The Magical Train pulled into the station. A handsome young man yawned and leisurely stepped off.
This was Agalifa, a city fifty kilometers from Magnolia and the destination of Noah's journey. It was where he was supposed to meet his client.
The city's atmosphere brought two words to Noah's mind: "get rich."
As soon as he left Agalifa Station, several people shoved a stack of flyers into his hands. He opened one and saw that they were all advertisements for financial products.
"Tsk, tsk. If any of these were worthwhile, they wouldn't need to hand out flyers on the street."
Noah casually stuffed the flyers back into one promoter's hands. While the young man stared at him in bewilderment, Noah headed for his destination.
Everywhere along the way, people were either promoting financial products or discussing the economy. The people of Agalifa were so passionate about making money because of the presence of a Merchant Guild.
Stopping in front of a grand, imposing building, Noah looked up at the name on the sign: "Love & Lucky."
Taken literally, it meant "love and luck."
It seemed luck couldn't be won through love. Otherwise, why would they have gone to a magic guild for help?
"Hello. Is there anything I can help you with?"
A well-dressed young man appeared behind Noah, carrying a briefcase. He was a staff member here.
After Noah explained why he had come, the young man warmly invited him inside to wait while he went to inform the guild master.
Compared to the crowds outside, who were busy discussing finance, the inside of the Merchant Guild was surprisingly peaceful.
Noah had expected the staff to try to sell him products, but no one did. Still, from a few employees, he learned why the people of Agalifa were so keen on making money.
As it turned out, the legendary Jude Heartfilia, founder of the financial giant known as the Heartfilia Consortium, had come from the Merchant Guild Love & Lucky.
He had built a vast business empire in just ten years. No wonder people idolized such a legendary success story.
However, a veteran staff member said that no one else could ever replicate Jude's success.
Before Noah could get an answer to his question, the staff member who had escorted him returned. "Mr. Mage, Guild Master Rena is waiting for you. Please follow me."
In the imposing guild master's office, a weary middle-aged man waved for the staff member to leave. It seemed running a Merchant Guild was no less exhausting than running a magic guild.
Rena forced a faint smile onto his tired face. "I've posted this request with many magic guilds over the past two years, but you're the only one who's come. Fairy Tail really does have no shortage of talent."
Noah could only smile wryly. If he hadn't joined, Fairy Tail would have been no different from the other magic guilds.
All in all, the members of magic guilds simply weren't interested in the kind of financial dealings that could send you soaring one second and crashing the next. They preferred earning their pay through their own labor and effort.
"Guild Master Rena, please explain the details of your request."
Noah didn't want to listen to Rena ramble. He wanted to get back to the dorm and continue lazing around.
Rena nodded. "I want you to investigate the forces behind the Black Bird Consortium. I suspect they're members of the Dark Magic Cult."
The Dark Magic Cult?!
Noah raised an eyebrow. How had he managed to hear about them on both of his outings? Those people really were impossible to shake.
Seeing that Noah showed no reaction, as though he didn't take the infamous group seriously, Rena felt he'd found a reliable mage.
"Guild Master Rena, since you already have your suspicions, why not report this directly to the Magic Council?"
"Given the Council's determination to 'leave no one untouched' when it comes to the Dark Magic Cult, they'd surely force their way into the Black Bird Consortium and search it."
Rena gave a bitter smile at Noah's question. "Because the Black Bird Consortium used underhanded methods to tie up my friend's funds. If the Council gets involved, they won't return the assets they confiscate afterward."
"Who is this friend of yours?"
"You've probably heard of him. His name is Jude, and he's the head of the Heartfilia Consortium."
Noah hadn't expected to hear the Heartfilia name in connection with this request. Could a shrewd businessman like Jude really have had his funds tied up?
Seeing Noah's curiosity, Rena didn't hide anything. He lowered his voice and said, "Jude and I joined the guild at the same time. His surname wasn't originally Heartfilia. He took it after marrying into the family."
"His wife, Layla Heartfilia, also worked at our guild for a time. But after they married, they both left."
"With the backing of the Heartfilia Family's funds, Jude soon began building his business empire. Layla also gave birth to an adorable daughter."
"His family and career were both thriving. Back then, I was so jealous of how happy Jude was."
"But tragedy struck soon after. Layla died suddenly, and the shock changed Jude. He became increasingly extreme, devoting himself entirely to expanding his business and barely paying any attention to his daughter."
"I tried to talk him out of working with the Black Bird Consortium, but Jude wouldn't listen. After they tied up his money, the Heartfilia Consortium ran into a cash-flow crisis. Then, somehow, word got out. Jude had no choice but to sell off a large portion of even his core railway business."
His personality had changed after the sudden loss of his wife.
He must have been a devoted husband, but he clearly wasn't a good father.
Jude was lucky. Even after he'd become like this, he still had a good friend like Rena looking out for him.
By now, Noah could see that Rena had made the request for Jude's sake.
Rena would help Noah disguise himself as a young man just starting out and get him into the Black Bird Consortium under the pretense of evaluating an investment. There, he could look for evidence that the group was connected to the Dark Magic Cult.
With evidence in hand, Rena could bring Jude back to his senses, then use it to negotiate with the Black Bird Consortium and get Jude's money back.
Noah sighed inwardly. Guild Master Rena's thinking was still bound by the methods of a businessman.
What kind of people were members of the Dark Magic Cult?
Trying to get Jude's money back from people who killed without blinking through negotiations and threats was pure fantasy.
Noah appeared to agree with Rena's plan. It didn't matter—he wouldn't be taking part in the infiltration as an ordinary person anyway. When the time came, he'd deal with the problem in his own way.
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