A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

The rules of the third stage quickly caused a huge uproar, with every candidate frowning and pondering how to deal with tomorrow's exam.

Konas sat down, smiled sweetly, and asked, "What do you three think of the rules for the third exam?"

Kira and the other two remained silent, analyzing the pros and cons of this set of rules, as well as its loopholes. Undoubtedly, compared to today's exam, this third test was far more technically demanding, but still limited in its scope.

First, the rule is set before sunset in order to create time pressure;

The reason for delaying the distribution of the magic stones until tomorrow is to postpone the departure time of 120 candidates, but no restrictions have been placed on other candidates. This is undoubtedly intended to allow them to set off first, ambush them on the way, and increase the difficulty of the exam.

Today, the losing team needs to collect two types of magic stones, while the winning team doesn't have to actively collect them. It seems like the latter has an advantage, but the rules state that you need to have your own magic stone to pass. Once the magic stone is stolen, it's difficult to get it back, putting them at a significant disadvantage.

It's normal that you can't use transportation, but the rule that you can't get help from non-examination personnel means that candidates can help each other.

Winning groups can team up, losing groups can team up, and even winning and losing groups can team up, which undoubtedly adds many unpredictable directions to the exam.

Finally, the 50-person limit is blatantly undermining unity among the winning teams.

Quran nodded approvingly and stroked his beard: "Very interesting rules!"

Hyberion chimed in, "Tomorrow should be quite lively!"

Kira also felt that this rule was already difficult for these test takers. However, if he were to set the question himself, it would at least be something like "the winning group gets both black and white magic stones, and the losing group gets double the amount." In this respect, Konas is much kinder.

"Dean Konas, is this Philosopher's Stone easy to counterfeit?"

"Don't worry! Each one was handmade by the academy's teachers and even had magic applied to them as a mark. Counterfeit magic stones cannot fool the academy's inspection."

“I see,” Kira nodded and said, “Dean Konas is truly amazing, she’s so thoughtful!”

Kira's insincere praise seemed to convince Konas, and she became somewhat smug: "You flatter me, you flatter me..."

When Kira returned to the hotel, the three children were already waiting for him.

The three of them slumped over the table, their expressions gloomy and their spirits low.

"You guys," Kira walked over and gently tapped the three heads, "why are you all so downcast?"

"Hey, Kira-sama..."

"what happened?"

Ika looked at him somewhat sullenly: "If we pass the third test tomorrow, does that mean we'll have to wait until we graduate to see each other again?"

"I won't be able to see Sister Kana anymore..."

"I've been away for the past few days and I've been missing everyone at the orphanage, especially the director..."

So that's what it was about... After all, he's only eleven or twelve years old; it's normal for him to miss home when he's away from home.

"Isn't it a bit too early to be thinking about these things now?" Kira comforted him. "You might be eliminated tomorrow."

Kira didn't tell them that as one of the three invited guests representing the Magic Guild of the Kingdom of Fiore, he had a guaranteed admission spot at the academy.

I learned about this from a conversation with Konas and the others. I heard that similar offers had been made in the past, but Maklov had always refused, saying, "I can teach my own child." Because of his attitude, the academy did not include phrases like "can be guaranteed admission to Demisor" in the invitation letter, so as not to offend anyone.

While it's believed that the guests wouldn't do something like "sending a good-for-nothing magician into Demisol Academy," the people they bring will still have to take an exam, and they'll be admitted regardless of whether they pass or fail—except for the good-for-nothing.

It was for this reason that Kira was not worried at all about whether they could get into the academy, and could even joke about it.

Ika immediately retorted, "I will definitely pass the exam!"

"That's right, I promised the dean and Sister Kana when I came out that I would definitely go to the academy!" Little Red Riding Hood cheered herself on.

"Don't worry, Kira-sensei. No matter what crisis we encounter tomorrow, we will persevere!"

"Then I'll wait and see!"

Kira smiled and patted their heads in turn. He had watched these three little guys, or rather, the children in the orphanage, grow up. From common sense to the use of magic, they all bore his influence.

At first, he taught them just because he was bored and wanted to do something kind. Later, he thought about making them the next generation of Fairy Tail so that if Twilight Island was sealed away, the guild would still have successors. As for now, even he himself can't say for sure. Maybe he really considers them family members like guild partners.

He had been a member of Fairy Tail for 10 years, and it took him a long time to transform his guildmates from virtual characters in his mind into real people. Even now, he still occasionally feels a little unreal. But he has always treated these characters who do not appear in the manga as real people from the very beginning.

"You are my students. Whether my reputation as the 'Sage' can be further enhanced depends on your performance!"

Ika laughed confidently: "Oh! Leave it to me, Kira!"

Arcas quipped, "Your expression almost made me think you were going to say, 'Leave it to me to ruin.'"

"That's great, Little Red Riding Hood!" Kira said with a smile. "Now you've even learned the art of witty remarks. Your teacher is very pleased!"

"Hehehe... It's all thanks to Kira-sensei's excellent teaching!"

Chapter 197 Four-Person Squad

The last day of the entrance exams, morning.

The 120 candidates stood in the examination hall they had been to twice before, nervously accepting the magic stones distributed by the academy teachers, then carefully hiding them in their bosoms, looking around as if everyone looked like a bad guy.

Most of the candidates who were eliminated yesterday had already left the city and were lying in wait on the road, so there were far fewer onlookers at the exam site today. The general public also knew that they wouldn't be able to see today's exam.

"Friend, how about joining forces with us?"

"Yeah!"

"Brother, I think you're really good, join us!"

"Sorry, I'm already in a team!"

Such conversations were common in the examination room. Some accepted, some refused. As the targets, most candidates tacitly huddled together for support.

"Looks like everyone's not stupid after all. They know to unite against yesterday's losing team," Ika said, looking around. "But in this situation, more people aren't necessarily better."

“That’s right!” Sangwan nodded and said seriously, “Teaming up with strangers is not a good idea. If you don’t have enough chemistry, you can’t cooperate effectively in battle, and you might even become enemies in the end for a spot.”

“More importantly, no one can guarantee that they don’t have any teammates in the failure group.” Arcas walked over and stood next to the two of them, then analyzed, “If they want to secure a spot for their friend, they could launch a sneak attack at any time.”

"Akas, which one is your Philosopher's Stone?"

Akas replied, "White 22, and what about you?"

Ika: "Black 35".

Sangwan: "Black 54."

"I am Bai 41."

? ?

Why is there an extra person?

The three turned around and saw a familiar figure speaking: blond hair, red hat, black eye patch, the body of a young master but the fate of a wanderer, Rufus.

Upon seeing him, Ika immediately became unhappy: "What are you doing here?"

To his surprise, Sanmaru and Akas seemed to have known he was coming and greeted him warmly.

"Rufus, you've come?"

"You're the only one missing!"

Ika: ? ?

Rufus, with one hand behind his back and the other pressing down on his hat, chuckled and said, "Why am I here, you ask? To register for the exam, of course! I saw the three of you on the first day!"

Sanmaru smiled and nodded: "We saw you on the first day too, it was Ika who found you."

Ika paused for a moment, then said, "No... even if... I mean, even if you take the exam too, why..."

Rufus said matter-of-factly, "It was Sanmaru and Akas who invited me yesterday. Thank you so much, otherwise I might have ended up teaming up with strangers."

"What?!" Ika felt betrayed and turned to her two friends in shock. "You?!"

Sanmaru touched his slightly balding buzz cut and explained to Ika, "I saw that Rufus was alone, so..."

Akas, always eager for drama, seized the opportunity to say, "I witnessed Rufus's magic yesterday, it was amazing! Someone like that would definitely be a very reliable teammate!"

Rufus smiled politely and replied, "Rest assured, you can entrust your back to me!"

Ika's voice suddenly rose: "What did you say?!"

“I’m telling you!” Arcas said, hands on her hips, “Rufus’s magic is amazing, even Teacher Kira praised it!”

Upon hearing Arcas's words, Rufus suddenly became somewhat excited, the barely perceptible gloom in his eyes vanishing instantly: "R-really? Mr. Kira praised my magic?"

Akas: "..."

That look in your eyes looks so familiar!

Could it be that this person is an idiot like Ika?

Seeing that Ika raised an eyebrow and was about to retort, Sangou grabbed his arm and said, "Let's go! If we keep talking, everyone else will leave the city."

"Don't pull me... I can walk by myself!"

Let's go!

"Ok!"

Rufus responded, put on his hat, and jogged after him.

On the high platform, Kira stood quietly. The wind from above lifted the short cloak on his back, causing the seven-colored crystal gems hanging from it to shimmer and sparkle, rubbing against his black and gold magic robes with a soft rustling sound.

Today he took off his magic hat, revealing his short, wispy red hair, bright sky-blue eyes, and handsome face, exuding a unique charm.

Kira watched the four run out of the exam hall and muttered to himself, "These three brats actually went to see Rufus? Looks like they're getting along really well..."

Just then, Konas strolled over, with Gulan and Haiberion behind her.

Konas asked Kira, who was looking at the examinees below, "Kira, could you please stay with the examinees and supervise the exam?"

Kira readily agreed: "Of course, but isn't Dean Konas coming along?"

"I still have some matters to attend to at the academy, so I must leave now."

"Where are the two seniors?"

"I will also follow Dean Konas to the academy first!" Gulan, being an elderly man, was leaning on a cane and his back didn't look very good, so he was the first to answer.

Hyberion took a sip of milk and gave another answer: "I will stay and observe the candidates' performance. Also, if anything unexpected happens during the exam, I'll have someone to help."

Kira's practiced movements even made him suspect that he might be endorsing some kind of milk advertisement. He recalled a Wizarding Ten saying something like, "Drinking milk regularly helps strengthen the body and prevent osteoporosis," and...

Well... at least the educational value is still there.