During the chaotic brawl, Natsu was hit squarely on the head by a wooden mug flying through the air.
"Hey! Who threw that?!"
"Natsu, don't you dare cause trouble!"
Gray couldn't take it anymore and stood up, ready to fight.
"You guys, if you're a man, stop making so much noise!" Elfman shouted, trying to intervene.
"Shut up!"
Both Gray and Natsu kicked Elfman simultaneously.
Elfman, sent flying by the combined kicks, ended up crashing into another group of people, spreading the chaos further.
"Someone, please restrain these guys..." Macao watched the Guild members brawling in a heap, feeling somewhat at a loss.
"Shouldn't we really stop them?" Lucy and Happy hid behind Ultear, trembling as chairs flew past them.
Raizel took a calm sip of his tea and said, "No, we won't stop them. This is what 'Fairy Tail' is all about."
...
Meanwhile, Laxus and the Raijinshu were hurrying back to Magnolia.
On their way back, they had conveniently taken care of a Dark Guild—Ghoul Soul.
With just the three members of the Thundergod Tribe taking action, they had easily dealt with the Dark Guild without Laxus needing to lift a finger.
Freed looked at Bickslow and Evergreen and said, "We can't let the Thunder Legion lose face in this year's Harvest Festival battle."
"Of course, I'm going to have a blast with my babies!" Bickslow laughed.
"Blast! Blast! Blast!" The dolls floating around Bickslow repeated his words.
...
On the streets of Magnolia, various flags printed with [MAGNOLIA HARVEST FESTIVAL] hung on both sides of the street.
The annual Magnolia Harvest Festival was approaching.
Besides the yearly Fantasia, there was also the "Fairy Tail Civil War," a tournament which had been frequently held in recent years ever since the legendary battle between Raizel & Laxus versus Gildarts.
The festive atmosphere in Magnolia grew increasingly vibrant.
Driven by various competitions and the float parade, Magnolia had secured a place for itself within the Fiore Kingdom and even across the Ishgar continent as a major attraction.
Every year, more and more tourists visited Magnolia.
In the past two years, another event had been added: the "Miss Fairy Tail Contest."
Each year, a random theme was selected, and the competition revolved around that theme.
The location of the contest wasn't even at the Guild; it was held at the Fiore Garden Square, which was also the venue for the battle tournament.
The competition for "Miss Fairy Tail" had been fierce over the past two years, with Mirajane, Cana, Ultear, Erza, and Kagura all being top contenders.
Close behind them were Levy and Evergreen, and this year, two super rookies—Lucy and Juvia—had joined the contest.
Wendy's ranking dropped again—though this was mostly in her own imagination, as she hadn't even participated.
She didn't really want to compete anyway.
With so many people watching, she felt strangely like a monkey being gawked at.
Even though Raizel had told her to imagine the audience as carrots to cure her stage fright, she couldn't do it, so she simply decided not to participate.
The judges for the "Miss Fairy Tail Contest" were the residents of Magnolia themselves. Any audience member who entered the venue had the right to vote.
...
Raizel was called by Mirajane to help purchase and arrange some items for the Guild.
As for Ultear and Erza, they had already gone out for some shopping, eating, and indulging—this was one of the rare times during the year when they could truly relax.
"The atmosphere of the Harvest Festival is everywhere," Raizel noted.
"Of course. Aside from watching the matches, the residents of Magnolia are also preparing for 'Fantasia'," Mirajane replied with a smile.
'Fantasia' refers to the magical float parade, a grand procession that Fairy Tail takes pride in across the Ishgar continent.
Having lived in Magnolia for so long, Raizel even felt a sense of shared pride for this city.
Mirajane observed the bustling crowd around them and remarked, "Many tourists have arrived too. Quite a few seem like unfamiliar faces."
"It's normal to have so many tourists at this time of year. Otherwise, 'Fantasia' wouldn't be packed to the brim."
Raizel always felt grateful that he could fly; otherwise, he'd be stuck in the dense crowd below, and it would be a miracle if he didn't get squashed flat.
Additionally, tickets for Fiore Garden Square were incredibly hard to come by.
Even among Fairy Tail members, not everyone could secure a ticket for their friends or family.
Often, they had to rely on connections with other members or sneak them in through participation in the events.
...
Back at the Guild, Raizel stood on the stage with a megaphone to address the rowdy crowd.
"Everyone, for this year's Harvest Festival competition, as usual, all members except Gildarts, Happy, and Carla must participate. Let's put on an exciting show for the residents of Magnolia and the visiting tourists!"
The idea of full participation was Raizel's proposal, and it had been implemented quite well in previous years.
Raizel wanted to put some pressure on the underperforming Guild members, urging them not to slack off—after all, being eliminated in the first round every year would be quite embarrassing.
Happy and Carla, as mascots, couldn't use much magic aside from flying, so Raizel made an exception for them.
As for Gildarts... he had been missing for three years.
"I'm fired up!" Natsu, the atmosphere-setter, clenched his fists. "Gray, let's settle this!"
"I won't go easy on you," Gray retorted defiantly.
Their eyes locked, sparks seeming to fly between them.
Ultear shook her head slightly, looking at the two who still acted like children, and said.
"The matchups are decided by draw, you know. There's no guarantee you'll even face each other."
Both Natsu and Gray had the "honor" of being eliminated in the first round before, though it wasn't entirely their fault—they had just encountered strong opponents early on.
Ultear's comment reminded Raizel that he had forgotten to explain a rule change.
He hurriedly jumped back onto the stage and spoke again.
"Everyone, hold on a moment. We've made a slight change this year: S-Class Mages automatically secure a spot in the Top 16 and don't need to compete in the earlier rounds."
"Raizel, Laxus, Ultear..." Natsu and Gray quickly started counting on their fingers how many S-Class Mages there were.
"Seven! That leaves nine spots. We still have a chance!" someone quickly figured it out and exclaimed excitedly.
After all, in previous years, if you faced an S-Class Mage in the first round, it meant an early exit.
This rule was added because last year, two S-Class Mages faced each other in the second round, leading to one being eliminated too soon, which robbed the audience of a good show.
Raizel had even considered introducing a losers' bracket this year, but Makarov felt that changes should be made step by step.
The tournament format could be adjusted gradually.
Having S-Class Mages automatically occupy Top 16 spots was enough to ensure the excitement of the competition, and there was no need to introduce two new rules in a single year.
Raizel didn't mind this at all; a loser's revival round would indeed be more troublesome, and it was uncertain how many matches they'd have to fight.
Medical support was also an issue—they couldn't always rely on Porlyusica and Wendy for healing everyone instantly.
"Juvia was considered an S-Class Mage in Phantom Lord too... does that count?" Juvia asked somewhat confusedly, raising her hand.
Mirajane shook her head and explained gently, "That won't do. Only those who pass Fairy Tail's S-Class examination can be considered as such."
Juvia nodded firmly and said, "Understood. Juvia will work hard."