Chapter 7: Card Magic
"I'm the same as always," Father Bullock replied to Noah. "You be careful on your missions. The children miss you a lot. They're always asking why Noah hasn't come to visit."
"Haha, I didn't expect this mission to take so long. By the way, Father, this is for you."
Noah handed the package he was holding to the priest. Father Bullock paused for a moment before accepting it.
"Thank you, Noah. You've spent your money on us again. I truly don't know what to say."
"It's nothing. If the Master hadn't found me, I might have ended up living here myself. You have to run the church and feed so many children; the financial pressure must be immense. Now that I have an income, helping out where I can is no big deal. It makes me happy to do it."
Cana looked on, confused. "Father Bullock? Noah? What's this all about?"
Seeing her confusion, Father Bullock explained.
"Noah started donating to us about a year ago. We were very surprised at first and wanted to refuse. But Noah said that he's an orphan too, and now that he has the ability, he wants to help other children who have lost their parents or are in trouble. We tried to decline several times, but he was insistent, so we finally accepted. Thanks to him, our burden has been lightened, and the children's living conditions have improved quite a bit."
"It's only because the Father is so kind and responsible that I donate," Noah said to Cana. "I wouldn't just give money to anyone else."
Noah looked at the surrounding buildings, which still looked quite dilapidated. "Father, haven't you repaired the buildings? They look so run-down. Are there any safety issues?"
The priest glanced around as he answered. "The buildings are still usable. I've had someone look them over, and there are no major problems, they just look a bit old. I used the money you gave us to buy better food for the children. You know how poor their health was before. I just wanted to help them build up their strength."
"That makes sense," Noah agreed. "Poor health is no good. It's right to spend it on better food for them."
As they spoke, they arrived at the children's play area. A group of kids saw them and ran over excitedly, surrounding Noah.
"Noah, Noah, you're back! Where did you go this time? Did you see anything cool? Tell us, quick!"
"Alright, alright, don't rush me. Let's go over there and I'll tell you everything."
Noah led the children to their usual storytelling spot. After they all sat down, he began to recount his latest adventures. Cana, meanwhile, went to help Father Bullock with chores and prepare dinner.
After they had eaten, Noah pulled Cana aside.
"The guild has a girls' dormitory. Do you want to move in there? I can lend you the money for now, and we can get it back from Gildarts later."
Cana thought for a moment. "No, thank you. I'm fine living here. I'll think about the dormitory later."
"That's fine too. I'm glad you're comfortable here. Do you want to join Fairy Tail? Your father is a great wizard in our guild. You could join too."
"Okay, I'll join the guild."
"Great. Come to the guild hall tomorrow morning to register. I'll be there. I'll see you then. Goodnight."
"Mmm, goodnight."
Noah returned home to find Makarov already there, having finished dinner and now reading the newspaper. Seeing Noah return, he set the paper down, took a sip of water, and asked, "So, what was the story with that little girl today?"
As he changed his shoes, Noah replied, "That little girl is looking for her father. Her father is Gildarts Clive."
Makarov, who was in the middle of drinking, sprayed a mouthful of water across the room. He coughed for several moments before catching his breath. "Gildarts has a daughter?! Are you serious? How have I never heard about this?"
"I don't think Gildarts himself even knows. She must have come looking for him after her mother passed away. Her name is Cana Alberona."
"Gildarts takes on so many long-distance missions... he won't be back until around the end of the year. He has to come back then anyway. We'll tell him at that time. For now, let's not tell anyone else. I'm afraid the rest of them will scare Cana. We'll wait until Gildarts returns and let him deal with the rest of the guild himself."
"Alright, Gramps. I told Cana to come by tomorrow morning to register and join Fairy Tail."
"Good. You can help her with the registration process tomorrow."
"Okay. I'm going to take a shower now."
"Go ahead."
The next morning, after breakfast, Noah went to the guild. He waited a short while before he saw Cana walk in. Noah waved her over, helped her fill out the registration forms, and stamped her guild mark. Then, he asked if she knew any magic. Cana said she didn't.
However, she did tell Noah that, in order to find out when Gildarts would return, she had started learning how to tell fortunes with a deck of cards.
Hearing this, Noah immediately thought of the Card Magic Cana used in the anime. It was a very effective magic, and Cana was quite skilled with it—at the very least, she was strong enough to participate in the S-Class Trials multiple times, which proved her abilities were at a high level.
"Fortune telling with cards?" Noah said. "You should consider learning Card Magic. It's an incredibly versatile magic that can handle all sorts of different situations, and it has a very high potential. The only downside is that you need to buy the cards, and the power of your spells is linked to their quality. The better the cards, the stronger the magic. You should think about it. Of course, if you don't like it, you can always choose a different magic. The choice is yours."
Cana thought for a moment and then said, "Since you're recommending it, I'd like to try Card Magic."
"Okay. I'll go to the library and get the relevant magic books for you. You have to read them here in the guild, though; don't take them out. If you have any questions, you can ask me. Also, I'll keep an eye out for any good magic cards for you in the future. If I find any, I'll buy them for you. But it would be best if you also learned how to make your own magic cards. Cards you make yourself will always suit you best. Of course, after you learn Card Magic, you should learn other types of magic too. You don't want to be targeted for only having one style. If you lose your cards, you'd be in trouble."
"I'll think about everything you said. Thank you!"
"Don't mention it. We're in the same guild. We help each other out!"
Noah went into the Fairy Tail library and brought back the books on Card Magic. He handed them to Cana and then sat beside her, reading a different magic book while she studied, ready to answer any questions she might have.