Chapter 200: Cursed Sword
"The situation is simple," Rhodes said. "Our mission is to find a sword and either retrieve it or destroy it."
"To be more precise," Erza added, "it's a cursed sword. And the Quatro Cerberus guild will also be sending an S-Class wizard and an assistant to compete with us.
If they reach the sword first, not only will our trip be wasted, but it'll also embarrass Master Makarov."
As the train rumbled along, Erza and Rhodes sat facing each other, quietly discussing the mission details.
Because their respective guild masters had gotten into a childish argument during the last regular meeting, they'd come up with the idea of this little competition.
Goldmine had initially proposed that their young S-Class mages compete against each other. But Makarov, ever the sly fox, suggested they add a lower-ranked assistant into the mix to test teamwork as well.
Thus, the mission Rhode had drawn by lot was chosen for the contest. Whoever completed it first would win everything, the spoils, the bragging rights, and the guild's honor.
At the next regular meeting, the loser would even have to pour drinks for the winner.
Still, since two S-Class wizards were involved in a mission that technically didn't even qualify as S-Class, both guild masters weren't too worried about anyone getting hurt.
They trusted their wizards. Even if things got competitive, no one would ever act recklessly enough to risk the other's life.
"Our destination is an ancient battlefield," Rhodes continued. "It's the site of a bloody war fought before the Kingdom of Fiore declared permanent neutrality.