Chapter 11: S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial (3)
"Ugh... I'm melting... I'm gonna die like this..."
"Laxus survived this kind of heat...?"
"This is impossible... I have no choice but to strip down...!"
An hour had passed since we left, riding the guild's private ship.
Though we had set off under a clear spring sky, by now the sweltering heat from atmospheric convection made the air oppressive.
Wearing clothes that were a bit too thick, Macao, Freed, and Bickslow finally gave up, stripping off their shirts and guzzling down water.
"To think you'd be defeated by a little heat! And you call yourselves Fairy Tail wizards!"
"Erza, you say that... but you're sitting there in a swimsuit, sweating too."
"Still! I didn't say I was hot!"
She claimed the heat was nothing, but there Erza was, fanning herself in a swimsuit. Her words and actions didn't exactly match.
After making a small comment at her, I shifted my gaze to the others and looked at the partners each candidate had brought.
Macao had chosen Wakaba.
Bickslow had brought Evergreen.
Surprisingly, Freed had chosen Cana as his partner.
Seeing Freed's choice, a question formed in my mind.
Freed, like me, was someone who valued efficiency above all else.
Yet Cana... at this stage, didn't possess any particularly powerful magic.
She was still among the more inexperienced members of the guild.
It wasn't unreasonable for me to question why someone like Freed would choose her.
"What's got you thinking so hard?"
"...Erza."
As I pondered, Erza sat down beside me and handed me a drink.
"It's nothing important."
"Really? Then, answer one thing for me."
"What is it?"
"Why did you choose me as your partner over Mirajane? I understand the excuse about 'efficiency' you gave everyone back at the guild.
But there's something else, isn't there?"
Her sharp gaze locked onto mine.
Despite her occasional clumsy moments, Erza was sharp and intelligent.
And she was right.
Efficiency wasn't the only reason I chose her.
"Yes, you're correct. The first reason was indeed the compatibility between our abilities. But the second reason... is because I want you to gain experience through this S-Class promotion exam."
"Experience...?"
I evaluated Erza very highly within the guild.
She had a heart of steel—strict with herself but always looking out for everyone else.
Her magical talent was outstanding, and she had the backbone to rein in even the most troublesome guild members.
Because of that, I was certain: If given this experience now, Erza would undoubtedly become a top candidate for next year's S-Class exam.
In fact, even Master placed his trust in her—second only to me.
If Erza became an S-Class wizard, it might lighten my own workload a little.
In other words, my second reason for choosing her was an investment in my own future.
"Yes. Please think of it as an investment for my future."
"Huh... is that so...?"
Hearing my answer, Erza let out a small sigh of relief and softened her tone slightly.
"I was worried for a second there, thinking you might have feelings for me. I didn't want to end up as the rival who stole Mirajane's brother."
"I have no idea what nonsense you're talking about.
To me, you're like Mira—a younger sister. Where you get that kind of confidence from, I'll never understand."
"Wh-What?!"
Erza stared at me with a strange expression.
Just as the atmosphere grew strangely quiet, Master appeared from the cabin, fanning himself.
"We're here. Look! That's Fairy Tail's holy ground—Tenrou Island."
"We're here already?!"
"That's Tenrou Island...?!"
"It's incredible!"
"There's... another island floating above it?!"
"....."
"Hmph."
Turning my eyes in the direction Master pointed, a majestic island came into view.
The lush green island supported a massive tree that itself held up yet another island above it.
A floating island above an island—it was nothing short of breathtaking.
"Long ago, they say fairies once lived there. And sleeping within that island is the first Master of Fairy Tail—Mavis Vermillion."
"Mavis..."
So that's the name of the first master...
Fairy Tail had been around for almost a hundred years now.
Compared to other guilds with ancient traditions, it was relatively young.
Yet in terms of legend and achievement, Fairy Tail commanded respect.
Mavis Vermillion.
The founding master of Fairy Tail, a brilliant strategist who led them to victory in numerous wars, and the genius wizard who created the guild's three legendary magics.
Knowing that someone like her was laid to rest there stirred a deep intellectual curiosity in me.
"Now then, let's move on to explaining the exam."
At Master's words, everyone turned their attention to him as he stood atop the ship's mast.
"This year's test will be split into two simple stages.
Of course, don't think just because it's fewer stages that it'll be easy."
He fanned himself lazily and pointed toward the far end of the island.
"See that smoke rising over by the shore? Head there first. Each team must choose just one path to enter."
"And waiting for you at the end of those paths is..."
As Master spoke, a magical screen appeared beside him. It displayed a simple map of the cave system we would enter, showing eight entrances and a series of straight paths.
Among those paths, three were marked for battles, and two were marked as safe routes.
The notable thing was that on the battle-marked paths, two of them had 'Danger' signs—along with the faces of Gildarts and Laxus.
"Only the teams that clear this challenge can pass the first stage!"
"Battle?"
"But Gildarts and Laxus have 'Danger' written next to them!"
The guild members were murmuring anxiously, but Master continued explaining without a care.
"If you encounter a 'Battle' path, two teams will meet, and only the winning team can advance. If you end up on a 'Danger' path, you'll have to defeat an S-Class Wizard to move forward. It's an extremely difficult fight."
"Of course, if you're lucky, three teams could avoid battles entirely and pass through safely—since the numbers don't divide evenly."
"The goal of the first test is simple: 『Strength』 and 『Luck』!!"
At the straightforward explanation, I let out a small laugh.
Choose a path and move forward.
Defeat whoever stands in your way with overwhelming power.
What an entertaining exam this would be.
"Let the exam begin!!"
At the signal to start, Freed and Cana were the first to dive into the sea.
Bickslow and Evergreen, and then Macao and Wakaba, tried to follow, but Freed had already trapped the others using his runes.
"What the—?!"
"Runes?!"
"FREEDDDDD!!"
"Relax. The runes will disappear after five minutes!"
"Then, we'll be taking the lead~!"
Amid the chaos, five minutes passed, and soon everyone was diving into the ocean one after another.
"Come on, Ciel! Hurry! Everyone else has already jumped in!"
"Ku fu fu... Erza, you really should learn to be a bit more relaxed. This exam isn't a race. Besides, getting my clothes soaked by seawater is something I'd rather avoid."
"But the longer we delay, the higher the chances we'll lose out! Now's not the time to be taking it easy!"
Ignoring her panic, I calmly sat back in my chair, sipping my drink.
The essence of this exam was simple: to test overwhelming 『Strength』 and pure 『Luck』.
I wasn't expecting luck to smile on me.
Instead, I would crush my way forward with sheer power—that was my way.
Whether by strength or luck, all that mattered was moving forward.
"The boat has arrived. Let's go."
"You're the only one treating this so casually..."
Erza sighed heavily as she gave me a light smack on the back.
It wasn't as powerful as one of Mira's punches, but it still stung.
I wondered if the children of this world were naturally stronger... or if maybe my body was just weak.
"So, there are eight paths... Which one will you choose?"
"Number six."
"Any particular reason?"
"I like the number six. If I had to choose a favorite number, it would be 666."
"That's... incredibly simple."
"Men are creatures that need to be simple sometimes," I replied with a smirk.
We entered the sixth cave.
Contrary to what we expected — dark, cold, and gloomy — the interior was surprisingly bright.
Sunlight streamed in through gaps here and there, and the warm air inside made the space feel cozy rather than claustrophobic.
It hardly felt like a cave at all.
After walking down the passage for a while, we came to a wide open area.
"It looks like no one's here... maybe we got lucky and can pass through."
"Ku fu fu fu fu... Erza, I'm afraid not."
From the moment we stepped into this area, I could feel it—an overwhelming, electric aura of magic.
Knowing exactly who it belonged to, I immediately summoned my Spear of Mist into my right hand and spoke aloud.
"Now, hiding isn't really your style, is it? Why don't you come out already?"
As I said that, a flash of lightning crackled in the center of the room.
A young man appeared, his blond hair and golden eyes gleaming.
He wore a simple white dress shirt and comfortable corduroy pants, lightning dancing all around his body.
"Looks like I've hit the jackpot."
"C-Ciel?! Jackpot?! What are you saying?! Our opponent is Laxus!"
"Khahahahahahahaha!!"
Laxus clutched his stomach and laughed without restraint.
Crackling lightning from his body crumbled part of the cave wall.
"Jackpot, you say? Don't make me laugh!
From my side, you're the jackpot! Ever since you became a temporary S-Class, I've been dying to crush you with my strength, Ciel!"
"Ku fu fu fu... The feeling is mutual. Master's been muttering lately about how 'Laxus has become an uncontrollable brat' and asked me to teach you some manners."
"Tch, the old man's sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. As if you could beat me."
"Is that so? Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?"
Laxus Dreyar.
Master's grandson, and one of Fairy Tail's S-Class Wizards.
Ever since I joined, I'd wanted to test his real strength.
So encountering him here instead of Gildarts truly was a jackpot.
Not only that — Master had been wanting someone to put Laxus in his place for abandoning his duties.
And I was more than happy to volunteer.
"Erza, please step back for now."
"But... shouldn't we fight him together?"
"No. If we both ganged up on him, he wouldn't be satisfied."
"Hmph, you know me well. If two people teamed up against me and still lost, it'd be humiliating.
I'd rather beat you one-on-one."
"I'll personally shut that arrogant mouth of yours."
"And you'll be bowing to me after I crush you—like a proper junior should."
The moment our words ended, a bolt of lightning exploded toward me—
moving faster than the eye could follow.
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