Big News

Half a month had passed since New Year's Eve.

The lively atmosphere of Magnolia had gradually faded, but there was one place in this city where such bustle was a permanent resident.

"Noah! Accept my challenge!"

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Thud.

The passionate, hot-blooded youth with cherry-pink hair, who had been brimming with fighting spirit moments ago, now lay face-down on the ground with a lump on his head, drawing a burst of laughter from the companions watching the show.

"Natsu actually didn't get taken down by Noah in one punch this time."

"Of course, it was Erza who did the deed today, but it was still just one punch."

"So even Erza finally couldn't stand Natsu's endless challenges to Noah anymore..."

"That's more like harassment, isn't it."

"..."

Listening to the chatter around him, Noah cast a pitying glance at Natsu, who had been knocked unconscious by Erza with a single blow.

Although the move Natsu had just used was a Dragon Slayer magic technique, it was really just borrowing the name.

After Natsu's relentless pestering, Noah had finally given in and agreed to spar with him in hand-to-hand combat. But once he agreed, it became impossible to stop.

Sticking to a rhythm of one small fight a day and one big battle every three days, Natsu tirelessly challenged Noah for two whole weeks, driving Noah completely numb.

At first, Noah would still exchange a few moves with Natsu before putting him down, but later, growing impatient, he simply ended the fight with one punch.

Until today, even Erza couldn't take it anymore and sent Natsu off with a knockout package.

Still, during this period of sparring with Natsu, Noah discovered that the kid perfectly embodied the saying, "God closes a door but opens a window."

Although Natsu wasn't particularly smart—calling him an idiot wouldn't be an overstatement—his combat instincts were sharp, and his physical constitution could only be described as monstrous.

Even setting aside the Fire Dragon Slayer magic's trait of restoring stamina by eating fire, Natsu's recovery ability was the strongest Noah had ever seen in anyone.

"By the way, is Natsu's father really a dragon?"

Noah asked Erza curiously. She shook her head.

Natsu had joined the guild before Erza, and she had never met the dragon father Natsu spoke of. She only knew that Natsu's dragon father was named "Igneel," and that Natsu's Dragon Slayer magic was personally taught by him.

"Igneel..."

Noah murmured the name. He had heard it before from the master blacksmith Doran. The Iron Dragon their clan was waiting for had a good relationship with the Fire Dragon King Igneel, one of the Three Dragon Kings.

Natsu's dragon father shared the same name as this Fire Dragon King. Was it a coincidence? Or were they the same dragon?

"Today's newspaper subscriptions are here! Big news!"

Mira, carrying a stack of newspapers, plopped down forcefully between Noah and Erza, handing them out to the companions around.

The guild subscribed to many newspapers each month, receiving about twenty-some copies a day, ranging from serious to entertainment. But today, almost every paper's front page featured the same person.

<Candidate for the Ten Wizard Saints! Councilman Jellal!>

Shock! The Youngest Councilman Is Him!

<Newcomer on the Magic World's Boyfriend Chart Dominates the Top!>

Who Exactly Is Jellal Fernandes?

Such big news to kick off the new year.

A mage named Jellal Fernandes, only nineteen years old, had become a candidate for the Ten Wizard Saints at such a young age. As long as he passed the multiple assessments of the Magic Council, he would officially become one of the Ten Saints.

This title was essentially equivalent to being recognized by the Council as one of the ten strongest mages.

If he truly became a Wizard Saint, then with Jellal Fernandes's potential, surpassing an established Saint like Makarov was well within reach.

But the phrase "within reach" might not quite fit this rising powerhouse of the magic world.

Because Jellal Fernandes's current status was already no lower than Makarov's—in some ways, it was even a step above.

He had defeated Laharl, the Council's internal frontrunner.

Becoming the youngest councilman in the history of the Magic Council.

That was Jellal Fernandes's other identity.

With the "golden body" of a councilman, Jellal Fernandes's ascension to the Ten Saints was all but certain.

But Noah couldn't care less about these flashy titles or positions. He was only interested in the man with deep blue hair pictured in the newspaper.

The guild members who saw the paper couldn't help but turn their gazes toward Noah.

Jellal Fernandes's appearance was sixty to seventy percent similar to Noah's. If you removed the tattoo on Jellal Fernandes's right cheek, their resemblance would be even greater!

Mira looked at Noah with delight. "Is the brother you're searching for him?"

Before Noah could answer, Erza, who had been staring absently at the man in the newspaper, snapped back to reality and asked in confusion, "Brother? Noah, you still have family?"

"It seems you didn't know. Noah left his secluded home to find his older brother."

Mira felt a small flicker of delight when she saw that Erza didn't know. Over this period, Erza and Noah had grown so close, yet it seemed Noah hadn't told her about this matter.

Of course Noah hadn't told Erza, because he had nearly forgotten that he'd used such a thing to disguise his identity in the first place.

"This promising great wizard has nothing to do with me."

Noah gave Mira his answer, then turned to explain to Erza, "My elder brother is named Jellal. The person in the newspaper is clearly not him."

What Noah didn't know was that the moment he uttered the name Jellal, Erza's hand under the table clenched into a tight fist.

Noah was that man's younger brother!

For a moment, Erza's heart churned with complicated emotions.

The lively chatter woke Natsu. Lying on the floor, he noticed a girl he'd never seen before poking her head through the guild's front door, furtively sizing up the interior.

Seeing that someone had noticed her, the golden-haired girl stepped forward a bit awkwardly.

"Hello, I'm Lucy."

"Um, could I join Fairy Tail?"