Hisui absorbed the Star Magic, attempting to imprint her aura upon the celestial chart in the sky.
She could feel the "gaze" of the stars all focused on her master Marco beside her.
The slight attention she received was only because Marco was guiding them.
It was as if the stars were conversing with Marco.
When he asked them to spare a bit of attention for her, they granted her a faint glimmer of their radiance.
The stars of the Lyra constellation twinkled, yet not for her sake—not even for the Celestial Spirit Lyra herself.
Thinking of this, Hisui wasn't sure how to feel.
At the very least, she seemed slightly stronger than the Celestial Spirit Lyra now.
"That's enough for today."
Checking the time, Marco concluded today's training.
It was quite late, and time to head back.
He didn't want to keep Hisui up all night, and he had his own affairs to attend to during the day.
Though nighttime training was slightly easier than daytime, the difference wasn't significant.
The distance between the stars and them wasn't affected much by the planet's rotation.
Night simply made the stars more visible.
Training during the day wasn't inherently harder—it was more of a psychological effect.
This arrangement was actually beneficial.
While nighttime offered no major advantage for training, daytime didn't weaken their magic either.
Far better than being 'a worm by day, a dragon by night' or vice versa.
True strength meant being powerful around the clock!
"Understood, Master."
Though Hisui still felt a bit unsatisfied, she didn't argue and obediently prepared to return.
Hisui knew that Marco and the others were busy preparing for the upcoming S-Class Exam during the day.
Since joining Fairy Tail, she had met many new people and experienced things she never would have in the palace.
Over these past six months, she had grown tremendously.
Naturally considerate, she wasn't the type to selfishly monopolize Marco's time.
Marco escorted Hisui back to Magnolia, dropping her off at her dorm before heading home alone.
Marco had been chosen for this year's S-Class Exam.
The exam wasn't held annually—it depended on the mages.
Though the guild had many members, few met the threshold to participate.
Those who failed last year might not try again, as Fairy Tail's S-Class Exam was notoriously strict—its prestige unmatched by other magic guilds.
Members like Macao and Wakaba had been humbled by past attempts, realizing the vast gap between themselves and true S-Class Mages.
After mustering the courage to try a few times, they eventually gave up.
Thus, S-Class Exam participants were usually young mages driven by unyielding determination.
Just think about how even Laxus didn't pass on his first attempt and you'll understand how prestigious the S-Class Exam truly is.
Of course, Laxus was quite young during his first attempt—not much older than Marco and the others are now.
Most mages their age wouldn't even meet the participation threshold.
This year, quite a few has been selected to participates.
Besides Marco, both Mira and Erza also got selected.
Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel also wanted to join in, but they were outright rejected.
There was no helping it.
Even the first-tier members like Marco, Erza, and Mira hadn't yet become S-Class Mages, let alone the younger ones.
Though the younger members were talented, they still had a long way to go before reaching the level of Fairy Tail's S-Class Mages.
Marco, Erza, and Mira's participation pushed the minimum age for the S-Class Exam even lower.
Laxus was sixteen when he first took it and officially passed at seventeen.
Now, Marco, Erza, and Mira had set the record at fourteen—though this was just for participation.
Whether they could pass remained to be seen.
"Treat your first attempt as gaining experience," Laxus remarked bluntly in the guild hall regarding their prospects.
He didn't believe any of the three would pass.
First-timers needed to adapt to the process.
This exam was no joke—there was absolutely no leniency.
S-Class Mages were Fairy Tail's true elite, and becoming one meant taking on far more dangerous missions.
For everyone's safety, the exam would never be watered down.
Laxus had learned this the hard way during his first attempt.
His mindset hadn't fully shifted—he hadn't grasped the responsibilities and dangers of being an S-Class Mage, leading to his defeat and failure. For origınal chapters go to novèlfire.net
So, even though he didn't doubt Marco's strength, Laxus was certain they'd return empty-handed this time.
"We'll see about that," Mira retorted defiantly, her competitive spirit only fueled by Laxus's skepticism.
"We'll break your record," Erza added, equally unyielding.
Laxus refusing to disclose exam details was understandable, but belittling them and insisting they'd fail was crossing a line.
Especially since Marco was included in that dismissal.
Did that even make sense?
Marco had defeated one of the Ten Wizard Saints—Jose Porla—twice, once even teaming up with Laxus.
If Laxus, who'd only beaten Jose Porla once, could become Fairy Tail's S-Class Mage, why not Marco? Wasn't that contradictory coming from Laxus himself?
"It's not the same. You'll understand once you take it," Laxus replied, shaking his head at their protests.
They'd see for themselves soon enough.
Mira and Erza exchanged a glance, surprisingly reaching a rare agreement between them.
They absolutely had to pass!
They were determined to wipe that smug look off Laxus's face!
As for Marco, he remained unfazed by it all.
Though he didn't know the specifics of the exam yet, there was still some time before it began.
By then, his "Gold Cloth" would likely be in his possession, and all problems would naturally resolve by themselves.
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