin, thinking. "Well… Cana came to ask you first, right? Why not go with her?"

"Mira!" Cana squealed and leapt across the counter to hug her.

Rhodes looked on enviously. "Lucky."

"Come on, Mira~" Warren pouted.

"Don't be like that." Mira smiled, though it wasn't clear if she was talking to Cana or Warren. She pointed behind him. "Isn't someone else looking for you?"

Warren turned. "Max?"

Max waved and walked over. "Hey Warren. So… have you picked a partner yet?"

"Just did!" Warren grinned. "I choose you, Max! Come help me crush this thing!"

"Me?" Max blinked. "I thought for sure you'd pick Rhodes or Elfman."

Warren nodded firmly. In the guild, this was the most common way to pick a partner—just choose someone you were close to and could trust.

"Alright! I'll give it everything I've got to help you pass the exam!" Max said with enthusiasm, raising his hand.

Warren grinned and met it with a crisp high-five.

The two of them radiated the kind of energy that said, "As long as we work hard, we'll win."

"Rhodes?" Cana turned to look at him.

"I'll do my best too," Rhodes said, giving her a high-five and flashing a confident smile. "Don't go running off after school."

"Huh?"

…

The reason he told her not to leave after "school" was because they needed to prep for the exam together. They couldn't have Cana slacking off and drinking until the day of the test, right?

That evening, in addition to Rhodes, Mira, and Elfman, Cana also joined their usual training session in the guild's courtyard.

"You guys really train here every day after work?" Cana asked, surprised as she looked around at the training equipment and scuff marks on the ground.

No wonder everyone said Rhodes was improving quickly. It wasn't just talent—he was clearly putting in the effort too.

"We've been at it for a while now," Rhodes said. "It's gotten a little tougher with the weather lately, but it's also good for building cold resistance."

Gray once told him he wasn't born immune to cold—he just built up resistance through training.

"Even Mira…" Cana muttered.

Mira, who was doing her stretches, smiled gently. "I like to work out now and then. Besides, I can help coach these two."

"That makes sense," Cana nodded. It explained why both Mira and Rhodes were progressing at such an impressive rate.

"Hey, don't look at me like I'm scheming something," Rhodes laughed, waving his hand.

"Anyway, let's get to the real reason we're here. Since we've officially teamed up for the exam, building trust and synergy is critical. So starting today, you'll need to—"

Midway through his sentence, Rhodes started to feel a pang of guilt. Was he seriously talking about "building synergy" with another girl in front of Mira? He had to be out of his mind.

Thankfully, Mira had supported his decision to pair with Cana—and there were practical reasons for it.

"I got it!" Cana didn't hesitate and jumped straight into warm-ups. "What's next?"

"Uh... hold on, no rush," Rhodes said. "Even though the exam officially starts in a week, I think it's already begun."

Cana blinked. "What do you mean?"

"The first part of the exam," Rhodes explained, "is gathering information. We need to research past S-Class exams, look for patterns, try to guess what this year's challenges might be… and then train specifically for that."

Cramming one year's worth of S-Class exam training into a single week—this was the starting point.

Fortunately, information gathering was the easiest step, and both Cana and Mira could help with that.

"The exam changes every year," Cana explained. "It's usually divided into three stages. The first stage isn't too difficult, but the second one throws in obstacles—usually S-Class wizards or rival participants. As for the third…"

Cana hesitated, a bit embarrassed. She hadn't made it that far before. So naturally, everyone looked at Mira.

"I'm sorry," Mira said gently, "I can't reveal the contents of the final stage."

Even the exams from previous years had to remain confidential… Rhodes figured as much.

He scratched his chin and said, half-jokingly, "What if I cling to your leg and beg you?"

Elfman stepped forward, fists clenched. "Then I'll knock you out, like a real man!"

Mira giggled behind her hand.

"Fine, fine," Rhodes sighed. "Cana, mind telling me what you do know?"

"Sure." Even though her past attempts had ended in failure, seeing how serious Rhodes looked, Cana nodded and shared everything she remembered from the first two stages.

Rhodes took notes attentively. These firsthand experiences were invaluable. From them, he could analyze the thought process of the exam's creators.

He was reminded of something his old teacher once said: "You need to understand the mind of the person setting the question. What part of your knowledge are they trying to test?"

When Cana finished recounting her memories, she looked a little downcast. "But all this is just stuff from when I failed. Is it even useful?"

"Absolutely." Rhodes closed his notebook and met her gaze. "If we look at the exam structure, the Guild Master already gave us the answer yesterday."

"The answer?" Cana blinked. "You mean the qualities required to be selected?"

"Exactly—power, intellect, character," Rhodes explained. "Think about it. The first stage is like a basic-level question. It's designed to test our foundational skills. Whether you solve it with magic or rely on your partner, the goal is to demonstrate problem-solving ability."

"The second stage is a more advanced challenge—it tests your raw strength and battle tactics. You'll have to push through the obstacle of either an S-Class wizard or another candidate, whether by overwhelming force or smart strategy."

"And the third stage?" Rhodes turned to look at Mira as he spoke. "That's the bonus round. We don't have details on it, but if I had to guess, it's a test of comprehensive skill—maybe a specific mission or scenario designed by the Master. The final score likely depends on how well you complete that mission."

Mira's eyes widened just a little, and Rhodes felt confident he had at least partially hit the mark.

"Now for the deeper dive—this year's exam site is the Clover Canyon," Rhodes continued. "I've actually been near there before. The terrain's complex and multi-layered. So potential tasks might include…"