Chapter 263: The Royal Capital, Crocus
Capital of the Kingdom of Fiore.
The Flower-Blooming City · Crocus.
Every year when the Grand Magic Games roll around, tourists from every city swarm in and the whole place is packed.
The capital was a breathtaking spectacle of white limestone and vibrant flora. The streets were draped in pennants of every color—crimson, azure, gold, and emerald—fluttering violently in the mountain breeze.
The crowds never stopped; they moved like a living river, a chaotic mix of mages, merchants, nobles, and commoners.
Every corner burst with every kind of flower imaginable, from giant sunflowers reaching for the sky to delicate creeping vines that adorned the lamp posts—a riot of color and life that seemed to pulse with the very magic of the earth.
The air was thick, heavy with the mouth-watering scents of roasting meats, sweet cotton candy, and the ozone tang of raw magic power radiating from the gathered wizards.
"So this is Crocus? First time I've ever been in a city this big."
Lucy Heartfilia gazed at the bustling city, a thrill fluttering inside her chest. Her brown eyes widened as she took in the majestic Domus Flau arena looming in the distance like a sleeping beast. The sheer scale of the architecture made Magnolia feel like a quaint village in comparison.
"Aye, sir~~!"
Happy's head swiveled excitedly left and right, his blue wings twitching with anticipation. "I smell fish! High-quality river fish! And... is that grilled corn?"
"Same here!"
Wendy Marvell, clutching Carla's paw tightly, looked around with a mixture of awe and nervousness.
She said, "It's way bigger than the royal capital of Edolas! The buildings are so tall..."
The royal capital of Edolas was already huge, but Crocus dwarfed it several times over. It wasn't just the size; it was the vitality. The magical energy density here was suffocatingly high, a testament to the gathering of the continent's elite.
"So you finally made it!"
A familiar, gravelly voice cut through the noise of the crowd.
Makarov Dreyar walked up with little Asuka Connell riding on his shoulders. The toddler was giggling, clutching the Master's bald head like a steering wheel. Behind him came the "Seven Year Team"—Mirajane, Wendy, Levy, Bisca, Alzack, Jet, and Droy.
They had arrived a step ahead to finish the tedious administrative registration for the Grand Magic Games. Their faces were a mix of relief and grim determination.
"Master!"
Everyone greeted Makarov in unison, bowing slightly.
"Then let's head to the arena! Mwahahaha!! Time to show them the power of Fairy Tail!"
Makarov punched the air, his small frame projecting an aura of giants. For a moment, his enthusiasm was infectious.
However, the moment the words left Makarov's mouth, hushed whispers rose nearby. The festive atmosphere around them seemed to freeze instantly.
"Did you hear that? It's Fairy Tail!"
"Where? Those guys? The ones with the brat and the old man?"
"They're the super-weak bottom-feeders, pfft pfft."
"I heard they haven't paid their guild dues in months. Why are they even here? To embarrass Fiore again?"
Natsu's face darkened instantly. Veins bulged on his forehead, and smoke began to curl from his nostrils. "Who just laughed?!"
He spun around, his dragon senses locking onto the source of the mockery.
Erza Scarlet instantly held him back, her iron-clad hand gripping his shoulder like a vice. "Calm down, Natsu. We're here to compete—no trouble before it starts. Disqualification now would be a betrayal of everyone waiting for us back home."
"You lot here for last place again this year?"
A man from the crowd jeered, emboldened by the silence of the Fairy Tail mages.
"Everyone knows Sabertooth takes the crown!! Or maybe Lamia Scale! Go home, trash!"
Seeing the Fairy Tail mages hold back, the two hecklers grew bolder and mocked them to their faces, pointing fingers and laughing raucously.
"Tch…"
Natsu's fists itched with rage. His magic flared, heating the air around him.
"Let them laugh all they want."
Makarov shrugged it off, though his eyes held a steely, dangerous glint.
"We'll crush every doubt with raw power. Words are wind; magic is reality. Ready, everyone? Thirty million—ahem—I mean, for the pride of our family! Give it everything you've got and seize Fiore's top-guild throne. That's the only way to honor Mavis-sama, the first master who saved us!"
"Ooooooh!!"
The roar of the guild members drowned out the hecklers. The mention of the First Master ignited a fire in their bellies that no insult could extinguish.
Lucy tilted her head, her analytical mind kicking in. "By the way, the contest is tomorrow and we still don't know the rules. Is it a tournament? A battle royale?"
Alzack Connell, adjusting the rifle strapped to his back, explained with a serious expression. "The events change every year; the exact rules aren't revealed until the opening ceremony. Nobody knows what's coming. It's designed to test adaptability."
"The year with a shooting event, we weren't here," Bisca said wistfully, her fingers brushing the barrel of her sniper rifle. Her voice carried a heavy note of regret.
Both Bisca and Alzack excel at guns. Alzack's Guns Magic lets him fire spell-bullets like Tornado Shot and Spark Shot, making him one of Fairy Tail's strongest second-line fighters.
Bisca's magic is The Gunner, a spatial Requip magic similar to Erza's—only instead of armor she swaps out various firearms, from sniper rifles to bazookas, and her aim is even sharper than Alzack's.
"If we had been there... if the Tenrou Team hadn't disappeared... maybe we wouldn't have fallen so far," she whispered, mostly to herself.
"The year I missed had a footrace," Jet sighed, kicking the cobblestones in frustration. "A pure sprint across the valley. I could have smoked them all. But we were too busy just trying to survive the debt collectors."
His magic, High Speed, lets him sprint like the wind. In a pure race, few in Fiore could catch him.
Droy nodded, munching on a snack to hide his nervousness. "Victory goes to those who can shine in lots of different events—like Ren."
He looked at the black-haired mage with admiration. "Ren is a monster. Ninjutsu, Haki, Transformation... Every one of Ren's transformations is insane; he's good at everything. He's basically a cheat code."
"I looked up every past event," Levy said, pushing up her Gale-Force Reading Glasses. "They're all totally different. Chariot races, labyrinth exploration, monster subjugation... The organizers love surprises."
"Whatever—just win them all! Though I'd rather it be straight-up fights! We trained three whole months—no way we're not showing it off!"
Natsu punched his palm, grinning wildly. The fire of the Second Origin burned within him. He itched to trade blows with other guilds and see how strong he'd become.
"Ren, read this rulebook before tomorrow," Makarov ordered, pulling a massive, brick-thick tome from his bag and handing it over.
Ren stared at it, the sheer weight of the book nearly making him stumble. "Read all this? Gramps, you sure that's possible? This isn't a rulebook; it's a history of the world!"
"Leave it to me!" Levy chirped, pulling out her magic pen.
"Gale-Force Reading Glasses!"
Ren was saved; he shoved the book at her with a look of pure gratitude.
She skimmed it in seconds, the pages flipping so fast they created a breeze. "Short version: three big points. One—no guild master may compete."
"Mm…" Makarov wasn't surprised; he'd never planned to fight anyway. His heart couldn't take the stress, and his Fairy Law was too dangerous for sport.
"Two—anyone without a visible guild mark is barred; the mark has to be obvious. No mercenaries."
Gray nodded. "Makes sense, stops impersonators."
"Three—every event's details stay top-secret until start-time. Oh, and last warning: all contestants must be back at the assigned inn by midnight."
"Midnight? Which midnight?"
"Tonight, obviously—it's already past one in the afternoon."
"Still tons of time!!"
"We're finally in a huge city—let's go explore!!"
"Aye!!"
Lucy, Natsu, and Happy dashed off immediately, faces lit up with childlike wonder, completely forgetting the tension from moments ago.
Erza called after them, her voice booming like a general. "Don't forget—back before twelve!! Or you'll face the armor!"
"Let's go too, Mira," Ren said, turning to the white-haired demoness standing quietly beside him.
He offered his hand, a soft smile replacing his usual stoic combat expression.
"We haven't had a moment to breathe since we got back from the Spirit World training. Since we're in Fiore's capital, let's act like a normal couple for once."
Mira looked at his hand, then up at his eyes. A beautiful, gentle smile blossomed on her face.
"Yes, I'd love that."
Mira nodded, and the two left hand in hand, walking away from the noise of the guild.
Crocus truly lived up to its name as the Flower Capital; blooms of every kind lined every street. Petals of cherry blossoms and roses drifted on the wind, making the city lovelier—and everyone's mood lighter.
Ren and Mira walked along the canal, the reflection of the sunlight dancing on the water.
"It feels strange," Ren murmured, watching the happy tourists. "Seven years passed for this world. Buildings changed, technology advanced... but for us, it was just a nap. Sometimes I feel like a ghost walking through the future."
Mira squeezed his hand, her thumb rubbing the back of his palm soothingly. "But we are here now. Together. The time we lost... we'll make up for it. Starting with this tournament."
She paused, looking at a shop window displaying magical lacrima crystals. "Besides, having you by my side makes any time period feel like home."
Ren stopped and looked at her. Her blue eyes sparkled with unwavering faith. He leaned in and kissed her forehead gently, ignoring the looks from passersby.
"You're right. We'll win this thing. For the guild, and for the future we're going to build."
And for the calamities coming, Ren added in his mind. The Eclipse Project, the Dragons, Future Rogue... I have to be ready. This tournament is just the warm-up.
"Fight! Fight!"
A sudden, violent yell from a nearby plaza shattered the romantic atmosphere.
Ren sighed, his expression dropping into a deadpan. "And of course, peace never lasts long around Natsu."
"We should check it out," Mira giggled, though her aura sharpened slightly. "Knowing Natsu, he's probably involved."
A yell nearby instantly lured brawl-loving Natsu toward the commotion.
"Who picks a fight during the festival?! Let's check it out!!"
By the time Natsu, Lucy, and Happy shoved through the crowd, the fight was already over.
It was a massacre.
Only two guys still stood, radiating an arrogant, sharp magic power that felt oppressive. Around them, a dozen other mages lay groaning on the cobblestones, beaten into submission. Some were bleeding; others were unconscious, their guild marks stained with dust.
"It's Sabertooth's Twin Dragons!"
The whisper rippled through the crowd like fear itself.
"Sting and Rogue!!"
"Strongest members of the strongest guild!!"
"They wiped out those guys in seconds!"
The onlookers had already recognized the pair.
Sting Eucliffe stood with a lazy slouch, his blonde spiky hair catching the sun. A scar crossed his forehead, and a diamond earring glinted in his left ear. He wore a blue vest with fur trim, revealing his muscular build and the white Sabertooth mark on his shoulder.
Beside him stood Rogue Cheney, a figure of shadows. He wore a dark cape and carried a katana at his hip, his expression bored and detached, half his face obscured by his dark hair.
"Sabertooth?"
Natsu blinked—he hadn't expected to run into Fiore's current top-guild mages this fast. He sniffed the air, his pupils contracting into slits. Dragon... they smell like dragons. But different.
Sting and Rogue spotted Natsu standing in the crowd. Their relaxed postures vanished instantly.
"You… wouldn't happen to be…?" Sting murmured, his eyes locking onto the salmon-colored hair and the scale-patterned scarf. A smirk slowly spread across his face, revealing sharp canines.
"Natsu Dragneel!!"
Happy noticed two small cats standing next to the Dragon Slayers.
"Cats?!" Happy exclaimed.
One was a maroon Exceed wearing a vest, standing with his arms crossed—Lector. The other was a green Exceed in a pink frog costume—Frosch.
"What's with that dumb-looking cat?" Lector sneered, pointing a paw at Happy. "He's not wearing any clothes! How barbaric."
"Dumb-looking!" Frosch echoed in a childish voice. "Fro thinks so too!"
The two little cats pointed at Happy, mocking his lack of fashion.
"They talked!!"
Happy gawked, stunned. "And they're mean! Carla is strict, but these guys are just bullies!"
Lucy sighed, rubbing her temples as the tension mounted. "I don't even know where to start… Exceeds are everywhere now."
Sting ignored the cats and stepped up to Natsu, stopping just a few feet away. The air between them crackled with static electricity.
"Ha! So the rumors are true—Fairy Tail really is entering the Grand Magic Games!" Sting said, his voice dripping with a mix of condescension and excitement.