Chapter 8: The List
Noah had actually learned Card Magic long ago, though he primarily used it to store his belongings, like luggage. This way, he could travel with just a deck of cards, which was incredibly convenient.
Noah didn't carry any offensive magic cards on him, only storage-type ones. He gave Cana some of his unused blank cards so she could practice with them.
By the afternoon, with Noah's guidance, Cana had grasped the basics of Card Magic. Before the magic item shop closed, Noah took her there and picked out a few magic cards for her—both offensive and functional types—as a gift.
For the next several days, Noah would teach Cana the theory of Card Magic in the morning, and in the afternoon, they would go to a clearing to practice. Noah would do his own training nearby, ready to answer any questions Cana had.
Once she could use Card Magic proficiently, Noah helped her adjust her training schedule: physical and magical conditioning in the morning, Card Magic practice in the afternoon, and general studies at other times. With Cana's training now on the right track, Noah went back to taking on missions, completing even more than before.
Time passed, and the end of the year arrived. Noah had completed a sufficient number of missions and stopped going out, instead dedicating his days to an incredibly intense training regimen. Seeing this, Cana found it strange and asked him what was going on.
Noah simply told her that she would find out in a little while, and also that Gildarts would be returning soon. The mention of Gildarts made Cana so nervous that she completely forgot about Noah's strange behavior, consumed with worrying about how she would face her father.
Then, the day came. Makarov gathered all the guild members together. He stood on the counter and addressed the crowd.
"I trust you have all been eagerly awaiting this day."
The guild members roared with excitement.
"YEAH! The day has finally come!"
"I've been waiting all year for this!"
"I wonder who will succeed this year? I can't wait!"
"Master, hurry up and announce it! I can't take the suspense!"
Makarov coughed, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "In accordance with the ancient traditions of Fairy Tail, I will now formally announce the participants for this year's S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial."
"It's the S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial?!" Cana said to Noah in surprise. "So this is what you said was going to happen!"
"This is it," Noah's gaze was fixed intently on Makarov. "The S-Class Trial. I've been looking forward to this for a long time!"
Makarov continued, his voice booming through the hall. "This year's trial will be held on Tenrou Island, our guild's sacred ground."
The members gasped in surprise.
"The trial is on our sacred ground? We've barely been there a handful of times!"
"What's the test going to be?" a newer member who had joined that year asked one of the veterans.
"The content of the S-Class Trial is different every year," the older member explained. "But no matter what it is, you can be sure it won't be easy. After all, passing this trial means becoming one of Fairy Tail's S-Class wizards. The difficulty is naturally immense."
Up on the counter, Makarov spoke again. "Over the past year, I have carefully observed everyone's strength, heart, and soul. After much deliberation, I have chosen three members to participate in this year's S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial."
"Three people this year? Usually, it's only one or two, or sometimes none at all!"
"These three individuals are...
Macao Conbolt,
Wakaba Mine,
and Noah Flair."
"Wait, Noah too?! The other two aren't a surprise, but isn't Noah only eight years old this year? He can participate in the S-Class Trial?"
"Is Noah's strength really at that level? No, wait... knowing how strict the Master is about S-Class requirements, Noah must have met the standards, otherwise the Master would have never approved him."
"Has he even done enough missions? Don't you need to complete a certain number of jobs to prove you have enough experience?"
The guild hall erupted in a flurry of discussion, everyone completely shocked that Noah was eligible to participate.
"I'm sure you are all confused as to how Noah made it onto this list," Makarov explained, silencing the crowd. "To be honest, I still find it hard to believe myself. Initially, I had not included Noah in my considerations. He approached me himself. He demonstrated a level of strength sufficient to participate, and he has completed more than enough missions. After considering it for a long time, I finally agreed to let him take the trial."
Ever since Noah's name was announced, Cana had been staring at him nonstop, so intently that it was starting to give Noah goosebumps.
He turned to her. "Why are you staring at me like that? You're making me nervous."
Cana finally broke her gaze. "I'm just curious. Because of Gildarts, I've looked into what it takes to be an S-Class wizard. You have to be incredibly powerful in every respect. Unlike other guilds that have several S-Class wizards, our guild currently only has one. That's because our S-Class Trial is so strict that no one has been able to pass it for years. So I'm just very curious how you made it onto the list. Do you have some kind of secret?"
Noah smiled slightly. "What secret? It's just a little bit of talent, combined with constant hard work. That's all."
Cana was speechless. Is he bragging? He's definitely bragging. Annoyed, she reached out and pinched his arm, hard.
Though it didn't really hurt, Noah feigned a look of immense pain and hopped a step away from her.
"Master, what's the content of the trial?" a guild member called out.
"Because Noah is participating this year, the trial's content will be very simple," Makarov answered. "It's a battle."
"How will it work? Who are we fighting?"
"The three participants will first engage in a free-for-all battle. The final winner will then fight Gildarts. This means that at most, only one person can be promoted to S-Class."