Chapter 462: I Have an Idea
That afternoon, Mest sent a message confirming that he had briefed Makarov on his situation.
Receiving the signal, Noah dispatched a Thought Projection back to the guild hall to lift the memory seals on the members. When the guild realized that Mest—whom they hadn't seen in over a year—had finally returned, the hall erupted in excitement. They threw a passionate welcome-back party for him, the boisterous cheers echoing far down the streets of Magnolia.
Later that night, after Mavis forced Noah to go home and rest, Meredy brought up Carla's strange reaction from earlier. Noah immediately turned his attention to the white Exceed.
"Did something happen earlier? Don't tell me your precognition triggered?" Noah asked, recalling her unique ability.
The others quickly turned to look at Carla. Wendy leaned in, her face filled with concern. "Is that true, Carla?"
"Yes," Carla admitted. "When the Master announced the S-Class trial, several images suddenly flashed before my eyes. I vaguely saw everyone's faces twisted in absolute terror and panic. And behind that... I saw a young man with short black hair and pitch-black eyes."
"Was there anything else?" Noah pressed.
Carla shook her head. "No. The visions flashed by incredibly fast; that's all I can remember. But ever since I saw those images, I've had a terrible feeling in my chest. I just know something disastrous is going to happen during this exam."
"What could Carla's vision mean?" Meredy muttered, her brow furrowed. The rest of the group also fell into deep thought.
None of them doubted Carla's words. When it came to precognition, it was always better to be safe than sorry. If they ignored it and disaster struck, regret wouldn't save them.
"If everyone was looking terrified and panicked, it means we are going to encounter something—or someone—truly horrifying," Ultear analyzed calmly.
"But what could possibly terrify us?" Sorano asked skeptically. She glanced around the room. Given the sheer concentration of S-Class monsters sitting at this very table, what kind of threat could possibly make them feel fear?
"Could it be related to that black-haired young man Carla saw?" Erza guessed.
"It's highly likely, though we can't be certain. We must factor him into our threat assessment," Mirajane agreed, her usual sweet smile replaced by a serious edge.
"It seems my current preparations aren't quite enough. I need to set up more contingencies," Noah said, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He realized that his previous defensive measures might be insufficient. If Carla was actively foreseeing disaster, it meant a major threat was absolutely guaranteed to arrive. He needed to treat this with the utmost caution.
"Did you already know something was going to happen?" Sorano looked at Noah suspiciously.
"I'm just a firm believer in preparing for the worst just in case. Didn't I set up that massive barrier around the guild hall for the exact same reason?" Noah smiled deflectingly.
"Fair enough," Sorano nodded. Noah had always been overly cautious; prepping for worst-case scenarios was entirely in character for him.
"If there's a threat approaching that could terrify all of us, can't we just avoid it entirely?" Ultear suggested.
"We can't. Have you forgotten? The venue for this exam is Tenrou Island, our guild's holy ground. The invasion will almost certainly happen there," Noah explained, before turning back to the Exceed. "Carla, the people you saw in your vision—were they the exam candidates, or did you see people who aren't participating?"
Carla closed her eyes, trying to recall the blurry images. "They were the candidates participating in the Tenrou Island trials."
"Then it's settled. Someone is going to invade Tenrou Island during the exam, which will lead to the future Carla saw. Tenrou Island is our sacred ground; we absolutely cannot let enemies trample all over it without a fight," Noah declared. His tone then shifted slightly. "Of course, if we truly can't win, we will retreat. Staying alive is the top priority. But if we run away without even seeing the enemy's face, none of us will be able to swallow that indignation. Fortunately, I excel at spatial magic. If things go completely south, I'll just instantly teleport everyone out."
As he spoke, Noah subtly tapped the Fairy Tail Guild Mark on the back of his right hand, shooting a meaningful glance at Ultear and the others.
They instantly caught his drift. Noah had secretly integrated emergency spatial coordinates and protective enchantments directly into their Guild Marks. Their safety was essentially guaranteed.
"Exactly. We have to at least clash with them, or at the very minimum, see who they are before deciding to retreat. Running away with our tails between our legs without even throwing a punch is unacceptable," Sorano stated fiercely.
The others nodded in agreement. With a foolproof escape route secured, none of them were willing to back down from a fight unseen.
"Should we warn the candidates—Lyon and the others?" Meredy asked.
Since the S-Class members knew a crisis was looming on Tenrou Island, they were obviously going to intervene. But what about the candidates actually taking the exam?
"Let's keep them in the dark for now," Noah decided. "First, they've poured their blood, sweat, and tears into preparing for this trial. Telling them a catastrophic threat is coming will only burden them with unnecessary anxiety. Second, their safety is already secured by my fail-safes. If a fight breaks out, their strength will be a valuable asset. Facing down an insurmountable threat and living to tell the tale will broaden their horizons and benefit their growth immensely."
Ultear and the others nodded, agreeing with Noah's logic.
"Should we inform the Master and Gildarts in advance?" Mirajane asked.
"Yes, absolutely. But only Grandpa and the S-Class mages. Do not breathe a word of this to anyone else, understood?" Noah instructed, looking specifically at Meredy and the younger girls. He didn't want to spark mass panic within the guild.
"Understood," Meredy and the girls nodded seriously.
"When the time comes, we'll mobilize all the S-Class members to Tenrou Island to stand by for emergencies. We also need to secure the guild hall. We'll brief Macao and Wakaba on how to operate the guild's defensive barrier. Since all the heavy hitters will be away, we'll need them to hold down the fort," Noah outlined the plan.
"That works," Erza agreed.
"Then that's the plan. You guys handle briefing Grandpa and the other S-Class mages. I'm going back to Tenrou Island to make some extra adjustments," Noah said, standing up.
"Do you need us to come help?" Mirajane offered.
"No need. The core barrier we built is already sufficient. I specifically left several modular interfaces and expansion slots in the runic arrays just in case. I just need to tweak them a bit," Noah shook his head. "Everyone, use these next few days to rest up and get in peak condition."
Seeing that the meeting was concluded, everyone nodded and returned to their rooms to sleep.
The next morning, the group woke up early. Ultear and the others headed straight to the guild to brief Makarov, while Noah also stopped by the guild hall—he needed a specific person's help.
"Glad you're here," Noah said, walking up to Lucy, who was sitting at a table.
"Hm?" Lucy blinked at him in confusion.
"I need your help," Noah said bluntly.
"What do you need me to do?" Lucy didn't hesitate, asking directly.
"Well... it'll be easier to explain once I take you somewhere," Noah replied.
"Alright, let's go."
Noah nodded, grabbed her shoulder, and the two vanished from the bustling guild hall.
A split second later, they reappeared on Tenrou Island.
"Whoa... what a massive tree!" Lucy gasped, her eyes immediately drawn to the colossal Tenrou Tree towering in the center of the island.
"This is Tenrou Island," Noah introduced.
"Wait, this is where Natsu and the others are having their exam?!" Lucy looked around in awe.
"Yep. They'll be arriving in a few days," Noah confirmed.
"Noah, you're back." Mavis floated over with a bright smile.
"Who is this...?" Lucy stared curiously at the petite, barefoot girl, then looked up at Noah.
"This is the First Master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion," Noah introduced.
"THE FIRST MASTER?!" Lucy shrieked in shock. She was an avid reader and knew the guild's history perfectly well. The First Master had passed away nearly a century ago! Yet Noah was telling her this little girl was the legendary founder?!
"Correct. She is the First Master. Her current state is highly unique; only those bearing the Fairy Tail Guild Mark can see or hear her," Noah explained, before introducing Lucy to Mavis.
After exchanging slightly overwhelmed greetings, Lucy finally calmed down. "So, what exactly did you bring me here for?"
"It's like this... I have an idea, and I need your specific magic to pull it off..." Noah quickly outlined his plan to Lucy.
"That is an incredibly brilliant idea!" Mavis's eyes sparkled with sheer excitement as she listened.
"Wait, why do you need to do all this?" Lucy asked, bewildered. The scale of what Noah was asking for was ridiculously complex.
"Because Carla foresaw something..." Noah quickly explained the dark premonition Carla had experienced and the conclusions the S-Class team had drawn.
Hearing the gravity of the situation, Lucy's expression hardened into absolute resolve. "I will definitely help you make this work!"
"I'm counting on you," Noah nodded.
Lucy gave a firm nod and immediately walked off to a clear space to begin her preparations.
"To implement your idea, we'll need to fundamentally alter several core structures of the island's barrier," Mavis noted, analyzing the magical logistics.
"Yeah. I plan on spending the next few days doing exactly that," Noah agreed.
"I'll help you," Mavis offered eagerly.
"Thank you, First Master."
With that, the two magical geniuses got to work, rapidly restructuring the intricate runic layers of the Tenrou Island barrier to accommodate Noah's new contingency plan. Halfway through, Lucy finished her specialized preparations and joined in to integrate her magic into the array.
The trio worked tirelessly for several days, finally completing the massive overhaul the day before the candidates were scheduled to arrive.
"Phew... I didn't think it would take this long," Lucy wiped the sweat from her brow, letting out a massive sigh of relief as the final rune locked into place.
"This is a truly magnificent feat of magic!" Mavis praised, looking at their completed work with shining eyes.
"I couldn't have done it without your help," Noah smiled.
"I really want to see it in action, but at the same time, I hope we never have to use it. Because if this activates... it means we are in a truly desperate situation," Mavis sighed, shaking her head.
"Having this ready puts my mind at ease," Noah admitted. "Lucy, head back home and get some serious rest. I'll need your help here again tomorrow."
"Understood," Lucy nodded heavily.
"You should go back and rest too, Noah. You've expended a massive amount of mental energy these past few days," Mavis urged.
"You need to rest as well, First Master. You've worked just as hard," Noah replied. He knew he needed to be in peak condition; the enemy they were facing tomorrow was extraordinary. Treating this lightly was tantamount to throwing his life away.
"I will," Mavis promised. Even as a spirit, the intense magical calculations required to modify the barrier had heavily drained her focus.
With the preparations complete, Noah and Lucy teleported back to Magnolia. Lucy dragged herself home to collapse into bed, while Noah headed straight for the guild hall.
"Noah, is everything ready?" Makarov asked the moment Noah walked in. Laxus, who was sitting behind the counter, also looked up.
"Everything is set."
"Good." Makarov nodded, though his usual jovial smile was entirely absent.
To think that a terrifying enemy might invade their holy ground right in the middle of their sacred S-Class trial... it was a nightmare scenario.
"Relax, Grandpa. There's no need to stress so much. We are fully prepared, and everyone's safety is guaranteed," Noah reassured him, easily reading the heavy burden on the old man's face. "If a strong enemy invades, we'll just crush them. If we can't beat them, we'll evacuate. The contingencies are flawlessly set; nothing is going to happen to us."
"He's right, old man. We've laid the groundwork. Now we just adapt to whatever comes our way," Laxus added smoothly.
"I know," Makarov let out a long breath, a faint trace of his usual smile returning to his face.
However, deep in his heart, his resolve remained unbroken: If things truly go south, I will sacrifice my life to ensure the children of my guild escape safely.
Though Makarov didn't voice it, Noah had spent enough years with the old man to read the micro-expressions on his face. Noah felt a surge of warmth at the Master's unspoken dedication, but he mentally shook his head.
If I let Grandpa sacrifice himself after all the insane preparations I've made, then all my years of research and training would be a complete joke.
~~~
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