"It's fine as long as you didn't use it for anything ridiculous. You should head home for now Ultear's been looking for you."
Makarov waved Noah off with a tired hand before turning around to deal with the incoming wave of Magic Council officials. The second they stepped inside, he groaned again, louder this time.
Meanwhile, Noah returned home to find Ultear sitting calmly on the living room sofa, arms crossed. As soon as she saw him walk in, she patted the spot beside her and said, without looking up:
"Sit. I've got questions."
Noah blinked, a little confused, but walked over and sat beside her.
Ultear turned toward him with a serious expression.
"Have you been taking on any commissions lately?"
"No," Noah answered simply. "I've been out taking down Dark Guilds."
Ultear took in a long, steady breath, clearly holding back some kind of emotion, then asked again:
"What was that 'thank you' about before?"
"Hm? Oh. Thank you for reminding me that I could go take out Dark Guilds."
Ultear's brow twitched. Her stern expression gave way to confusion.
"I'm pretty sure I didn't say anything like that. How exactly did I remind you?"
"Well… when I saw you, I thought about your past and how the Dark Guilds were connected to it. That made me think, yeah, I should go wipe them out."
Ultear narrowed her eyes.
"I feel like you're making that up."
Even so, her posture relaxed a little, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"One last thing. What did you mean when you said I was the person you loved the most?"
She fixed her gaze on Noah, eyes locked, face unreadable.
Noah tilted his head.
"Oh, yeah, I love you the most! Same with Erza, Kagura, Grandpa, Granny Poluchka, and everyone in the guild!"
Ultear's face lit up for a split second before the smile melted away, replaced by the blank stare of a woman who had just lost a very specific battle.
She sighed heavily.
"I feel like your brain has been entirely devoured by magic and combat."
"No way! I've only made a little progress in magic. I still need to train a lot harder."
"…That wasn't a compliment."
Ultear said it flatly, clearly not amused. Noah, seeing that the interrogation was over and the atmosphere had gotten weird, darted up and practically fled to his room.
Ultear watched him retreat with another long sigh.
Now that Noah had received a generous wave of "aid" courtesy of the Magic Council's unclaimed treasures his research went forward smoothly without any immediate obstacles. He split his time between magic training and home experiments.
That said, Ultear, who couldn't bear watching him hole up inside like a recluse, would drag him out from time to time to take on guild commissions. Erza often joined them, too.
Just like that, several months slipped by, and the calendar rolled over to X776.
Around that time, Jude Heartfilia sent word: his pharmaceutical company had officially become profitable. Part of those earnings had already been allocated to support Noah's research.
Crates of magic books, rare materials, and medicinal herbs were regularly being shipped to his workshop.
When Noah learned that Jude had gathered another batch of supplies and was preparing to send them, he quickly stepped in to stop him.
He decided to go in person to receive the shipment.
After all, he'd been completely absorbed in his research for months, and aside from a single visit early on, he hadn't returned to the Heartfilia estate since.
"It's been too long," he muttered to himself. "Leila's definitely going to be mad. I should head there right away before it gets worse."
Arriving at the Heartfilia estate, the very first thing Noah did was head straight for the study.
Sure enough, he found Leila inside, quietly reading a book by the tall window, sunlight streaming over her shoulders. When she saw him step through the door, her face instantly brightened but only for a second. She quickly composed herself and gave him a deliberately pouty look.
"Why haven't you come to see me for so long?" she asked, arms crossed. "Did you forget about your own sister?"
Noah flailed his arms like he'd been caught stealing cookies.
"No, no! How could I forget you? I just got so deep into my research, I lost track of time. The second I remembered, I rushed right over!"
Leila raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.
"I'm guessing it wasn't your memory that brought you back it was Father contacting you about a shipment of new supplies, wasn't it?"
"Hahaha… what? No way!"
Noah scratched the back of his head, flashing the world's guiltiest grin.
Leila didn't press further. After all, she knew him well by now. His obsession with magic and experimentation was almost laughably intense. Honestly, if he hadn't been so single-minded about it, there was no way he would've achieved this much so young.
She shifted the subject with a soft sigh.
"I heard you've been taking down Dark Guilds lately. Are you alright? Did you get hurt?"
"Nah. None of them were strong enough to scratch me."
"Don't get cocky," Leila warned, frowning. "There's always someone stronger than you out there."
"Of course," Noah nodded. "That's why I always blast them with super magic from a distance. Clean and efficient they don't even get the chance to hit back."
He finished his statement with a proud, innocent grin. Leila could only roll her eyes in silent disbelief.
Super magic from a distance? Like that's something people can just casually do? Honestly, those Dark Guilds didn't stand a chance.
"Still," she said, "be careful. You've got people who worry about you, you know?"
"I will. Actually," Noah perked up, "how's the information gathering on the Zodiac Keys going?"
Leila's eyes lit up at the change in topic.
"Perfect timing. There's someone I want you to meet."
She stood up and led Noah out of the study, walking side by side through the long halls of the mansion.
After a brief stop to ask one of the servants, she brought him to the kitchen.
Inside, Noah spotted a green-haired woman by the stove, humming softly as she cooked. Leila immediately hurried over to her with a smile.
"It's rare for you to be back, Grame. What are you doing in the kitchen?"
Grame turned to her with a warm smile.
"Lady Leila, every time I return here, I just… can't help wanting to make something special for you. Please, allow me to cook for you you don't need to lift a finger."
Leila chuckled softly as she picked up a vegetable and started slicing it anyway.
"In the past, I used to cook with you all the time. But later, when my health declined, I couldn't even stand long enough to chop an onion."
She paused, her expression softening.
"But I'm feeling better now. And since you're finally back, let's make something delicious together. Just like before."
"Yes, Lady Leila," Grame said gently.
Noah watched as the two women laughed, reminisced, and chopped ingredients side by side. They were so immersed in the moment, they completely forgot he was even there.
He blinked, realized he'd been thoroughly sidelined, and quietly backed out of the kitchen.
Noah made his way to Jiude's office, where the man was busy overseeing the company's latest operations. Without interrupting too much, Noah smoothly took over the shipment of supplies Jiude had prepared.
Along with accepting the materials, he also handed Jiude several newly developed formulas he'd been working on prescriptions that were ready for testing and distribution.
Once they'd gone over the basic status of the pharmaceutical company, a servant stepped in and bowed politely.
"Master Jiude, young master Noah dinner is ready. Lady Leila has requested your presence in the living room."
When they arrived, the long dining table was already covered in a spread of richly prepared dishes. The air smelled of spices, roasted meats, and something faintly sweet. Leila and Grame were still moving between the kitchen and the table, bringing out the final round of dishes.
Noah immediately stepped forward, rolling up his sleeves.
"Let me help."
But Leila caught him by the shoulders, blocking him with a gentle push.
"Noah, go call Lucy and the others. I already sent someone up earlier, but they still haven't come down. They're probably having too much fun. Go knock again they should be in Lucy's room."
"Got it," Noah replied, nodding as he turned and walked toward the staircase.
Just as he reached Lucy's door, he heard her voice echoing excitedly from inside:
"Look at this huge stuffed bear! It's so comfy to hug!"
"Mmm! So soft! It's perfect to hold!" said another voice younger, high-pitched, and delighted.
"And this one too! And that one! Look at the size!"
"Really? It's soooo comfortable~!"
Noah opened the door slowly and peeked in.
Lucy and a small green-haired girl were sitting on the bed, each one cradling an enormous plush doll almost as big as themselves. Surrounded by a mountain of soft toys, they both looked completely blissed out, eyes half-closed, faces buried in fuzz and fluff.
Noah blinked. Then smiled.
"Alright, alright. Lucy dinner time."