hotmtlnovel Chapter 313 Lucy's Partner
Chapter 313 Lucy's Partner
Chapter 313 Lucy's Partner
After announcing the list of examinees and the relevant rules, Makarov led Chess and his three companions to the president's office on the second floor.
Although the assessment content has been basically finalized, the entire process still needs to be improved, and he also wants to hear the opinions of the active S-class mages.
The restless atmosphere in the guild hall did not dissipate as they disappeared around the corner of the stairs; the members gathered in small groups, each discussing the matter animatedly.
The scene was even noisier than a vegetable market.
Lucy, Natsu, and the others sat at a table with the Elfman siblings.
"This year's difficulty is really super high, it's making me a little panicked." Gray scratched his hair in distress.
Not only are the number and strength of the competitors formidable, but the lineup of examiners is also much more impressive than last year.
Although Laxus is gone, we gained Chess, Gildarts, and Mira, a demon whose restored magic power is even more terrifying than before.
It would be tough to run into any of them!
"I'm fired up! I'm definitely going to be this year's S-Class Mage!"
Compared to Gray's worries, his best friend Natsu was extremely excited, saying that no matter whether it was Chess or Erza blocking his way, he would knock them all away.
"That's great! I wish I had your overconfident mindset."
Lucy, who was lying on the table, sighed heavily.
Normally, she would never miss an opportunity to mock and ridicule Natsu, but now that she is a contestant herself, the pressure is immense, and she simply doesn't have that kind of mood.
"Is it even possible? Defeating those monsters is no big deal! As a man, you have to forge ahead!"
Elfman encouraged himself by shouting loudly to relieve his nervousness.
"I didn't expect this to be your first time participating."
Wendy, an outsider, smiled quite easily, saying, "Keep it up, everyone!"
"Come to think of it, it seems like all the members of the strongest team, except for Wendy, have become rivals." Lucy suddenly realized this was quite interesting.
"Lucy, that's so mean! Have you forgotten about us?" Happy complained.
"You're right." Xia Lulu unusually raised her hand to stand on his side.
She and Wendy had been recruited into the strongest team by Natsu and the others a long time ago.
"Aha, ahaha, sorry, sorry, Xia Lulu." Lucy quickly apologized.
Harpy: "Hey! You woman who gets cocky just because you've become a little bit stronger, we're about to get you!"
"Damn it, Juvia would much rather be Lord Gray's partner than a contestant!"
Juvia suddenly appeared out of nowhere, looking at Gray with loving eyes, and blurted out her whole fantasy: "Becoming an S-class mage, then celebrating while holding a wedding, and then having fifty kids or something, ah~"
Everyone: ".—" This one is even more heavyweight.
"Since I've been chosen by the old man, I'll fight with all my might. If I encounter you in the assessment, I won't hold back."
Gray seemed to have developed an antibody called the Juvia virus, completely ignoring the other person's terrible-sounding statement, and laughed, "Besides, as for a partner, I already made an appointment with someone last year."
"Following the passionate spirit of Lord Gray!!"
Juvia's brain short-circuited for a moment, turning her into a steampunk goddess, most likely because she was thinking of some inappropriate image for children.
"Wait, what do you mean by 'made an appointment'?"
When Gray's gaze suddenly fell on her, for some reason, Lucy had a bad feeling.
"it's me."
The Celestial Key at his waist gleamed, and Loki, sporting a lion's mane, stepped out of the magic circle.
"Since it was arranged in advance, Lucy, our contract is temporarily suspended during the S-rank assessment period. Don't worry, it won't consume your magic power."
Even after returning to the Protoss world, Loki's Fairy Tail crest remains, meaning he can still be considered a guild member and will not violate the rules.
That's true, but "how could you make such a decision on your own? Just how careless are you?!"
Having lost her strongest Celestial Spirit before the game even began, Lucy felt her already slim chance of winning had become even more distant—after all, it was a promise between partners, and she couldn't find any reason to keep Loki.
"Aaaaaah! What am I going to do?!" Elfman's mournful cry suddenly came from the other end.
Just as Loki was explaining the reason to Lucy, Lisanna found Juvia, who was overly obsessed with love, and offered to team up with her.
The two women seem to be very close friends with Edolas.
Although Juvia looked at Lisanna with a wary gaze that seemed to say, "You're going to compete with Juvia for Lord Gray too," she eventually accepted her kindness.
"Brother Elfman, someone has been watching you from the bar since just now," Lisana said with a smile.
Elfman looked in the direction his sister was pointing and saw Abba Grin's eyes filled with sorrow. He immediately got goosebumps.
Despite being a fellow member of the Thor's crew, Freed chose Biglos, which greatly displeased Abba Grin.
"Hahaha! Useless, useless! No matter who you team up with, you can't beat the strongest combination of me and Happy!"
Natsu jumped onto the table, striking a triumphant victory pose, looking as if he was determined to win.
"Let's go, Happy, let's begin our special training!"
"Ah~! Special training, and then I'll give that bastard Lucy a good beating during the assessment!"
With that, Natsu, carrying an indignant Happy, crashed through the guild wall and disappeared at the end of the street.
"Why do you always target me? And can't you go out like a human?!" Lucy's rant followed immediately.
The wall repairs were funded by sponsorship from the Heartfilia Foundation.
"Speaking of which, has Lulu decided who she'll be partnering with yet?" her best friend Levy asked as she walked over.
Gajeel, with a fierce expression, followed behind her, while Jet and Troy squatted in the corner, silently shedding tears.
The results are obvious.
"Hehe, my partner was already decided a few days ago!" Lucy smiled mysteriously.
Although she wasn't sure if she would be selected, she made a simple agreement with the person during their previous casual conversation, just to be on the safe side.
That person's magic is very special; it can provide tremendous help during the assessment. If used well, it can definitely scare even those S-ranks!
This also shows that under Chase's tutelage, the silly Lucy has made significant progress.
In the past, she would never have made such a preparation for the future, given her carefree nature!
"Wow, it was confirmed a few days ago? Looks like Rukie is really confident."
Seeing Lucy's mysterious expression, Levy blinked and asked curiously, "Who is it? Who is it?"
"Although Levy is my best friend, we'll be rivals from now on. I'm not as stupid as Natsu and the others to reveal my partner beforehand."
Lucy narrowed her beautiful eyes, her expression almost as cunning as a villain's. "So, it'll be a secret for now!"
"Ah! Tell me, Ruka, I promise I won't tell anyone else!"
Levy came right up to Lucy and grabbed her arm, shaking it violently.
Lucy's resolve crumbled quickly. After looking around, she leaned close to Levy's ear and whispered her name.
"It's...?" Levy's pupils contracted, and she raised her hand to cover her mouth.
Well, it made sense for Lucy to choose that person as her partner, but it was something she didn't expect!
"Hey, isn't it a bit shameless to hide even your partner?"
"That means he has absolutely no masculinity!"
"In the face of absolute power, such petty tricks are completely useless. You'll just need to obediently become my stepping stones!"
The other contestants looked down on Lucy's behavior, but Lucy inherited Chase's thick skin and sat there without blushing or skipping a beat.
Is the intention to use this provocation tactic to extract information about Vadashi's partner and then devise a countermeasure in advance?
Impossible! Impossible!
"I never expected that the only person who thought the same thing as me would be Lucy—"
In the corner, Cana's gaze swept over Gray and the others who were anxiously scratching their heads, and landed on Lucy, where she smiled and drank a glass of wine.
"It seems Lucy is the competitor we should be most wary of in this assessment~"