"As for me, I've specifically overcome my fear of heights!" Warren also looked eager to give it a try.
"I think all these things won't be of much use..." Happy shrugged his paws helplessly from the side.
Bisca raised her Magic Machine Gun and said, "Although we went out on our honeymoon, we didn't give up training. We've greatly improved the accuracy of our bullets, you know."
"I've read a whole series of thirty horror novels in one go! Thirty of them!" Nab proudly gave a thumbs-up.
"What's so impressive about reading novels..."
"I think you should go take a request and do a job first." Macao and Wakaba shook their heads in resignation.
"I don't want to hear criticism from you two who are always drinking at the guild."
Everyone in the guild was discussing their preparations among themselves.
"You've all worked hard. It seems you've done a lot of training for the Grand Magic Games." Makarov's arrival made everyone in the guild stop their discussions.
He didn't head straight for the bar but instead came to the center of the guild's stage, looking at the members below.
Makarov cleared his throat theatrically and then said, "Everyone, five days from now will be the Fiore Kingdom's first grand festival, the Grand Magic Games. I know you've all been looking forward to it for a long time, but there are restrictions on participants. Since we've decided to participate, we must give it our all!"
"For this tournament, our guild will send two competing teams."
"As for the roster, pay attention!"
Natsu and Gray wore calm expressions, waiting for Makarov to read out their names...
"The roster will be announced the day before the competition starts."
"WHY?!" Natsu and Gray protested furiously.
"Some people haven't returned yet," Makarov said quietly, tilting his head.
"Why hasn't Laxus come back yet..."
"Thirty million Jewels! We definitely have to go all out! Gildarts isn't back either!"
"You're saying that way too loud!" Natsu and Gray complained in unison.
Erza pointed toward Hargeon Port with her right hand and declared, "Everyone! Board our guild's airship! Destination—Crocus!"
If everyone needed to sleep on the airship this time, it would definitely be too crowded for so many people.
Fortunately, traveling at full speed, it would only take a few hours to reach Crocus, the capital of the Fiore Kingdom.
...
The City of a Hundred Flowers—Crocus.
The streets were adorned with a profusion of flowers, every household grew them, and even the stone bridges were decorated with floral arrangements.
"It's so lively!" Natsu was exclaiming at everything, looking like a country bumpkin entering the grand city for the first time.
"Mages from all over Fiore have gathered here to participate in the Grand Magic Games. Add in the residents and tourists, of course it's lively!"
"So this is the capital of the Fiore Kingdom! It's my first time here!"
"There's a castle in the city center, everyone look! It's different from Magnolia!" Natsu excitedly pointed toward the Hall of Shining Lights.
The Hall of Shining Lights itself was a very tall structure, and its towering observatory could be seen even from the city gates.
Raizel replied, "That's the castle of the Fiore Kingdom's king, the Hall of Shining Lights Mercurius."
Raizel had visited the Hall of Shining Lights three times.
Once in X777, when Anna came to open the Eclipse Gate, Raizel followed along inside, once to report to the town mayor about the revenue from the Harvest Festival battle arena in recent years, and once to help with the design of the Grand Magic Games venue.
"The king!!!" Natsu's eyes lit up, though no one knew what bold idea he had in mind.
"This castle seems even bigger than the king's castle in Edolas," Carla remarked as well.
"This year's Grand Magic Games venue is on the mountain to the west. Let's pick a hotel nearby." Ultear studied the distance to the venue, holding the latest Crocus travel guide, which detailed various hotels around the city.
However, not all members stayed in hotels, those who couldn't possibly participate in the competition stayed on the guild's airship.
Crocus had dedicated docking areas for airships, guarded by the kingdom's military.
When Raizel and the others arrived, they had already seen Blue Pegasus's Christina.
"You're finally here." Laxus, wearing a purple shirt, yawned with one hand in his pocket, followed by Freed.
Bickslow and Evergreen were still at the hotel.
"Laxus! Freed!"
"Come with us, we've already found a hotel." Laxus casually pointed his thumb in the direction of the inn before turning to signal everyone to follow.
The group trailed behind Laxus as they headed toward the hotel.
This crowd ranged from old to young, male to female, from two-meter-tall muscular men to a small blue kitten.
Their hair colors were particularly striking—purple, red, blue, gold, with the cherry pink hair being the most eye-catching. Their outfits were equally outrageous, as if they weren't experiencing the same season.
They even noticed a man who, while walking, had somehow ended up in just his shorts... Erza was pulling a cart of luggage piled higher than her head, drawing plenty of attention.
It was hard not to notice this group.
"Look at the emblem! They're Fairy Tail!!!"
"The guild that claims to be number one in the Fiore Kingdom?"
"Not just claims—they are!" a Fairy Tail supporter asserted.
"When did you get here?" Raizel stepped forward to walk alongside Laxus.
"Just arrived yesterday. Came straight here after finishing a job."
"How did the job go?"
"Completed, though the process was a bit complicated."
Raizel nodded in understanding.
Laxus asked casually, "Have you gathered any information on this year's Grand Magic Games?"
Levy flipped through her notes and said, "I heard there will be many events, and the final ranking will be based on total points. It sounds similar to our Harvest Festival battle last year, but we don't know the specific events yet."
Ultear added, "I estimate the preliminary round will likely be some kind of free-for-all melee. Otherwise, with so many guilds, it would take too long."
Along their way, they had already encountered many members from different guilds.
The Fiore Kingdom actually had quite a number of guilds, and it was rumored that guilds from neighboring kingdoms would participate this time as well.
Natsu frowned, striking his right fist into his left palm, and said, "So troublesome... Can't we just fight directly?"
Laxus said casually, "The hotel has a rulebook for this Grand Magic Games. It's quite thick, so I didn't bother flipping through it—too lazy to read."
"Leave it to me then! I have my Wind-Reading Glasses." Levy looked eager and ready.
"Wow, you're really lazy," Raizel scoffed.
He could tell—Laxus was just waiting for Levy or Ultear to take the bait.
First, he asked if they knew about the materials, then mentioned the rulebook.
Laxus let out an annoyed laugh and said, "Right back at you. You're the last person I want to hear that from."