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Gildarts' return kept Fairy Tail's Mages in an extremely excited state throughout the day.
That was not only because Gildarts was Fairy Tail's strongest Mage, but also because he usually wandered outside and rarely returned to the guild.
Sometimes, Gildarts spent a long time away because he was carrying out exceptionally difficult quests.
Other times, he simply wanted to travel, honing himself while living like a wandering hero, which kept him away for long stretches of time.
Over time, everyone came to know that Fairy Tail's strongest Mage was a man named Gildarts, yet Gildarts himself rarely appeared at the guild. Naturally, his return had everyone excited.
What was more, the magic Gildarts used was the super-high-level destructive magic, Crush. Even merely passing through Magnolia could cause quite a commotion.
Fortunately, Gildarts did not stay at the guild for long today. After seeing that Makarov was not there, he left behind the words, "I'll come again tomorrow," and departed directly.
As Gildarts left, the guild gradually returned to normal, though the excitement lingered, leaving the younger kids of Noah's generation, who were unfamiliar with Gildarts, intensely curious.
"That guy is Fairy Tail's strongest Mage? Then if I beat him, I'll be the strongest, right?"
With flames spewing from his mouth, the fired-up Natsu charged out of the guild after saying that.
"Idiot!"
Gray, who had joined Fairy Tail only a few years after Kana and was likewise unfamiliar with Gildarts, though he had heard some of the rumors about him, tossed out that mocking remark. Then he sat down to chat with others, having somehow taken off all his clothes in the process.
"Gildarts?"
Erza pondered for a while, then left the guild with a resolute expression. It seemed she had been inspired by Gildarts and intended to use him as a goal for more intense training.
"A man among men..."
Elfman muttered those words admiringly, his eyes practically sparkling. It looked like he had made Gildarts his idol.
"..."
Kana simply stared blankly in the direction Gildarts had left, remaining silent for a long time.
"What's everyone so excited about over an old man like that?"
That was Mira's sharp-tongued, disdainful evaluation.
"He's pretty manly, but he's so sloppy. Do all boys turn out like that when they grow up?"
That was the sentiment Lisanna voiced while blinking her big eyes, sounding far too mature for her age.
Only Noah glanced around at his companions before quietly slipping away toward his room.
"Phew..."
Lying on his bed, Noah slowly let out a breath, closed his eyes, and fell silent.
To be honest, Gildarts' appearance had not only stirred up Erza and the others. It had stirred up Noah as well.
With senses far keener than ordinary people's, Noah clearly knew just how powerful Gildarts, Fairy Tail's strongest Mage, truly was.
That overwhelming presence and powerful feeling were things Noah had only sensed from one other person so far.
Makarov!
In other words, even if Gildarts was not as strong as Makarov, as Fairy Tail's strongest Mage, he was definitely at the level of one of the Ten Wizard Saints!
Noah had never expected Fairy Tail to have someone so powerful.
"Gildarts is definitely an S-Class Mage!"
An S-Class Mage!
That was a title only Mages who had passed a guild's internal test and earned recognition from its Guild Master could possess!
In the Kingdom of Fiore, any guild that ranked near the top generally had one or two S-Class Mages.
Although the strength of S-Class Mages differed from guild to guild due to differences in their internal examinations, even Phantom Lord, which had many members and numerous branches, had no more than five S-Class Mages!
Fairy Tail's S-Class Mage examination was famously difficult. Until now, Noah had only heard that the guild had S-Class Mages, but he had never seen one.
Gildarts' appearance today made Noah certain that he was definitely one of Fairy Tail's S-Class Mages!
"Grandpa has always forbidden me from going to the second floor. He said there are some extremely difficult requests there that only Mages recognized by him can accept. I never knew what level I needed to reach before Grandpa would recognize me. Could it be that I have to reach Gildarts' level?" Noah sighed.
"Looks like I'm still far from it."
Noah did not know that his thinking was somewhat influenced by preconceived notions.
Only Fairy Tail's S-Class Mages could enter the second floor, and only S-Class Mages could accept the requests there.
Fairy Tail's S-Class Mages were indeed held to a high standard, but how could the standard possibly be so high that only people at the level of the Ten Wizard Saints could become one?
Gildarts had undoubtedly reached the level of the Ten Wizard Saints, so naturally, becoming an S-Class Mage was only to be expected.
Noah was somewhat mistaken in equating an S-Class Mage with someone at the level of the Ten Wizard Saints like Gildarts.
However, that did not affect Noah's next decision.
He raised a hand and looked at the palm facing the ceiling before tightly clenching it into a fist.
"I need to solve my magic problem as soon as possible."
As he said that, a certain idea emerged in Noah's mind and quickly became impossible to suppress.
At that moment, a light knock sounded outside the door. Lisanna poked her little head in and, seeing Noah lying on his bed staring blankly at the ceiling, let out a faint sigh.
"Noah, why did you suddenly leave? I've been looking for you forever."
"What is it? Are you hungry?" Noah replied absentmindedly without even turning his head.
"Sorry, Lisanna, but I can't eat with you today. I'm thinking about something. You can go eat with Mira and the others."
"It's morning! I already ate breakfast ages ago, so I'm not going to be hungry again that quickly!" Lisanna marched over angrily, slapped away Noah's fist that was clenched toward the ceiling, and put her hands on her hips.
"Noah, I've noticed you're getting more and more annoying!"
"Huh?" Noah turned his puzzled face toward Lisanna.
"I don't think I've done anything to make you dislike me, have I?"
"You have! You really have!" Lisanna's eyes began to moisten.
"Noah, do you not like me anymore?"
"W-Where did that come from?" Noah hurriedly sat up. Seeing Lisanna looking like she might burst into tears at any moment gave him a headache.
"Lisanna, don't cry. As long as you don't cry, I'll do anything!"
"Really?" Lisanna secretly glanced at Noah through her damp eyes, her eyes darting around.
"Then... then close your eyes!"
Noah immediately closed his eyes.
The next moment, something extremely soft covered Noah's lips. His brows furrowed slightly, but he did not suspect anything and kept his eyes closed.
"Hehe..."
After a while, the soft sensation disappeared. Noah heard Lisanna giggle, and when he opened his eyes, he saw her little face flushed red, yet she looked incredibly happy.
"I'm even with Big Sis Mira now!"
Leaving behind those words, Lisanna skipped out of Noah's room.
Noah scratched his cheek.
"What was that all about?"
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