After the banquet ended, the guild members once again threw themselves into their busy request work.
Normally, they wouldn't be in such a hurry, but this was the critical period leading up to the S-Class Mage Trial. Anyone who had any aspirations for that title didn't dare show the slightest bit of slack and displayed an incredibly motivated side.
This was more or less like cramming right before an exam, but even if there was only a sliver of a chance of being chosen by the master, it was worth it!
Becoming an S-Class mage wasn't just an acknowledgment and affirmation of one's own strength—it was also a super powerful tool for showing off and bragging in front of their comrades!
Of course, there were also some laid-back slackers who couldn't muster any enthusiasm for it at all—like Macao and Wakaba, the old-timers from a bygone era, as well as service staff like Éclair and Kinana.
The former had long since passed the age of youthful passion and just wanted to slack off and coast through life, while the latter knew their own limits well and had no strong desire to become S-Class.
"The annual S-Class Mage Trial! If I somehow got selected, and then somehow passed..."
Standing in front of the request board, Lucy stared blankly into space, imagining herself becoming an S-Class mage and lording it over Natsu and Gray.
She wiggled her body excitedly.
Would she really get that lucky?
She had only just joined the guild this year. She was still a rookie. But still... she had gotten a lot stronger. Not only had she mastered Celestial Spirit Dress, but she had also participated in the subjugation of the dark guild Oración Seis and learned the Ultra-Magic Urano Metria.
Maybe... just maybe...
Lucy clenched her fists, looking full of determination. "I can really do it!!"
Influenced and encouraged by Chase without even realizing it, she who used to be terrified at the slightest trouble now actually had the courage to compete on the same stage as monsters like Natsu and Gray. That was truly excellent progress.
"Lucy, you look really weird right now," Happy said as he flew over and landed on her shoulder. "Promise me that even if you do get selected for the S-Class Trial, you'll be the first one eliminated, okay?"
As the mood-maker and straight man of the strongest team, this damn cat genuinely didn't want to see the day Lucy achieved fame and success.
It wasn't that he was jealous of Lucy. It was just that if that happened, it would make him feel useless.
That was the one thing he absolutely couldn't allow!
"I didn't expect you to think that way, Happy. And here I was thinking that if I really became an S-Class mage, I'd take you along on high-level requests to make big money and buy lots of delicious fish..." Lucy sighed, feigning disappointment.
"Aye! Lucy, if you really get selected, the brave cat-man Happy is willing to lend you a paw!"
Happy's eyes instantly lit up, and he made a solemn vow.
"Oh? What about Natsu? You two are best partners, aren't you?" Lucy smirked.
"Who said that? I barely know him!" Happy immediately disassociated himself from Natsu without a second thought.
If Natsu weren't so busy trading insults and throwing punches with Gajeel right now, this cat would probably be sleeping in a separate room from him tonight.
Erza walked over slowly, her expression serious. "Lucy, even though you've improved a lot recently, the S-Class Trial is extremely brutal. Don't let yourself have any delusions of luck!"
"Ah? Yes ma'am!" Lucy immediately snapped into a perfect military posture under the intimidation of Fairy Tail's disciplinary committee member.
"Come to think of it, I remember Natsu got beaten badly by Erza last year. He couldn't walk for three whole days," Mira said with a smile as she appeared alongside Erza. "And this year, Chase will probably be acting as an examiner too."
Having decided to compete fairly, the two women hadn't returned to their childhood rivalry. Their dynamic remained the same as always.
"...You said something incredibly terrifying with such a calm face, Mira-nee!"
Lucy glanced over at Chase, who was drinking tea and chatting with the master by the bar, and felt her scalp tingle.
If she actually ended up facing him, even though she was a cute, charming, and radiant sister, that damn card nerd absolutely would not go easy on her in a situation like this. He'd probably even let out a maniacal laugh and then mercilessly "deliver a fatal blow" without an ounce of hesitation!
Lucy suddenly felt that she should prepare a white flag in advance, so she could surrender at lightspeed before her life was threatened—if she even got selected for the trial roster in the first place.
"What's there to be afraid of? Wouldn't the S-Class Trial be boring if we didn't crush guys like Chase?" Gray crossed his arms, looking completely calm. He had been through this several times before.
Wendy, who had been listening nearby for a while, blinked her big eyes and asked curiously, "You seem pretty confident this time, Gray."
"Heh heh, I've got a pretty powerful ally this year!" Gray said, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
Hearing this, Lucy immediately snapped out of her daze and sidled up to Gray, looking cunning as she tried to pry information from the enemy. "Really, really? Who is it? Elfman? Bickslow?"
"I'm not giving any intel to a potential rival. You'll find out when the time comes," Gray said mysteriously, waving his hand.
"It simply has to be Juvia!"
Juvia's head popped out from under a nearby table without a sound, her eyes gleaming as she looked at Lucy. "Gray-sama, Juvia is willing to get rid of that damned blonde for you!"
"...Since when were you hiding there?!"
Back at the bar.
Gajeel approached Chase, visibly agitated.
"Hey, Chase! That idiot Fire Dragon said a pitch-black dragon appeared in your Card Space. Is that true?!"
"That's right," Chase said calmly, setting down his teacup and nodding without any attempt to hide the truth.
"Let me see it right now!" Gajeel demanded impatiently after receiving confirmation.
Like Natsu and Wendy, he also wanted news about his foster father, the Iron Dragon Metalicana. But being the tsundere he was, he never spoke of such things openly.
"You sure? That guy has a terrible temper. You might end up black and blue, you know," Chase said with a laugh.
"Keheh! I'm nothing like that worthless Fire Dragon!"
Of course, Gajeel wasn't afraid in the slightest. Or, to be more precise, because of how strong it was, he wanted even more to meet Gandora and prove to Natsu that his Iron Dragon Slayer Magic was superior to Natsu's Fire Dragon Slayer Magic.
"If that's the case, then I'll grant your wish."
Chase raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Gajeel was immediately enveloped in a dark gold magical array and vanished into thin air.
It was the same line of thinking as before—letting the guild's Dragon Slayers face a dragon's pressure head-on. It was beneficial whether for accumulating battle experience or for training their Dragon Slayer Magic.
So even if Gajeel hadn't asked, Chase would have done it anyway.
"Chase, what pitch-black dragon are you talking about?" Makarov's pupils contracted sharply, his voice heavy with disbelief.
"Don't worry, old man. That guy is our ally."
"That's not the issue at all! Are you telling me you can summon a dragon from four hundred years ago?!"
"Ahaha, luck. Just luck."
While Chase was explaining the origin of the Destruction Dragon to Makarov, Gajeel had already arrived at the Black Rock Wasteland in the Card Space.
Then, the Iron Dragon, showing off his Dragon Slayer Magic like a circus act, was unsurprisingly treated like a punching bag by Gandora, swatted aside and sent crashing straight into an ancient castle. He collapsed in the rubble, nearly knocked unconscious.
"How is this possible... He's this strong?!"
Gajeel slowly got to his feet after catching his breath, a look of horror on his face.
His Iron Dragon Sword had absolutely no effect on the creature. It couldn't even scratch the outermost layer of its scales!
"Hey, you little scrap-metal brat from the outside. That's not how you cut a dragon."
A gruff voice suddenly sounded from behind him, making Gajeel jump.
He turned around and saw a burly man clad in armor, wielding a massive dragon-fang greatsword.
"You are—"
"I see. You want to learn the Dragon Buster Sword from me, huh? You've got a good eye, at least."
"Who the hell wants to learn swordplay from you?! I asked who you are!!"
"Not bad, not bad. I approve of your fiery temper, kid. That's the most basic quality required for slaying dragons."
Gajeel: "..."
"Open your eyes wide and watch closely, kid. This slash... is going to be cool!"
As soon as he finished speaking, without giving Gajeel any time to react, the Buster Blader lowered his body slightly. A terrifying aura suddenly exploded from him as he swung an incomprehensibly fearsome slash toward the space in front of him.
BOOM!!
The blade light tore across the sky, exploding over Gandora's territory and annihilating every last piece of debris and rubble scattered through the air!
Gajeel stared in awe.
Is this a slash a human can actually swing?
***
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