Wendy left the Eastern Forest, hopping and skipping away while hugging the heavy magic book to her chest.
On the walk back to town, Raizel had a strange feeling—the Porlyusica they had just met seemed much more like Grandeeney today.
Maybe it was because Porlyusica's tone was too gentle... and she had even shown genuine concern for Wendy's health at the end. It was out of character for the usually grumpy hermit.
"You're back! Was there something urgent?"
The crowd gathered around the request board turned and asked as the trio entered the guild.
Because it was about Wendy's mysterious summons, many people had actually wanted to go along, including Ultear, Erza, and Natsu.
But considering Porlyusica's infamous level of dislike for humans, they ultimately held back.
They were worried that if they upset the healer, it might ruin whatever opportunity she had for Wendy.
As for Natsu, who had been clamoring the loudest to go fight whoever summoned her, he was knocked out with a punch by Erza and held down.
"It could be considered urgent? Let Wendy explain it to you," Raizel smiled.
Wendy then proudly explained that Porlyusica had given her a manual for two Dragon Slayer Secret Arts.
With Porlyusica's permission, she also revealed the shocking truth that Porlyusica was actually Grandeeney's human counterpart from Edolas.
This was something Raizel had requested Wendy reveal; he knew someone would inevitably dig deeper into the physical similarities.
Porlyusica felt that since the core guild members had all been to Edolas already, there was nothing to hide from them, so she agreed.
"A Dragon Slayer Secret Art, huh? Train hard! If you don't understand something, you can ask Natsu for advice. There should be some common magical points," Ultear understood the gravity of the gift and offered a supportive suggestion.
"Did she mention anything about Igneel's whereabouts?! Or the Igneel from over there in Edolas?!" Natsu yelled, shaking Wendy by the shoulders.
Wendy had said a lot, but unfortunately... Natsu's brain had only processed the word "dragon."
Raizel pushed Natsu back down onto a bench as he was about to jump up again.
"No, Natsu. She said she has no personal connection to dragons here. Grandeeney sought her out unilaterally through telepathy, and Porlyusica can't contact her back."
"Alright..."
With his sudden hopes of finding Igneel dashed once again, Natsu felt a bit more dejected.
"Speaking of which, why are so many of you gathered around the bulletin board?" Raizel asked, somewhat puzzled.
The bulletin board on the first floor usually only held simple tasks that anyone below S-Class could take, but now even Ultear and Erza were crowded around it.
"See for yourself," Erza pointed.
[The Fiore Kingdom's "Grand Magic Games" — The Strongest Guild Festival]
[The competition is divided into preliminary elimination rounds and the main tournament. Detailed event content will be announced immediately before the matches.]
[Guilds from across the Fiore Kingdom will gather to test their Magic Power, Teamwork, and Coordination.]
[Eligibility: All registered regular Guilds in the Fiore Kingdom. All members except the current Guild Master are eligible to participate.]
[Location: Capital Crocus, The Domus Flau Venue]
[Time: Early July]
[Prize Money: 1st Place 30,000,000 Jewels, 2nd Place 15,000,000 Jewels, 3rd Place 10,000,000 Jewels]
The oversized, glossy request sheet also included a magical photograph of the massive Domus Flau venue.
It was quite different from the local Fiore Garden Square, which had more of an open stage-like feel, this one was built like a massive, enclosed gladiator colosseum.
'Has it started already?' Raizel thought, crossing his arms.
'I wonder if the timeline is being influenced by Future Rogue, or if it's simply because King Toma E. Fiore wants to watch the matches earlier...'
'Even if Future Rogue were interfering, it seems a bit early for him to make a move.'
'Let's wait and see.'
Raizel gazed at the bulletin board, lost in thought.
He decided to observe the situation—if Future Rogue showed any dark traces during the tournament, he'd drag him out, beat him up, and send him back to his own timeline.
"That sounds really fun!"
"It does have a massive festive atmosphere."
"It looks like an official competition to determine the definitive top guild in the Fiore Kingdom."
"But being the top guild in Fiore Kingdom isn't really practically useful."
"And we'd have to travel all the way to the capital, Crocus. How much time would the preliminary and main rounds take?"
The members immediately split into two vocal factions.
Some found the tournament troublesome and didn't want to go, especially since they still had lucrative personal missions to complete.
Others had strong collective pride and were determined to participate even if they had to force the conditions, like Erza.
Unable to win the argument with logic, she resorted to sheer force.
"Quiet! Of course, the Master will make the final decision!" Erza angrily slammed her fist on a table, cracking the wood.
Makarov stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before sighing.
"Hmm... But Magnolia also has its own Harvest Festival celebrations coming up. If we participate in the Grand Magic Games too, we might not be able to handle all the local civilian requests. Going to Crocus would cost a massive amount of money..."
The implication was that Makarov wasn't very keen on participating.
Of course, the main reason was money.
Accommodation, food, and travel for so many chaotic members staying in expensive Crocus would cost a fortune, and who knew how long the preliminary and main rounds would last.
If it lasted one or two weeks... He didn't even want to think about the bar tabs.
"But Master... the first-place guild gets 30 million Jewels... Even third place gets 10 million..." Lucy pointed out.
"Why don't you say so earlier?! We're participating!" Makarov genuinely hadn't read the bottom of the flyer about the prize money for the top three.
He had been drinking heavily earlier and paid no attention to their discussion when Mira posted the royal notice.
As Guild Master, aside from attending routine meetings and writing apology letters, he was practically a figurehead.
It was no surprise he wanted to step down and let someone else handle the finances.
"Our goal! 30 million... cough I mean, Fiore's Number One! Team Fairy Tail, prepare to participate in the Grand Magic Games!" Makarov's face flushed red when he mentioned the 30 million, quickly correcting himself with a cough.
"I'm fired up!"
"Our only goal is total victory!" Natsu and Erza were like two blazing monsters, burning with fierce passion and inspiring the others around them.
"Not bad fighting spirit," Gray chuckled lightly, cracking his knuckles.
"Three months? I'll train hard with the secret magic Grandeeney taught me before then!" Wendy declared.
"Manliness! Mention a brutal competition and it's all about manliness!" Elfman roared.
"Nobody would mind even if you said you were just after the 30 million Jewels, Gramps," Raizel shrugged nonchalantly.
"Nonsense! How could this old man be motivated by mere money?! I have strong collective pride! Fairy Tail must strive to be the undisputed top guild in the Fiore Kingdom!" Makarov lied flawlessly.
"Right, right, you're absolutely correct," Raizel nodded dismissively.
"Special training! Special training! Are you ready, Happy?!" Natsu yelled.
"Aye!" Before the words faded, Natsu and Happy had already run out the door, trailing fire.
"Should we make any preparations?" Ultear looked at Raizel and asked, since they had decided to participate.
"Let's find time to gather intel on our potential opponents," Raizel lightly tapped the table.
Even though the current Sabertooth hadn't fully matured in the timeline yet, there was still Jura and Lamia Scale to consider.
They weren't very familiar with the main combat members of the other guilds in the Fiore Kingdom either.
It never hurt to prepare in advance—Raizel never underestimated his opponents.
And to be honest, the current five core members of Sabertooth shouldn't be weak.
They might not reach his level of S-Class yet, but they should still be able to cause some real trouble in an arena.
Two Dragon Slayers, a God Slayer of Lightning, Memory-Make, and the spatial magic of the young lady?
It had been too long since he read the manga, Raizel didn't remember much about her specific spellcraft.
As for the Guild Master... well, Guild Masters couldn't participate according to the rules anyway, so whoever Jiemma was didn't matter.
Speaking of which, it seems Ur could legally participate since she wasn't a master, but who knows if she'd be interested in fighting kids in a tournament.