"In accordance with the long-standing tradition of Fairy Tail, I now officially announce the list of participants for this year's S-Class Mage Promotion Exam. The exam will be held on Tenrou Island, our guild's sacred land. Over the past year, I've carefully observed each of your hearts and spirits. This year's chosen participants total nine..."
"Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, Elfman, Cana Alberona, Freed Justine, Levy McGarden, Mest Gryder, and Charles Dragneel."
As Makarov announced the list of this year's candidates, murmurs spread through the guild below.
In the end, Makarov had decided to proceed with the exam as originally planned.
According to him, the confrontation between Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart was inevitable.
Be it the opposing roles of legitimate and dark guilds or Precht's identity, the two guilds were fated to be incompatible.
And if war was unavoidable, then having the battlefield on Tenrou Island was to Fairy Tail's greatest advantage.
As for Zeref, Makarov didn't seem concerned. Zeref wasn't inherently hostile toward Fairy Tail, so there was no need to regard him as an outright enemy.
After all, no one would be reckless enough to test the might of the Black Mage himself… Makarov silently reminded himself to keep a close eye on Natsu to prevent any foolish behavior!
Charles stroked his chin. Aside from the addition of himself, this year's list was identical to the original timeline.
Natsu, Gray, and the others needed no introduction—had they been in any other guild, they'd likely already be S-Class Mages.
But Makarov had long been troubled by their personalities—and combined with the high difficulty of the exam, none of them had passed yet.
Then there were candidates like Levy, who excelled in specific fields.
Levy's Script Magic did have some combat utility, but her strength was far from top-tier. However, she was the only one in the guild who could have deep magical discussions with Charles.
From that perspective, she was more than qualified to be an S-Class Mage.
And finally, there was Mest—who claimed to be a disciple of Mystogan.
Charles glanced at the buzz-cut man, who was chatting cheerfully with others who came to congratulate him, wearing an inquisitive look.
Mest's magic was unusual—he could make everyone believe he was a long-time companion.
Perhaps sensing Charles's gaze, Mest turned and gave him a smile.
Charles nodded politely, then turned his attention back to Makarov on the stage.
Makarov continued, "The exam will begin in one week. Use this time to prepare yourselves. For those participating for the first time, I'll explain the rules again. Each of the nine selected participants must choose a partner during this week.
The rules are simple: One, your partner must be a member of Fairy Tail. Two, you cannot choose an existing S-Class Mage as your partner.
The specific content of the exam will be revealed upon arrival at Tenrou Island. Candidates and their partners are to assemble at Hargeon Port one week from today. That is all!"
As the crowd dispersed in animated chatter, Charles turned and headed home.
To prevent any unexpected accidents, he had been busy crafting magical tools.
Using a prepared Update Elixir, Charles refreshed his ability stats. [Mystic] had successfully ranked up, increasing both the quality and speed of his magic tool crafting.
But with only one week left, he needed to work faster if he wanted to prepare gear for everyone.
Charles suddenly stopped walking, turned his head, and said, "You've been following me for a while now. How much longer do you plan on tailing me?"
Mest emerged from behind a roadside tree with a smile. "As expected from someone who defeated a member of the Ten Wizard Saints—caught me so quickly!"
Charles looked him over. "Don't tell me you've been trailing me just to gather intel on a future opponent."
Mest's smile faded. "Your memory wasn't affected by my magic, was it?"
Though it sounded like a question, Mest already knew the answer—and he had reason to be nervous.
As mentioned before, Mest's magic was a form of Memory Magic—he could implant memories to make everyone believe he was one of them.
He could seamlessly infiltrate any organization by forging perfect memories of his existence. It made him an ideal spy.
The Magic Council valued this and sent him to Fairy Tail as an undercover agent.
Coincidentally, Makarov had the same idea.
Yes—Mest was not only a spy sent by the Council; he was also Makarov's agent, embedded in the Council to gather intel.
To complete this "magical version of Infernal Affairs," Mest went a step further—he sealed away his own memories of being a Fairy Tail member.
At this point, he truly believed he was a Council spy infiltrating Fairy Tail.
That's why he panicked upon realizing Charles might be immune to his memory alterations.
Because if Charles's memories were untouched, then his cover was already blown.
And Charles's memories were untouched.
He was extremely cautious when it came to memory—whether it was memories of his past life or the secret of his world-traveling ability, those were inviolable.
To protect them, Charles had placed three layers of seals and five different protection spells on his mind. He didn't believe anyone could forcibly tamper with his memories.
Any false memories Mest tried to implant were blocked by his protection spells. Even if they had slipped through, Charles would've quickly noticed any inconsistencies.
Memory was a person's most precious asset—and Charles despised anyone tampering with his.
If Mest weren't technically a fellow guild member, Charles would've already knocked him into next week.
And even so, Mest's magic had weaknesses. He could never fabricate memories as flawlessly as real experiences. Fake memories always produced inconsistencies.
For instance, he had implanted memories in everyone that he was a guildmate and had participated in the last S-Class exam.
But since that never happened, no one could remember who his partner had been.
Charles spoke calmly, "I don't care who you are. If the Master's fine with you joining the exam, I have no complaints. As long as you don't harm the guild, I won't act against you."
With that, Charles turned to leave.
"Oh right—one piece of advice. This year's S-Class Exam won't be so safe. Whatever you're planning, I suggest you don't get too involved."
Charles said that deliberately. He was confident that once Mest reported this to the Council, they'd take action.
While he didn't expect them to help fight Acnologia, at the very least, someone could help deal with Grimoire Heart's foot soldiers.
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I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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