"Raizel, come here for a moment. There is something I want to ask you."
After returning to the beach camp, Ultear ignored the ongoing trial results, patted Raizel on the shoulder and pointed to a quiet empty spot near the trees.
"What is it? You're being so mysterious," Raizel asked, a bit curious.
Had Ultear somehow encountered Zeref?
As soon as Raizel had arrived on the island, he had used Archive Magic to scan the entire landmass.
Unfortunately, it was highly likely due to the dense, uncontrollable dark magic surrounding Zeref that Raizel's search had proven ineffective.
The entire island was shrouded in a thick, magical mist on his radar.
Especially when Raizel had tried specifically to search for Zeref's signature, the mist had only grown thicker.
Raizel speculated this was probably Zeref's own self-protection ability, perhaps even an unconscious one triggered by his curse.
But as it turned out, Raizel was just overthinking things...
"Regarding this S-Class exam, and Mest... there are a lot of highly suspicious points I cannot figure out," Ultear whispered, her eyes narrowing.
"Every time I try to deeply recall memories of him interacting with the other members, it suddenly cuts off. I cannot remember the details at all."
"I clearly have a lingering feeling that he almost passed the S-Class exam last time, but I cannot remember which year it actually was, or who his partner was. Why is that?"
Raizel honestly hadn't expected Ultear to figure this much out entirely on her own.
It just went to show how sharp her reasoning skills were and how incredibly observant she was as a mage.
"Come closer," Raizel beckoned quietly.
"Mest was sent by the Magic Council. He used his Memory Control magic to alter everyone's memories so he could sneak in."
Like a sudden revelation, once there was a clear clue to connect the missing pieces, Ultear's sharp mind quickly pieced the whole story together.
"Then why didn't you say anything?!" she hissed.
"Don't rush. I haven't finished," Raizel smirked. "Gramps and I both already know about this. Actually, Mest is a double agent. He originally erased his own memories, changed his name to Doranbolt, and joined the Council. Then the Council ordered him to change his name again and infiltrate our guild."
Ultear's wide eyes were full of a blatant "Are you kidding me?" expression.
But slowly, the suppressed memories began flooding back into her mind.
In Ultear's unlocked memories, the distinct image of a much younger Mest from years ago resurfaced.
Back then, he truly was a Fairy Tail member named Mest.
"Looks like you remember him now?" Raizel asked.
"Yes," Ultear nodded, rubbing her temples.
"Let's keep it quiet for now," Raizel advised. "Although Mest has lost his memories of being a Fairy Tail member, his core nature isn't bad. Don't worry. If any other members find out, you can just pretend he isn't a member of Fairy Tail."
"As for him infiltrating the Council, just act like you do not know a thing. You are the third person to know this secret, besides me and Gramps."
"Don't worry," Ultear nodded solemnly.
Since Makarov had sent Mest to infiltrate the Council, he must have his own deep reasons.
Ultear didn't want to pry into the Guild Master's long-term strategies.
"That clears up a lot of the confusion in my mind," Ultear sighed in relief.
...
Back at the campfire, Gray was staring at the blank Lacrima screens.
"But why did Elfman and Evergreen's screen suddenly disappear?" he asked, very puzzled.
"It seems Mira cut the feed herself. I don't know the exact reason, but there is probably no need to worry," Ur explained. Just a moment ago, right after Evergreen had yelled something about "Let me tell you something interesting," Mira had abruptly destroyed the magical feed.
"I wonder how Elfman is doing. He is up against Mira, after all..." Lucy murmured.
"Wait! We actually managed to defeat my sister!" Elfman's booming voice suddenly echoed from the jungle.
"We successfully passed the first stage of the exam!" Evergreen cheered.
Evergreen proudly supported a bruised Elfman as they emerged from the trees and arrived at the first gathering point.
"NANI?!" Even Makarov was genuinely shocked, especially since Elfman had confidently used the word "defeated."
"How on earth did you manage to defeat Mira?" Gray gasped.
Elfman's pupils contracted, his face pale and his tone full of profound, terrified uncertainty.
"As a real man, I cannot reveal this secret, even if I die."
Evergreen quietly added behind her fan, "Just know that we succeeded by ambushing her during a brief opening."
"What exactly did they do to her...? I am so intensely curious..." Lucy muttered, her inner gossip spirit burning fiercely.
Ahem! Makarov cleared his throat loudly. "Anyway! Those who successfully passed the first exam are: Natsu and Happy, Gray and Loke, Levy and Gajeel, Kagura and Lucy, and Elfman and Evergreen!"
"That makes five teams in total," Raizel noted.
"Now we will officially proceed with the second exam!" Makarov announced.
...
"Natsu, how long are you going to mope around like this?" Happy asked, walking over to Natsu, who was still sitting on a rock covering his face.
Natsu had remained completely despondent even while Makarov was explaining the new rules.
"No, I was just thinking about something," Natsu replied quietly.
"Natsu is actually... thinking?!" Happy shrieked, reacting as if he'd just heard a deafening crack of thunder.
"How little do you actually think of him...?" Lucy couldn't help but complain at the cat's dramatic reaction.
I am always ready to have a real match with you. Now get up, go out there, and become an S-Class Mage, Natsu!
"Heh."
A fiery smile unconsciously formed at the corner of Natsu's mouth as he recalled Gildarts' words.
"I understand, Gildarts."
Natsu suddenly stood up and pointed aggressively at the remaining members.
"Gray! Kagura! Levy! Elfman! Let's see who will actually become the S-Class Mage! Let's settle this!"
"You are the one person I absolutely refuse to lose to, ash-brain!" Gray yelled back.
"I won't admit defeat either!" Elfman roared. "As a man, I accept this challenge!"
Kagura simply raised her sheathed sword in a silent confident response.
"Even if my opponent is you, Lucy, I won't go easy on you!" Levy called out.
"Hehe, cry all you want when we win!" Gajeel smirked.
"I'm really fired up now!" Natsu roared, flames bursting from his mouth.
"Aye, sir!"
"That's the spirit. Do your best, Natsu," Gildarts murmured.
He was sitting peacefully nearby, smiling contentedly while casting a fishing line into the island's lake.
"Now, I will announce the specific rules for the second stage of the S-Class Mage promotion exam," Makarov declared, drawing everyone's attention.
"The second exam is a hunt. You must search for the hidden grave of the Guild's First Master, Mavis Vermillion, located somewhere deep on this island."
This exam was entirely unprecedented.
Among the younger generation, only Raizel and Ultear actually knew its hidden location.
Among the older generation, only Makarov, Gildarts, and Ur knew the truth.
"The First Master Mavis's grave?" Lucy gasped.
She never expected the second exam to be this historically hardcore.
"What's this? Shouldn't a search be pretty simple?" Gray asked.
"The strict time limit is only six hours," Makarov warned, raising six fingers. "Listen carefully, you have just six short hours. I will be waiting for your arrival at the First Master's grave."
After speaking, Makarov turned and vanished into the jungle.
"Let's go, Happy!" Natsu yelled.
"Aye, sir!"
Natsu immediately found a wide, overgrown path and sprinted off into the greenery.
...
Deep in the jungle, Lucy and Kagura hadn't gone very far when they encountered a terrifying Magic Beast—an especially massive, scaly lizard-like creature with razor-sharp teeth.
"Lucy, use your whip to climb up that tree!" Kagura instructed calmly while running alongside the beast.
"What about you?! Are you going to grab onto me?!" Lucy panicked.
"Don't worry about me. I have a way."
After Lucy frantically used her Star River whip to vault herself high up into the thick tree branches, Kagura suddenly halted and unleashed her Gravity Magic at full power.
The massive Magic Beast, which was currently sprinting at full speed, suddenly couldn't support its own multiplied weight.
Its thick limbs buckled, and it crashed heavily face-first into the dirt, entirely immobilized by the crushing gravity.
...
"What kind of terrifying, strange island is this?!"
Gajeel and Levy, who had been boasting arrogantly just moments before, were now hiding behind a large boulder, trembling.
Looming directly behind them stood a horrific, bipedal magical creature well over ten meters tall.
"Are we actually going to die here...?" Levy whimpered.
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