"Ah... I wasn't chosen!" Elfman held his head in pain. "Even though my sister and brother-in-law aren't here!"
Lisana consoled him, "The President must have had his reasons for choosing this way."
Ibarglin also comforted him, "I understand how you feel because we also wanted to fight in place of Laxus."
Fried, more composed, asked, "President, is there still a spot for reserves?"
"Well... this year's rule is that reserve players don't need to register. As long as they are present when needed and are members of the guild, it's fine."
Makarov explained, "Of course, each team can only have one spot, so you can't just switch people around casually."
Nabu pondered, "So if you want a chance to compete, you must go to the venue and watch."
Marcus said, "What are you talking about? Even if we don't want to compete, we still have to go."
"Hmm..." Nabu clenched his fists, hesitated for several seconds, and finally nodded, "Makes sense."
To support their comrades, they had to temporarily say goodbye to the notice board for the next week.
"Oh, here are this year's rules, Rhode has already highlighted the key points. Take a look when you have time." Makarov handed Erza a book.
"Uh... okay." Erza thought it was too thick, but since the key points were marked, it should be fine.
At least she didn't have to ask Reby for help.
The page with the rule that each guild can send two teams had already been quietly altered with magic by Makarov.
He was quite proud of his meticulousness and cleverness.
"Alright, go prepare now. The registration deadline is tomorrow, and we'll depart this afternoon."
The guild had its own large flying ship, which wasn't used often, but was very convenient for this kind of group action.
Everyone started to mobilize.
Apart from packing their luggage, they were enthusiastically preparing support items, like guild flags and banners.
Seeing that most people had left, Makarov jumped down from the railing and chuckled, "By this time, Rhode and the others should have finished registering, right?"
"What registration, Third Generation?"
"Of course it's... huh, huh?" Makarov was startled by an unexpected voice and jumped back a step, only to see who was standing in front of him.
"M-Mebius President?!" Makarov exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you here?"
"Because it's boring staying on Celestial Wolf Island all the time." Mebius replied earnestly.
Makarov sighed, "You said that when Rhode and Mira got married too."
"By the way, did you just mention Rhode?" Mebius quickly shifted her focus, "He's been married for a while now, right? So, any baby yet?"
"N-no, not yet."
"Still slow."
"It's only been half a year, isn't it normal not to have one yet?"
"But I distinctly remember Yuri having you in less than half a year after getting married."
"Hmm..." Makarov fell into thought; he really didn't know about this. It seemed his father wasn't that conventional after all.
Mebius didn't press further on this matter. She looked around, "Why is it so empty in the guild too? It's rare for me to visit."
"Because we are about to depart for the Royal Capital." Makarov explained about the Great Demon Fighting Martial Arts.
"Is the First Generation coming with...?" Before she could finish asking, Makarov already had his answer.
Because he saw stars sparkling in Mebius's eyes.
...
Evening came quickly. Team B members finished their day's activities and returned to their room at the Ferris Wheel Hotel.
The rooms arranged by the organizers weren't even suites but instead were specially set up like dormitories with five beds in the room.
Maybe they meant well, making it convenient for the whole team to act together.
Anyway, as mages, they were used to roughing it, so this situation was entirely acceptable.
It seemed during the competition, Rhode would have to be separated from Mira for a bed for the first time in a while.
At this time, the five people were sitting on the edges of their respective beds talking.
"I went to the venue under the guise of touring, didn't find anything suspicious." Laxus said.
"I investigated various suspicious alleys and also listened to news at the pub." Gajeel also didn't find anything and complained, "The liquor here is so expensive."
Whether it was the liquor that was pricey or if he had once again eaten people's utensils, the compensation money was higher than at the guild.
"Jubia investigated the aquarium and many restaurants, plus..." She listed a whole bunch of place names.
Rhode and Mira found them very familiar, as if they were places they had visited during their honeymoon.
What on earth was Jubia investigating?
The group exchanged notes but didn't find anything special.
The mages on the street were indeed increasing, but they all bore the emblems of legitimate guilds.
"Before you came back, the President dropped by." Rhode said, "He brought us rush-made team uniforms for us to change into when appearing."
Laxus commented on his grandfather, "Always worrying about strange things."
"I looked at them; they're made in the style we usually like, but the main color is uniformly black." Mira said with a smile, "The President said Team A has already finished registering, and they are completely kept in the dark."
Gajeel grumbled, "Annoying, do we still have to hide from them tomorrow?"
Even Jubia looked at Rhode expectantly.
"If you really want to see them, you can accidentally run into them." Rhode said, "Just make sure not to mention Team B's details."
While discussing competition stuff, Mebius suddenly popped up.
The group was inevitably surprised, but happily chatted with Mebius for a while. Seeing that there was still plenty of time, Rhode suggested playing cards.
Mebius seemed a bit down, "But I'm a ghost."
In her ghost state, she was quite abstract; she could stand on the ground, sit in chairs, roll on beds, and with some effort, she could try pulling on people's clothes to make them aware of her presence.
But she couldn't eat, drink, or hold playing cards.
"I'll team up with the First Generation." Mira said, "I'll handle the cards, and the First Generation can make the calls."
Mebius's little wings on her head flapped, obviously quite happy.
The card game began joyously.
At first, it was pretty normal, but starting at the third game, Mebius said, "Alright, I've got it all figured out."
Then, under Mebius's guidance, Mira dominated the game.
She was like a human supercomputer, accurately calculating every card and everyone's playing habits.
For Mebius, when the cards were good, a game was like a math problem. Follow the steps, and you'd win.
When the cards were bad, she'd find ways to influence others to play the way she wanted, misleading their judgments, and then snatching victory.
In the end, everyone realized the terror of the Fairy Tail Strategist through Mebius's energetic commands.
Speaking of Fairy Tail Strategist, that night, it was only Rhode who ignored Mebius's strategies and misdirection several times, causing her to fail a few times.
Mebius praised, "No wonder the Third Generation has his eye on you. You can calculate every card, right? My tactics feel completely seen through by you."
"...Uh, sort of." Rhode awkwardly looked up at the ceiling.
Clear, yes, but not because he'd calculated it.
Mira chuckled quietly; her husband, acting like that, had clearly been cheating.