"Ah, I wasn't chosen!" Elfman grabbed his head and roared in despair. "Even when my sister and brother-in-law aren't here, I still couldn't get in?! That's… that's not manly at all!"
Lisanna patted his arm gently. "Don't worry, nii-san. The Master must have put a lot of thought into the lineup."
Evergreen folded her arms, lifting her chin. "I understand your feelings. We also hoped to stand on the stage in Laxus's place."
Freed, ever calm and thoughtful, pushed up his glasses. "Master, will there be substitute slots for the competition?"
Makarov nodded. "Yes. This year's rules state that substitutes don't need to register. As long as they're present at the venue and are members of the guild, that's enough."
He added, "Of course, each team can only have one substitute. You can't freely rotate members."
Nab tapped his chin in deep contemplation. "So… if we want a chance to participate, we'll have to go to the venue and watch every match."
"What are you talking about?" Warren smacked him on the back. "Even if you don't want to participate, you still have to go! We're supporting the guild."
"Hmmm..." Nab clenched his fist dramatically, hesitated like he was pondering life's deepest truths, and finally nodded. "You're right."
For the sake of their teammates, they would temporarily say farewell to their beloved request board.
A tragic sacrifice.
"Oh, here are this year's rules. Rhodes highlighted the important parts."
Makarov handed a thick book to Erza.
"Huh...mm." Erza's eye twitched. It was nearly the size of a phone book.
Thankfully, Rhodes had already marked the key points, so she shouldn't need to bother Levy.
Of course, the page stating "each guild may send two teams" had been… discreetly edited by Makarov using a simple illusion spell.
The old man was extremely satisfied with his own ingenuity.
"Alright, everyone get ready. Registration closes tomorrow. We'll depart this afternoon."
The whole guild moved at once.
Their big airship, which wasn't used often but was perfect for massive group trips, was pulled out of storage and prepared.
As they packed, guild members enthusiastically crafted support items: flags, banners, glow sticks, even some embarrassing headbands Natsu forced Happy to wear.
Once most people had scattered, Makarov hopped off the railing and let out a proud little laugh.
"Mm~ by now, Rhodes and the others should have finished registering, right?"
"Registering for what, Third?"
"Hm? For the...huh? Huh??"
Makarov nearly leapt backward at the sudden voice.
Standing in front of him was…
"M-Mavis-sama?!" Makarov cried out. "W-Why are you here?!"
The First Master tilted her head innocently. "Because staying on Tenrou Island all the time is boring."
Makarov massaged his forehead. "You said the exact same thing when Rhodes and Mira got married…"
At the mention of Rhodes, Mavis perked up instantly.
"Speaking of that, they've been married for a while now, haven't they? Do they have a baby yet?"
"N-Not yet," Makarov muttered.
"So slow."
"It's only been half a year! It's normal not to have one yet!"
"But Yuri had you in less than half a year after getting married."
Makarov froze.
He… did not know that.
Apparently his old man was a little more… intense than expected.
Mavis didn't dwell on the topic. She spun around, looking curiously at the quiet guild hall.
"It's rare for me to visit. Why is it so empty today?"
"We're about to leave for the Capital," Makarov explained, telling her about the Grand Magic Games.
Before he even finished asking whether she wanted to join them.
He saw stars sparkling in Mavis's eyes.
Time passed quickly, and by evening, Team B had wrapped up their day's "investigation" and returned to their room in the Ferris Wheel Hotel.
The rooms arranged by the organizers weren't even suites, just modified dorm-style spaces with five beds lined up together.
Probably meant to "promote teamwork." Or maybe the staff simply had no imagination.
For Magicians used to rough travel, this setup was completely fine.
It did mean that, for the first time in a while, Rhodes and Mira would be sleeping apart.
Right now, the five of them sat on the edges of their beds, sharing what they'd found.
"I went to the venue pretending to sightsee," Laxus reported. "Didn't find anything suspicious."
"I checked every shady alley and listened around in taverns," Gajeel grumbled. "Nothing unusual. Also, the drinks here are way too expensive."
Whether the drinks were expensive or he'd eaten someone's silverware again, and had to compensate, remained unclear.
"Juvia investigated the aquarium, and many restaurants," Juvia said proudly, listing off a dozen places.
Rhodes and Mira exchanged a look.
Those were… all the places they visited on their honeymoon.
Exactly what mission was Juvia doing?
After everyone finished reporting, it was clear nothing out of the ordinary had surfaced.
There were more Magicians in town, yes, but all from legitimate guilds, judging from their crests.
"The Master visited before you returned," Rhodes said. "He brought us our uniforms. We'll put them on when it's time for our dramatic entrance."
"Tch. That old man's priorities…" Laxus muttered.
Mira giggled. "I saw them. The Master made each one according to our usual style, but the base color is black. He said Team A already registered, and they're completely unaware."
Gajeel snorted. "Annoying. Are we still supposed to avoid them tomorrow?"
Juvia gave Rhodes a hopeful glance, clearly wanting to sneak a peek at a certain shirtless Ice Mage.
"If you really want to see them, a chance encounter is fine," Rhodes said. "Just don't mention Team B."
As they discussed the Games, Mavis suddenly appeared.
Everyone was startled at first, then immediately happy, after all, having the First Master around was like having a walking good-luck charm.
Since it was still early, Rhodes suggested, "Let's play cards."
Mavis hesitated. "But I'm a ghost."
She could stand, sit, flop on a bed, even tug someone's clothes with effort…
But she couldn't eat, drink, or hold physical cards.
"I'll team up with the First," Mira said cheerfully. "I'll hold the cards, and she'll make the calls."
The small wings on Mavis's head fluttered in excitement.
And so, the card battle began.
Everything was normal at first, until the third round.
Mavis suddenly declared, "Alright, I've fully figured it out."
From that moment onward, Mira barrelled through every match like a demon blessed by mathematics.
With Mavis at her side, she played like a precision engine, calculating every card, every probability, every player's habits.
When they had good hands, Mavis played the round like solving a simple math problem.
When they had bad hands, she manipulated the others' choices subtly, misleading their judgment until the outcome fell neatly into her hands.
Before long, the others remembered in pure horror why she was called the Fairy Strategist.
Only Rhodes managed to deflect her traps a few times, disrupting her otherwise perfect wins.
Mavis looked at him in admiration. "As expected of the child the Third values! You're also calculating every card, aren't you? It feels like you completely see through my strategies."
"Ah, something like that," Rhodes said, looking at the ceiling.
He understood, just not by calculation.
Mira secretly smiled.
Her husband acting like that could only mean one thing: he was absolutely cheating.