Though they called it pre-competition training, it was more like sharpening the blade right before the fight.
For a mage to truly grow, there were only two legitimate paths: either to experience life-or-death battles that triggered transformation, or to devote time to long-term training.
As for the matter of the Second Origin, Charles had no intention of forcefully helping Sting and the others awaken it.
The so-called "Magic Origin" was the organ within a mage responsible for absorbing magical particles from the outside world and converting them into their own magic power.
It represented the maximum amount of magic a mage could possess and use, and its capacity was determined by the mage's spiritual and physical attributes.
Training one's magic was essentially the process of expanding their Magic Origin. But that too had its limits—limits that defined the strength ceiling for most mages.
However, part of the Magic Origin remained dormant, and very few mages ever discovered and accessed it. That hidden portion was what they called the Second Origin.
Of course, mages like Makarov had long discovered their Second Origin and had been training it for years.
Even Erza had long since become aware of her Second Origin and had begun to draw on its power.
The same applied to Natsu. In his many battles, there were times when he seemed to have exhausted all his magic yet still exploded with power—that was him unconsciously tapping into his Second Origin.
However, neither of them had fully opened their Second Origin, which was why they needed Ultear's help upon their return.
The members of the Tenrou Team had already endured countless harsh battles and were at the point where forcibly opening their Second Origin was feasible.
But Sting and the others weren't the same. Forcibly awakening it in them now would be like pulling up seedlings to make them grow faster.
So all Charles could do was help them patch up their weaknesses as much as possible before the Grand Magic Games.
And just like that, time passed in a flash, bringing them to the eve of the Games.
Charles led the Fairy Tail team to the capital of Fiore—the city known as the City of Flowers, Crocus.
Sometimes titles truly did reflect essence. Right in the middle of flower season, Crocus was adorned everywhere with vibrant blooms.
Stella placed flower crowns on herself, Vini, Kagura, and Sherria. The four girls became even more radiant and enchanting.
Female friendships were often inexplicably fast-forming—perhaps it was simply a matter of vibe.
During their training period, Stella and Kagura had grown incredibly close, becoming best friends who shared everything.
Vini also got along well with Sherria. Interestingly enough, though Sherria was the shorter one, she seemed to take on the role of the big sister between them—a rather amusing sight.
The Fairy Tail team quickly finished registration and received a booklet containing the rules of the Grand Magic Games.
Since it was their first time registering, the rules were still fairly simple. The key point was that participants had to be registered guild members—anyone without a guild mark would be disqualified.
Each team was limited to five members. No substitutions could be made once a round began, but after each day's matches concluded, the lineup could be adjusted.
In special cases, temporary substitutions could be made with the tournament judge's approval.
Charles remembered that in seven years, a rule would be added that guild masters couldn't participate—but that wasn't listed this time. That rule must have come from something that happened in the future.
Regardless, even if that rule were in place, it wouldn't matter. Though everyone referred to Charles as the acting guild master, he hadn't formally accepted the position. So technically, he wasn't the fourth master of Fairy Tail.
After strolling through Crocus for a while, the group arrived at the designated accommodation for participants—a hotel named "HONEY BONE."
As Charles and the others pushed open the door to the inn, everyone in the first-floor lobby turned to look at them.
The girls in the group were all visiting Crocus for the first time and had spent more time sightseeing, so by the time Fairy Tail checked in, most of the other guilds had already arrived.
In other words, these were likely their opponents in the Grand Magic Games.
Charles immediately recognized several familiar faces—but there were even more he was seeing for the first time.
Guilds like Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus were old acquaintances, while the others were from smaller, lesser-known guilds that Charles had never even heard of.
According to the pre-tournament materials, this year's Grand Magic Games had 87 participating guilds. Not quite the triple digits of seven years later, but still a staggering number.
Charles had previously only known of the more famous guilds. He hadn't realized there were so many obscure ones scattered across Fiore.
Among them was Sabertooth, the guild that would eventually rise to become Fiore's top guild after five powerful mages joined and led them to victory in the Games, bringing them instant fame.
But in Charles's view, that was more like squatting in a seat someone else had left behind. And now, of the original five powerhouses, only three remained.
Not to mention that in the original timeline, the older, more established guilds didn't take the competition seriously. For example, Lamia Scale didn't send Ten Wizard Saint Jura or Ice-Make Mage Lyon until the Games seven years in the future.
Those guild masters weren't the flashy type—titles like "Number One Guild" didn't mean much to them.
But Charles's eyes quickly landed on Jura's bald head and Lyon's distinctive white hair.
A quick scan of the lobby confirmed it—most of the heavy hitters who originally appeared seven years later were already here.
Charles even spotted Simon, Sho, and Wally—the trio from the Tower of Heaven.
Apparently, due to the butterfly effect of Charles's presence, they had joined a guild and entered this year's Grand Magic Games.
Charles glanced at Kagura beside him and, as expected, saw her looking emotional. Simon was her brother. One of the reasons she chose to leave with Charles was to learn swordsmanship from him, but another reason was to repay Fairy Tail for saving Simon's life.
Now that she was seeing her brother again, she couldn't contain her feelings.
Charles gave her a nod. Delighted, Kagura ran over and began speaking with Simon.
She was a proper Fairy Tail mage, and Charles trusted she wouldn't let personal feelings get in the way of what was best for the guild.
Just then, Jura approached and said, "Charles, I thought you might be here."
Charles looked at the not-yet-long-bearded bald man and replied, "Of course. But I didn't expect Lamia Scale to take this so seriously—you even joined in yourself."
Jura clasped his hands together and smiled. "This is a grand event for all the mages of the kingdom. Naturally, I didn't want to miss it."
Charles resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If he hadn't known Jura skipped every tournament for the next seven years, he might've believed him.
Clearly, Fairy Tail's continued strength under Charles's leadership had made the other guilds curious—and maybe a little competitive.
These guilds had too much time on their hands. Their participation would definitely make winning the championship a lot harder.
Then again, without them, the tournament would've been a lot more boring.
Charles looked around once more, hoping these opponents would give him something fun to play with.
(End of Chapter)
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