The Guild's Most Mysterious Magus

The dark green mask covered the black-robed figure's face completely, leaving only a pair of eyes as calm as an ancient well, which regarded Noah with slight surprise as he blocked the way.

Clearly, the black-robed man also remembered the white-haired youth he had briefly met at the Lupinus train station.

He hadn't expected that youth to be a member of Fairy Tail as well.

But he was unaffected by his magic.

Though puzzled, the black-robed man remained silent, stepping around Noah and walking toward the guild hall.

In Noah's eyes, this mysterious attacker's Sleep Magic was so strong that even S-Class Mages like Erza and Mira had fallen asleep one after another without warning, and the other companions had also been hit, dozing off in succession.

Yet it had completely ignored him.

That was right—from the moment his companions fell asleep until now, Noah hadn't sensed any magical fluctuation directed at him. It hadn't even spared Macao's four-year-old son, but it had overlooked him, a living, breathing person standing right there.

This was a total disregard for him.

This intruder had no manners at all!

He wouldn't open his mouth, he wouldn't show his face—he was definitely some shady character. That black robe fit the image of a dark force perfectly.

Seeing the mysterious man silently bypass him with no intention of communicating, Noah couldn't be bothered to waste words. Once he knocked the guy down, the Sleep Magic on everyone would naturally lift.

He pivoted and threw a swift hook punch at the mysterious man, but it was blocked by the magic staff raised in the man's hand. Noah wasn't surprised at all.

After all, someone who could take down Erza and Mira without a sound—if he couldn't react to that, it would be laughable.

Noah turned his fist into a palm and seized the magic staff in the black-robed man's hand. Judging by the several other staves strapped to his back, this guy was probably a Holder Mage.

If he disarmed all five staves, the man would be at his mercy.

Sensing Noah's intent, the black-robed man finally dropped his aloof, mysterious act. A hoarse voice rang out:

"Stop, I—"

"Stop your head! I can tell that's not your real voice!!"

Even his speech was faked—this guy was definitely no good. What normal person acted like this?

Noah held the staff tight with his left hand, his strength so great that the black-robed man couldn't budge it an inch, while his right fist shot toward the man's chest. Erza and Mira were down, the guild master was away—so he'd have to put in a little effort himself.

Now one side wanted to explain, but the other wasn't interested in listening.

Watching the faintly glowing fist, the black-robed man felt helpless. From the power Noah had shown in their tug-of-war over the staff, he knew he couldn't take that punch head-on.

Reluctantly releasing the staff, the black-robed man leaped back, pulling another staff from his back. A heavy, powerful surge of magic erupted from the magic crystal embedded in its tip.

"Sleep Magic: Dreamland."

A thick fog spread rapidly—stronger than the spell that had taken down the entire guild before. Within seconds, it swallowed Noah, then flooded the whole hall.

"Sorry, but please sleep for a while."

Absolutely confident in his magic, the black-robed man tucked the staff back behind him, turned his back on the sleeping mist, and walked toward the guild's request board, leaving only a low murmur behind.

In the mist, the figure carrying the staff showed a glint of curiosity in his eyes—curiosity about himself, and about the black-robed man.

Without making a sound, Noah quietly followed the black-robed man, who had no idea he was being tailed.

The man tore down a request with decent pay from the board and habitually headed for the bar. Seeing it empty, he realized the old man wasn't there.

Since that was the case, he'd leave a note for the old man to find.

Finding a piece of paper behind the bar, the black-robed man was just growing frustrated at not finding a pen when one was suddenly handed to him.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The pen tip hovered over the paper, and then the black-robed man suddenly realized something. He turned his head and was shocked to find Noah, who should have been asleep, cheerfully standing right beside him.

The black-robed man was so startled he didn't even notice he'd slipped into his real voice. "You didn't fall for my magic!"

"Oh, so that fog really was magic? I thought it was just a special effect."

Noah's casual, dismissive tone left the black-robed man's face beneath the mask full of astonishment.

Sleep Magic was completely ineffective—how was that possible?!

After experiencing this Sleep Magic, Noah finally understood. It wasn't that the black-robed man had ignored him earlier; it was that he himself, for some unknown reason, was completely immune to the effects of Sleep Magic.

Handing the staff back to the black-robed man, Noah had already figured out his identity from his recent actions. "I'm Noah. You're Mystogan, the guy everyone calls 'the guild's most mysterious mage,' right?"

"Coming back to the guild to take a request and still using magic to avoid everyone—I don't think you're mysterious. I think you've just got a communication disorder."

Mystogan remained silent, stowing the request slip and staff, then quickly scribbled a note on the paper and handed it to Noah.

"Please give this to the guild master."

That dry, single sentence was about as much as Mystogan ever communicated in the guild, aside from handing over completed tasks to Makarov.

"Hey, Mystogan, lift the magic before you go."

Watching Mystogan's retreating back, Noah thought the guy was way too antisocial. He should have yanked off that mask earlier to see just how ugly the guy really was, to make him cover up so tightly.

Five... four... three... two... one...

Mystogan counted down in a low voice as he walked, reaching the final number just as he stepped out of the guild's front door.

Whoosh—his figure dissolved into faint smoke and vanished.

The group sprawled haphazardly across the hall slowly opened their eyes.

"That feeling... Mystogan was here again!"

"Still using that powerful sleep magic, hasn't changed a bit."

"That bastard, does he really have to put everyone to sleep every time..."

"Mystogan? Who's that?"

As a new member, Lucy had no idea who they were talking about, but Mira quickly cleared things up for her.

Mystogan was one of the guild's new-generation S-Class Mages and a candidate for the strongest man in Fairy Tail.

But for some reason, Mystogan didn't want anyone to see his face, so whenever he came to the guild, he used magic to put everyone to sleep.

No one except the master, Makarov, knew what he looked like.

"Not quite. I've seen his face too."

On the second floor of the guild, Laxus leaned against the railing, looking down at everyone with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Laxus, you're here too! Accept my challenge!" Natsu stood in the middle of the hall and shouted up to the second floor.

Non-S-Class Mages weren't allowed on the second floor—that was guild rule.

On a normal day, Laxus would have taunted Natsu, starting one of those childish "come up here if you dare" and "come down here if you dare" farces.

But today, Laxus was clearly interested in someone else.

"Really takes the fun out of it, Noah."

"I thought you'd have a big fight with Mystogan, but you just let it end so quickly. You know that guy's been refusing to settle things with me."

Only then did the crowd in the hall notice Noah sitting at the bar counter.

Some of the more sharp-minded members remembered that before they fell asleep, Noah had been sitting at the same table as Erza and the others. But when everyone woke up from the sleep, Noah was already at the bar.

Combined with Laxus's words... could it be that Noah hadn't been affected by the sleep magic and had even briefly crossed blows with Mystogan?!!