A Commission from Two Years Ago

200,000 a month wasn't exactly generous, but after deducting the 100,000 rent for the dorm, the leftover was enough to cover Noah's living expenses.

For now, it seemed only Makarov knew the location of Lumen Histoire. Getting that information out of him was nearly impossible, so Noah had no choice but to bide his time.

Since his goal here couldn't be achieved for the moment, and he had a steady job with a passable salary, Noah stopped pretending and fully embraced a laid-back lifestyle.

Sticking to a routine between the dorm and the guild, Noah spent his days reading, teaching guild members hand-to-hand combat, and occasionally wandering the city to snag discounted chips from the dock merchants.

Autumn passed into winter, and in the blink of an eye, three months had gone by. The year was drawing to a close.

Outside, snow blanketed the ground; inside, the warmth was cozy and comfortable.

Thump!

The jolt of the bed yanked the young man from his sweet dreams.

Noah pulled the covers tighter, mumbling groggily, "Who's that, disturbing my sleep at this ungodly hour? Got no sense of decency, huh? Just wait till I—"

"It's me."

Two curt, icy words came from the red-haired girl. She fixed Noah with a sharp glare, her sword already a third of the way out of its sheath.

A cold glint flashed.

The warning was clear: get up, or get cut.

Noah snapped awake instantly, his eyes clear as a student facing a teacher. His tone did a complete one-eighty: "Just wait till I thank her for reminding me to get up again."

"'Again,' huh?" Erza clicked her tongue, long used to Noah's lightning-fast face-switching.

Ever since that guy became the hand-to-hand combat instructor, he'd set strict training hours for the members who signed up: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. And they did follow the rules.

At first, everything was normal. But within a week, everyone was stunned to find that the instructor's skill at slacking off seemed to surpass his combat expertise.

The rule said gather at 8, but Noah often didn't show up until lunch.

They were supposed to train together until the afternoon, but Noah kept slipping away with the excuse of a nap, not reappearing at the guild until evening.

Yet, in these three months, every member who trained under him had noticeably improved. So they could only silently tolerate his blatant loafing.

Except for Erza.

If you set a rule, you follow it. Everyone else did—how could the one who made the rule be the biggest slacker?

Declaring herself the guild's "Discipline Committee," Erza decided to crack down on bad behavior. She'd been giving Noah a "wake-up call" for two and a half months straight, though her methods were a bit violent.

Over those three months, Noah's impression of Erza had shifted from a strict but slightly warm queen to a full-blown tyrant.

Could you imagine how cruel it was to have a bucket of ice water dumped into your warm bed on a winter morning?

Climbing out of bed, Noah noticed the frame had shifted a few centimeters—probably from Erza's kick. That girl had some serious strength, though today's wake-up call was unusually gentle.

Heading to the kitchen, Noah said, "I'm making breakfast. Want some, Erza?"

Erza shook her head. She wasn't here to nag him about work today, but for something else. "Christmas is a week away. Everyone's busy decorating the guild. I can't let you keep sleeping in."

Every year, Fairy Tail celebrated Christmas together. Noah didn't care about holidays—he only saw them as an excuse to take time off.

Since it was the end of the year, why not just have fun and take a break straight into next year?

Erza's eyes flickered. Though she'd only known him three months, she'd already figured out his personality. Before she even spoke, she knew this slacker would use the holiday as an excuse to laze around.

Tossing a request slip onto the bed, Erza stared at Noah with a knowing smirk. "Noah, I found a job for you. Try to get back before Christmas Eve."

Since joining the guild, aside from one temporary team-up with Natsu to find a lost pet, Noah hadn't touched a single request.

That wouldn't do.

As the "Discipline Committee," Erza felt it was her duty to remind Noah that, besides being a combat instructor, he was also a mage of a magic guild. He had to take on missions occasionally.

Noah hadn't expected this. He was about to refuse, but his eyes accidentally skimmed the reward column on the slip.

A long string of numbers changed his mind.

Three million? That amount met the minimum reward for an S-Class request.

The guild had a rule: only S-Class Mages could take S-Class requests. Noah knew Erza wouldn't break the rules—the job she gave him was at most A-Class.

Picking up the slip to read the details, Noah's expression shifted to surprise. The requester was actually the president of a commerce guild.

In this world, besides magic guilds, there were commerce guilds focused on financial services, treasure hunter guilds seeking riches, mercenary guilds for hire, and various academic guild organizations.

Commerce guilds rarely interacted with magic guilds. They usually hired mercenaries to solve problems, only turning to magic guilds for truly tricky issues.

This request from a commerce guild president didn't specify the details—they needed to meet the client to discuss.

It also required a mage who was calm under pressure and had some financial knowledge.

Noah glanced at the issue date: X780. That was two years ago!

Because no guild mage met the requirements, the request had sat unfinished for two years.

Catching Erza's evasive glance, Noah suddenly understood.

Fairy Tail was a nationally renowned guild. Erza was worried that leaving this request unfulfilled for so long would hurt the guild's reputation. A big guild without a single qualified mage? That would be a laughingstock.

Seeing that he read a lot, she wanted him to give it a shot, huh.

As for financial knowledge, Noah did know a little. And this time, it really was just a little.

"I can take this commission."

Hearing this, Erza's face lit up with joy.

But Noah immediately put on an arrogant air. "Erza, if you're asking for a favor, you need the right attitude, you understand?"

"Be my maid for a day, and I'll handle this commission. How about it?" His tone was practically begging for a beating, and Noah was thoroughly pleased with himself.

Finally, he could get one over on the Titania. Even if it was just talk, Noah was happy—after all, he wouldn't dare actually make Erza his maid. That would be a death sentence.

The next moment, a flash of cold light streaked past. A gleaming blade rested against Noah's neck, and Erza's expression turned icy as she spoke.

"I'm glad you have the ability to take this commission."

"But I really don't like your threatening tone."

Noah never expected Erza to resort to violence so directly. It had only been three months, and her sword was already fast enough to catch him completely off guard!

Damn it. Sure enough, lazing around too long had dulled even his skills at turning over.

Why did he have to run his mouth like that? Was it too late to beg for mercy now...

Just as Noah was weighing which kneeling posture would look more dignified, Erza suddenly withdrew her sword.

"Remember your words. Complete the commission well, and when you do, I'll fulfill your request."

She actually agreed!

Just how important was this guild to her, that she would accept his outrageous demand...

Noah reined in his emotions. He didn't brush off his earlier words as a "joke"—that would only make Erza feel mocked.

To ease the awkwardness, Noah asked the same question he'd started with:

"Erza, I'm making noodles. Do you want some?"

"I'll have a bowl."

Once the room's owner had left the bedroom, Erza covered her increasingly hot face with both hands.

How embarrassing! Why did I agree to that!

Was it just because Noah looked a little like that person...