Chapter 126: Rescue
Chapter 126: Rescue
But was he talking too much?
No, that's not right. Magic is the power of the mind, and a few extra words to fortify one's spirit and demoralize the enemy could be part of the battle itself.
Or, thinking about it dialectically, combat might also be a process of strengthening one's resolve.
While Rod was lost in his thoughts, Gray had already finished dressing.
He glanced at the pitiful state of Carter. "You really are strong, why do you act so cautiously with this kind of power?"
"Strength and caution aren't mutually exclusive," Rod replied. "Besides, dealing with a mindless, hot-headed brute who only knows how to charge in recklessly doesn't really count as being strong."
Gray nodded, but then he felt something was off. "Are you implying something?!"
"No, just speaking literally," Rod said, calling the Canyon Swift Crab to alert the area. "Let's check on the injured."
The two of them went to assess the situation with the Enforcers. They left the lightly injured alone and provided emergency bandages to those with more severe wounds.
After a while, Captain Keptin, dragging his injured body, arrived with a few subordinates. Some reinforcements also came from another ritual site.
Everyone looked at the devastated forest, the ground littered with feathers, ice shards, rocks, and broken trees, and the dire state of the Zart brothers and their men.
"What kind of battle took place here?"
Rod quickly shouted, "Hurry, do we have any medical specialists? There are a few with severe injuries!"
"We brought first-aid kits!"
"Save the injured!" Keptin ordered. "The rest, arrest the criminals!"
Everyone sprang into action, and Rod and Gray stepped back to rest.
Keptin watched as his team members handcuffed the members of the Naked Bandage Men, and the more he looked, the more he felt something was off—
The injuries caused by Rod and Gray were clearly different from those caused by his team.
Keptin was shocked. "Could it be that you two took down the entire dark guild?"
"We didn't take down that many," Rod said, not wanting to take all the credit. "Your team fought bravely and played a significant role."
"…You two did a great job," Keptin thought to himself. Even if his team fought bravely, they couldn't shoot people with feathers or freeze them with ice.
Just by looking at the injuries, at least half of the dark guild members were taken down by these two.
Two people taking down most of a dark guild, with one of them not even dirtying his clothes and the other just getting a bit dirty…
How strong are the mages of Fairy Tail?
Oh, I heard that the Fairy Queen couldn't wait for the Council's team and took on the entire dark guild by herself to avoid missing the opportunity.
Is everyone in this guild a monster?!
"Captain Keptin! Deputy Captain Depdi is…"
"What? What happened to him?"
"Deputy Captain is severely injured and can't hold on much longer!"
"Quick, do something!"
"We can only provide emergency treatment. To save him, we need a proper operating room and a surgeon!"
"An operating room…" Keptin's face turned pale. The team was mostly combat mages, and the few who could serve as medics only knew basic battlefield first aid. They couldn't handle such severe injuries.
But where could they find an operating room and a surgeon in these mountains? Could Depdi even hold on until then?
Gray asked, "Rod?"
Rod nodded. "We have to take the risk; we can't just let him die here."
He waved to the Canyon Swift Crab. "I can get him to Cat's Nest as quickly as possible. Whether he can hold on is up to him."
"Right, the Cat House is nearby! They might—"
"But Captain, if the journey is too bumpy, Deputy Captain's wounds might reopen, and he could lose too much blood—"
"Shut up." Gray stepped forward, pressing his hand out. Ice quickly sealed the multiple wounds on Deputy's body. "Do you have a better idea?"
"That's it then!" Captain made the decision, helping Gray lift Deputy onto the crab's back. "Deputy, you have to hold on!"
Rod and Gray mounted the crab, supporting Deputy on either side as the crab sprinted forward.
The three of them were a bit cramped, but that didn't matter right now.
The crab raced through the mountainous forest, and Deputy's breathing was already becoming erratic, sometimes short and shallow, other times deep and labored.
"Rod, he can't hold on much longer."
"I know, hold him steady. Let me focus for a moment."
"Focus?"
Rod straightened his body and entered a meditative state, concentrating to speed up his magic recovery.
"Answer my call, Crimson Mark Treant!"
A massive treant sprouted from the ground like a tree, and Rod's body leaned back, nearly falling off the crab.
"Ember Crown." He weakly gave the treant its instructions.
Three red light patterns circled around Deputy, occasionally diving into his wounds and re-emerging as glowing points, restoring his injuries.
The Crimson Mark Treant quickly vanished, and Deputy's breathing improved slightly, but now it was Rod's turn to suffer. "I'm... so tired."
"You've been hiding this kind of move!"
"Hide what? Look at me. Does this look like something I can use in a real fight?"
"Why not?" Gray thought that if Rod hadn't used so much magic earlier, he could probably maintain it for a battle.
Oh, right, given his personality, it wouldn't be considered practical.
"Stop kidding around. Keep an eye on me. If the crab disappears, catch me."
Rod reconsidered and said, "Actually, catch him first."
Rod usually avoided such troubles, but watching a life fade away right in front of him was unbearable. He had to do his best.
After rushing as fast as they could, they finally reached the Cat House as the sky darkened.
Midway through the journey, Rod had run out of magic, and Gray had to create an ice sled to pull the two of them. The ice sled was cold, and to prevent the injured Deputy from freezing, Gray chopped a pile of branches to lay on top.
Aside from the discomfort, it wasn't too bad.
Once Rod recovered some of his magic, he summoned the crab again, and they continued their journey.
By the time they arrived, Wendy and Charle had already changed into their cute pajamas and were in bed.
"Why at this hour..." Charle was about to complain but stopped when she saw Deputy by the light of the lamp. "Is this a Council member?"
Gray's voice was urgent, "He's badly wounded and barely made it here. Is there any way to help him?"
Charle hesitated, "Wendy?"
Wendy replied firmly, "I can do it!"
In the guest room, Deputy was laid on the bed where Rod had slept earlier. Wendy sat by the bed, her hands glowing with green magic.
Rod and Gray slumped against the wall, both exhausted.
Wendy's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat. "It's okay, I'll heal him."
Charle said, "Don't overexert yourself."
Though it was a futile warning.
(End of Chapter)
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