017 Recovery, Change, Request

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Noah had heard Makarov mention before that while Porlyusica wasn't very famous, she was an incredibly capable person.

When Makarov said that, Noah had assumed Porlyusica was a powerhouse whose strength could rival Makarov's as one of the Ten Wizard Saints.

Now, Noah understood. When Makarov called Porlyusica incredibly capable, he wasn't referring to her power, but her healing ability.

Though Noah's injuries couldn't be called severe, they were far from light. Yet Porlyusica had only examined him once, said he'd recover in three days, and sure enough, he was fully healed after three days.

When those three days passed and Noah unwrapped his bandages, his left shoulder and arm—once charred black by lightning—had completely restored, leaving only a few rather vicious scars.

Of course, if Porlyusica had been willing to check on Noah during those three days, he wouldn't have been left with a single mark.

But getting the human-hating Porlyusica to come to Fairy Tail just to keep Noah from scarring? Even Makarov probably couldn't manage that.

Noah wasn't too bothered by the vicious scars running from his left shoulder down his entire arm. After confirming his injuries were fully healed, he hesitated, then wrapped his entire left arm in bandages to hide the scars before leaving his room.

Fairy Tail was as noisy as ever.

Gazing at the first floor of the guild, bustling like a bar, Noah felt a touch of nostalgia. An involuntary smile crossed his face as he stepped into his companions' view.

"Noah?"

Gray, who had been talking to someone at a wooden table, froze at the sight of Noah, then quickly jogged over and started patting him down.

"You're okay?"

"I'm fine." Noah swatted Gray's searching hands away with a smile. "My injuries are completely healed."

"Really?" Gray persisted, still patting him down, his eyes scanning Noah up and down. "When you came back, you looked half-dead. It's only been three days—are you sure you're all better?"

"If I weren't, I wouldn't have come down." Noah sighed, smacking Gray's hand away with some force. "You know how stubborn Grandpa gets about things like this. If I weren't healed, he wouldn't let me leave my room."

"True." Gray stopped pestering him, crossing his arms with a look of amazement. "Still, I never thought your first job would land you with such serious injuries. I told you not to go, didn't I?"

"I know you were worried, but no one could have predicted this. What matters is that I'm fine." Noah was surprisingly unbothered, even turning the advice back on Gray. "When you get a chance to work, be careful. Don't end up like me."

"Just because you went on one job before me, you're talking like some veteran of life?" Gray clicked his tongue in annoyance, then jerked his chin to the side. "Forget me—look over there."

Noah followed Gray's gaze curiously and was taken aback.

There, still clad in her armor, sat Erza at a wooden table. Her crimson hair shone as brilliantly as ever, her face as resolute as always.

But this time, Erza wasn't alone in the corner of the guild.

Around her table sat several other girls from the guild, chatting with her. From the looks of it, they were getting along quite well.

"This..." Even Noah was bewildered. "What's going on?"

He clearly remembered Erza as someone who kept everyone at arm's length, never interacting with others.

So what was this scene?

"Three days ago, right after you got back, Erza became a lot more approachable. She stopped pushing guild members away." Gray asked curiously, "Did something happen during your job? How else could she change so much?"

"Well, I'm not really sure." Noah scratched his cheek. He had an idea, but he just smiled at Gray. "Anyway, it's a good thing, right?"

"True, she's not as unpleasant as before. But I heard that on this job, Erza took down some mages from Phantom Lord!" Gray said eagerly. "If I get the chance, I'll challenge her and see if she's really that strong."

Noah opened his mouth to say something, but seeing Gray's excitement, he knew it was useless.

Honestly, Noah didn't think Gray's chances against Erza were good.

Gray's magic was still in the learning phase. He could cast spells fine, but using them in combat was still far off.

Erza, on the other hand, had swordsmanship strong enough to crush even the regular mages of Phantom Lord's branch, and her Requip Magic was polished—far beyond what Gray, still fumbling, could match.

If Gray faced Erza, Noah figured lasting a minute would be a miracle.

Just as Noah was feeling helpless about Gray's decision, Erza noticed him from across the room. She quickly said something to her tablemates, stood up, and walked over.

Watching the armored young girl approach, Noah chuckled. When she reached him, he spoke directly.

"Looks like you're finally starting to fit in here."

"Mostly, it's because everyone gets along well." Erza nodded, then asked with concern, "Are your injuries already okay?"

"As you can see, I'm pretty much fully healed." Noah moved his left arm, but his gaze was drawn to Erza's eyes.

Of course, it wasn't because Erza was particularly charming, nor because she had an exceptionally beautiful face and a pair of lovely eyes—it was because both of Erza's eyes were completely exposed in the air.

Yes!

All of them!

The medical eyepatch that had once covered one of Erza's eyes was gone, and both eyes were perfectly intact before Noah.

Naturally, that caught Noah's attention.

"Your eyes..." Noah asked cautiously.

"My eyes..." Erza touched the eye that had previously worn the medical eyepatch, her expression complex. After a moment, she shook her head. "They were already gone, but the old lady the Guild Master brought back to treat you took a look at my eyes at his request."

"I see." Noah understood. "A prosthetic eye?"

Erza nodded, seeming reluctant to dwell on the topic of her eyes. She shifted the subject, her tone turning serious. "I haven't thanked you yet for saving me!"

Noah shrugged, about to brush it off, when a thought stirred in his mind. He fixed his gaze on Erza. "In that case, there's something I'd like to ask of you. Can you come with me for a bit?"

"No problem!" Though she didn't know what Noah wanted to ask, Erza agreed readily.

And so, under Noah's lead, the two of them walked out of the guild together.

Watching Noah and Erza leave as if no one else was there, Gray stood frozen for a moment, then roared, "Are you ignoring me?!"