Facing Erza's death glare, even Laxus couldn't help but tremble slightly.
He let out an awkward laugh and hurriedly turned away.
Seeing the three of them quiet down, Erza turned back to her team to discuss who would actually compete.
"Although I don't know what the game rules are... since it's called Hidden, could it have something to do with hiding?" Erza whispered her speculation.
"Wendy! Wendy is very petite!" Lucy snapped her fingers excitedly.
"Wendy is in Team B..." Ultear and the others all looked at Lucy with helpless expressions.
"Oh, right, my brain suddenly short-circuited," Lucy scratched her head and laughed awkwardly.
"The selection for Lamia Scale is confirmed! Lyon Vastia!"
"Let's play rock-paper-scissors!" Laxus's suggestion received approval from everyone except Wendy.
"Then Wendy is excluded first." Laxus didn't really want Wendy to compete in the first round.
There were too many uncertain factors in this kind of competition. If Wendy got injured, he'd probably face some kind of torture when he returned to the guild.
The loving little fists from his dear grandfather, Ur's Ice-Make, and Raizel's greatsword? Laxus knew exactly how cherished Wendy was as the team's favorite.
As for him? Hah, just the team's punching bag, not worth mentioning.
"Huh?"
"That's right, that's right, let's test the waters in the first round."
"OHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Roaring cheers interrupted Gajeel's words.
The few people looked up to see Kagura's photo appearing on the crystal screen—no wonder the crowd go insane!
"Team A of Fairy Tail has been confirmed! The competitor is Kagura Mikazuchi!!"
"No time left, hurry! Rock-paper-scissors!"
"Team B's selection was somewhat hasty—the rock-paper-scissors winner is Gajeel Redfox!" The screen showed Gajeel grinning and flashing a peace sign, having won by throwing scissors four times in a row.
"Wait a minute, did you guys do that on purpose?"
Seeing the mischievous smiles on Laxus and the others' faces, Gajeel suddenly felt he'd been tricked.
"These guys!!! What improper behavior!!!" Makarov was hopping mad in the audience stands.
Their entire rock-paper-scissors process had been broadcast live to the kingdom!
"It's not so bad, it's very much in Fairy Tail's style," Mavis said with a smile, her eyes narrowed happily.
"Really? Now that you mention it, that's true," Makarov performed an instant change of expression worthy of an opera.
'If the First Master says it's good, then it's good! Even if a god comes... well, they can discuss that later.'
Everything's negotiable.
"These are the competitors each of the eight teams has sent out. As for the rules of the opening game, Hidden, that would be..." Chapati Lola paused. "Let's take a quick commercial break!"
"I'm falling over!"
"I might not be human, but you're truly a dog!"
Shouts and curses came from all directions, but Chapati Lola demonstrated the excellent composure of a skilled host, meticulously reciting the advertisement script.
Despite all the noise interference, Chapati Lola didn't miss a single word—truly professional.
After finishing, Chapati Lola secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Who knew how many times he had rehearsed it? Making a mistake would mean a deduction from his pay.
....
At the bell tower of Crocus Cathedral.
Two cloaked figures stood atop the bell tower, gazing at the distant venue of Domus Flau.
One figure was tall, the other short; one had blue hair, the other pink.
The blue-haired young man was wrapped up so only his eyes were visible, but the red tattoo on his face was still prominent.
They were Jellal and Meredy, who had left Grimoire Heart.
Recently, the Magic Council's hunt for them had relaxed considerably. Operating under the principle of hiding in plain sight, they had come to the bustling Crocus.
First, they wanted to join in the excitement of the Grand Magic Games.
No matter what, Meredy was still a young girl who loved excitement and fun. Especially after leaving Grimoire Heart, Meredy had gradually opened up more.
Although they sometimes had to hide and move around, Jellal felt that Meredy had been smiling more lately.
Second, Jellal seemed to sense a trace of dark magical power in the city.
It was extremely faint—so faint that he couldn't be sure—but since it involved dark magic, he wanted to investigate.
"The Grand Magic Games are finally about to begin." A Magic Crystal ball displayed the events inside the venue.
When they saw Laxus and the others playing rock-paper-scissors to decide the participants, Jellal and Meredy couldn't help but smile.
"Don't you want to go see them?" Meredy knew that Jellal actually held a fondness for the members of Fairy Tail, especially Raizel—though of course, it was purely a friendly relationship between man.
Meredy felt the same; she quite liked that blue-haired love-struck Juvia.
Though she thought Juvia's obsession with Gray wasn't ideal, she couldn't think of a better way to describe it at the moment.
"No, it's safer to watch from afar. If we're discovered, we'll have to flee again, and that would be hard on you." Jellal's words made Meredy blush brightly, though part of her face was hidden by her hood.
Jellal, focused on the crystal ball, didn't notice.
Seeing Jellal intently watching the crystal ball, Meredy secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"How long do you think we'll have to keep hiding like this?" Meredy's tone was somewhat dejected. She could have lived an ordinary life like a normal person, even without magic.
"It won't be like this forever, I promise." Jellal reached out and gently ruffled Meredy's pink hair.
"Do you think we could go to Magnolia?"
At the mention of Magnolia, Meredy's eyes lit up.
She yearned for Magnolia, for the life of an ordinary mage.
"If you want to go, it's not impossible, but not now. We need to observe a bit longer."
Magnolia was indeed a good place to go—no Council branch, and Raizel had a very good relationship with the town mayor.
It wasn't that Jellal hadn't considered taking Meredy to Magnolia, but he couldn't be sure why the Council had suddenly relaxed their pursuit of the two.
He needed to observe further.
Even if they went to Magnolia, he couldn't drag Fairy Tail or Raizel into their troubles.
Before going, it was necessary to at least ask Raizel's opinion first.
"Okay!" Meredy squinted her eyes, smiling as she nodded vigorously.
Although Jellal hadn't given her a specific time, she knew he never made empty promises and always kept his word to her.
...
Back at Domus Flau...
A figure about the same height as Makarov, wearing a pumpkin head and a green wizard's hat on top, emerged from the passage into the arena.
Dressed in a striped shirt, white gloves, and a green cloak, the pumpkin-headed figure waved and said.
"Participants for Hidden from each team, please come to me."