Laxus came out to make a brief show of himself, then went back to being king of the second floor.
With everyone staring at him curiously, Noah slowly recounted what had just happened.
He'd used magic to make everyone fall asleep, so Noah had mistaken Mystogan for an enemy and started fighting him. But Noah had soon realized who Mystogan was, and the fight had ended there.
Mystogan left, the sleep magic wore off, and everyone woke up.
"What a bore. I wanted to see blood flowing through the streets." Cana burped, looking like a bloodthirsty spectator.
The others also lamented that Noah hadn't continued fighting Mystogan.
Although Mystogan spent most of the year away and only showed up at the guild to turn in jobs, he made everyone fall asleep with magic every time. After a while, they'd built up some resentment.
Fairy Tail was all about facing your opponent head-on.
You, Mystogan, going around tricking people and launching sneak attacks? That just wasn't Fairy Tail!
Noah listened to his companions complain with a dark look. He'd thought they were upset because Mystogan's actions had violated their rights, but it turned out all these people could think about was fighting...
Besides, even in a head-on fight, only Erza and Mira might have been able to resist Mystogan's powerful "Sleep" spell if they were on their guard. Everyone else would have dropped like a stone.
Sometimes, Noah felt that the people in this guild could be utterly ridiculous. Natsu, the hardheaded fool, was a prime example.
But that was one of Fairy Tail's defining traits. You just had to appreciate it.
Two figures, one tall and one short, appeared outside the guild hall. Makarov's booming voice rang out with remarkable clarity.
"You brats! I'm back!"
Natsu scratched his head. "Huh? You weren't here just now, Master?"
Gray chimed in, "I knew it. No wonder Noah was able to fight Mystogan."
"..."
A faint "vein" mark appeared on Makarov's forehead. So nobody had even noticed he'd gone out.
If Jude hadn't come to the guild with him, and if Makarov hadn't wanted to make a good impression on Magnolia's big-money patron, he might have taken his frustration out on Natsu right then and there.
Noah handed Makarov the note from Mystogan and explained what had happened. "It was all a misunderstanding. Everything's fine now, so you don't need to worry, Master."
Makarov nodded. Noah might be a slacker, but he knew how to handle things.
Jude, who'd come with Makarov, was full of respect when he saw Noah. "Mr. Noah, it's good to see you again. I'll be counting on you to look after my daughter."
Noah pursed his lips. "Looking after her is your responsibility as her father. Don't dump it on me. I'm only three years older than Lucy."
Jude hadn't revealed that he was a wealthy magnate, and Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that if everyone found out she was the daughter of a rich man, they wouldn't treat her with the same sincerity anymore.
Noah left Jude in Mira's care and led Makarov to the temporary library.
Makarov was the counterpart of his own father in a parallel world, and Noah trusted him greatly because of the kind of person he was.
After telling Makarov that he was immune to sleep magic, Noah asked the well-traveled archmage to help him figure out why.
Makarov didn't let him down. After thinking for a few minutes, he came up with an answer.
Mental strength.
"Sleep" was a mental spell. This kind of magic didn't directly injure the body; it affected the mind instead.
Someone with exceptionally strong mental strength could greatly resist mental magic, and might even become immune to it.
At this point, Makarov, seated on the desk, looked at Noah. "You really weren't affected by Mystogan's magic at all?"
Noah nodded. "I didn't even feel the sleep magic the first time. I thought Mystogan was looking down on me, which is how the misunderstanding started."
"Gasp..."
Makarov drew in a sharp breath.
Though Makarov still held the title of one of the Ten Wizard Saints, his mental strength had declined considerably with age.
He believed he could resist Mystogan's "Sleep," but if he couldn't use "Purification" to break it in time, he doubted he'd last more than a few minutes before collapsing.
Aside from Makarov, the only other person in the guild who could resist Mystogan's "Sleep" was the young and vigorous Laxus, though even he was still affected a little.
In Makarov's eyes, becoming completely "immune" was practically impossible.
Yet the boy standing before him had done exactly that.
It never even occurred to Makarov that Noah might be lying. He had always trusted the children in his guild.
After listening to Makarov, Noah came to a conclusion.
His mental strength was so great that it far surpassed even someone like Makarov.
But where had that strength come from?
After seeing Makarov off, Noah sat alone in the library, lost in thought.
According to Makarov, mental strength was innate. It could be increased through training, but the improvement was pitifully small.
Could his strong mental strength have come from his father adding something besides pure magic when he created him?
Noah shook his head and dismissed the thought. To ensure that his artificial human child was born safely, Faust wouldn't have added any unknown, unstable materials.
In the eighteen years since his birth, Noah had never specifically trained his mental strength.
It hadn't been innate, and it hadn't come from training.
That left only one answer.
Pure white magic intertwined in his hand. This was why Noah's mental strength far exceeded that of ordinary people.
It was a magic called "Prayer," one that hadn't even been recorded in the comprehensive collection of spells left behind by Precht, Fairy Tail's Second Master, a man of immense learning.
[ Ding~ You have a new interdimensional Prayer request. Please check it. ]
Noah's mouth twitched. This ridiculous magic had some talent for picking its moment. Every time he used it, a new order came in, like a boss nagging him to get to work.
The magic solidified into the shape of a book, just like before. The requests Noah had completed were all recorded in this "Prayer Book."
He turned to the page glowing with light and read the details of his new request.
[Archaeologist Jackie Chan is in a bit of a bind. He's lost his wheelchair and desperately needs a pair of crutches to fend off a gang of mobsters.]
[Reward: Interdimensional Power · Flying Kick]
[Deadline: Before Jackie Chan "borrows" a pair of crutches from a passerby]
Noah read the request over again. He couldn't imagine how an "archaeologist" was supposed to use "crutches" to fight off a gang of "mobsters."
And just how powerful did a "Flying Kick" have to be to get the same "Interdimensional Power" label as "Armament Haki"...
But it didn't matter. The request sounded easy enough.
Noah returned to the hall and fixed his gaze on a certain person who had somehow taken his shirt off again.
"Gray, make me a pair of ice crutches. Make them sturdy."
Before you continue