Erza is a straightforward person; she doesn't hold back at all about her magic or combat style. Whenever Rhode asks, she answers without reserve.
She even encourages Rhode after answering, telling him and Kana to do their best.
Rhode didn't hesitate to ask her about Mystogan and Laxus.
"As for Mystogan, I haven't seen him much, but I know he's a master of illusions. Just his ability to cast a spell that puts the entire guild to sleep is already tough to deal with."
Erza was also curious about Mystogan, so she analyzed him a bit while she talked, "This kind of powerful sleep magic probably requires some preparation time. The key is those magic staffs he carries around.
To deal with him, it's best to either stop him before he draws his staff or pretend to fall asleep to fool him when you're hit."
"Hehe..." Rhode pulled a wry smile.
Isn't either of those things beyond an ordinary person's capabilities?
Unless we really did what Rhode suggested on the train that day, calling Alzack and Bisca to snipe him.
But Rhode thought, even now he's getting a vague sense of some intense gazes, let alone when it's Mystogan?
It's not that easy to snipe either.
"You've met Laxus. He uses lightning magic and inherited tremendous magic power from the president. Whether in speed, strength, long-range attacks, or close combat, he's a formidable force."
Erza frowned slightly, "To be honest, I can't think of any weaknesses he has. Even wearing the Thunder Emperor's Armor, there's not much confidence in beating him."
Rhode sighed, "This is really hard."
"The path to becoming S-Class is not a smooth one. We also encountered formidable enemies back then." Erza patted Rhode on the shoulder and seriously encouraged him, "Do your best, with your abilities, you can definitely become S-Class."
Mira smiled and reminded, "Erza, it's Kana who's taking the exam."
"Hm? Ah, right! It's Kana." Erza clenched her fist, looking pained, and reflected, "As an examiner making such a basic mistake like remembering the wrong candidate, I must put in 120% effort in the exam to make up for it!"
Rhode shook his head helplessly, "There's no need for that..."
Erza wouldn't listen, "I've decided, I'm going back to prepare for battle now!"
"Erza..."
Before Rhode could stop her, Erza had already left the guild in large strides, planning a pre-exam blitz training.
"Oh dear..." Mira laughed, never one to shy away from a lively scene.
"Mira, keep this a secret for me." Rhode felt that if the other candidates knew about this, especially any group that would encounter Erza, they definitely wouldn't let him off.
Mira tilted her head, "But I'm not very good at keeping secrets."
Rhode thought, "How about I treat you to ice cream next time?"
"Okay, then I'll try my best."
Even though it was already winter, ice cream just had to be enjoyed more in winter.
"Mira, I want a seafood pizza over here!"
"Okay~"
Rhode glanced over; it was Nabu who ordered it. Eating seafood at this time of year, that guy sure has money.
Even though he never goes to work, how does he manage it?
...
In the evening, the four gathered again.
The yard now had wooden flooring laid out, a task Mira had asked Laki to do during the day.
The payment was a diagram of a clamp device drawn by Rhode, which Laki really liked.
Rhode wondered if this girl would ever find a boyfriend, and if she did... he would mourn for that person for a moment.
Kana shared with Rhode her findings: "Mickey's partner is confirmed to be Joy."
"Joy?" An image of a burly man appeared in Rhode's mind, "That Joy with muscles even more exaggerated than Elfman's?"
Elfman felt a bit offended, but when it comes to muscle training, no one in the guild compares to Joy, "That guy... very manly."
Kana ignored Elfman's comment, "That's him. His magic can enhance the muscle power of himself and his companions, which complements Mickey's combat style very well."
Rhode nodded, "Both of them like close combat, and we also have to consider the interference of Mickey's magic bird."
Mira suggested, "If you encounter Mickey, please be gentle with Xiao Bi."
Xiao Bi is the name of Mickey's magic bird. Although it can talk, it's considered a pet unlike Hapi, and doesn't count as a partner in the exam.
Since it turns into a microphone when Mira sings and helps her deliver messages, Mira really liked Xiao Bi.
"Rest assured." Rhode nodded, but then realized, "Wait, do you mean even against two and a half of them, we can still hold back?"
"Oh my..." Mira felt that saying it like this was disrespectful to Mickey and Joy, "It's because Kana and Rhode are very strong, after all."
Mira's words made Kana relax considerably and she continued, "Then there's Mest, whose partner seems to be Wang, but Mest is nowhere to be found, and Wang won't admit it, staying silent no matter what's asked."
Wang's full name is Wang Qiangji, and he is a peer of Joy's. The relationship between the two is similar to that of Macao and Wakaba—both rivals and good friends.
This person is taciturn, the type of person who wouldn't utter a word even if hit with three sticks.
Because of this, the arguments between him and Joy are far fewer than those between Macao and Wakaba.
However, the frequency of their fights is not necessarily less, as being unspeaking doesn't affect his capability to act.
"Isn't that just his personality?" Rhode noted, "In the past half year, I've spoken with him less than three times."
Rhode speculated that Mest chose this person as his partner probably because of his personality, which reduces Mest's chances of 'being exposed.'
"Yeah, his magic can transform his arm into a Steel Dog for attacks," Kana explained, "Seems a bit like Elfman."
Elfman was dissatisfied, "Why do you keep comparing others to me? Our magic is completely different."
"All in all, he's a close-combat type, but the troublesome thing is Mest's space magic." Rhode shared this information from the president; of course, he couldn't mention memory magic.
"He can teleport instantly, and if your reaction speed is slow, it's easy to get ambushed by him."
Near-unlimited teleportation, able to bring others along too, had Rhode drooling in envy.
"The space element is quite troublesome, but it's not unbeatable." Kana didn't think it was particularly surprising.
As long as she intentionally left an opening to lure him into an attack, or used her cards to set traps, dealing with such an enemy wouldn't be difficult.
Rhode and Kana discussed their competitors' strengths and weaknesses for a while, drafted some simple combat plans, and then moved on to the next topic.
"Today, Erza hinted at some information..." Rhode repeated it, and then continued,
"Additionally, although she didn't say it explicitly, from her tone, it seems that we will have to face an S-Class Mage.
So the first round might directly eliminate one group, with the three advancing groups each facing an S-Class Mage."
"..." Kana didn't get a chance to think about the S-Class information, "You can even pick up on that kind of implication?"