Though the 200,000 salary wasn't exactly generous, after deducting the 100,000 monthly rent for the dormitory, Noah would still have enough to cover his living expenses.
At the moment, it seemed that only Makarov knew where Lumen Histoire was. Getting any information about it out of him was practically impossible, so Noah could only wait for an opportunity.
Since he couldn't achieve his goal here for now, and he'd found a job with a somewhat decent, steady salary, Noah stopped pretending to be diligent and settled into a life of idleness.
Every day, he went back and forth between the dormitory and the guild. Besides reading and teaching the guild members hand-to-hand combat, Noah occasionally wandered around the city and picked up discounted bags of chips from the merchants at the docks.
Autumn turned to winter, and in the blink of an eye, three months had passed. The end of the year was drawing near.
Outside, the snow lay thick and white. Inside, it was warm and cozy.
Thud!
The shaking bed dragged the young man from his sweet dreams.
Noah pulled the covers tighter around himself and mumbled groggily, "Who is it? It's the crack of dawn, and you're disturbing my sleep. Have you no manners? Just you wait, I'll show you..."
"It's me."
The red-haired girl uttered two brief, icy words. She glared at Noah, her sword already drawn a third of the way from its sheath.
A cold glint flashed.
It was a clear warning: get up, or she'd cut him down.
Noah woke up in an instant, his eyes as clear as a schoolboy's when he saw his teacher. His tone changed at once. "I'll show you how grateful I am for reminding me to get up again."
"So you know it's 'again,'" Erza said, pursing her lips. She was already used to Noah's lightning-fast change of attitude.
Ever since someone had become the hand-to-hand combat instructor, he'd strictly set training hours for guild members who signed up: from eight in the morning until four in the afternoon. The members who joined the training did follow that schedule.
At first, everything went smoothly. But in less than a week, everyone was surprised to discover that the instructor seemed even better at slacking off than at hand-to-hand combat.
The rule said they had to assemble at eight, but Noah often didn't show up until lunchtime.
He'd said they'd all train together until the afternoon, yet Noah always left halfway through, using his afternoon nap as an excuse. They wouldn't see him at the guild again until evening.
But the members who'd trained under Noah over the past three months had all made marked improvements. They could only turn a blind eye to his brazen slacking.
Everyone except Erza.
If you made a rule, you had to follow it. Everyone else stuck to the schedule, so why was the instructor who'd made it slacking off like crazy?
So Erza, who'd appointed herself the guild's "discipline officer" and decided to crack down on misconduct, began waking Noah up every day. She'd been at it for two and a half months straight, though her methods were a little violent.
Over those three months, Noah's impression of Erza had shifted from a strict queen with a hint of warmth to a full-blown tyrant.
Could anyone imagine how cruel it was to dump a bucket of ice into someone's bed while he was fast asleep on a freezing winter morning?
As Noah got out of bed, he noticed it had shifted a few centimeters. Erza must have kicked it. This girl was strong. Still, today's wake-up call had been unusually gentle.
Noah headed for the kitchen. "I'm making breakfast. Want some, Erza?"
Erza shook her head. She hadn't come to make sure Noah did his job today. She'd come for something else. "Christmas is only a week away. Everyone's busy decorating the guild, so I can't let you keep sleeping the day away."
Fairy Tail celebrated Christmas together every year. Noah wasn't interested in holidays; all he cared about was having another excuse to take time off.
Since it was already the end of the year, why not enjoy himself and take the whole year off?
A glint crossed Erza's eyes. They'd only known each other for three months, but she'd already figured Noah out. Before she'd even said a word, she'd guessed that this lazybones would use the holiday as an excuse to slack off.
She tossed a commission sheet onto the bed and stared at Noah with a faintly amused smile. "Noah, I found a commission for you. Try to get back before Christmas Eve."
Since joining the guild, Noah had only done one commission: a temporary team-up with Natsu to find someone's pet. He hadn't touched another guild commission since.
That wouldn't do.
As the "discipline officer," Erza felt it was her duty to make Noah understand that, besides being the hand-to-hand combat instructor, he was also a mage in a Magic Guild and ought to go on a mission once in a while.
Noah hadn't expected Erza to pull something like this. He was just about to refuse when his eyes happened to land on the reward section of the commission sheet.
The long string of digits changed his mind.
Three million? That was enough to meet the minimum reward for an S-Class commission.
The guild had a rule: only S-Class Mages could accept S-Class commissions. Noah knew Erza wouldn't break it, so the commission she'd given him could only be an A-Class one at most.
He picked up the commission sheet to read the details. Noah looked a little surprised when he saw that the client was the president of a Merchant Guild.
In this world, besides Magic Guilds, there were also Merchant Guilds that focused on financial services, treasure hunter guilds that searched for treasure, mercenary guilds that took on hired work, and all kinds of academic organizations.
Merchant Guilds rarely had dealings with Magic Guilds. They usually hired people from mercenary guilds to solve their problems, only considering a commission through a Magic Guild when things got too difficult.
The commission from this Merchant Guild president didn't specify the task. Noah would have to meet with the client to discuss it.
There was another requirement: the mage who took the commission had to be level-headed and have some knowledge of finance.
Noah glanced at the issue date on the commission sheet: X780. It had been posted two years ago!
The guild didn't have any mages who met the requirements, so two years had passed without anyone completing the commission.
Noah glanced at Erza, who was avoiding his gaze, and suddenly understood.
Fairy Tail was a famous guild throughout the country. Erza was worried that leaving this commission unfinished for so long would hurt the guild's reputation. If word got out that such a huge guild didn't have a single mage who met the requirements, people would laugh at them.
She'd heard he'd read a lot, so she wanted him to give it a try.
Noah did know a little about finance. This time, he really did mean just a little.
"I can take this commission."
Erza's face brightened at his words.
But Noah immediately put on a haughty air. "Erza, when you ask someone for help, you need to show some humility. Understand?"
"Be my maid for a day, and I'll handle this commission. How about it?" Noah said smugly, in a voice that begged to be smacked.
At last, he could get the better of Titania for once. Even if it was only empty talk, Noah was happy. He didn't dare actually make Erza his maid. He'd be a dead man.
In the next instant, a cold glint flashed, and a gleaming blade came to rest against Noah's neck. Erza spoke in a chilly voice.
"I'm glad you're capable of handling this commission."
"But I don't like the way you threatened me."
Noah had never expected Erza to attack without hesitation. Only three months had passed, yet her sword was already fast enough to catch him off guard!
Damn it. He'd been lazing around for so long that even his ability to flip himself over had gotten rusty.
Why had he run his mouth? Could he still beg for mercy now...?
Just as Noah was trying to decide which way of kneeling would look the least pathetic, Erza suddenly withdrew her sword.
"Remember what you said. Complete the commission properly, and I'll honor your request."
She'd actually agreed!
How important was this guild to her that she'd accept such an unreasonable request...?
Noah gathered himself. He didn't take back his words by calling them a "joke." That would only make Erza think he was teasing her.
To ease the awkwardness, Noah asked the same question he'd asked earlier:
"Erza, I'm making noodles. Want some?"
"I'll have a bowl."
Only after the room's owner had left the bedroom did Erza cover her increasingly hot face with both hands.
This was so embarrassing! How had she ended up agreeing to that?
Could it be because Noah looked a little like that person...?
Before you continue