Chapter 256: Urano Metria
"The members of this guild are my children, and it is my responsibility to care for them.
"Besides, Lucy has helped us a great deal. She's a good kid," Makarov said earnestly to Jude and Layla. At his age, he could call all of them his children without issue.
Hearing Makarov's words, Jude and Layla's smiles grew even brighter.
"We didn't bring much, just some books, magic items, medicinal herbs, and the like. Please accept them as a gift to celebrate our daughter joining the guild," Jude said sincerely.
"Hmm... well, thank you very much. Noah, put these away," Makarov hesitated only a moment before accepting. Whether for the plan or for Lucy's sake, accepting the gifts was the right move.
"Oh, and we also brought some ingredients. We'd like to hold a banquet at the guild," Layla added.
This had been Noah's suggestion. A banquet at the guild would be much more appreciated by everyone.
"No problem at all!" Makarov's eyes lit up. He liked this gift even more.
With Makarov's approval, Jude directed the servants to unload the carriages.
"Alright, everyone, come help out!" Noah called, directing the guild members to store the items in the warehouse.
"Who exactly are Lucy's parents?" a guild member asked Noah, eyeing the expensive-looking goods.
"Lucy's full name is Lucy Heartfilia. The Heartfilia Conglomerate is her family's business," Noah said.
Gasps erupted from the eavesdroppers. The Heartfilia Conglomerate was famous throughout the kingdom, especially since their expansion into pharmaceuticals. They were the number one conglomerate in Fiore. To hear that Lucy was that Heartfilia was mind-blowing.
"So she's a real-life rich heiress?"
Many of the girls looked at Lucy with starry eyes. She was a genuine, non-fiction ojou-sama.
But what they saw was Lucy carrying a heavy box of books toward the warehouse.
"Are you okay? Should you carry something lighter?" Mirajane asked, walking beside her with a box of magic items.
"I'm fine. I can handle this. I'm a member of the guild, too, so I have to pull my weight," Lucy said firmly.
Mirajane smiled and said nothing more, walking with her for several trips.
Seeing Lucy working hard alongside them, and remembering her lack of airs, the guild members liked her even more. With their laid-back nature, the shock of her identity quickly faded, and no one treated her differently.
Lucy, who had been worried about her background creating a barrier, was relieved to see everyone treat her normally after the initial surprise.
"We're all comrades here. We're family. No one cares about your status or your past," Mirajane explained gently. "Most of us have difficult pasts anyway. Focusing on that only drives people apart. What matters is moving forward and living your life to the fullest."
"Mhm! I understand!" Lucy's eyes shone with joy. She hadn't had many friends her age due to her family's status. Finding a place like Fairy Tail, where she was accepted for herself, made her incredibly happy.
With the help of the servants and the guild members, the goods were quickly stored. Jude had brought not only ingredients but also chefs. Led by Ultear, the chefs went to the kitchen to prepare the banquet, with the guild's cooking enthusiasts joining in to help.
"Let's go inside. This isn't the place to talk," Makarov said, inviting Jude and Layla into the guild.
"Of course."
They followed Makarov to a table near the bar. Ur joined them. Upon learning that Ur was also a mother and would be protecting them, Layla eagerly struck up a conversation. From parenting to skincare to magic, they hit it off immediately. Since Ur was older, Layla called her "Big Sister," and Ur called Layla "Little Sister." They chatted excitedly, leaving Makarov and Jude unable to get a word in. The two men ended up having their own awkward conversation, though Makarov's life experience gave Jude plenty to think about.
It took a while to move everything.
"Man, that was a lot of stuff. My back is killing me," Macao complained, sitting down.
"You're getting weak, old man," Wakaba teased, clutching his own back.
"Bastard, you look just as bad! Don't talk about me!"
"I carried one more box than you, so I'm better!"
"Liar! I carried one more than you!"
"You're the liar! It was me!"
Ignoring their aching backs, they both jumped up and slammed their foreheads together.
"You wanna go?!"
"Bring it on!"
And just like that, they started brawling.
"The guild really is lively," Layla laughed, watching the fight and the cheering crowd.
"Ah..." Makarov opened his mouth to speak but found he had nothing to say as the brawl expanded.
"Very lively indeed," Jude agreed. He had seen Natsu and Gray fight, but the full-scale guild brawl was something else.
"This is normal," Ur said nonchalantly. "Children grow up healthier in an environment like this. They'll be strong enough to survive anything."
Layla nodded in agreement. As a mother, all she wanted was for Lucy to do what she loved and live a healthy life. Observing the guild members, she saw their good character. Combined with her prior research, she was confident Lucy would thrive here.
"Mom, how was your talk?" Lucy walked over, having finished her work.
"It was good. I can see you've joined a wonderful guild," Layla said, taking Lucy's hand.
"Mhm! I love Fairy Tail."
"That's good." Jude and Layla beamed. Their daughter's happiness was all that mattered.
"So, the guild atmosphere didn't scare you off?" Noah asked, walking up from the basement. He had just finished locking up the warehouse.
"It was fine. A little surprising at first, but it feels quite nice after a while," Jude smiled.
"Good. I was worried you wouldn't adjust. By the way, Auntie, can I check your magic power?" Noah asked Layla.
"Check my magic power? Sure, but why?" Layla extended her hand, curious. The others looked on with interest.
Noah didn't answer immediately. He placed his hand on her wrist, sensing her condition. After a few seconds, he pulled back. "You said you became a Celestial Spirit wizard again, right? I wanted to see if your magic reserves were sufficient. If they are, I have a spell that's perfect for you. Lucy will need some training before she can use it, though."
"What spell?" Lucy asked, intrigued. Was there a spell her mother could use but she couldn't?
Noah pulled two documents from his storage space and handed them to Layla and Lucy. "These are both for the same spell. The ultimate magic of the stars, Urano Metria."
"Ultimate magic?"
"Urano Metria?"
Layla and Lucy looked at the papers. Lucy put hers down after a moment. "It's so complicated! Is this really an ultimate spell? It's way harder than normal magic." She had only understood a fraction of it.
"Urano Metria... 'The Surveyor of the Heavens.' I've heard of it, but never seen it. Ultimate magic is rare and precious. Are you sure about giving this to us?" Layla asked, looking up.
"I found it while gathering information," Noah explained. "It requires a Celestial Spirit wizard with a deep understanding of the magic to use. It's useless to anyone else. Since you weren't practicing before, and Lucy wasn't strong enough, I didn't bring it up. But now that you're active again and have the power, you can use it. Lucy is still a bit short, but she can start learning it now. Besides, for you, Auntie, being stronger is better."
Layla nodded. "Alright. Given our relationship, I won't stand on ceremony. Lucy and I accept this gift."
"By the way, do you want me to use my Archive to transfer the knowledge directly into your minds? It saves you the trouble of memorizing it."
"You can do that? I want to try!" Lucy said excitedly.
"It puts a bit of strain on the brain to transfer that much information at once, so you might feel a little uncomfortable for a bit," Noah warned.
"I still want to try."
"Okay, sit tight."
Noah summoned his Archive screens and began typing. "Ready to receive."
"How do I—"
Before Lucy could finish, progress bars appeared in front of her eyes, slowly filling up.
"I've slowed the transfer speed to reduce the strain," Noah said. Lucy didn't respond; her eyes were glazed over.
Jude and Layla looked worried, but Noah reassured them. "She's fine. She's just receiving the data. It'll be over soon."
Sure enough, once the bars filled, Lucy snapped back to reality. "Amazing! I have so much new knowledge in my head! All about Urano Metria!"
Seeing Lucy was okay, just a bit pale, Layla said, "Me too, please."
Noah repeated the process for Layla.
"It really is amazing," Layla said, rubbing her temples. "But it's just memorized. I still have to understand and apply it myself."
"Exactly. Archive is great for storage and transfer, but comprehension and application are up to the user," Noah confirmed. He was impressed; Layla had spotted the limitation immediately.
"What? You can't learn it instantly?" Natsu asked, disappointed. He, Happy, and Gray had wandered over. "Stupid magic."
"Who are you calling stupid?!"
"You!"
They started fighting again. Noah didn't even look; he just grabbed them by the collars and tossed them out. Jude and Layla weren't surprised in the slightest.
"You can try practicing in the training grounds later, Auntie. You have enough magic for it."
"I think I will. Let me study it first," Layla said, sitting down to review the new knowledge in her mind.
~~~
Get early access to 50+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn