"Erza vs. Bacchus."
"Natsu vs. Hibiki."
As Marco announced the semifinal matchups, the four participants displayed varied expressions.
Hibiki had already accepted his fate—any of the remaining three opponents would be equally challenging for him.
Three exceptionally fierce close-combat specialists, all geniuses with immense magic power, were his natural counters.
Against such overwhelming strength, even his formidable intelligence-gathering abilities were useless.
There was no defense—none at all.
Bacchus didn't look too pleased either.
Whether facing Natsu or Hibiki, he had confidence in himself—except when it came to Erza.
"Dammit, Bacchus! How can you falter before the fight even begins?!"
Noticing his own unease, Bacchus slapped himself hard, then grabbed his gourd and took several deep swigs of alcohol.
"Erza! You may be strong, but I'll show you the backbone of a real man!"
After downing the liquor, Bacchus suddenly found his vigor and began "boasting" loudly at Erza.
Though his words were bold, their actual content lacked conviction—more along the lines of "I'll give it my all."
"I look forward to your performance."
Erza stood ramrod straight, responding with a stern expression, almost like an examiner.
"I'll make it to the finals and defeat Erza!"
Meanwhile, Natsu's declaration was far more audacious, dismissing two people at once.
First, he was certain he'd defeat Hibiki, then equally convinced Bacchus would lose to Erza.
"..."
Both Hibiki and Bacchus turned to glare at Natsu.
The former remained silent, but the latter shot Natsu a furious look.
If possible, Bacchus would've much preferred facing Natsu instead.
Though the "Salamander" was no pushover, he wasn't on Erza's level.
"Alright, go rest up. The matches will begin this afternoon."
Marco intervened before Bacchus and Natsu could escalate their confrontation.
Save that energy for the battles ahead.
Especially Natsu—the kid had expended a lot of strength fighting Gray, and his exhaustion wasn't entirely an act.
But replenishing his magic power was simple for Natsu—just consume some flames.
The effects of Dragon Slayer Magic were downright broken in situations like this.
Their magic recovery was far quicker and easier compared to other Mages.
With the matchups decided, everyone dispersed for lunch and a midday break, while Marco returned to the infirmary.
Porlyusica was already gone, having likely slipped away for some peace after healing Gray.
Gray was awake now, seemingly fine aside from looking a bit listless.
"Marco..."
Spotting Marco's entrance, Gray greeted him weakly, his tone lacking confidence.
The reason for Gray's demeanor was obvious—he'd lost the fight and felt he'd failed Marco's expectations.
Under Marco's guidance, he'd begun shifting his combat mindset, learning to better utilize his magic's strengths.
Yet in the end... he'd still lost to Natsu.
Gray was convinced his performance must've deeply disappointed Marco.
What he didn't know was that Marco had actually bet on Natsu to win this time.
The one truly disappointed was Joy, who'd stubbornly believed in Gray's victory.
"You did well."
Marco walked to the bedside and patted Gray's shoulder, offering comfort.
"If only I was stronger..." Gray clenched his fists, the pain of losing to Natsu twice weighing heavily on his heart.
He didn't resent or envy Natsu—he knew exactly how hard Natsu trained every day.
He just felt useless.
He had always been ahead of Natsu before, yet now he had fallen behind.
He knew Natsu had incredible talent and powerful magic, yet he hadn't pushed himself harder.
At that moment, Gray couldn't help but think of Marco's magic.
He thought of the Diamond dust Punch, of the Cygnus Celestial Spirit Magic.
If he mastered this magic and donned Cygnus's battle attire, he definitely wouldn't lose to Natsu.
[Ding!]
[Detected a potential stundent. Register student information?]
Standing nearby, Marco suddenly froze, his expression turning odd.
"Gray, do you want to join the 'Sanctuary' and learn Celestial Spirit Magic?"
Marco tested the waters.
'Sanctuary' was the name of Marco's 'faction.'
Of course, it wasn't independent of Fairy Tail—it was more like a small team, similar to the Thunder God Tribe.
"..."
Faced with Marco's invitation, Gray fell silent, longer than usual.
Clearly, the boy was locked in an intense internal struggle—this wasn't a decision he could make lightly.
"I can't. I already have a master."
In the end, Gray gritted his teeth and refused.
He couldn't bring himself to become Marco's students like Lucy or Hisui.
"..."
Staring at the system prompt, Marco fell into thought.
So… this kid really wanted to learn, even earning the system's recognition, but suppressed that desire out of loyalty to his master?
Honestly? Marco was a little moved.
Gray, this guy…
It fit perfectly with Marco's impression of Gray.
The kid really was the sentimental type.
"Sorry, Marco..."
Seeing Marco stay silent, Gray muttered an apology, feeling guilty for turning down his kindness.
Marco chuckled and shook his head—he wouldn't get upset over something like this.
"It's fine. You can sit in on Lucy's lessons from now on."
Seeing Gray's conflicted expression after refusing, Marco spoke slowly.
"Huh?"
Marco's words caught Gray off guard, as if he didn't quite understand.
"I won't teach you. How much you learn is up to you." Marco continued, and this time, Gray fully grasped it.
His expression shifted to stunned delight.
"Really?!"
Gray scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain in his body—his excitement drowned it out completely.
"Of course. I keep my word. But if you can't learn it, that's on you."
Watching Gray's reaction, Marco smiled helplessly.
This kid had been dying to learn but kept suppressing it—it couldn't have been easy.
"I'll work hard!"
Once Marco confirmed, Gray immediately made a solemn vow.
Gray understood perfectly—Marco was giving him a special exception.
He didn't have to join his team or become a student to learn Celestial Spirit Magic.
He just had to figure it out himself, with no personal guidance from Marco.
"But… can I really learn it like this?"
After the initial joy, doubt crept back in.
Marco had explained before—this magic required the approval of the constellations in the sky to master.
Becoming Marco's student was the easiest way to gain recognition from the celestial constellations—there was no other method.
Now, as an unaffiliated outsider, could he truly earn the constellations' acknowledgment?
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