Since things had turned out this way, Kabe could only shift targets and drag Erza over to "make up" for Irene's absence together with her own share...
After a fierce round of battle, Erza was the first to give in, panting softly as she surrendered.
"Mmm... no more. The Grand Magic Games start tomorrow, so let's stop here for today and stay in good condition."
It was the perfect excuse. So reasonable that Kabe could not even think of a rebuttal.
Since she had already said that much, he could only give up on the idea of another round and wrap his arms around Erza's warm, flushed body as they drifted off to sleep together.
...
At two in the morning, while the two were still sleeping soundly, a sharp alarm and the ringing of bells suddenly exploded throughout the city, jolting them awake instantly.
"Ding ding ding ding...!"
"Attention all residents! Attention all residents!"
"The First Grand Magic Games of the Kingdom of Fiore have officially begun!"
"All participating wizards from Fairy Tail are to report to the guild immediately!"
"Repeating once more! All participating wizards from Fairy Tail are to report to the guild immediately!"
"The hell kind of joke is this?! The tournament starts at this hour?!"
"Shut up already, bastard! I was sleeping perfectly fine!"
"Someone sew that announcer's mouth shut! Even my baby just got woken up crying!"
In an instant, the previously peaceful town of Magnolia was flooded with curses and furious complaints from every direction.
After the royal family's extensive promotion campaign these past days, everyone already knew that a major tournament involving wizards would begin today.
But nobody expected the opening time to be this insane.
Starting the competition in the middle of the night when nearly the entire kingdom was asleep naturally ignited widespread outrage among the residents.
Kabe himself was equally furious after being abruptly dragged out of sleep by the alarm.
"That damn old man definitely knew about this and kept it hidden the whole time! And Tomas is an idiot too! Did water get into his brain?! Who the hell schedules a tournament to start at midnight?!"
While he angrily cursed nonstop, Erza beside him had already leapt out of bed and quickly put on her undergarments.
"Enough complaining. Hurry and get to the guild first so we can see what's going on."
As she spoke, white light flashed across her body and a full suit of armor instantly equipped itself around her.
"Right! I'm heading there now to demand an explanation from that old geezer!"
Still fuming, Kabe jumped off the bed as well. He casually threw on a few pieces of clothing before rushing out together with Erza.
Downstairs, Mirajane, Levy, and Cana had also hurried into the living room after hearing the announcement.
The five exchanged looks. No words were needed.
With perfect understanding, they all dashed out the door toward Fairy Tail at full speed.
At the same time, Fairy Tail members scattered across every corner of Magnolia were also frantically rushing toward the guild hall.
Among everyone, Gray, Laxus, Macao, and several others living nearby arrived first.
The moment they reached the guild entrance, they immediately noticed Makarov, Irene, Brandish, and Selene already standing there waiting, accompanied by several unfamiliar strangers.
"Master, Miss Irene... even the owner of the hot spring district is here?! What exactly is going on?"
Macao could understand why the first two were present, but Selene standing there alongside them completely baffled him.
"Old man, what's the meaning of this? You better give us an explanation."
Laxus glanced suspiciously at Selene before directly questioning Makarov.
His temper was already bad to begin with, and now he had been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night and ordered to gather at the guild. Naturally, his tone was even harsher than usual.
Yet Makarov completely ignored his question, not even sparing him a glance.
Instead, he turned toward the leading man among the strangers and said:
"Mr. Referee, I'll leave things here to you. We'll be taking our leave first."
The middle-aged man referred to as the referee immediately bowed respectfully.
"His Majesty has specially prepared a magic airship for you and Miss Irene. I'll have someone escort you there right away."
As soon as he finished speaking, one of the people behind him stepped forward and politely gestured ahead.
"This way, please."
"Much appreciated."
Only after saying that did Makarov finally turn back toward Laxus and the others with a grin.
Then, together with Irene, Selene, and Brandish, the group casually walked off just like that.
"That damn old geezer!!!"
Watching their backs disappear into the distance, the Fairy Tail members who had been dragged out in the middle of the night all clenched their fists and cursed furiously in their hearts.