"First Guild Master Mavis, she finally couldn't stand you little brats messing around in front of her grave, so she personally came out to settle accounts with us, didn't she?!"
Makarov looked at First Guild Master Mavis, his expression pale and his body weak.
"Yo, Old Makarov, you've really grown some guts, haven't you?!"
"Even First Guild Master Mavis dares to mock…"
"That's impressive, I admire you!"
"No wonder you're the Guild Master."
Just as Makarov was in a state of panic and helplessness…
Medivh, at some unknown point, had sidled up to him, slung an arm over his shoulder, and spoke teasingly.
The more panicked Old Makarov was, the more mischievous Medivh's smile became.
"I…"
Upon hearing this, Makarov's old face crumpled in embarrassment…
His lips first turned purplish-red, then finally became ashen, as if all blood had drained from them. His entire spirit seemed to drift, and in a mere few seconds, Makarov seemed to see his life flash before his eyes…
Old Makarov's life had indeed been magnificent, starting as an orphan, rising to become a Saint Ten Wizard, and then inheriting the Magic Guild Fairy Tail! These stories, if written, would probably be enough for a fantasy novel of tens of millions of words. He just never expected that in his later years, the story would turn into a tragedy.
"Stop talking, I am truly heinous, utterly wicked! I will commit seppuku right now…"
Makarov gently wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye. He picked up a random twig from the ground and made a gesture as if to cut open his abdomen.
Hmm, if the Magic Council members heard Makarov's confession at this moment, they would surely clap their hands repeatedly and loudly cheer: "Makarov, didn't expect this, did you? You rascal, you have your day too! You must sincerely repent for all these years of leading the Magic Guild Fairy Tail in wanton mischief and distorting right and wrong on the Ishgar Continent!"
"Um…"
"Are you really not going to stop me?!"
"Even if you just pretend to persuade me with a single sentence, my heart wouldn't be so cold."
"All these years, I've written millions of words of self-criticism for you brats, all for nothing."
Makarov raised his head. He looked at Medivh and Gildarts, who, from his perspective, had twisted and ugly expressions of malicious amusement, and spoke angrily.
"Hehehe…"
"Picking up a broken twig and scratching your abdomen a couple of times is called seppuku?"
"If you were holding a real knife and just pretending to make a few gestures, we'd actually play along with your act. But you're not even bothering to pretend…"
"My dear Guild Master Makarov~"
In response, Medivh and Gildarts exchanged a smile. They seemed too lazy to bother with Makarov, who, despite his age, was still clowning around in public.
"Cough, cough…"
"In any case, First Guild Master Mavis, I was wrong!"
Makarov lightly coughed twice. Finding no one paying attention to him, he casually tossed aside the small twig in his hand and, with practiced ease, scurried to Mavis's bare, fair feet, assuming his classic, perfectly executed dogeza posture, and loudly begged for mercy.
"It's alright, Makarov, I've already forgiven you."
"After all, managing the Guild alone for so many years has been truly difficult for you…"
Mavis squatted down, gently stroking Makarov's forehead, and said softly.
"Wuwuwu…"
"First Guild Master! You're still the best."
"Unlike these brats, they don't know how to be considerate of an old man."
"I wonder who raised them?"
Although Makarov couldn't feel Mavis's touch, his weathered eyes were still brimming with tears, as if he was about to burst into tears at any second…
Hmm, indeed, among the entire Guild, only Mavis, as the First Guild Master of Fairy Tail, could truly understand how exhausted and tormented he, also a Guild Master, was every day?!
"After receiving First Guild Master's comfort…"
"I feel like I've drunk from the legendary Fountain of Youth."
"I feel younger, full of energy…"
"This old man can stay in the position of Fairy Tail Guild Master for another hundred years."
As Makarov spoke, he leaped up from the ground, hands on his hips, looking smug.
"Old Makarov, you said it yourself, that you can stay in the position of Fairy Tail Guild Master for another hundred years! I heard it, and everyone else heard it too. Within these hundred years, you can forget about retiring…"
Medivh placed his right hand behind his ear, palm open, in a listening gesture, and put on an expression that indicated he had remembered everything Makarov had just said, and that no matter how Makarov tried to deny or feign ignorance in the future, it would be useless.
"Uh…"
Upon hearing this, Makarov's old face stiffened, and his lips became chapped.
"Damn it, my retirement plan seems to be delayed again."
Makarov looked up at the sky, tears in his eyes, and said through gritted teeth.
The pain in Old Makarov's heart, no one could understand!
Alas, Old Makarov, Old Makarov…
"You two are Medivh and Gildarts, right?"
"I just heard Warrod mention you two…"
"Fairy Tail Guild's current strength is largely due to your efforts."
At this moment, Mavis seemed to notice Medivh and Gildarts. She floated lightly over to them and first praised them loudly.
Immediately after, Mavis's tone shifted. She put her hands on her hips, feigning fierceness, but due to her soft and adorable appearance, she couldn't really be intimidating and remained in a cute posture…
She tried to be profound, but was still incredibly adorable, as she lectured the two: "But from now on, you absolutely must not abandon your children outside again~ Think carefully, how sad and upset are children when they are abandoned and can't see their parents?"
"Yes, Guild Master Mavis~"
"Regarding what you said, we have already begun to reflect…"
Medivh and Gildarts naturally stood at attention, appearing humble and eager to learn.
After being criticized by Mavis, they both promised Mavis that such mistakes would never happen again from now on…
However, Medivh's heart was itching at this moment. He really wanted to loudly complain to Mavis in front of him: "Actually, First Guild Master, your good son, 'Magic King' August, is also abandoned outside right now, currently serving as a commander in the West Continent Alvarez Empire! Are you really not considering going to see him?"
Hmm, looking at it that way…
The fact that Fairy Tail abandons children is a tradition.
Though not a good one.
But like attracts like.
Cough, cough…
However, Medivh considered August's safety…
And also to prevent the anna's curse's curse on Mavis, which had finally calmed down, from flaring up and taking the lives of everyone present. So he could only temporarily hold back his complaint.
But Medivh secretly swore that he would eventually reveal today's experience in public.
He would just wait until he had completely resolved the problem of the 'anna's curse's' curse.
"Speaking of Old Man…"
"When will the second round of our Guild's S-Class Mage Examination continue this year? We're getting a bit impatient."
Laxus, arms crossed in front of him, sat in the shade of the giant tree with 'dense branches and leaves,' looked up at Makarov not far from him, and asked.
"Cough, cough…"
"When we're in the Guild, don't call me Grandpa, use my title!"
Makarov looked over upon hearing the voice. After seeing that it was Laxus who spoke, he first tactically coughed twice, then corrected Laxus's address for him with a cold and serious expression.
After doing all this, Makarov slowly turned around to look at First Guild Master Mavis, his face full of smiles and fawning, and said: "Guild Master Mavis, normally, I treat all my Guildmates equally. I would never give Laxus any special treatment just because he's my grandson."
"This old man is actually using me as an example, as a greeting gift for the First Guild Master?!"
Laxus took all of this in. His brows furrowed into a knot, and the veins on his forehead were taut.
"Old Man, hurry up and continue the S-Class Mage Examination!"
"Everyone's waiting."
Just then, Mirajane, dressed very lightly, had appeared beside Makarov at some unknown point and requested of Makarov.
"Alright, it's starting now…"
Makarov replied to Mirajane's request with a smile, earnestly.
"No, is there something wrong with my ears?!"
"Mirajane didn't call you Guild Master either, did she?"
At this moment, Laxus felt like he was about to shatter…
He was surprised to find that he seemed to be excluded.
However, the person excluding and bullying him was not some Guildmate…
On the contrary, his Guildmates all respected him, and everyone acknowledged his strength.
Nor was it Medivh and Gildarts, that pair of domineering figures feared by everyone outside the Guild…
Instead, it was his own grandfather, Makarov Dreyar, the annoying old man who was also the Guild Master.
"Can you compare yourself to Mirajane?"
Upon hearing this, Makarov rolled his eyes dramatically, speaking with considerable exasperation.
…
Laxus was immediately numb, unsure what to say.
Finally, First Guild Master Mavis couldn't stand it anymore. She walked up to Makarov and said softly, "Please be kind to Laxus."
"First Guild Master, she's simply an angel."
In response, Laxus's gaze towards First Guild Master changed, his eyes shining brightly.
"Laxus, hurry up and thank First Guild Master."
Makarov heard this and looked at Laxus, lecturing him.
"You don't need to tell me, you rotten old man, you're truly wicked…"
Laxus glared at Makarov, then said angrily.
"Cough, cough…"
"In any case, the Magic Guild Fairy Tail's X778 S-Class Mage Examination, Round Two, officially begins!"
"First, the four groups of contestants who successfully passed the previous round: Laxus Dreyar, Erza Belserion, Mirajane Strauss, and Gray Fullbuster, please gather in front of me within thirty seconds…"
Makarov finished speaking and quickly counted to thirty.
"Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight…three, two, one."
When Makarov finished counting the last number, the people standing in front of him were Laxus, Mirajane, and Erza. Gray was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Gray? Where did Gray go?"
Makarov looked at the missing Gray and asked in confusion.
"Gray probably won't be able to make it. He's currently in the previous passage, in a brawl with Natsu and Lyon."
In response, Medivh looked at Makarov and explained.
"Is that so?"
"If he can't come, then so be it."
"Gray can't even beat Natsu or Lyon right now…","He should practice more before thinking about passing the S-Class Mage Examination~"
Makarov said, then declared Gray's elimination.
"So Laxus, Mirajane, and Erza, listen up…"
"Next, the three of you will participate in a four-person free-for-all with Ur of the Ten Wizard Saints."
"The two ultimate winners will successfully pass this year's Fairy Tail Guild S-Class Mage Examination and become the Guild's newly promoted S-Class Mages. That is all."
Makarov, with his hands behind his back, explained the rules for the second round of the examination to Laxus and the others.
Hmm, no wonder Makarov directly eliminated Gray…
This second round doesn't test luck, but true strength.
Leaving aside Ur of the Ten Wizard Saints…
Just the free-for-all between Mirajane, Laxus, and the others is not something the current Gray can interfere with! With Gray's current strength, the best outcome would probably be to be sent flying by the aftershocks of their battle. Being directly eliminated is probably Gray's most dignified way to lose.
"It seems that next will be my magnificent solo show."
"Ere, watch carefully how I defeat them…"
"Laxus and Mirajane, let's have a decisive battle!"
Erza's lips curled up, and she held her knight's sword, pointing its blade directly at Laxus and the others, speaking with full confidence.
"Go, Erza!"
Ere waved her small hand towards Erza, who was walking alone, and shouted excitedly.
"Go, Erza! Father is waiting for your victorious return!"
Medivh stood beside Ere, also cheering for Erza.
"Although I really want to completely crush your spirit here…"
"But Erza, there's one apology I must make clear to you first."
Laxus said, then walked out from the shade of the tree and stood in front of Erza.
"What do you mean by this?"
Erza's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She looked up at Laxus, who was a head taller than her, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.
"You ask us what we mean?"
"Is there even a need to ask?"
At this moment, Mirajane also walked in front of Erza…
Her idea seemed to coincide with Laxus's, or perhaps they had agreed on something beforehand…
In any case, they simply walked past Erza and headed towards Ere, who was cheering for Erza not far away.
"Compared to you, Erza…"
"We'd rather challenge the legendary Dragon."
Speaking of which…
Laxus and Mirajane had already arrived in front of Ere. They bowed slightly to Ere, as if greeting her, and then earnestly asked:
"Laxus, the Lightning Dragon Slayer of the Fairy Tail Guild…"
"And Mirajane, the Take Over Mage of the Fairy Tail Guild…"
"…wish to challenge you. Please grant us permission!"
As Laxus and Mirajane spoke, they looked up at Ere, who was beside Medivh, their eyes gleaming with immense fighting spirit.
"Hey! You two little brats, that's enough!"
Before Ere could speak, Medivh stepped forward, blocking her, and looked up and down at Laxus and Mirajane with dissatisfaction.
Of course, Medivh wasn't afraid that Ere would be injured by Laxus and Mirajane's magic. With Ere's strength, even if she stood still, they wouldn't be able to break her defense…
What Medivh was worried about was that if Ere used her power rashly, it would attract the invincible 'Black Dragon King' Acnologia.
Didn't Medivh, even after regaining his lost Dragon Slayer power from the rewards issued by the simulator, never use even half of it?!
It wasn't because Medivh's Dragon Slayer Magic was too weak or that he wasn't good at using it.
On the contrary, it was precisely because Medivh's Dragon Slayer Magic was too strong that he dared not use it…
As a human who had experienced the true 'Dragon King Festival' four hundred years ago and fought alongside Irene on the front lines from beginning to end, how could his Dragon Slayer Magic be weak?!
Ere's situation was similar to Medivh's.
Moreover, this is Tenrou Island, commonly known as the Island of Annihilation!
There's a very high chance of attracting that…
Because he was too diligent four hundred years ago…
So now, he has nothing to do on the Ishgar Continent and can only wander around, the 'Black Dragon King' Acnologia.
"Father, don't worry."
"It won't attract Acnologia."
Ere naturally knew what Medivh was worried about…
Moreover, the Ishgar Continent is known as the Dragon Graveyard, and it's not just an empty boast; it's built upon the remains of one Dragon after another.
"Ere!"
Medivh frowned. Laxus and Mirajane didn't understand the current situation, and that was fine, but why was Ere, this child, joining in the mischief?!
"Before Mother let me come to the Ishgar Continent, she gave me three magic arrays that can isolate auras! Each array is about thirty square kilometers in size. I left one in Magnolia Town, and I plan to put another one here…"
Ere looked at Medivh and explained.
Selene hadn't been idle during these four hundred years. In order to bypass Acnologia and enter the Ishgar Continent, she used the unique nullification magic of the Elentir World world to create magic arrays specifically for eliminating Dragon auras.
Although it still couldn't perfectly eliminate the aura of 'Divine Dragon' class Dragons, Dragons below the 'Divine Dragon' class were not a big problem.
"That's good."
Medivh breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that.
As long as Little Black isn't attracted, everything will be fine.
"Besides, to deal with these two little ones, I don't even need to use my Dragon form; my human form is completely sufficient."
Once Ere saw Medivh's worries completely settle, she stood on the high platform, looking down at Laxus and Mirajane on the ground, a playful glint in her eyes.
A Dragon's human form and Dragon form have several levels of difference in combat power.
It could even be said that they are not on the same level of combat power at all…
But even so, Ere in her human form possesses combat power on par with other Shield-class members below the two strongest, far beyond what the young Laxus and Mirajane can contend with at present.
"What did I say before? It won't take me an hour to deal with you two!"
"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear then. Now I'll say it again: one strike is enough to deal with you two…"
As Ere spoke, her body transformed into an afterimage, and before anyone else besides Medivh and Gildarts could notice, she had already appeared behind Laxus and Mirajane. She pressed close to Mirajane's ear, her breath like orchids.
"Oh no!"
Mirajane's face changed, and she instantly completed a full Take Over, taking over the Soul of Deliora, and elbowed Ere, who had 'flashed' behind her.
"Clang~"
Unfortunately, Mirajane's elbow strike was far less skilled than that man's, and Ere blocked it with a single hand.
"A feisty little kitty, I don't dislike it either~"
Ere said, sticking out her delicate pink tongue and lightly licking the corner of her lips.
"Lightning Dragon's Ro…"
At this moment, Laxus seemed to react. He took a deep breath, and a golden magic circle with a Dragon head appeared in front of him. Without needing to say more, he was naturally preparing to unleash a roar, which is also a basic Dragon Slayer Magic.
"Too slow!"
Unfortunately, before Laxus could unleash his roar, a slender, fair hand had already covered his eyes. Laxus watched the hand getting closer and larger in his vision, his pupils trembling slightly.
"Boom!"
A shattering sound echoed in everyone's ears.
Everyone saw Laxus's head forcefully buried into the ground by Ere's delicate hand, kicking up endless dust and dirt!
As for the charged roar that Laxus had prepared to attack Ere and injure her, it had now exploded in Laxus's mouth…
Hmm, Ere perfectly returned the power of that roar to Laxus himself.
One's own roar should be enjoyed by oneself~
It was this time that Laxus understood that a roar could backfire.
Once the smoke and dust cleared.
"Hoo…"
Laxus was already sprawled on the ground, his eyes rolled back, and foam coming from his mouth…
The law of no injury with smoke seemed to have failed here.
"Next up is you~"
Ere turned around, like a cold and beautiful queen, looking at Mirajane, whom she regarded as her prey.
"I surrender!"
Mirajane, seeing Laxus instantly collapse without even making a move, deeply understood the gap between herself and Ere. Helplessly, she raised her hands, giving Ere a French military salute.
"Good girl~"
Ere smiled. She seemed very satisfied with Mirajane's self-awareness.
"S-Class Mage Examination ended! The winners are Ur and Erza…"
Makarov announced the end of this year's Fairy Tail S-Class Mage Examination the moment Mirajane surrendered.
"I won by lying down?"
Erza blinked her big eyes, looking bewildered.
So, the examination is over?
The problem is, she hadn't even exerted herself yet!
By the way, does Ere's win count for her?
"In any case, let's just get this over with!"
Makarov silently wiped the cold sweat from his forehead…
His original expectation was that Ur, Laxus, and Erza would be the three participants, and it didn't matter which two of them emerged victorious.
As long as they didn't demolish Tenrou Island, it would be fine if it ended quickly.
"Medivh, this is a rare opportunity. How about we have a match too?"
Just as Makarov thought he could go back and rest, Gildarts suddenly looked at Medivh and asked.
"Honestly, I've always been very curious about the power you've hidden."
Gildarts looked at Medivh and said curiously.
"It's not impossible."
Medivh scratched his cheek, a hint of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes.
"Alright! You little brats won't stop until you tear down Tenrou Island today, will you?!"
At this moment, Makarov finally understood…
These troublesome brats didn't come to Tenrou Island to participate in the S-Class Mage Examination; they simply came here to tear the place apart.
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