Chapter 459: Dammit, Don't Bring That Up!
"Alright then, I'll be sure to watch their performance closely." Noah nodded, downed the rest of his milk in one gulp, waved to Laxus, and got up to leave.
Returning to the counter, he greeted Mirajane, who was busy helping guild members register their quests, and sat down.
"Some people are working themselves to the bone, while others are acting completely normal. What in the world is going on here..." Lucy was still deeply bothered by the abnormal atmosphere in the guild. She had never seen anything like it.
"You'll find out tomorrow," Noah smiled warmly at her complaint.
"You're the worst," Lucy shot him a withering glare, thoroughly annoyed. Everyone clearly knew what was going on, but they all refused to say a word, acting incredibly cryptic just to mess with her.
"Haha, it's a major guild event. It's better to leave some suspense," Noah chuckled, trying to placate her.
"He's right, Lucy. Just look forward to it," Mirajane chimed in with a sweet smile.
"Fine," Lucy sighed, giving up. Since no one was willing to spill the secret, she could only wait in anticipation for tomorrow.
Noah leaned back, watching the bustling, frantic guild members with a satisfied smile. The psychological fatigue he had accumulated over the past few days from setting up the massive Tenrou Island barrier was being rapidly smoothed away by the lively atmosphere.
However, Noah only sat there for about an hour. Once his mind felt fully refreshed, he headed home, packed up all the necessary medical and analytical equipment, and teleported straight back to Tenrou Island. Running a thorough check on Mavis's unique condition would require a lot of time and precise instrumentation; he couldn't afford to waste a minute.
Seeing how proactive Noah was, Mavis didn't try to refuse him again. She simply repeatedly reminded him to prioritize his own safety and absolutely not let himself get hurt because of her. Noah naturally nodded in agreement. He valued his own life and wasn't about to get injured out of sheer carelessness.
Noah worked straight through the afternoon and into the night. He originally planned to pull an all-nighter—with his monstrous physique, working non-stop for a month wouldn't physically harm him, only mentally drain him. However, Mavis forcefully stopped him, demanding he go home and sleep for the sake of his health.
Noah tried to refuse, but seeing Mavis's firm, unyielding expression—which practically screamed, 'If you don't agree, I won't let you examine me'—he obediently packed up his things.
He offered to leave a Thought Projection behind to continue the analysis, but Mavis rejected that as well. Her reasoning? She needed to sleep too, and she couldn't stay up late.
Noah was completely dumbfounded. She was a spirit! Did ghosts even need sleep? Logically, no! But seeing Mavis cross her arms with a stubborn 'that's just how it is' look, Noah realized he wasn't going to win this argument and finally agreed.
Seeing him relent, Mavis nodded in satisfaction. While she desperately wanted to understand her own condition, she absolutely refused to let it come at the expense of Noah's health and rest. Her condition wasn't an urgent emergency; they could take their time.
"By the way, tomorrow is the official announcement for the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial candidates. Do you want to come and watch, First Master?" Noah asked, suddenly remembering the big event as he prepared to leave.
"The S-Class Mage Promotion Trial?" Mavis's eyes instantly lit up.
Of course she wanted to go. Noah and the others had told her how much the guild had grown and evolved over the years. From their conversations, she could feel the deep bonds and wonderful atmosphere among the current generation, making her yearn to see it with her own eyes. However, the cursed state of her body had always been the main deterrent; she refused to bring danger to her beloved guild.
"How about this, First Master: I'll bring you back with me, and you can stay invisible and watch from the sidelines without revealing yourself. If anything seems wrong, I'll instantly grab you and teleport us far away from the guild. You know how fast my reaction time and teleportation speed are; I can definitely pull it off," Noah suggested.
"That..." Mavis pondered the idea. Noah's plan was solid. She knew his strength was more than enough to whisk her away before her curse could harm anyone in the hall.
"Wait," Mavis suddenly realized a flaw. "I don't have a physical body right now. How are you supposed to touch me to teleport me away?"
"Heh, you're underestimating me, First Master. I've conducted extensive research on spirits and souls. Naturally, I have a way to make physical contact with you in your current state," Noah said proudly.
"Where did you learn such knowledge?" Mavis asked, deeply curious.
"Wendy's Dragon Slayer Secret Art, Milky Way, allows her to materialize and communicate with the lingering souls of deceased dragons. Over the years, I've collected a massive amount of books and magical theories, some of which dealt with spirits and souls. I compiled the data, ran my own experiments, and developed related magic," Noah explained.
Seeing the lingering worry in Mavis's eyes, he quickly added, "Don't worry, I only researched the fundamental state of spirits—how to touch them, attack them, and bind them. I never once researched how to resurrect them. I would never touch the ultimate taboo of life and death."
Mavis breathed a sigh of relief at his reassurance, though a sudden chill ran down her spine at the casual mention that he had researched how to attack and bind souls. Shaking her head to clear the thought, she returned to the issue at hand.
"But it's still not safe for you," Mavis concluded. The guild members might be safe if Noah teleported her away, but what about Noah himself? He would be the one directly exposed to her curse at point-blank range. Unless that risk was mitigated, she wouldn't agree.
"Hmm..." Noah thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "I can leave a Thought Projection standing right next to you. If something goes wrong, the projection will instantly teleport you away. That solves the problem completely."
"If we do it that way, then yes," Mavis nodded, her worries finally eased by the foolproof plan.
"Great. I'll come pick you up early tomorrow," Noah smiled and bid her goodnight before teleporting home.
The next morning, Noah and the group woke up early. After a quick breakfast, Ultear and the others headed straight to the guild, while Noah teleported to Tenrou Island.
"First Master, I'm here."
"Mhm!" Mavis stood by the shore, her face glowing with an excited, expectant smile.
"Let's go, then." Noah reached out his right hand. A small magic circle flashed across his chest, and his hand rested firmly on Mavis's ethereal shoulder.
With a pop, the boy and the spirit vanished from the island, reappearing in a quiet alleyway just down the street from the Fairy Tail guild hall.
"First Master, I'll head inside first. You can wander around the town for a bit," Noah said after smoothly splitting off a Thought Projection to stay with her.
"Go on ahead!" Mavis waved him off, her eyes already darting around, taking in the sights of the town with deep nostalgia and burning curiosity. Noah knew she probably needed some time to emotionally process her return to Magnolia after so many decades, so his true body teleported directly into the guild hall.
Meanwhile, Noah's Thought Projection cast an advanced invisibility spell over himself and Mavis, ensuring no random guild members would spot them. The two of them then walked out of the alley and strolled through the streets.
"So this is what this area looks like now!"
"I remember this used to be..."
"It's changed so much!"
Mavis practically bounced as she walked, constantly comparing the Magnolia in her memories to the bustling modern city before her. Some places were unrecognizable, while others hadn't changed a bit.
Eventually, they arrived in front of the guild. Standing before the massive, beautifully constructed building—which was vastly larger than the original hall she had helped build—Mavis sighed in awe. "So this is the rebuilt guild? It's huge!"
"The old guild hall got way too cramped once our numbers started swelling. Plus, our members are incredibly rowdy and tend to destroy the building on a regular basis. We patched it up countless times before Grandpa finally decided to just tear it down and build a bigger, sturdier one. When they rebuilt it, I installed a multi-layered defensive barrier with various functions to minimize the structural damage caused by their daily brawls. Also, since it's so much bigger, we added a lot of recreational facilities for everyone to relax. There's even a massive indoor swimming pool in the basement," Noah's projection explained with a smile.
"An indoor pool?!" Mavis didn't care much about the building being renovated or rebuilt; to her, the guild was about the bonds between its members, not the bricks and mortar. But the mention of an indoor swimming pool instantly made her eyes sparkle. She hadn't expected the modern guild to have something so fun.
"Yep, an indoor pool. Everyone absolutely loves it," Noah smirked, seeing her 'I want to try it' expression. "Too bad you don't have a physical body, First Master, so you can't swim in it."
Mavis shot him a vicious glare. "Dammit, don't bring that up! I'll definitely find a way to touch physical objects!"
Who intentionally brings up someone's tragic circumstances just to tease them?! What a terrible personality!
"Don't worry, I'll help you figure it out. You'll be splashing around in that pool in no time!" Noah laughed.
"Mhm! Let's head inside," Mavis smiled, turning her attention back to the grand doors of Fairy Tail. She eagerly walked in, with Noah's projection trailing right behind her.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, a massive wall of noise washed over them. The first floor was absolutely packed with guild members. All the tables and chairs had been pushed to the sides to clear the center of the hall, and the main stage was obscured by a massive curtain bearing the Fairy Tail emblem.
"So many people!" Mavis cheered, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the sea of mages.
"Fairy Tail has grown a lot over the years. We're famous across Magnolia and the entire Kingdom of Fiore, so naturally, a lot of people want to join. Grandpa is pretty strict with the vetting process and rejects a lot of applicants, but even so, the numbers have steadily built up," Noah explained, staying close to monitor her condition.
"Mhm, mhm!" Mavis nodded absently, too busy drinking in the lively atmosphere to give a proper response.
Nearby, Lucy was equally overwhelmed by the crowd. "Whoa... there are so many people..."
"Brother Noah mentioned that every single member of Fairy Tail came back today. That's why it's so crowded," Wendy explained.
"I had no idea we had this many members!" Lucy marveled, looking around the packed hall.
"Usually, a large portion of the guild is out traveling or working on long-term requests, so you only see a fraction of the members on a normal day," Meredy added.
"What's everyone getting so worked up about?" Panther Lily muttered, looking at the shouting crowd in confusion.
"Who cares?" Gajeel scoffed, looking completely uninterested.
"The time has finally come... I'm so nervous!" Alzack sweated profusely, staring intensely at the curtained stage.
"We've trained really hard for this, Al. We'll be fine," Bisca smiled, gently calming him down.
"Natsu, you need to calm down," Happy sighed helplessly, watching Natsu practically vibrate in place like he was having muscle spasms.
"This intense pressure... it's truly manly!" Elfman roared, flexing his biceps.
"Hmph," Gray smirked confidently, standing nearby.
"We're finally going to find out what this big secret everyone's been hiding is," Lucy swallowed hard, the tension finally getting to her.
"Haha... Brother Noah specifically told us not to say anything. He said keeping it a secret would make the surprise much better," Meredy giggled, selling Noah out without a second thought.
"My sister said the exact same thing," Yukino chimed in.
"Those two really have the exact same personality. No wonder they ended up together," Lucy groaned.
"Juvia's heart is beating so fast... Just looking at Gray-sama makes me..." Juvia cooed from a few feet away, her body literally swaying back and forth as she stared dreamily at Gray's back.
"You should really just go home," Lucy deadpanned.
"Juvia! My heart races just as fast whenever I look at you!" Lyon suddenly appeared right next to Juvia, declaring his love passionately.
"Ah?! L-Lyon-sama?!" Juvia jumped in fright.
"Hmph!" Gray snapped his head around, glaring daggers at Lyon.
"Hmph!" Lyon glared right back without an ounce of fear. The two locked eyes in a fierce, silent standoff, while Juvia stood between them, looking flustered (though her eyes were glued almost entirely to Gray).
"Here we go again," Lucy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She had seen this exact scenario play out so many times that she was completely numb to it.
"Haha..." Meredy, Wendy, and Yukino laughed awkwardly at the bizarre love triangle. They didn't really know what to say, but they weren't worried. If Gray and Lyon actually started throwing hands, Ur or Ultear would swiftly emerge from the crowd to violently suppress them both anyway.
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