Chapter 233: 2 Million Jewel to Destroy a Book?
"Her mother, Layla, became a Celestial Spirit wizard at a young age and traveled the world. She only retired later due to her health," Noah explained. "Lucy grew up on those stories and always wanted to follow in her footsteps. She told me a long time ago that she wanted to join Fairy Tail, and her parents were completely supportive. After all, her mother was in a guild, too. Plus, with me being here, they were very comfortable with her joining us."
"Oh, so that's how it is. That's good," Mirajane and Sorano both said, nodding. If her parents were on board, there wouldn't be any drama later.
Noah then remembered something and called Makarov over.
"What is it?" Makarov asked, hopping onto a barstool and watching the brawl.
"You hit your head on the railing, didn't you? Let me put some potion on that," Noah said, dabbing some medicine on the Master's head. "You're not young anymore, Gramps. You should really stop trying to do high-difficulty maneuvers. You need to be more careful."
"I know, I know," Makarov chuckled, clearly not taking him seriously.
Noah sighed. Between the medicinal liquor and the passive enhancements from the guild mark, he wasn't too worried. He finished applying the potion, then looked at Makarov with a deadpan expression.
"Gramps... that stack of papers you just burned included the apology letters I already wrote for you. Are you planning on writing them all yourself now?"
"WHAT?!" Makarov's eyes bulged. "Why didn't you say so?!"
"How was I supposed to know you were going to incinerate them for dramatic effect?" Noah replied flatly.
"What do we do now?!" Makarov was starting to panic. He hadn't had to write one of those reports in ages.
"Luckily, that was just a copy," Noah said, letting him squirm for a second. "But please, no more pyrotechnics with the paperwork."
"Right, right! Good! You scared me!" Makarov let out a huge sigh of relief and smiled sheepishly. He knew Noah was just trying to get him to be more careful.
Noah, seeing that the Master had actually taken it to heart this time, didn't press the issue and simply re-printed the reports. Mirajane and Sorano, who had watched the entire exchange, couldn't help but giggle.
Suddenly, the communication lacrima on the counter flashed. The four of them tensed. It was a distress signal.
Noah immediately checked the coordinates. "Mt. Hakobe. That's not far. I remember Macao took a job up there... to subjugate a Vulcan, right? It must be him. His vitals look stable for now, though."
When Noah had upgraded the guild marks, he'd added a feature that sent back the user's basic physical status with any distress signal.
"Mt. Hakobe is all snow and ice," Mirajane said. "Gray is the best one to send."
The other three agreed. Noah called Gray over and gave him the details. Gray nodded seriously and was about to head out.
"Gray! Where are you going?" Natsu, ever-attentive to his rival, saw the serious look and immediately got in his face.
"A place you're not suited for," Gray shot back, thinking of the freezing temperatures.
"Like hell! I'm going, too!"
"If you're not afraid to die, then come on!" Gray snapped, already running for the door. Natsu was right on his heels.
Lucy, seeing the two of them rush off, got curious and followed them out.
"Is it really okay for those two to go together?" Sorano asked, worried. "And Lucy went with them."
"Natsu and Gray will be fine," Noah said, shaking his head. "They're rivals, but they're good partners when it counts. As for Lucy, she's stronger than she looks. She can take care of herself. Let her go and see what a real mission is like. Layla told me she's already mastered Forced Gate Closure and her combat skills are solid."
Mira and Sorano nodded, trusting Noah's judgment.
Just then, Macao's son, Romeo, ran into the guild, asking where his dad was. He was several days overdue. Mirajane and Sorano went to comfort him while Noah kept one eye on Macao's vitals on the lacrima.
Two or three hours later, they saw Macao's status stop declining and slowly begin to rise. Gray and Natsu had found him. Noah, who had been preparing to go himself, relaxed. They told Romeo the good news, and he ran outside to wait for his dad.
A few hours later, Natsu and Gray returned, supporting an injured Macao between them. Lucy and a teary-eyed Romeo followed behind.
Noah checked Macao's wounds. They had already been given first aid, so Noah just applied some follow-up treatment. As he worked, Gray explained what had happened. They'd found the mountain swarming with Vulcans. After beating a path through them, Natsu's Dragon Slayer nose had finally located Macao unconscious in a cave.
After Macao was patched up, he looked at Noah, then at Natsu and the others, and simply thanked him. Natsu and Gray, their job done, went back to their own business. Lucy told Noah that while the two had argued the entire trip, they had worked together perfectly to save Macao.
Good, Noah thought. Maybe I should make them team up more often. Get them out of the guild so they can destroy other places for a change.
Lucy went to chat with Mira and Sorano. Once they were alone, Macao asked Noah, "That distress signal... I didn't send it. And I didn't wake up where I passed out..."
"That was the protective magic on the guild mark," Noah explained quietly. "It's an emergency measure. It triggers a shield and an automatic teleport when it detects a life-threatening blow, then sends the signal. Don't tell the others. I don't want them getting reckless."
Macao nodded, his face full of gratitude. He then went to join his son, and they headed home.
Mira and Sorano offered to help Lucy find an apartment. Their first stop was the Fairy Tail girls' dormitory, "Fairy Hills," but Lucy nearly fainted when she heard the 100,000 Jewel monthly rent and insisted on finding something cheaper. Seeing she was serious about her budget, they helped her hunt for a place.
Later that night, Sorano returned and told Noah they'd found Lucy a great apartment near the shopping district for only 70,000 Jewel a month.
The next day, Noah's Thought Projection, which was manning the guild, noted that Lucy and Natsu had taken a job together: "Destroy a book at Duke Everlue's mansion for 200,000 Jewel."
What caught Noah's attention was that, just after they'd left, the client had updated the reward to 2,000,000 Jewel. He wasn't worried, though. Natsu and Lucy could handle it.
Just as he'd predicted, they returned quickly... having also destroyed Duke Everlue's mansion.
It turned out the book, "Daybreak," was written by a famous author who had been blackmailed by the Duke. The Duke had threatened the author's family, forcing him to write a terrible book praising him. But the author had used his magic to embed a hidden message in the text—a full confession of the Duke's crimes, and more importantly, a final, loving letter to his son. It was his true masterpiece.
Lucy had discovered the secret and saved the book, giving it to the client—the author's son, Kaby. For 31 years, Kaby had hated his father for writing such trash, but he had finally decided to destroy it to protect his father's legacy, even if he had to go into debt to pay for the mission.
After learning the truth, Natsu had refused the 2 million Jewel, since they hadn't "destroyed the book." Lucy, though she desperately wanted the money, had agreed with him.
She did, however, tell Noah all about the Duke's crimes, and Noah dutifully forwarded the evidence to the Magic Council to have the man arrested.
Two days later, Noah was training when his projection messaged him to return to the guild.
When he arrived, a figure with scarlet hair stood in the middle of the hall, next to a giant, monstrous horn. The guild was dead silent; she had clearly just finished "disciplining" them.
"Erza, you're back," Noah said, recalling his projection. "What's up?"
"Noah. I heard some... troubling news on my last job. I was looking for the Master."
"He's at a regular meeting. Mira went with him."
"This can't wait. And Sorano and the others are on jobs. I need your help."
"Alright. When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning."
Noah nodded, then looked over at Natsu and Gray. "You two, you're coming with us. And Lucy, you too."
The guild members stared. "Did Noah just ask Natsu and Gray for help?"
"No way am I going with this guy!"
"I'm the one who doesn't want to go with you!"
Natsu and Gray were instantly at each other's throats.
"You two worked well together on Mt. Hakobe, you can do it again," Noah said flatly. "Besides, I'd rather you two weren't in the guild. You two cause more destruction than anyone else."
The guild members finally understood. He wasn't asking for help; he was removing them before they destroyed the building.
"Me? I'm going too?" Lucy asked, pointing at herself.
"Consider it an introduction to the guild's... less ordinary... missions," Noah said.
Lucy nodded, looking determined.
Noah turned back to Natsu and Gray, who were now butting heads. "Be at the station tomorrow morning. If you're not, I will personally come to your houses and drag you there."
~~~
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