"Instructor" Noah

The sky was bright, and the autumn breeze was gentle.

Magnolia was a seaside city, and the temperature barely varied between seasons other than winter.

Behind the three-story building that looked like a tavern lay a large open space, with a vast lake beyond it.

That's right. Besides the guild building everyone knew about, Fairy Tail also owned a large expanse of land. But the guild's finances had been tight for years, leaving no money for any other construction.

On the weed-covered field, a place once used for guild events, a man and a woman stood facing each other.

A few people had gathered at the edge of the field. They'd heard Erza was going to spar with a new guild member, so they'd come to watch since they had nothing better to do.

"Now this is a surprise. Erza actually invited Noah to spar. Natsu's going to be heartbroken when he hears. Don't you think, Gray?"

The handsome man with brown hair and sunglasses turned to Gray with a half-smile. "After all, Natsu's challenged Erza plenty of times, and every time he either got taken out in a few moves or she ignored him. There's no such thing as a friendly spar with her. He's had it rough."

"Loke, you're using Natsu to take a dig at me."

Gray smacked his lips. Just like Natsu, he'd challenged Erza countless times over the years, only to meet the same fate: she always beat him in three moves or less. To this day, both his and Natsu's win rates against Erza remained a perfect zero.

Nobu, who still hadn't found a suitable job, was also in the "stands." He watched the handsome man talking to Gray with curiosity.

"Loke, I remember you only joined the guild this year too. How do you know so much about Natsu and Gray's futile attempts to challenge Erza?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Nobu! What do you mean, futile? You can only break through by fighting the strong. I guess that's something you don't understand at all."

As soon as Nobu finished speaking, Gray shot back irritably.

Loke nodded along. "Exactly, exactly. Gray and Natsu have been getting beaten up by Erza since they were kids, so they've certainly built up some thick skin. Otherwise, how could Gray run around the guild naked?"

"True. Gray can strip completely naked in broad daylight and not feel embarrassed."

Loke and Nobu traded sarcastic remarks, and Gray's face flushed bright red. Only then did he realize he was wearing nothing but his underwear.

"Loke, where are my clothes?!"

"I have no idea."

The commotion outside the sparring area made Noah take a deep breath. He'd been looking at the half-naked Gray for several minutes, and Gray had only just noticed—after his friends pointed it out.

Ready to strip at any moment, at lightning speed.

A pervert isn't scary. What's scary is a pervert who doesn't know he's a pervert...

Erza looked a little awkward too. Couldn't these guys try to make a better impression on their new companion? She helplessly tried to smooth things over for Gray. "Don't mind him, Noah. Taking off his clothes is a habit Gray picked up while training in Ice-Make magic. He's kept it ever since."

Who takes off their clothes to learn magic...

Noah didn't say anything, but Erza could tell from his expression exactly what he was thinking.

Erza knew that no matter how much she tried to explain Gray's bizarre behavior, it would be pointless. He really was an exhibitionist who had no idea he was one.

"Forget about them. Let's get started."

A magic circle the size of a palm appeared beside her. Erza drew a wooden sword from it. "Noah, let me know if you need a weapon. I have plenty."

Noah shook his head. He had a lot of confidence in his hand-to-hand combat skills, so he didn't need a weapon for now. Erza's magic, on the other hand, had caught his interest.

Requip: The Knight.

Requip Magic was a type of Holder Magic, a magic one awakened within oneself. Mages who used it possessed a magical space of unknown capacity, where they stored the magical tools associated with their magic.

Anything Erza considered armor or a weapon could be stored in her magical space.

Compared to the space she could access whenever she wanted, the Space Ring Noah had bought for six hundred thousand was a complete joke.

As expected, comparison was the thief of joy.

"Don't get distracted. Here I come."

Erza's warning and the sword in her hand arrived at almost the same time.

Noah tilted his head, narrowly dodging the strike. It had nearly sliced off a lock of his hair.

"Not bad. You can do that much with a wooden sword."

Noah's blunt comment displeased Erza. Even though this was only a friendly spar between guild members, she still hoped he would take it seriously.

To make Noah focus, Erza stopped holding back and attacked with all her strength, thrusting six or seven times in quick succession.

Her fierce swordplay bloomed like a flower.

Noah only dodged, never attacking. His body was light as a drifting leaf, slipping just past every sword-flower that came his way.

Steady, precise, and ruthless—those three words described Erza's swordsmanship perfectly.

But to Noah, her swordsmanship was too crude. She must have taught herself; there was no one in the guild who could train her in this.

Another flurry of swordplay came to an end.

Erza had naturally noticed that every one of her strikes had come within a hair's breadth of Noah, as if that tiny distance were an enormous chasm separating them.

This wasn't "luck," nor was Erza holding back because she was worried about hurting him. He had seen right through her moves and predicted everything she would do next.

What kind of mastery of hand-to-hand combat did he have to possess to face her so casually?

Erza lowered her sword. She now understood that Noah's hand-to-hand combat skills surpassed her own. When it came to physical combat alone, there was probably no one else in the guild who could match him.

In that case, they might as well stop sparring and have him teach her.

Another Requip magic circle appeared, and Erza drew out a second wooden sword and tossed it to Noah.

Did she want him to teach her swordsmanship? Noah smiled faintly and accepted.

Erza from the world of Edolas had taught Noah how to wield a spear at Faust's request, though Noah had surpassed her not long afterward.

He hadn't expected to get the chance to teach this world's Erza in the parallel world of Earth-land.

"Erza, you've got strength and speed to spare, but your technique is a complete mess."

"Forget the flashy stuff. Just remember these eight basic techniques."

Noah didn't say more. Some things were best learned firsthand. He raised his sword and abruptly thrust it toward Erza.

Erza raised her sword to block, only to see Noah suddenly change his grip and turn his upright blade sideways, transforming a vertical thrust into a horizontal one.

The wooden blade slid along the sword in her hand and stopped at her throat. Erza broke into a cold sweat. She hadn't imagined that even a simple "thrust" could be done either "horizontally" or "vertically."

A vertical thrust was fast and fierce; a horizontal thrust was nimble.

Just by changing the angle of the blade, the technique could vary so much. Erza felt as if a whole new world had opened up to her.

Once Erza had recovered, Noah continued his "lesson." He raised his sword and slashed. Erza still blocked with her sword, but between one attack and one defense, the wooden sword in her hand was suddenly cleaved in two.

"Chop": Align the arm and the blade in a straight line, channeling the force into the edge so the strike lands with the weight of an axe.

After switching to a new wooden sword, Erza continued defending. She had memorized two techniques now, but only firsthand experience could help her understand how the techniques Noah was teaching her worked.

Noah held nothing back, demonstrating the remaining six sword techniques he had developed.

"Tap": Lower the sword with a flick of the wrist, concentrating the force at the tip to catch the opponent off guard.

"Lift": The opposite of a tap. Lift the sword to knock the enemy's weapon aside.

"Deflect": Sweep the sword diagonally upward in front of the body to redirect force and defend.

"Circle": Draw circles with the blade close to either side of the body. It can be used for both offense and defense.

"Intercept": Sweep the sword downward to attack the enemy's lower body or break their attack.

"Twist": Guide the blade in a circle with the wrist while channeling force into it.

By the end of the session, Erza was drenched in sweat. Noah's final twisting strike had hit her arm, making the wooden sword fly from her hand.

What exquisite technique. Compared to this, her old swordsmanship had been little more than wildly hacking away with a sword.

If she incorporated what she'd learned today into her magic, Erza thought she might be able to beat Mira once and for all before long.

Just like Natsu and Gray, Erza and Mira were "like fire and water." Both of them wanted to beat the other one day.

Not far away, Gray, Loke, and Nobu stood with their mouths wide open, each wide enough to fit two eggs.

"Something's not right. This new guy's way stronger than we expected."

Loke's usual playful grin was gone. Even though he knew nothing about swordsmanship, the difference between Noah and Erza had been obvious during their match.

Thanks to Requip Magic, Erza fought with many kinds of weapons, but the sword was the one she used most often. He hadn't expected her to be completely outclassed by Noah.

Gray fell silent, lost in thought.

Nobu, however, made a move and hurried onto the field.

"Noah, besides swords, what else can you do in hand-to-hand combat?"

Noah was puzzled by Nobu's sudden appearance, but he nodded. "I know a little about fists, knives, and spears. About as much as I know about swords."

You call that a little?!

Loke and Gray, who had followed Nobu over, could only think that the new guy was incredibly good at humblebragging.

After hearing his answer, Loke stared at Noah with burning eyes. "Master Noah, please teach me how to fight with my fists!"

The sudden title of "master" left Noah dumbfounded, but a moment later he couldn't help feeling pleased.

In the world of Edolas, mages had no magic power inside their bodies; magic came from the magical tools they used.

Most magical tools used in battle took the form of weapons, so Noah had been forced by his father to train in hand-to-hand combat and master every weapon under the sun.

He hadn't expected that one day someone would call him a master because of it.

But teaching took time, and Noah wasn't particularly keen on doing that.

He'd taught Erza because she already had exceptional talent and comprehension. Her swordsmanship was crude only because no one had trained her. All he had to do was give her a pointer, and she'd understand immediately.

But as for everyone else...

[ Ding~ You have a new local Prayer request ]

[ Nobu Lazaro has always been troubled by his lack of strength. After seeing you in action, he finally realized what he should improve to become stronger. Please teach him a set of boxing techniques. ]

[ Reward: Independently master the magic "Possession: Beast" ]

[ Deadline: No expiration ]

Possession Magic wasn't as good as Take Over Magic, but for Noah, it was absolutely irresistible.

He was simply too short on combat magic.

Noah patted Nobu on the shoulder encouragingly. "No problem, Nobu. I'll make you a master of boxing."

Nobu hadn't expected Noah to be so accommodating. "But Noah, I don't have anything valuable to repay you with..."

"Don't say that. We're companions."

Noah's firm words warmed Nobu's heart. He dropped to his knees right there. "Master, please accept this disciple's bow!"

Are you serious?!

Noah didn't want a disciple four years older than himself. He hurriedly helped Nobu up. "I can teach you boxing, but don't call me master. If you really have to call me something else, how about 'Instructor'?"

"Sure thing, Master!"

The corner of Noah's mouth twitched. It took him a good while to get Nobu to change how he addressed him.

"Noah... no, Instructor, I want to learn too."

Loke turned in surprise to look at Gray. "What's going on? Loke's magic needs to be combined with hand-to-hand combat, but why would an Ice-Make mage want to learn it?"

"Sorry. My teacher told me Ice-Make has to be combined with hand-to-hand combat."

Gray looked toward Noah and waited for his answer.

Two minutes passed. Noah sighed. He'd thought Gray might have a Prayer request for him, but nothing had appeared.

It seemed that Gray had a wish more important to him than training in hand-to-hand combat.

This put Noah in a difficult position. He'd just told Nobu righteously that they were companions and he didn't need a reward. He couldn't ask Gray for something in return now.

Without a reward, this was basically charity.

But it'd be awkward to refuse, too. He'd gotten himself into this mess.

Just then, Erza spoke up. "Noah, I can suggest to the master that you teach hand-to-hand combat to the guild members. It would make everyone stronger, and I think the master would be happy to pay you to become the guild's 'Instructor of Hand-to-Hand Combat.'"

That was a great idea. Makarov's wallet would get lighter.

Noah could tell that Erza had no idea how much it cost to run the guild. As an S-Class Mage, she earned plenty.

But Makarov had to provide for an entire guild.

What did Noah care, though? He wasn't the one making the suggestion.

Erza acted quickly and proposed it to Makarov that very day. The suggestion made Makarov, who was already dipping into his own savings to cover the guild's expenses, frown deeply.

As an experienced veteran who had seen plenty, Makarov understood the importance of hand-to-hand combat all too well.

Although magic was the main focus of this world, many spells couldn't be used to their full potential without a strong body to support them. Plenty of combat magic also relied heavily on physical combat.

For the children's future, he'd do it!

And so Noah, a new member of Fairy Tail, became the guild's Instructor of Hand-to-Hand Combat. He taught any companions who wanted to learn, and earned a salary of 200,000 a month.