The day of the Wizard Saint tournament finally came. People from all over Ishgar come to Fiore's capital to watch the tournament. It was rare for them to be able to watch battles between strong mages.
Almost all legal guilds all over Ishgar participate in this tournament, be they big, medium or small guilds. Well, it's not the guilds that are participating but their representatives.
This is the first tournament so all strong mages are very interested and want to join. Even mages from independent guilds or those without any affiliation also join. The Wizard Saint position is too tempting for any mage.
Besides, they will still receive good rewards even if they can't become a Wizard Saint as long as they ranked high enough in the tournament. The Council and kingdom have prepared prizes for those who reach a high rank in this tournament to make more people participate.
Their strategy worked and a lot of mages participate. Many people also come to watch and it made all lodgings full. The kingdom even needed to build tents outside the city as a temporary lodging for those that didn't get any place in the city.
The high rise in visitors also makes the economy prosper. Fortunately the kingdom is prepared for it and called many merchants from all over Fiore. Some foreign merchants even come to sell their products here, they don't want to lose a big chance like this.
The match will start tomorrow and today they will just hold a opening ceremony. All participants, their guilds and the audience gather to watch the ceremony. Those who can't enter the stadium watch it on the screens outside.
Right before the ceremony started, everyone's attention was drawn to something. They look up and see a massive airship fly over their heads. It's a white airship with gold accents and a gold guild mark.
"That mark, it's Fairy Tail!" Someone in the crowd shouted.
That airship belonged to Fairy Tail. It's the one Ben obtained from Grimoire Heart. It had been modified by him and some engineers. It's base shape is still the same from when Grimoire Heart had it but now it was white with gold accents instead of black.
They also removed the sharp edges and made them rounder to make the airship less intimidating. The wing ornaments have also been changed from bat-like wings to fairy wings. There are big Fairy Tail marks on the airship's front with big 'Fairy Tail' words on the left and right.
It wasn't just the exterior that had been changed, but also the interior. The dark and scary interior have become brighter with a peaceful and friendly design. They also planted some plants and flowers in the top room that had glass covering the room.
As everyone's attention is fixated on Fairy Tail's new airship, someone suddenly fell from the airship onto the arena. The impact from the drop made people's attention shift to it. They all see a man standing in the middle of the arena. It's Ben.
"Who is that?" Someone in the crowd asked.
"You don't know him? He's the current guild master of Fairy Tail and the youngest Wizard Saint in history, Ben Cooper." Someone else replied.
"The youngest? How old is he?" Another figure asked.
"He is 18 years old now and he became a Wizard Saint and guild master last year when he was 17 years old." The person that replied before added.
Those who heard it are amazed and the info spread fast among the people. The participants were also interested in Ben. All of them have heard about Ben but most of them had never seen him before.
"So it's him, the most common target in this tournament." A participant said.
"Heh, his seat will be mine after this tournament." Another participant added.
Most of the participants are targeting Ben for their Wizard Saint title match. Only a few target other Wizard Saints and some haven't made a decision yet. But some participants who had a brain were wary of Ben.
Those people knew that if he managed to become a Wizard Saint at his age, his power is nothing to scoff at. For them, he is actually scarier than the old fools that became a Wizard Saint in their old age.
"Did you really need to show up like that?" Jura asked after approaching Ben with a raised eyebrow.
"You jealous?" Ben asked teasingly.
"As if. Anyway, the ceremony will start soon, let's go to our position." Jura said.
Both of them then head to their position which is beside the Royal Family. They were the only Wizard Saints who attended this competition personally. The others only join virtually because they weren't that interested in watching the tournament in person.
They will still watch the tournament virtually. If there are interesting mages, then they will come to watch in person. They'll also come if they were chosen as opponents by the winner of the tournament.
The opening ceremony soon commenced and the kingdom went all out for this. It's like a festival instead of a opening ceremony. Well, they didn't want to lose face with all the visitors who came from all over Ishgar.
Everyone enjoyed the first day by touring the capital. The kingdom had hired mages from some of Fiore's guilds including Fairy Tail. So now some members who took jobs were guarding a few locations.
Meanwhile, the other members are touring the city. Mira and Bella walk around the city while buying stuff. Surprisingly, they were accompanied by Ben who should be with Jura and the Royal Family.
"Are you sure it will be fine?" Mira asked.
"What? You buying that cake that can make you fat or having a clone take my place for the ceremony?" Ben asked back.
Mira pouted and pinched Ben's waist, "The clone."
"Ouch, ouch! It will be fine, no one will realize it anyway. If a problem arises, I will just teleport there. Besides, Jura is there so it will be fine. I prefer walking around with you two rather than stay there doing nothing but watch. Tomorrow is the main event anyway and I need to watch all the battles and stay on guard to prevent accidents. This is my only chance to enjoy my day." Ben said.
"Hmm, I guess you're right." Mira admitted.
"Ben, brown milk." Bella said.
He took out a bottle of chocolate milk and handed it to Bella. Then they resume their walk while buying stuff like other people. There were new items from other nations that were sold by the foreign merchants that piqued their interest.
They walk around the city until night time before they head to a mansion Ben had rented for their guild. Their guild mates arrived before them. They all have a drinking contest in the hall like they normally do in their guild hall.
"You guys have made this your home, huh? And you even bought liquor." Ben said as he watched them drink the liquor that they bought today.
"There's some liquor that we've never tasted before, so we are curious. Come on, you need to try these too." Jet said as he offered a bottle to Ben.
Ben sighed and took the bottle before he joined the other men to drink the liquor. They drink until midnight and go to sleep afterward. They can't drink till morning or they won't be able to watch the tournament tomorrow. Then the next day, the first day of the tournament finally came.