Ultear watched from the side with shining eyes. Though she had only just begun learning Ice-Make Magic, and her progress was fast, when compared to Noah's progress she could clearly see how vast the gap between them was.
But Ultear didn't feel jealous of Noah—she felt happy. After all, he was the one who had helped her escape, and it was because of him that she and her mother had resolved their misunderstanding and reunited.
Naturally, the stronger Noah became, the happier she felt.
At that moment, Noah released the Ice Giant, then teleported down to the ground and said to Ulu,
"Thank you for your teaching. I've made great progress in every aspect, and now I can put my ideas into practice."
"What ideas?" Ulu asked curiously. "Can you tell me?"
"Rather than explain, why don't I just show you? I'm just about ready. Everyone, step back a little."
They all quickly retreated. Noah clapped his hands, and magic power surged from his body. Golden light shot upward like a pillar, piercing into the sky. The atmosphere shook, the ground trembled, and even the snow was blown away.
Ultear's eyes widened in curiosity."What kind of magic needs that much power?"
"I'm not sure," Ulu replied, equally intrigued. "But it must be something incredible."
In the distance, Noah drew back his magic, and behind him a massive golden head began to form, followed by shoulders, a torso, arms, and finally legs. Before their eyes stood a golden giant, towering dozens of meters tall.
Its entire body glowed softly. The light wasn't blinding, but its sheer size radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Seeing that Noah had succeeded, Ulu and the others approached. Ulu asked in astonishment,
"Did you shape this using light magic?"
"That's right. Light magic is what I'm most familiar with, so naturally I wanted to try shaping with it first.
But light magic is unstable, and I've always been bad at modeling, so I needed Ulu's guidance."
Still maintaining his magic, Noah turned to look up at the radiant giant he had created.
"Now that I've built the foundation, I can keep adding more details to it later."
"Noah, why do you always like creating things this large?" Ultear asked curiously. "Doesn't it use up a ton of magic power? Whether it's ice or light, you always make shapes dozens of meters tall."
"It's simple," Noah answered with a grin. "Don't you think it looks cool? Power might be temporary, but style lasts a lifetime. Of course I want it bigger and more impressive.
And besides, the bigger it is, the more powerful it is. Just imagine the range and impact of a punch from something this size.
Plus, I've got plenty of magic power, and it recovers quickly. So I don't need to worry about wasting it."
The others couldn't help voicing their envy. How they wished they had that much magic power.
Noah chuckled."You may not reach this level, but it's still possible to greatly increase your magic power."
Everyone turned to him at once, eyes full of excitement.
"If you want stronger magic, you can't just keep training your magic alone—you also have to train your body."
"Exercise? Is that the same thing you always call improving physical fitness?" Gray asked.
"I've already explained the principle," Noah said. "If you try it for a while, you'll notice the difference yourselves."
Noah exhaled softly. "Now, on to the next study."
The giant of light began to shrink until it was about Noah's size, and then he started experimenting with adding a function that would automatically gather ambient magic power into the light figure before him.
The others drifted off to their own training, but their eyes still wandered curiously back to Noah and the glowing figure, especially when the little light man would suddenly flicker or pulse with radiance.
Noah's goal was not just to make the light figure absorb magic power on its own. He wanted to apply the same ability to all of his magic.
If he could succeed, his spells would not only grow stronger but also carry limitless possibilities. Time passed quietly as Noah immersed himself in research.
Meanwhile, after some discussion, the others agreed to focus more heavily on physical training. So every morning, the group living in Noah's house—and Cana, who joined them because Gildarts was temporarily staying at home—used Noah's gravity magic for exercise first, then moved on to their own practice.
Noah, on the other hand, continued his research. On Tenrou Island, Mavis had once again fallen into deep sleep. Noah didn't disturb her, knowing he still wasn't capable of handling her affairs.
Fortunately, he had copied every book from Tenrou Island into his own collection, so he could study them whenever needed. Together with Fairy Tail's library and the volumes he had purchased himself, he had more than enough material for now.
Once the storm around the Magic Development Bureau was over, Noah planned to travel to other guilds and organizations with vast libraries to broaden his knowledge further.
Before long, more than a month had slipped by. Cana set out traveling again with Gildarts, completing missions as they went, so the number of people joining morning exercises steadily dropped by one.
At last, the case of the Magic Development Bureau came to an end. A large number of staff were sentenced, including many high-ranking officials. Without their cooperation, Brian could never have run so rampant.
Both Noah and Ulu, who had played pivotal roles in the incident, became widely known. Ulu was already renowned for her immense strength, and people began to say she would certainly rise to become one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Because of that, few dared harbor ill intentions toward her.
But Noah was different. Who was he? Hardly anyone had heard his name. At most, people knew he had been promoted to Fairy Tail's S-Class when he was only eight years old. Back then, many had secretly mocked Makarov, whispering that the old man must have gone senile.
Even though Noah had shown tremendous effort and unleashed incredible magic during his battle with the Black Magic Cult, most people lacked the knowledge to judge his strength. Out of spite, or simply out of envy, many had quietly plotted revenge, if only to trouble or humiliate him.
Yet Noah never once left Magnolia, and Makarov blocked every scheme before it could touch him.
When the Bureau incident ended, Makarov finally revealed to the Magic Council the secret he had long forbidden the guild from sharing: Noah had singlehandedly defeated Deliora.
At first, the announcement was met with disbelief. Becoming an S-Class mage at eight years old was already ridiculous. And now, barely two years later at the age of ten, he was said to have destroyed Deliora? To most, it sounded like an outright fabrication.
But when investigators were dispatched, they found undeniable evidence: traces of Deliora's presence, battle-scarred land, and terrain utterly reshaped by combat.
Their inspection confirmed it—Deliora had vanished from that place. The credibility of Noah's achievement rose sharply, and the terrifying scale of his strength began to sink in. A wizard capable of challenging Deliora head-on was no ordinary mage. Malice toward Noah dwindled drastically.
Makarov also used this opportunity to distinguish friend from foe, uncovering much useful information. At the same time, Noah's display of strength and Ulu's joining Fairy Tail brought even greater fame to the guild.
Time flowed on, and soon the year was X775. Noah turned eleven. By then, he had made remarkable progress in his magical studies. All of his spells could now automatically draw in atmospheric magic after being cast, and he could freely adjust the intensity of absorption as he wished.
Other areas of research had also advanced greatly, and Noah's strength had risen even higher. At this point, he began preparing to meet a person who carried the weight of the past.
...
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