New Generation's Top Four

By the time the magical train pulled into Magnolia Station, the last rays of sunset had already begun to merge with the night.

The tavern-like building blazed with light.

This was the liveliest hour of the day at Fairy Tail. No matter what had kept them busy, most members chose to return to the guild to rest, chat with friends, drink, and boast about their day's exploits.

The boisterous atmosphere seeped through the thick wooden doors, reaching the ears of the two who had just returned.

Cana couldn't wait to shove the doors open, her gaze locking straight onto Wakaba and Macao as they competed in drinking. Without missing a beat, she joined the ranks of the tasters.

Wakaba, having heard from his good buddy that Noah was looking for magical tools, greeted him with a pipe in his mouth. "Noah, any luck? Cana didn't lead you astray, did she?"

"Damn chain-smoking old man! What kind of person do you take me for?!"

Cana shot Wakaba a glare, then turned excitedly to share the day's events with Macao.

When he heard that Noah had taken down an entire squad of Dark Magic Cult elites using nothing but physical techniques—no magic or magical tools—Macao's jaw dropped along with Wakaba's. Taking on Dark Magic Cult elites one-on-one wasn't beyond them, but doing it with pure physical prowess? No way.

Was this newcomer another monster?

Macao couldn't help but think of the guild's four "new generation" S-class mages. Every one of them was dazzlingly talented, carving out a fearsome reputation in the magical world through their own strength.

Maybe it wouldn't be long before this kid named Noah made his mark. Perhaps next year, he'd be the one to pass the guild's S-class exam and rise to become an S-class mage.

Glancing subtly at Cana, who was still drinking with Wakaba, Macao sighed inwardly for her.

She'd taken the S-class exam several times, only to end up as a stepping stone for others. Macao had thought Cana had a good shot at passing next year, but now it seemed the girl was in for another disappointment.

He had no idea why someone so young was so fixated on becoming an S-class mage.

Noah crossed the hall and sat down at the counter. He hadn't eaten much all afternoon, and now he needed to refuel.

"Noah, welcome back. Want something to drink or eat?"

Mira leaned her cheek on her hand with a smile. Gray, who had been dragged behind the counter to work, was startled by her lightning-fast mood shift.

Just a moment ago, she'd been demonically telling him, "Work hard or die." Now, seeing Noah, she suddenly turned so gentle. Did Noah even know she could flip like that?

Faced with such blatant favoritism, Gray decided to show Mira what happened when you messed with him...

You hit a cotton wall!

"I'll go deliver the drinks."

Leaving that behind, Gray picked up a tray and walked away from the counter. It definitely wasn't because he was afraid of losing to Mira—he was just respecting women and not stooping to her level.

Meanwhile, Noah's eyes were still scanning the guild menu. "Mira, could I get... uh, what's this 'Flame Set Meal'?"

On the menu, the "Flame Set Meal" slot didn't have a dish picture—just Natsu's face. Noah was curious.

Mira explained, "That's Natsu's personal set meal. It's a combination of fire and meat."

"So it's just grilled meat? How is that a personal set meal?" Noah still didn't get it. He'd treated Natsu and Happy to a high-end barbecue before, and aside from Natsu's huge appetite, nothing weird had happened.

"You're thinking wrong. The 'flame' in the Flame Set Meal isn't for grilling meat—it's Natsu's food."

"Natsu is a Fire Dragon Slayer mage who can eat flames."

Mira's words startled Noah.

That guy was a Dragon Slayer?!

The absolute bane of Dragoons!!

As one of the many "Lost Magics," those who mastered Dragon Slayer magic were rare. He never thought that Natsu, who seemed so carefree, was actually a Dragon Slayer mage.

"Fire Dragon Slayer"... So the "Flame Resistance" he'd gotten from Natsu's Prayer commission was a copy of the physical enhancement from that magic.

If he took more of Natsu's Prayer orders in the future, would the reward be the ability to "devour flames"? Or maybe even a direct copy of the Fire Dragon Slayer magic itself?

Shaking off the thought, Noah casually ordered a plate of meat sauce pasta.

But when the dish arrived, Noah stared at the bowl—where the chunks of meat outnumbered the noodles by more than two to one—and didn't know what to say.

Was this blatant favoritism really not going to bother anyone else?

"Oh, Noah, the temporary library partitioned off in the warehouse is done. Levy and the others have sorted the books onto the shelves, so you can read to your heart's content."

Noah nodded. He'd almost forgotten he hadn't paid out the reward for cleaning the warehouse.

Since it was Noah's commission, he could leave the reward with the receptionist Mira, who would distribute it to the members who helped clean.

It turned out the receptionist had quite a lot to do.

After wolfing down his food, Noah headed for the temporary library.

The library was simple. The shelves and tables were already in the warehouse. Four boards reaching the ceiling served as a partition, with a small door cut into it.

Pushing open the library door, Noah spotted a small, elderly man sitting on a table.

"Good evening, Master."

Makarov took off his reading glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Ah, Noah. Did you find a suitable magical tool?"

"Yeah, a pair of magical gloves."

Noah didn't elaborate. He just pulled a book from the shelf at random and sat down at the table next to Makarov's.

Noah noticed a hint of melancholy on Makarov's face—was it because of the book in his hands?

Feeling Noah's gaze, Makarov directly pushed the book toward the young man.

It was a volume with a yellowed cover, stamped with a large guild emblem. Noah looked at the bold characters on the front: Fairy Tail Chronicles.

So it was the guild's historical record. That was indeed significant, especially for an old man.

Would the records of "Lumen Histoire" be inside?

The thought was dismissed as soon as it appeared.

Even in this magic-rich world of Earth-land, "Infinite Magic" would only stir up bloodshed and chaos if it surfaced. It certainly wouldn't be openly recorded in the guild's chronicles.

Noah noticed some drafts on Makarov's desk.

"Master, are you writing new content to add to the Chronicles?"

Makarov nodded, picked up a draft, and asked Noah to take a look.

Noah took the draft. The content covered the new generation of mages who had become S-Class in recent years.

X778: Laxus Dreyar passed the exam to become an S-Class mage at just 17 years old.

X780: Erza Scarlet became the youngest S-Class mage in Fairy Tail's history at the age of 15.

X781: Mirajane Strauss passed the S-Class exam at only 16.

X782, this very year: Mystogan became an S-Class mage at 20.

Of these four, Noah had already met Mirajane and Erza. He didn't know what the other two were like.

He looked up at Makarov. The old man's face was brimming with pride, practically screaming, "Come on, praise me as the Master!"

Noah's mouth twitched.

So this little old man just wanted someone to show off to...

But he had to admit, the content of this draft surprised him.

Among these four rising stars, aside from that Laxus guy who was six years older than Noah, the other three were around his age—yet they were already the representatives of the guild's strongest combat power.

Still, with "Prayer," Noah believed he would catch up to them in combat strength soon enough.

"By the way, Master, can I take a book back to the dorm to read?"

"Sure, but be careful with it. Most of these books were written by my teacher—they're unique, one-of-a-kind copies."