CHAPTER 609: END OF THE EXAM

The night had already deepened.

Grimoire Heart had formally declared a ceasefire with Fairy Tail.

Whether they meant it or not hardly mattered.

Makarov, however, had no illusions. He believed Grimoire Heart had no future left as a guild, but for now he only demanded that Precht and his subordinates leave Tenrou Island as soon as possible. The island was sacred ground. No outsiders were permitted to set foot on it, not even a former Master of Fairy Tail.

Of course, Makarov also used the opportunity to scold Laxus, reminding him that he wasn’t a member of the guild anymore and thus had no right to be here.

Laxus pretended not to hear a word. He had already seen how worried his grandfather looked when he was injured earlier, and that was enough for him. Instead of arguing, he muttered something about checking on the Thunder God Tribe and slipped off to the camp.

As for Precht...

He couldn’t exactly leave. Grimoire Heart’s airship had first been blown apart by Natsu, then finished off by Rhodes’s Rift Herald. What remained now looked so fragile that even a breeze might shatter it to pieces.

Precht said he would need to repair the airship once he found Ultear, and in the meantime, they might as well rest here.

Makarov hesitated, but before he could decide, Mavis, speaking gently through Rhodes, gave her approval.

And so, Fairy Tail returned to their camp while Grimoire Heart’s battered remnants pitched their own camp only a few hundred meters away.

The whole situation was awkward, almost comical. Two guilds that had just been fighting tooth and nail now rested side by side on the same island, separated only by a stretch of dark forest.

"Laxus!"

Freed, who had been lying half-dead moments ago, bolted upright like a spring-loaded puppet and clung to Laxus the instant he walked in, bombarding him with frantic questions.

"Mr. Freed, you still can’t move around!" Wendy rushed to pull him back, panicking as the effort made her sweat.

But her words had little effect. Soon Bickslow and Evergreen had crowded in too, buzzing around Laxus like noisy bees.

"You too?!" Wendy groaned helplessly. None of the wounded were following her advice to rest.

"Troublesome..." she muttered, but her soft expression betrayed her worry more than her annoyance.

"They’re tough. Don’t worry about it." Rhodes patted Wendy’s head gently. "You must be exhausted today."

"I’m fine," Wendy insisted, smiling faintly. "Everyone fought with everything they had. Healing them is my job."

Rhodes sighed but didn’t argue. She was stubborn in her own quiet way, the kind of person who’d push herself until she collapsed. He could only silently max out her buffs and let her keep going.

"So, the reason we won is thanks to me, and Natsu, destroying that weird heart!"

Lucy stretched the word "me" as long as possible, her smug grin shining like she’d already claimed victory at the guild’s annual awards.

She was already imagining it: everyone praising her, her being crowned "Best Newcomer of the Year," her status leaping to second only to the S-Class wizards. She pictured Rhodes and Mira presenting her with a gleaming trophy, Erza acknowledging her skill and making her captain, Natsu and Gray following her orders for once, Master proudly taking her to official meetings just to brag.

"Lucy just screamed and panicked while Natsu did all the fighting," Happy chimed innocently, popping her dream bubble with one sharp comment.

Lucy flailed her arms furiously. "That’s not true! I fought hard too!"

Happy tilted his head and shrugged. "Aye."

"Don’t be so perfunctory!" Lucy yanked Happy’s cheeks and turned her head to shout, "Natsu, come and prove it for me!"

Natsu tilted his head lazily. "That kind of thing doesn’t matter. Master, what about our exam?"

Lucy froze, then fumed. "He actually said it doesn’t matter!"

"Oh no, the exam!" Gray suddenly clutched his head. "Loke’s already gone back to the Celestial Spirit World! A partner’s required, right? Without one, I’m automatically disqualified?!"

Juvia scrambled over and clung to his leg. "Gray-sama~ Juvia will be your partner!"

Lucy gave her a look. "You should be focusing on recovering first."

Juvia stood up with a dramatic flourish and leaned close, her eyes narrowing. "Love rival."

Elfman straightened his back. "A real man continues the exam too!"

"Well..." Makarov stroked his beard, still undecided. "Actually, it can already be considered over. Rhodes passed."

"What?!"

The news hit Natsu, Gray, and Elfman like lightning.

They had only just started the exam... and Rhodes had already passed?!

"Heh~ Standing before you now is your new S-Class Mage, Rhodes!" Rhodes waved with a smug grin. "I’ll be an examiner next time. Maybe I’ll even help the Master write the test questions."

"Noooo!" Elfman clutched his head. If Rhodes made the exam, he felt doomed already.

Gray quickly asked, "Even if Rhodes passed, isn’t there still another spot?"

"There could be another, yes," Makarov admitted. "But with things as they are, we can’t continue. We’re leaving tomorrow, and the Council will probably summon us. It’s best to end the exam here."

Gray and Elfman grumbled but obeyed. Juvia didn’t mind either way.

Only Natsu protested. "I don’t care! I’m becoming S-Class! If they quit, then let me take it alone! Master, start right now!"

Makarov sighed, rubbing his temples. "Honestly... fine. Pick any S-Class at random and challenge them. If you win, you pass. Including Rhodes."

Gray and Elfman perked up a little. Rhodes was strong, sure, but he didn’t have the unbeatable aura of Gildarts. Maybe there was a chance?

Of course, Gray still lacked a partner, and Elfman’s partner, Evergreen, had already hidden behind Laxus.

No way was she fighting Rhodes the "super terrifying sadist."

"It’s settled!" Natsu shouted, stretching his arms. Without hesitation, he charged at Rhodes—

Only to be sent crashing to the floor in an instant.

Mira, smiling sweetly, retracted her fist and balanced a tray full of steaming plates in her other hand.

"Natsu, can’t you see Rhodes is still recovering? Don’t make him do anything strenuous," she said cheerfully.

Lucy sweatdropped. "Uh... Natsu was also injured, wasn’t he?"

Happy added softly, "Aye."

"I... I lost." Natsu lay trembling on the ground. In that moment, he felt he had glimpsed a natural enemy. Even scarier than Erza.

"Alright. Natsu is eliminated," Makarov declared flatly. "Anyone else want to try?"

Mira turned her gaze toward Gray and Elfman, her eyes glowing with kindness.

Gray frantically waved his hands. "Nope, nope, I’m good. I give up."

Elfman glanced at his sister, then at Evergreen still hiding, and sighed. "A man... a man knows when to retreat. I’ll work harder next time."

Makarov nodded firmly. "Good. Then the exam is officially over."