End of X780.
The Fairy Tail S-Class Exam begins...
It was time again for the Guild's S-Class Exam. All Guild Members who could return had gathered in the Guild, chatting happily in twos and threes.
"Sigh~" Zorn sighed, slumped over a table. He looked up and saw Cana, who was happily conversing with Erza, Mirajane, Levy, and other female groups in the distance. His eyes were filled with loneliness and grievance.
As if sensing something, Cana turned her head and also saw a wronged Zorn. Then, she noticed that when Zorn saw her looking, his eyes filled with hope and happiness again. Her tiny bit of unhappiness vanished, but she still didn't want to acknowledge Zorn. She turned her head away again, ignoring Zorn, and continued her conversation.
The hope in Zorn's eyes disappeared as Cana turned away. He continued to slump over the table, tapping the surface with his hand, one bit at a time, venting his emotions.
"Hey, Cana, did Zorn do something wrong?" Mirajane whispered, leaning close to Cana's ear. She had also noticed the awkwardness between the two and saw Zorn's wronged expression, and her gossip-loving heart soared.
Levy and Erza instantly stopped talking, pricking up their ears, wanting to hear what Cana would say. The interaction between Cana and Zorn just now couldn't escape their ears. The love confession Zorn made to Cana under the cherry blossom tree some time ago, and the Starfall Diamond Ring he gave her, had moved many people.
It turned out that the reason Laxus was near the ruins during the mission that day was that Zorn had written to Laxus in advance, asking him to send the mission rewards that he hadn't collected from previous missions. Then, he went to the most famous place near this final ruin mission to buy the most dazzling diamond ring made from an extraterrestrial meteorite.
However, Cana still found out that Zorn had been secretly taking on missions to clear out Dark Guilds issued by the Council, in addition to his regular S-Class missions. During this time, he had cleared out many Dark Guilds, which made Cana extremely worried about Zorn's safety, because even for a strong Zorn, such mission intensity could lead to a moment of failure.
"Oh~ So Zorn has been working so hard and is so good to you, Cana. You're truly blessed! I wish I had a boyfriend like that too." Mirajane exclaimed after hearing the full story, embracing Cana. Her tone was full of envy for Cana. Such words resonated with the surrounding female companions, who all nodded in unison, their eyes filled with admiration as they looked at the diamond ring on Cana's hand.
"Well, yes, Zorn usually takes good care of me too, but I still need to talk to him and tell him not to take on dangerous missions without telling me," Cana murmured softly, lowering her head slightly, her face still flushed.
"Cough, cough, Everyone, quiet down. I will now announce this year's S-Class Exam list." Makarov stood on the high platform, solemnly wearing a wool coat with the Ten Wizard Saints' emblem. He coughed twice, drawing all the Guild Members' attention to him.
"This year, according to the Guild's regulations, and after a year of observation, the list of those who have obtained S-Class Exam qualifications is as follows:"
"Mirajane Strauss"
"Erza Scarlet"
"Those two above."
Upon hearing that they could finally participate in the S-Class Exam this year, Erza and Mirajane both looked at each other with fighting spirit, determined to pass this examination.
"Damn it, it's not me this year either? Ah, I'm fired up! I need to keep working hard." Natsu, as usual, expressed his regret and ultimate perseverance, cheering himself on with a fighting spirit.
"The examiners will be Laxus and Zorn. The examination rules will be set by each of them, and the examination location will still be the Guild's sacred ground—Tenrou Island."
At this moment, Zorn and Laxus each flashed with electricity and light, standing to Makarov's left and right.
"Yo, things are just as the Master announced. Laxus and I are the examiners for this examination. The passing condition is very simple: our acknowledgment of your strength is enough. It would be best if you could defeat us."
"That's right, strength is the gold standard for the S-Class Exam. You can use any means. When you land on the island, there will be two paths. Zorn and I will be waiting for you at the end of the paths."
Zorn and Laxus explained the examination content they had discussed earlier, one by one. In their view, strength was the primary factor, while various other conditions depended on the examinee's own collection and preparation. As long as their strength was acknowledged, the examination would be passed.
"Ah, the S-Class Exam is still hellishly difficult."
"Yeah, we don't even know how strong they've become."
"We still need to work harder."
"Yosh, after this year, I'll train hard..."
Upon hearing the examination content, the Guild Members whispered among themselves, discussing and lamenting the difficulty of this examination.
"I'm not finished yet, Everyone, quiet down." Zorn loudly stopped the Guild Members' discussions, then nodded to Makarov, signaling his final speech, and then looked at Everyone again with a calm expression.
"The examination time is one week from now. Mirajane, Erza, prepare yourselves. That's all. Dismissed." After Makarov announced the examination time, he reverted to his old man expression, jumped onto the bar, and clamored for a drink.
The Guild Members immediately returned to their lively scene, congratulating Mirajane and Erza. Then, those who had tasks took them, those who wanted to drink competed in drinking, and those who wanted to argue argued.
Natsu and Gray were among those arguing and fighting, seemingly because they were arguing over who would become an S-Class Mage first, and they immediately started fighting.
Erza, preoccupied with the examination, had no mind to intervene. Instead, Lisanna and Happy were trying to break up the fight and make peace.
When Erza and Mirajane went to prepare the things they would need for the examination, only Cana remained at the bar, drinking tea. Zorn also quietly walked behind Cana, one hand hesitantly hovering over her shoulder, sometimes lowering, sometimes raising, moving back and forth.
His eyes carefully observed Cana's expression from time to time. Only after confirming she was no longer angry did he put his hand down, embrace Cana's shoulder, and gently promise to absolutely avoid taking on excessive missions in the future.
Laxus was on the second floor, leaning on the railing and watching the people below, especially Zorn, who had become a henpecked husband and completely changed his image. He decided to ignore it, lying down on the sofa on the second floor and closing his eyes to rest.
"Hey, Zorn, how will you and Laxus conduct the examination? Are there any traps on the way to find you?" Cana asked on the way home with Zorn, as if chatting casually, trying to extract some information.
Although Erza and Mirajane didn't have such intentions, as their best friend, she still wanted to secretly use her connections to do something for her best friends.
"Well, there are no traps, just some animals on the island, nothing else. The most important thing is Laxus and I. Don't worry, they'll be fine." Zorn directly ruffled Cana's head with his hand, reassuring the still worried Cana.
Cana felt a little relieved after hearing this, then realized Zorn was teasing her height again. She immediately jumped up, playfully punching Zorn, venting her embarrassed and annoyed emotions.
Zorn quickly held Cana's hands, asking if her hands hurt, and gently embraced Cana with a tender expression, secretly whispering something.
Cana looked at Zorn with a surprised expression. Zorn also put his index finger to his lips, signaling secrecy.
They both chuckled, holding hands as they went home.
To be continued~
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