Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master

Erza glanced toward the distance, her brows furrowed in concern. "Master, Laxus..."

"It's alright," Makarov said with a small shake of his head. "I'll speak with him later."

Then, turning to Rhodes and Cana, he smiled gently. "But first, congratulations on passing the second stage of the exam!"

"Master..." Cana stepped forward, her excitement now dimmed by exhaustion. "What's the next stage?"

She sounded worried now, and for good reason. If the next challenge was as brutal as facing Laxus, there was no way she and Rhodes could handle it in their current state.

Makarov let out a warm chuckle. "Don't fret just yet. Go rest at the camp first."

After everything they'd been through, a bit of rest before the third trial was more than deserved.

The two nodded and followed Makarov toward the camp. Cana was tired but still able to walk on her own. Rhodes, however, could barely stay upright and had to lean heavily on Erza, who offered silent support with her usual calm strength.

"By the way, what about the other teams—"

BOOM!

A massive tremor cut Rhodes off mid-sentence.