The inn, Fairy Tail's private lodgings—
The spacious hall was packed with Fairy Tail members, Makarov among them. They had all gathered because Wendy and Carla, who had gone out to enjoy themselves, still had not returned.
That would have been fine over the previous two days. After all, this was the most prosperous city in the Fiore Kingdom, and it was entirely possible to get carried away having fun and lose track of time.
But today was different. Early that morning, the organizers had sent someone to inform them that all contestants absolutely had to remain inside their inns at midnight that night! Otherwise, the organizers would accept no responsibility for anything that happened—
So before everyone went out that day, they had been reminded repeatedly to return to the inn and gather before midnight.
Now, there were only a few minutes left before midnight, yet Wendy still had not returned! If it had been Natsu, Natsu, or someone like Natsu, that would have been understandable—he would undoubtedly have forgotten in a fit of absentmindedness. But for Wendy, who was always so well-behaved, this was unusual, especially with the ever-cautious Carla accompanying her.
Incidentally, aside from Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe, as well as Gajeel and Pantherlily, the training team of Cana, Lisanna, and Elfman had now arrived too.
However, since Fairy Tail had already settled on its main competitors, those three could only tearfully serve as substitutes and supporting players. Though they had plenty of complaints, there was nothing they could do. Their strength fell a little short of those five, after all.
"Ahem, quiet down, everyone!" Makarov cleared his throat. Once everyone had fallen silent, he nodded and said gravely, "I'm sure you all know the situation. It's almost midnight now. We don't know what Wendy