By the time the Magical Train pulled into Magnolia Station, the last rays of sunset had begun to blend into the night.
The tavern-like building blazed with light.
This was the Fairy Tail's liveliest time of day. Most members who'd spent the day busy for one reason or another chose to return to the guild to unwind, chat with friends, have a few drinks, and brag about their day.
The lively atmosphere passed through the heavy wooden doors and reached the ears of the two who had just returned.
Cana eagerly shoved the doors open and fixed her gaze on Wakaba and Macao, who were drinking together. Without missing a beat, she joined them.
Wakaba had heard from his good buddy that Noah was looking for magic items. With his pipe between his teeth, he greeted him. "Noah, find anything? Cana didn't rip you off, did she?"
"Damn you, you old smoker! What kind of person do you take me for?"
Cana rolled her eyes at Wakaba, then turned excitedly to Macao and told him about what had happened that day.
When she told him that Noah had taken down an elite squad from the Dark Magic Cult single-handedly, using nothing but hand-to-hand combat and no magic or magic items, Macao and Wakaba gaped in astonishment. They could take on the Cult's elite themselves, but there was no way they could do it with just hand-to-hand combat.
Was this new guy another monster?
Macao couldn't help thinking of the guild's four rising stars, the S-Class mages who'd emerged in recent years. Every one of them was exceptionally gifted, and each had made a name for themselves in the magical world with their own strength.
It might not be long before this boy called Noah made a name for himself. Perhaps he'd pass the guild's S-Class Exam next year and become an S-Class Mage.
Macao glanced discreetly at Cana, who was drinking with Wakaba, and sighed inwardly for her.
She'd taken the S-Class Exam several times, only to keep ending up as someone else's stepping-stone. Macao had thought she stood a good chance of passing next year, but it looked like the girl would be disappointed again.
Macao didn't know why Cana was so determined to become an S-Class Mage at such a young age.
Noah crossed the hall and sat down at the bar. He'd barely eaten all afternoon and needed to refuel.
"Noah, welcome back. Would you like something to drink or eat?"
Mira smiled, propping her cheek on one hand. Gray, who'd been forced to help behind the counter, was stunned by how quickly Mira had changed her tune.
She'd been acting like a demon just moments ago, telling him, "If you don't work properly, you can drop dead." But now that she'd seen Noah, she was suddenly all sweetness. Did Noah know she could change her face so quickly?
Faced with such blatant favoritism, Gray would show Mira through his actions that if she messed with him...
She'd be kicking a pillow!
"I'm going to deliver these drinks."
Leaving those words behind, Gray picked up a tray and left the bar. It wasn't because he couldn't beat Mira and was backing down. He was just respecting women and couldn't be bothered to argue with a little girl like her.
Noah's eyes were still wandering over the guild's menu. "Mira, could I get... um, what's this 'Flame Set Meal'?"
There was no picture of a dish beside the Flame Set Meal on the menu, just a portrait of Natsu. Noah was curious.
Mira explained, "It's Natsu's special meal. It's a combination of flames and meat."
"Isn't that just grilled meat? Why is it a special meal?" Noah still didn't get it. He'd treated Natsu and Happy to an expensive barbecue once, and apart from how much he could eat, Natsu hadn't seemed particularly unusual.
"You've got it wrong. The 'flames' in the Flame Set Meal aren't for grilling the meat. They're 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 Mage?!
He was the natural enemy of Dragoons!
Dragon Slayer magic was one of the many forms of Lost Magic, and very few people could use it. Noah hadn't expected the jumpy-looking Natsu to be a Dragon Slayer Mage.
Fire Dragon Slayer... So the Flame Resistance he'd gotten as a reward from Natsu's Prayer request came from copying the physical enhancement granted by that magic.
If he took another Prayer request from Natsu, would the reward be the ability to consume flames? Or could he go a step further and directly copy the Fire Dragon Slayer magic?
He put the thought aside and casually ordered a plate of meat sauce pasta.
But when the dish arrived, Noah stared at the "meat sauce pasta" in the bowl. It had twice as much meat as pasta, and he didn't know what to say.
Wouldn't such blatant special treatment make the others complain?
"Oh, Noah, we've finished setting up the temporary library in the section of the storeroom we cleared out. Levy and the others have arranged the books on the shelves, so you can read to your heart's content."
Noah nodded. He'd almost forgotten that he still had to pay the others their reward for clearing out the storeroom.
Since it was Noah's request, he could leave the payment with Mira, the waitress, and have her distribute it to the companions who'd helped clean the storeroom.
He hadn't realized the waitress had so much to do.
After wolfing down his food, Noah headed to the temporary library.
The library was simple. The storeroom already had bookshelves, tables, and chairs. All they'd needed to do was put up four wooden boards reaching the ceiling as partitions and add a small door.
Noah pushed open the temporary library's door and saw a short old man sitting on a table.
"Good evening, Master."
Makarov took off his reading glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's you, Noah. Did you find a magic item that suited you?"
"Yes, a pair of magic gloves."
Noah didn't go into detail. He simply pulled a book from the shelf and sat at the table beside Makarov's.
Noah noticed a hint of nostalgia on Makarov's face. Was it because of the book in his hands?
Noticing Noah's gaze, Makarov pushed the book toward the young man.
It was an old book with a yellowed cover. A large guild emblem was printed on the front, and Noah read the title: Fairy Tail Chronicles.
So it was a record of the guild's history. It must have meant a great deal, especially to an old man who'd lived through so much.
Could it include an account of Lumen Histoire?
Noah dismissed the thought as soon as it came to him.
Even in the magic-rich world of Earth-land, the appearance of Infinite Magic would bring a storm of bloodshed. It certainly wouldn't be openly recorded in the guild chronicles.
Noah noticed some draft pages on Makarov's table.
"Master, are you writing something new to add to the chronicles?"
Makarov nodded and picked up a draft page, asking Noah to take a look.
Noah took the page. It was about the rising-generation mages who'd become S-Class in the past few years.
Year X778: Laxus Dreyar passed the exam to become an S-Class Mage at just seventeen.
Year X780: Erza Scarlet became the youngest S-Class Mage in Fairy Tail history at the age of fifteen.
Year X781: Mira Strauss passed the S-Class Exam at just sixteen.
Year X782, this year: Mystogan became an S-Class Mage at the age of twenty.
Noah had already met Mira and Erza, but he didn't know what the other two were like.
He looked up at Makarov. The man's face was full of pride. He practically had "Come on, praise me for being the master!" written all over it.
Noah's mouth twitched.
So the old man just wanted someone to brag to...
But Noah had to admit, the draft had surprised him.
Of these four rising stars, only Laxus was six years older than Noah. The other three were around his age, yet they were already among the strongest fighters in the magical guilds.
Still, with Prayer, Noah was confident he'd catch up to them in strength soon.
"By the way, Master, can I take books back to my dorm and read them?"
"Sure, but be careful with them. Most of these books were written by my teacher. They're all one-of-a-kind."
Before you continue