Noah, the Bystander

The next day.

Noah slept in until noon, then checked out of his hotel room. After grabbing some local food from a roadside stall to fill his stomach, he headed to the train station to buy a ticket.

The Magical Train wouldn't arrive for a while, so Noah waited in the station's lobby.

The whole waiting hall was buzzing with talk about the same thing. It was quite a commotion.

"Good news! The best news ever!"

"That damned Black Bird is finally finished!"

"The mayor put out an announcement first thing this morning. It won't be long before everyone gets their money back."

"Damn it, all that nonsense about being forced by the Dark Priest—I bet that bastard Joel was in on it all along!"

"Oh, great Nexus, I worship you!"

"..."

Noah yawned. He had to admit, even if it was a fake name, it felt pretty good to be admired. It was just a little too noisy.

The Magical Train pulled in before long. A mysterious man in a black robe, carrying five magic staffs on his back, stepped off the train and accidentally bumped into Noah's suitcase amid the crowd.

"Sorry."

"No problem."

Despite his suspicious getup, the man was surprisingly polite. Noah didn't think much of it. He brushed past him and boarded the Magical Train.

The mysterious man, however, turned to watch Noah's retreating back, a hint of doubt in his eyes. He didn't turn away until Noah disappeared into the carriage, then gave a slight shake of his head and left.

Agalifa, Merchant Guild Love&Lucky.

Noah happened to run into the friendly young clerk from last time. The clerk was heading out to meet a client, though, so Noah didn't keep him and made his way to the chairman's office on his own.

"Rena! Stay out of my business!"

"That's enough, Jude! You lucky fool, it's time you came to your senses!"

Noah hadn't even knocked when he heard two men shouting at each other inside. Then came the sounds of a fight.

Just hearing their names told him who was in there.

Rena, the current chairman of Love&Lucky.

Jude Heartfilia, head of the Heartfilia Consortium.

Both were big names in finance. Getting to hear them fight was a rare treat—and there was no way Noah was missing out.

He even hurried downstairs to grab a chair and set it up outside the door.

Sitting there and listening to the commotion, Noah could practically tell what they were doing in real time.

So even rich people just threw wild punches when they fought...

Rena looked pretty frail, but he'd managed to kick Jude into the wall. You really couldn't judge a book by its cover.

Jude had such a temper, so how come he kept getting beaten up? Still, he was tough as nails. He'd worn Rena down until the man was almost out of strength.

With that kind of durability, the tide had turned.

Now Jude was rubbing Rena's face in the floor.

Noah listened to the sounds and gleefully analyzed how the fight was going. He had no intention of going in to save his client.

Inside the room, Jude eventually started to tire. He let go of Rena and sat on the sofa, panting. "Rena, I'm begging you. As a friend, help me get through this crisis..."

"Heh."

Rena lay on the floor, his face bruised and swollen. He gave a derisive laugh. "Jude, you still think you'll make money from Black Bird's investment? You fool. Don't expect a loan from our guild."

"Once the Mage I hired gets back, everything will come to light."

At the mention of the Mage, a trace of anger appeared on Jude's dejected face. "You bastard. I told you not to get involved with those people who use magic. Magic only brings misfortune! It killed Layla!"

Rena made no effort to hide his mockery. "So you resent magic, hate everyone who uses it, and even take it out on your own daughter!"

"You have no right to talk about my family!"

Jude stood up and looked at his friend with a complicated expression. "I'll ask you one more time. Will you give me a loan or not? If not, I'll go elsewhere."

"Dream on. I'm the chairman!"

"You'll regret this, Rena!"

With things at an impasse, Jude didn't stick around. He strode toward the door and yanked it open, only to find a boy sitting there with his feet up, blocking the way.

Jude froze. "You... how much did you hear?"

Noah smiled. "I'd already brought over the chair before you even started fighting."

Having someone listen to the whole embarrassing fight left not only Jude but Rena dumbfounded, too.

Fortunately, Rena recovered quickly and pushed himself to his feet. "Mr. Noah, you're back. It seems everything went smoothly. Please, come in and let's talk."

"Jude, don't leave just yet."

Blocked by the door and called back by his old friend, Jude couldn't very well say anything. He turned around and sat down again.

Noah carried the chair into the room, shut the door, then used the chair to block it and sat down. He looked between the two of them with a grin. "You've both certainly changed the way I think about rich people."

"Hahaha, Jude and I were just sparring after a long time apart. Don't get the wrong idea, Mr. Noah."

Rena stubbornly tried to save face. Noah didn't press him. He'd already enjoyed the show, and all he could say was that it had been "spectacular." Now it was time to get down to business.

"Chairman Rena, I've completed your commission."

"You got proof that Black Bird belongs to the Dark Magic Cult?!"

Rena's delight was plain to see, while Jude frowned deeply. For various reasons, he hated magic and had little regard for Mages.

Noah shook his head. "There's no need for evidence anymore."

"What? Did they already transfer their assets and plan to abandon Black Bird...?" Rena grew anxious. If that was the case, Jude wouldn't get his money back.

Noah shook his head and said coolly, "You misunderstand. I took care of the Dark Priest behind Black Bird. The Magic Council's action unit has already taken over."

"It won't be long before the Kingdom of Fiore contacts Mr. Jude to collect the assets that were defrauded from the Heartfilia Consortium."

Just then, the communication Magic Crystal on the desk lit up. Still reeling from the shock, Rena instinctively held it to his ear and answered, then glanced at his old friend.

"Jude, it's your secretary. Take it."

Jude took the communication Magic Crystal from Rena with a cold expression. "Hello, it's me... What!"

A hint of delight crossed his face. He turned to look at the boy sitting by the blocked door, then hurriedly said a few words into the crystal and hung up. After that, his expression was one of undisguised shock.

Just as Noah had said, the Kingdom of Fiore had contacted the Heartfilia Consortium to collect the investments defrauded by the Black Bird Consortium.

As his friend, Rena could tell what had happened from Jude's expression. He leaned back comfortably on the sofa and gave a smug, satisfied grin. "Jude, shouldn't you thank Mr. Noah?"

Noah looked just as amused. "Yeah. Say thank you."