The "trump card" that Lucy had deliberately hidden made the participants, who had been looking so relaxed just moments ago, feel a sense of urgency.
So, they completely lost interest in lingering at the guild. Instead, they hurried off with their respective partners.
Some planned to undergo a week of intense training, like Natsu and Happy. Others focused their efforts on studying their competitors' weaknesses.
Since they were all guildmates, they naturally knew each other's magic very well.
If they didn't have the confidence to take down monsters like Chase, surely they could handle "opponents" whose strengths and weaknesses they knew inside and out?
This might be a viable path to promotion!
Even Lucy hadn't expected her actions to indirectly change the competitive landscape of this S-Class Mage Trial.
The reckless types who usually only knew how to charge headfirst had started learning to analyze before the battle.
Natsu, of course, was the exception.
From start to finish, his understanding of passing the trial was only one thing: defeating the guild's current S-Class mages!
As the participants left one by one, the heated discussions and noise in the hall gradually subsided.
Though it was a shame they hadn't been selected again this year, life still had to go on, right?
The guild returned to its daily state. Only the laid-back slackers like Macao and Wakaba were still chatting leisurely.
Lucy, for a rare moment, was proactive. After shooing away a few curious non-participants, she helped the service staff clean up the empty bottles, bones, and other food scraps scattered everywhere.
Time quietly passed. Soon, it was evening, with the sun setting over the western mountains.
Light snow began to fall from the sky, blanketing the city of Magnolia in a soft layer of white. Under the orange glow of the streetlamps lining the roads, it reflected a faint shimmer.
Wendy walked back toward the girls' dormitory, carrying Carla in her arms.
"What's wrong, Carla? You've looked so serious ever since we left the guild," Wendy said, her small boots leaving tiny footprints in the snow.
"I have a feeling something big is going to happen at this S-Class Trial," Carla said in a deep voice.
Just moments ago, fragmented, disjointed images had suddenly flashed deep within her mind:
Chase's back, covered in blood; blurry dragon silhouettes fighting each other under a crimson sky; a massive black object standing on the sea, its full form impossible to see; a shattered, fragmented space...
Carla felt anxious, unsure if it was her precognitive abilities acting up or just hallucinations caused by stress lately.
Or maybe the S-Class Mage Trial of Fairy Tail was always this exaggeration.
"In any case, you absolutely cannot participate, Wendy!" Carla said seriously.
Sensing Carla's worry, Wendy smiled and comforted her, "It's okay. Lucy and the others already have their own partners. No one's going to pick me."
"That's not necessarily true...Sky Maiden."
A sudden voice from behind startled both Wendy and Carla.
Turning around, they saw a man striking a strange pose, his mouth open as if to catch the falling snow.
Tasting the snow, maybe?
"If I remember correctly, you're—"
"I'm Mest. Mystogan's personally taught disciple."
Meanwhile, Chase, Mira, Erza, and Gildarts had already arrived at Tenrou Island, located on the vast ocean.
As examiners for this S-Class Trial, they were responsible for eliminating potential dangers in advance, setting up the exam venue, and constructing a rest camp. All of this had to be done within a week.
As Fairy Tail's sacred ground and the resting place of the first master, Tenrou Island was surrounded by a powerful hidden magic barrier, making it extremely difficult for outsiders to find.
Unlike ordinary islands, from a distance, Tenrou Island looked like two small islands stacked on top of each other.
The lower level was a forested area with dense vegetation and jagged rocks. The upper level was land supported by the Tenrou Tree, its thick branches tangled, forming a canopy like an open umbrella.
It could truly be described as a masterpiece of nature!
The stars twinkled, and the bright moonlight cast a holy aura over the already mysterious Tenrou Island.
A rising campfire dispelled the darkness, bringing light to the makeshift simple camp.
The four sat around the fire. Not far away, many large, rare magical beasts lay scattered about.
Judging by their stiff, straight postures, they were "sleeping" quite soundly.
Since there were still many things to handle, and the guild would certainly descend into chaos without someone watching over it, Makarov had brought them here, given a few brief instructions, and then returned to Magnolia.
"Card magic sure is convenient. I didn't expect to be able to drink fresh, chilled beer all the way out here," Gildarts said, sitting cross-legged on the ground, his cheeks stuffed with freshly grilled meat, making his words slightly slurred.
Fresh, chilled beer?
Chase silently
complained to himself. He raised his wooden cup and clinked it against Gildarts's. "Just ordinary storage-type cards. Cana could do the same thing, right?"
"Exactly, exactly! Cana is amazing! She really is my daughter! Ahahaha~"
Gildarts gulped down a mouthful of alcohol, washing down the meat, his stubbled face filled with pride and show off.
He was truly happy. To have reunited with his "long-lost" daughter, to take her on various quests, and to be here now, waiting with anticipation for her to shine on the big stage of the S-Class Trial in a week.
So this is what you, the daughter-obsessed man, really wanted to say, isn't it?
"Though Cana is certainly strong, when it comes to who's most likely to be promoted this time, sorry, but I'd still bet on my Lucy," Chase said with a smile.
Even though he had said he would definitely beat Lucy up if he encountered her, he still had great confidence in his silly sister—as long as she didn't trigger her unlucky passiveness and mess things up at the critical moment.
"Hmm? That's not necessarily true. Cana has learned some super-powerful magic during her training with me," Gildarts said, equally confident in his precious daughter.
It didn't take a guess to know he was probably referring to his own super-grade magic destruction—Crash.
Come to think of it, Cana's talent was definitely not weak. In fact, it was almost absurdly strong, considering she had instantly mastered Fairy Glitter, one of the three great Fairy Tail magics.
It was just that the ceiling of Card Magic wasn't very high, making her abilities somewhat jack-of-all-trades (Chase excluded).
But still, even with Crash, it might not be enough against Lucy at her current stage.
Leaving aside her versatile, balanced Celestial Spirit Dress and the almost cheat-like Gemini, she also had her own trump card: the Ultra-Magic Urano Metria!
Thinking this, Chase shook his head gently. "It doesn't matter how powerful it is."
"I heard from Natsu that you took Lucy on an SS-Class quest a while ago, didn't you?" Gildarts slowly put down his cup, his competitive spirit immediately ignited, his eyes flashing with challenge. "So, how about a bet? My daughter versus your little sister—who will come out on top in this trial?"
"Sounds interesting. What's the wager?" Chase's interest was immediately piqued.
"The loser has to put on a sexy maid outfit and perform public service in Magnolia for three days."
The moment the words left Gildarts's mouth, Erza, who had been quietly enjoying the strawberry cake Chase had provided, suddenly perked up and snapped her head around.
"Th-that's the punishment for non-S-Class mages taking S-Class requests without permission?!"
Though she felt a bit sorry for Lucy, where did this inexplicable anticipation that Chase would lose come from?
The image of a sexy maid Chase involuntarily surfaced before her eyes.
Illuminated by the campfire, the Fairy Queen, with cream still on the corner of her lips, was wide-eyed, looking quite adorable—a stark contrast to her usual rigid, serious demeanor.
Compared to her relative shyness, Mira was much bolder. She smiled and raised her hand. "I see. So there's a sideshow between the examiners too. Then, as Elfman's older sister, I—"
"Sure. But it's still not exciting enough. How about adding a lap around Magnolia, Gray-style?"
Chase's voice rang out almost simultaneously with hers.
Mira's smile froze on her face. She quietly withdrew her partially raised, fair arm.
It wasn't that she lacked confidence in Elfman. She just suddenly felt that quietly watching the drama as a bystander seemed pretty good too.
***
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