Knee Pillow and Exam Rules

An hour later, in the guild hall.

Those who needed to leave had already left, while everyone who remained was ready to watch the show.

Makarov and Gildarts reappeared by the railing on the second floor, looking down as they waited for the two candidates to finalize their teams.

The atmosphere was tense, but also thick with gossip.

Laxus had made his decision long ago.

He leaned against the request board with his arms crossed, looking as aloof and arrogant as ever.

Beside him, Freed Justine stood straight, his face marked by a meticulous seriousness and zeal, as though becoming Laxus's teammate was the highest honor of his life.

The other two members of the Thunder God Tribe cheered them on from nearby.

On the other side, the scene was entirely different.

Jiang Bai, the other star of the exam, lay sprawled on his personal sofa in the corner of the guild, his eyes shut tight. He seemed to be asleep.

He showed no concern for the coming S-Class Exam, as though it were an inconsequential outing.

The only thing he was waiting for now was the result of the "battle for teammate eligibility" outside the door.

Finally, under everyone's eager gaze, the guild's long-suffering doors were pushed open.

Erza and Mirajane walked in, one after the other.

Both looked a little worse for wear.

Several obvious scratches marred Erza's armor, and her long scarlet hair was somewhat disheveled.

Mirajane's Gothic-style leather outfit had several tears in it, and there was a slight scrape at the corner of her mouth.

Clearly, the duel had been quite intense.

Erza, however, wore the spirited expression of a victor.

Ignoring the gazes directed at her from all around, she walked straight to Jiang Bai's sofa and announced the final result in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Jiang Bai, I'll go with you to the exam."

Jiang Bai slowly opened one eye on the sofa and looked at Erza, who was disheveled but still imposing. There was no trace of surprise on his face.

"Looks like you won, Erza."

Hearing that, Erza's lips curved into a confident smile. She brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek and spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Piece of cake."

Mirajane, following behind her, gave an irritated snort at those words.

She walked over to the other side and folded her arms. Though her face was full of frustration, there was no discouragement in her eyes. Instead, her fighting spirit burned even brighter.

"Hmph, you only had a tiny bit more magic power than me."

Mirajane curled her lip and fixed Erza with a blazing stare, issuing a new challenge.

"Just give me a little more time. Next time, I'll definitely knock you flat!"

Makarov looked down from the second-floor railing at the two clearly separated teams and nodded in satisfaction.

Everyone was finally here.

He wasted no more time. His vigorous voice rang throughout the guild.

"Let's go!"

And so, with Makarov and Gildarts leading them, the S-Class Exam party of Jiang Bai, Erza, Laxus, and Freed set out under the envious and expectant gazes of the guild members.

The group first boarded a train bound for a remote region, its rhythmic clatter lulling them toward sleep.

After getting off the train, they transferred to a bumpy carriage and headed for their destination: a primeval forest that wasn't even marked on maps.

The carriage wasn't large, and it was somewhat cramped with all six of them inside.

Laxus and Freed sat on one side, upright and looking straight ahead, giving off an air that warned strangers to keep their distance.

Makarov and Gildarts squeezed in opposite them, occasionally whispering to each other and glancing at Jiang Bai and Erza beside them, mischievous smiles on their faces.

Jiang Bai had originally wanted to lean against the carriage wall and catch up on sleep, but the ride was far too bumpy. The uneven dirt road nearly rattled his bones apart.

"Tsk, how annoying."

Jiang Bai frowned, his face full of displeasure.

He looked from side to side, and his eyes suddenly lit up, as though he had found a spot with excellent feng shui.

Before Erza could react, Jiang Bai tilted his head and let himself fall, smoothly and naturally resting his head on her thigh.

The soft, springy sensation made him narrow his eyes in comfort.

"Mm, this is a nice spot. Much more comfortable than the carriage wall."

Erza froze for a moment, then looked down at Jiang Bai, who had already closed his eyes without a care.

There was none of the expected shyness on her valiant face. Instead, it showed a touch of helpless, indulgent tenderness.

She looked at his contented sleeping face and sighed softly, then naturally adjusted her sitting position so her thigh could support his head more steadily and let him rest more comfortably.

The pair opposite them took in the entire scene.

"Phew..." Gildarts sucked in a breath and lowered his voice, winking at Makarov. "Are young people these days all this smooth?"

Makarov stroked his white beard, a complicated expression of envy and gratification on his face.

"Ah, it's good to be young... Back in my day, I..."

The two old perverts wore lewd smiles that said, "We understand," and their gazes toward Jiang Bai were filled with admiration and jealousy.

The activity on this side naturally drew the other pair's attention as well.

Freed watched Jiang Bai and Erza's intimate posture thoughtfully.

He seemed to have gained some insight into the true meaning of teamwork.

So he solemnly patted his own thigh, turned to Laxus beside him, and asked in an utterly serious tone:

"Lord Laxus, would you also like to rest your head on my lap?"

The corner of Laxus's mouth twitched violently.

He abruptly turned to look at Freed's face, which practically said, "Please, by all means, use me," and a vein on his forehead began to throb uncontrollably.

He forced the words out through clenched teeth.

"No. Thanks."

With that, Laxus closed his eyes and turned his head the other way, as though one more look at Freed would make the lightning in his body rage out of control.

Amid this atmosphere, half sweet and half bizarre, the carriage finally came to a stop.

"We're here. Huonia Forest."

Makarov's voice broke the silence inside the carriage.

Everyone got out one after another, and a vast, boundless primeval forest spread out before them. Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, and the scent of damp earth and vegetation filled the air.

Makarov cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention, and began to announce the rules of the exam.

"Originally, I wanted to design a few more stages."

His gaze swept over Jiang Bai and Laxus, and his tone held a hint of resignation.

"But given the strength of you two, those complicated stages would be too easy and offer little challenge. In that case, I'll be more direct."

He paused and held up two fingers, his expression growing deadly serious.

"This exam will have just two rounds."

Makarov clasped his hands behind his back, a sly gleam flashing in his cloudy eyes. Looking at the two imposing pairs before him, he spoke quietly, yet his voice carried clearly across the entire forest clearing.

"The first round is called 'King and Knight.'"

He held up one finger.

"The rules are simple. Do you see the tallest mountain in the center of the forest? Your goal is to reach the King's Altar at its summit."

"However, there are two paths to the summit. One is the King's Path; the other is the Knight's Path."

Makarov's gaze fell first on Jiang Bai and Laxus.

"Jiang Bai, Laxus, you two will take the King's Path. It goes straight up, and you will meet each other on the way. Fight, defeat your opponent, and finally reach the summit alone. Only the person left standing on the altar will pass the first round."

Those words made it clear that the heart of the first round was a direct confrontation between the two.

Next, his gaze turned to Erza and Freed.

"As for you, Erza and Freed, you will take the Knight's Path. This path symbolizes cutting through thorns."

"Your task is to reach the Trial Platform halfway up the mountain before your 'kings' decide the victor."

"I've specifically lured a group of magic beasts there, and there are two devices that need to be supplied with magic power. You two need to deal with the magic beasts, then each supply magic power to a device."

A smile curled at the corner of Makarov's mouth.

"Only then will the altar activate and transport the victor to the final exam location."

"Note that if Jiang Bai wins and Erza hasn't supplied magic power to her device, Jiang Bai won't be able to enter the next round, even if Freed succeeds in supplying his."

"The reverse is also true."

Having finished announcing the rules, Makarov clapped his hands.

"All right, those are the rules. Now, the exam begins!"

With that, he looked at Gildarts.

"As for the second round..."

Gildarts stepped forward, and his mountain-like presence instantly enveloped everyone. He grinned, showing a row of white teeth.

"It's simple. The winner of the first round will face me."

"If you can last thirty minutes against me without falling, you pass."