Ficool

Chapter 58 - Chapter 58 Growing Reputation

Noah crossed his arms and looked at the scene before him.

Gray and Leo were covered in bright streaks of paint from head to toe again. Simon had a few blotches too, mostly on his upper body and head. The girls, on the other hand, had been far more efficient. Most of their paint was limited to their arms or backs, and they'd managed to avoid any major hits to their heads or torsos.

"Seriously, it's your fault I keep getting hit," Gray muttered as he glared at Leo.

Leo clicked his tongue. "Me? You're the one who bumped into me while dodging!"

The two boys glared at each other, then inevitably locked heads and started bickering. Again.

No one paid them any attention. The rest of the team calmly packed up their training gear.

Then, a moment later SMACK! SMACK!

Erza walked over and landed a solid punch on both of their heads.

"Ow !"

The two dropped into a crouch, clutching their skulls with watery eyes.

"Get cleaned up and meet me back at the guild," she ordered, not even breaking stride as she walked away.

The two nodded meekly behind her. Once again, Erza had restored order. Though Gray and Leo had learned magic before her, after nearly a year of training, her strength had far surpassed both of them.

That night, everyone went home for dinner. The meal was quiet no bickering, no taunting. Just the sound of chopsticks and spoons.

Training continued like that for several more days. And every single time… Gray and Leo ended up fighting. And every single time… they came in dead last.

One morning, as they lined up to resume dodge and block training with the personality phantoms, Gray very deliberately took the spot furthest away from Leo.

Leo immediately noticed and shouted, "Oi! What's your deal?!"

"What's my deal?" Gray didn't even look back. "Thanks to you, I've been at the bottom of the rankings for a week straight. That's seven nights of dishwashing. I'm not falling into that trap again."

"Ridiculous," Leo growled, but instead of confronting him, he stomped over to the opposite end of the field to avoid Gray altogether.

When training ended that day and the paint was tallied, everyone looked at Simon his clothes were the most colorful.

Since coming to Fairy Tail, Simon had grown stronger and healthier. Living under Noah's care, his body had filled out with proper food and sleep. But that newfound size had come at a cost he wasn't as nimble as before, and it showed.

Simon, ever calm, accepted the result without complaint.

After that, it became a three-way race between Simon, Gray, and Leo for last place.

Whenever it was Simon's turn to do the dishes, Kagura would quietly come help her brother. She didn't say much, but she was always there bringing extra towels, helping him dry, or just keeping him company.

Still, Simon worked hard. Within a week, his agility improved, and his name began to disappear from the bottom of the rankings.

From then on, the "dishwashing spot" rotated between Gray and Leo. Occasionally, even Kagura slipped to last place though that was only on days when she ran out of stamina halfway through training. She was younger than the others by three or four years, and while her spirit was strong, her physical endurance hadn't caught up yet.

When she voiced her frustration, Noah simply reassured her.

"It's okay, Kagura. You're still growing. You'll catch up in time. Don't force yourself."

Concerned she might push herself too hard, Noah kept an eye on her training over the next few days. But she remained steady, never overexerting herself, and he relaxed knowing she was pacing herself.

Meanwhile, Erza and Ultear had entered a new stage.

While the others continued training against two personality phantoms, the two strongest girls began testing themselves against three.

On their first attempt, even Erza and Ultear were overwhelmed. That day, they were the most marked of everyone and were promptly assigned to dish duty.

But neither backed down.

The next day, they improved.

By the third, they adapted.

By the fourth, they had climbed out of the bottom ranking entirely.

Their progress mirrored each other two stars rising together, pushing each other forward.

Noah, on the other hand, had long since mastered fighting against two, three, even five personality phantoms at once. Though the more he added, the less effective the training became, as the phantoms would sometimes interfere with each other's movement patterns.

Still, it was good practice in crowd control, and he continued to refine the training structure.

One month passed like this.

Then, one evening, Ulu returned from her solo mission.

She was stunned by what she saw.

The young mages were faster, sharper, and more synchronized. The training method, the magic constructs, the discipline everything had improved under Noah's guidance.

Impressed, Ulu asked Noah to teach her the Personality Phantom magic.

He did so gladly.

Within a few days, Ulu had learned the technique, and once she had it under control, she took Ultear, Gray, and Leo back with her to the snowy mountains to resume their Ice-Make training.

After Ulu left for the snowy mountains, Noah took a brief break from Magnolia.

He headed toward a grand mansion nestled in the countryside Heartfilia Manor.

The journey wasn't long, but the change in scenery was refreshing. What awaited him wasn't a mission or a battle, but something far more important: family.

Leila's condition had improved significantly. Though she hadn't made a full recovery yet, her energy was steady, and her color had returned. Jiude's health, meanwhile, had rebounded completely. His posture was straighter, his eyes brighter, and his laughter more frequent.

And Lucy?

Still as lively and spirited as ever.

To Noah's surprise, Lucy had taken an interest in martial arts and was training in both weapon handling and hand-to-hand combat. She had even begun learning basic magic.

Leila had her reasons.

"She's still too young," she told Noah one afternoon as they walked the estate garden. "Let her build a strong foundation in self-defense first. Once her body and magic are balanced, then she can begin her journey with the Celestial Spirits."

Noah agreed. It was the right approach.

He wrote a nourishing prescription for Jiude to take daily and reminded him to continue his new habits eat well, rest well, and don't overwork himself. Jiude accepted the parchment with both hands and a grateful smile.

These days, Jiude had clearly changed.

He still handled the family business, of course, but his priorities had shifted. He was present at meals, told Lucy stories in the evenings, and sat with Leila during her recovery.

He'd become a father in more than name.

Every time Lucy came running into the room, chattering and laughing with books in her arms, Jiude's expression softened into a smile so gentle it could rival Gildarts.

Noah watched him from a distance and chuckled to himself.

"Another daughter-obsessed father," he murmured. "Gildarts would be proud."

Of course, this shift wasn't all spontaneous.

It had been Noah who helped Jiude recognize what truly mattered, nudging him away from his workaholic habits. With Noah's treatment healing his body and lifting the fog of chronic fatigue, Jiude had regained not just his strength but his clarity.

Out of gratitude, Jiude had tried once again to place a formal commission for Noah through the guild, but Noah tactfully declined.

"If I accept that," he explained, "it turns our bond into a transaction. That's not what I want."

Jiude hesitated, then nodded with understanding. "You're right."

Still, he wanted to repay the guild in some way.

So, in every meeting and conversation with his business associates, Jiude began recommending Fairy Tail for any magical commissions big or small.

The result?

Fairy Tail's job board overflowed.

More and more clients, many from wealthy merchant families or trade guilds, began seeking out the infamous "rowdy but reliable" wizards of Magnolia.

Makarov beamed with pride every time a new high-paying commission was tacked to the board.

"This is what a well-managed guild looks like!" he declared daily, hands on his hips, chest puffed up.

Noah just smiled and stayed quiet.

During his visit, he also asked the Heartfilia family for a favor: help collect books especially magical ones. They didn't need to be originals; copies were more than enough.

Jiude and Leila readily agreed. After all, Lucy adored reading, and the mansion already had an impressive library.

Noah had already finished copying the lesser-known volumes in their collection. In return, he gave them a full set of basic and foundational magic books from his own collection.

When Lucy received them, her eyes sparkled with joy.

She ran around the room clutching the new books to her chest like treasures.

Jiude watched her, completely smitten.

"I want to see that smile more often," he whispered to himself, a vow forming quietly in his heart.

From that moment on, collecting books for Lucy became his new hobby. No longer driven by ambition but by love.

Still, Noah warned him gently: "Once you collect the books, give them directly to me. Don't keep too many in the house. The fewer traces of magic here, the safer it'll be for your family."

Jiude understood. The world wasn't always kind to those with magic. Best to keep Lucy's path hidden for now.

Behind them, Leila sat quietly under a shaded veranda. She looked toward her husband, who was smiling at their daughter with soft eyes, and smiled as well.

This… this was the life she had always dreamed of. A loving husband. A bright daughter. A home filled with peace.

Noah watched it all unfold from a distance, hands tucked behind his back.

A better childhood for Lucy.

A better future.

That's all he ever wanted.

...

"Keep supporting me with you comments and reviews if you like the story please drop a power stone and your support is very much appreciated.

Want to read chapters ahead , share your fandom thoughts, or just fuel my translation caffeine habit? Join me on Patreon here! :

patreon.com/Keep_ItUp"

More Chapters