Aleksey pointed his staff at the Magic Crystal: "Come with me quietly, don't attract anyone else's attention, or I'll smash it immediately."
"..." It would be great to have a guide, Rhode was just worried he'd stay hidden, but... "Dressed so flamboyantly, it's hard not to attract attention."
Aleksey said, "You don't need to worry about that. I've already cast Illusion Magic, so others can't see or hear me."
Illusion Magic? It seems I've seen it in the guild's library; the First Generation's signature magic was Illusion Magic.
Rhode thought for a moment, the fact that they're taking a hostage suggests they're not very strong, at least not daring enough to face off with Fairy Tail directly.
Otherwise, they'd just come in like Ghosts.
Do they think they can't beat the whole guild but could beat me?
Then... there's nothing to worry about.
Just guard against any trickery.
Rhode nodded and followed behind him, walking out of the city.
Aleksey twisted and turned, sometimes through woods, sometimes into valleys, and finally stopped by a stream in the mountains.
Rhode didn't really get the point of all the twists and turns; he knew the terrain around Magnolia like the back of his hand.
If they delayed any longer, the Demon would come looking for hubby.
"Keep going." Aleksey pointed upstream, and his figure disappeared.
Rhode walked forward unhurriedly, turned a corner, and immediately saw three figures and the large Magic Crystal he had just seen.
With the heel of his foot, he could tell it was a trap.
Sure enough, he hadn't gone far before he noticed someone lying in ambush below, next to a stone by the stream stood an 'invisible' guy.
The three who appeared in front, one clad in golden armor and draped in a fur cloak, was Aleksey, the master of the Thought Body just now.
The second, a tall person with a hat, blue hair, and face, a long nose, thick lips, and black bean-like eyes that were slightly dazed.
The third was a red-haired, red-eyed woman, her long hair trailing on the ground, her chest open, revealing two hemispheres, and a red Guild Emblem on one side.
"Tail of the Raven." Rhode recognized their origin, a guild founded by the son's guild president, as he recalled.
Then this Aleksey, standing between the two and seemingly respected, was a bit suspicious...
Especially with a cloak styled like Laxus and his mastery of Illusion Magic...
The identity was well hidden indeed.
Aleksey thought himself clever: "Hmph, you're wise."
"Huh?"
"If you'd tried to inform the guild, I really would have acted."
Rhode said, "Enough with the nonsense, what do you really want?"
"Flowing Starlight."
"What?"
"Tell me where Flowing Starlight is? That old man Makarov should have told you, right?"
Rhode didn't know what he was talking about. After a brief pause, he said:
"A deal needs equivalent chips. If my companions turned into a Magic Crystal, it couldn't be such a small piece. At least let me know where the others are, President Ivan."
Aleksey was silent for a moment, but his expression was hidden by the mask, so Rhode couldn't see.
The tall, blue-faced guy also seemed to wear a mask, never changing his expression.
The red-haired woman's expression, described in somewhat inappropriate words, looked broken, unchanged.
Rhode found it difficult to glean useful information from their odd faces.
"Hmph, guessed it? Not bad for someone once called the Fairy Tail Strategist." Aleksey took off his mask, saying openly, "Yes, I am Ivan Dolea."
This guy... quite straightforward. Rhode asked, "Since you're the President's son, couldn't you just wait to inherit the guild and learn everything? Why get kicked out?"
Ivan angrily retorted, "What do you know? That old man...
Freyja, with the red hair, reminded him, "President."
Ivan was startled and immediately stopped talking.
This was something he had agreed upon with Freyja in advance; if Rhode tried to change the subject, extract information, or provoke him, he should be immediately reminded.
That guy had previously won through such methods, and they had to be wary.
He skipped over Makarov's topic: "That kind of thing doesn't matter, anyway, I'll know soon! As for the chips...
"I'm not foolish enough to lay all my chips on the table; that would just give you a chance to rescue. If you want to save your companions, tell me what I want to know!"
Going to such lengths to guard against him, Rhode was very curious about the image he had in the Dark Guild.
"You know it's impossible. Without seeing the people, I can't believe you'd release them as promised, so why would I give you information?"
"No, you will." Ivan aimed the staff at the Magic Crystal, the tip flickering with a Magic Bullet. "Because if you don't, I'll smash it. You Fairies, you value your companions the most, right?"
Rhode's gaze sharpened, "Knowing that, you'd dare threaten me with my companions?"
"Tell me, where is Flowing Starlight, I'll give you three seconds! 1..."
The magic power within Rhode erupted, red, blue, purple, all kinds of auras gathered on him.
The terrifying magic power and a peculiar force made those surrounding him pale as if they saw the most fearsome beast of their lives.
Cold sweat trickled down Ivan's forehead, and he said, somewhat bluffing, "If I move my finger, I can destroy it; you'd better think carefully before..."
"Feel free to strike." Rhode looked directly into Ivan's eyes, "Since you were once part of Fairy Tail, you should understand our style. If a companion gets hurt, I'll crush your bones, inch by inch."
Ivan involuntarily wanted to avoid Rhode's gaze, to retreat a step, but felt ashamed of the thought.
How could he be intimidated by such a youngster?
"Bastard! I thought someone called 'Strategist' would be a bit flexible, but still as stupid as the old man!"
Ivan was exasperated; all of Fairy Tail shared the same trait, which was why he couldn't get along with them! He shouted, "Attack!"
Two strands of red hair emerged from the ground around Rhode's feet, binding his legs; it was Freyja's magic, as she had long ago sent her hair underground by the President's order.
At the same time, a 'Purple Sweet Potato' burst from the ground behind Rhode—Narubudinge's arm extended, swelled, and grew spikes, attacking Rhode's skull like a Wolf Fang Club.
"An underground attack, huh, an old tactic I've long worn out."