The Pict Magic Of Fairy Tail

Chapter 37: Choosing the Supporter

Natsu was being scolded by the guild master, while Erza headed straight toward Gray and Silver.

"Er... Erza..." Gray panicked as soon as he saw Erza approaching him, cold sweat instantly dripping down his back.

As everyone, including Silver, prepared to watch the spectacle, Erza unexpectedly bypassed both Gray and Silver, heading straight to Cana, who was sitting behind them.

"Cana, for this S-Class Wizard Promotion Exam, I want you as my partner," Erza declared.

"Huh?" Cana pointed at herself in disbelief. "You mean me?"

"That's right," Erza affirmed confidently before grabbing Cana's arm. "Let's go plan our strategy. This time, we must beat Mira."

With that, she dragged Cana out of the guild without waiting for a response.

Watching the two leave, Gray sighed in relief, patting his chest. Only now did he realize the cold sweat on his back had turned to ice shards.

Meanwhile, it wasn't just Gray watching Erza leave—Mira had also been observing her closely. Hearing Erza mention beating her, Mira frowned and walked over to Silver.

"Silver, why do you think Erza chose Cana as her partner?" Mira asked.

"How would I know? I'm not Erza. You should ask Gray or Natsu instead; they're closer to her and might have some idea," Silver suggested after thinking for a moment.

"That makes sense," Mira agreed, turning her gaze toward Gray.

Gray forced a smile as his lips twitched. "I can't figure it out either. I thought Erza was coming over to... Anyway, why don't you ask Natsu instead?"

Noticing the frozen shards on the ground behind Gray, Mira smiled sweetly. "Alright, I'll go ask Natsu first."

With that, she walked off toward Natsu.

"Phew~ What bad luck today, having both Erza and Mira come over," Gray muttered as he watched her leave. He then turned to Silver with dissatisfaction. "Hey, Silver, why did you drag me into this?"

"Who knows why Mira's been so irritable lately? She keeps getting angry for no apparent reason. Even when I ask, she won't explain, so I've been trying to avoid talking to her. Besides, even if I didn't mention you, do you really think you could've escaped her attention?" Silver retorted, rolling his eyes. "Actually, I think you were pretty lucky today."

"Lucky? How so?" Gray asked, puzzled.

"Because neither of them bothered with you today. Mira's been much gentler lately, but Erza usually beats you up every time you argue with Natsu. Yet today, she ignored you two entirely. Isn't that lucky?"

"Now that you mention it, you're right," Gray nodded, accepting the explanation.

At that moment, a commotion erupted nearby. Turning to look, they saw Natsu challenging Laxus, with Lisanna holding Happy in one arm while tightly grabbing Natsu with the other.

Mira, however, was glaring furiously at Natsu, while Elfman clung to her arm, trying to plead on Natsu's behalf.

"What's going on?" Silver asked, confused by the scene. Mira had just gone over; how had she already gotten so angry?

"Who knows? That flame-brained idiot must've pissed her off," Gray chuckled from the side.

"Who are you calling an idiot, Gray?!" Natsu shouted, turning his head toward Gray.

"You, you moron!" Gray shot back, his temper flaring. Taking advantage of Erza's absence, he stormed toward Natsu.

"Seriously, you guys? Can't go two sentences without starting something?" Silver muttered helplessly as he followed Gray, who was radiating the aura of someone ready for a showdown.

Natsu, not one to back down, shrugged off Lisanna's hold and marched toward Gray with equal determination.

As the two approached each other, head-to-head and bickering loudly, the guild members instinctively gathered around. Macao shouted, "Place your bets! Natsu versus Gray!"

With that, the crowd eagerly flocked to Macao to place their bets. By the time everyone had wagered, Natsu and Gray had already started trading punches and kicks.

"Fighting again? Honestly, Natsu, I'm done with you," Lisanna said in frustration, holding Happy as she stood at the edge of the crowd watching Natsu and Gray go at it once more.

"Don't need you to!" Natsu yelled back, his head tilted toward her while exchanging blows with Gray.

Hearing Natsu shout at Lisanna, Mira's expression immediately darkened. "You little brat! How dare you yell at Lisanna? You're so dead!" she snapped angrily.

At that moment, Silver stepped up beside Mira, gently patting her shoulder. "Alright, alright, it's just kids fooling around. Besides, that phrase you just used—'you're so dead'—doesn't really suit you, Mira."

"Tch, Natsu dared to pick on Lisanna. Scaring him a little isn't a big deal," Mira replied defensively, though she refrained from saying anything further about her choice of words.

While their exchange was brief, the surrounding guild members who were cheering for their bets suddenly gave them strange looks.

Noticing the odd gazes, Mira's expression turned cold as she snapped, "What are you all staring at? Your looks are really annoying!"

The crowd quickly averted their eyes, pretending not to have seen anything, and resumed cheering for their chosen fighters.

At that moment, Lisanna tugged on Mira's arm and asked, "Sis, are you going to choose Silver as your partner for the S-Class exam?"

"Huh?" Mira blinked, then shook her head. "No, I've decided to team up with Elfman."

"Why?" Lisanna asked, confused.

"Because we're up against Aeralyn this time the Green Wyvern. Once we defeat it, Elfman can use his 'Take Over' magic to absorb its powers. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?" Mira explained matter-of-factly.

As the sisters chatted, and while Natsu and Gray were still locked in a fierce brawl, the guild doors swung open.

Erza and Cana, having finished their strategy meeting, walked in together.

Seeing the entire guild gathered around the commotion, Cana curiously approached Macao and asked, "Macao, why is everyone gathered here? Did something happen?"

"Natsu and Gray are…" Macao began to explain, but the moment he saw Erza standing next to Cana, his words faltered.

"Natsu and Gray, huh?" Erza only needed to hear the start of the explanation to grasp the situation.

Having grown up with both Natsu and Gray, she knew them all too well.

If those two were together in her absence, and with a crowd forming around them, she didn't need much imagination to figure out what was going on.

Without hesitation, Erza pushed through the crowd, leapt into the air, and landed a heavy punch on both Natsu and Gray.

The impact knocked them both out instantly, leaving them sprawled unconscious on the ground.