Nobu's Challenge

While their guildmates were still marveling at how Noah had defeated Natsu with a wide-open Flying Kick,

Cana had already announced the results of the bet with a grin.

"Since Noah took Natsu down with a Flying Kick instead of a punch, the house wins this round~"

"Thanks, everyone. Please be just as eager to give me your money next time~"

"What!"

"Damn, she found a loophole!"

"..."

Though they weren't thrilled about it, the bettors didn't make a fuss. A bet was a bet, and it was only a hundred jewels.

Everyone had wagered just over three thousand jewels in total, but Cana was still delighted. It was enough to pay for a good drinking session, which meant she wouldn't have to take a job today.

Ever since meeting Noah, Cana seemed to have caught his "lazy fish" bug. She had made great strides in the art of slacking off.

Cana cheerfully pocketed the money and said smugly under her breath, "What kind of relationship do Noah and I have? We're practically brothers, right? Next time, I'll ask him to beat Natsu in a new way. Then, hehe~"

The drunken girl had no idea that her quiet muttering had caught the attention of two other girls.

Erza put a hand on Cana's shoulder. "Cana, isn't it about time you paid back what you owe the guild for all that booze?"

With Erza giving her a cold look, Cana felt terribly guilty.

The reason was...

Two years ago, Cana had accidentally emptied most of the guild's wine cellar. Seeing that she was only a sixteen-year-old girl and couldn't afford to pay it all back, Makarov had asked her to repay only the cost price and let her pay in installments.

But more than a year had passed, and for various reasons, Makarov had forgotten about it. Cana had, of course, completely forgotten too.

But Erza, who had appointed herself the guild's "disciplinarian," remembered Cana's "punishment" perfectly.

"Um... I've got something to do. Next time, I promise. Next time!" Cana grabbed the barrel and the money and turned to run, only to find Mira blocking her escape route.

Mira was officially the guild's barmaid, but these days she might as well have been its housekeeper. Naturally, she knew all about Cana's old debt.

Caught between the two of them, Cana had no choice but to hand over the money she'd won as the house, hoping they'd let her off.

Mira took the money and counted it carefully. "You still owe more than five thousand for the drinks. I'll round it down, so you can pay the guild back today, Cana."

"T-today! Weren't we doing installments?"

"Hehe, what do you think, after all this time?"

"Starting today, you'll work as the guild's receptionist for a week. Use your body to repay the debt."

Mira's gentle smile looked like the smile of an evil demon to Cana.

Five thousand for a whole week's work? Cana could earn more than that from a single job these days. Mira was making her work for next to nothing!

How heartless! Wasn't she afraid of being hung from a ceiling lamp?

Oh, right. Mira had Satan Soul. She really wasn't afraid.

Cana tried to put it off again, but then she saw that even Erza, who usually cared most about rules, was nodding in approval of Mira's ruthless plan.

Oh no. Since when had those two... Cana suddenly realized something terrifying: Mira and Erza had hardly argued lately.

The two of them used to be like a female version of Gray and Natsu. It was a miracle if they could meet without fighting.

"Come on, Cana. Put on the maid uniform and start by cleaning the bathroom."

As the two girls closed in on her with wicked smiles, Cana began to suspect they were teaming up against her. But why?

"Help me, Noah!"

Noah, who was helping Natsu to his feet, turned his head slightly. He thought he'd heard something.

Cana? He didn't care.

"How did you do that move, Noah? That was awesome!" True to form, Natsu had been reeling just moments ago, but now he was back to full energy and clinging to Noah.

Noah could tell at a glance that Natsu wanted to learn the move, but he couldn't teach it to him. The Flying Kick's invincibility seemed more like a rule than a technique; even if Noah wanted to teach it, he wouldn't know where to start.

There was, however, another power from a different world that he might be able to try.

Haki was a power formed through the extension of one's will. Though it belonged to another world's power system, perhaps it could work in Earth-land too.

Noah thought he should find some time to reveal Armament Haki to Makarov and hear what his adoptive father in this parallel world thought of it.

The excitement soon died down, and the guild hall returned to its usual lively atmosphere. There was just one fewer drunk, and one more barmaid who sneaked drinks.

When Noah went to find Makarov, Nobu was there too.

To Noah's surprise, Nobu had brought a request form to Makarov. It seemed he'd finally found a job that suited him and offered a real challenge.

"Oh, Noah's here."

Makarov, his brows furrowed, casually tossed him the request form Nobu had brought. "You should help me talk some sense into Nobu. This job's too dangerous for him."

Noah looked over the request.

[A group of monsters known as Vulcans has appeared on Mount Hakobe, seriously endangering the lives and livelihoods of the residents. We request that a mage exterminate them.]

[Reward: 550,000 jewels]

Vulcans were ape-like monsters. The stronger ones could use Take Over Magic to forcibly absorb humans into their bodies, making them terrifying creatures.

Most importantly, the request said there wasn't just one or two Vulcans. There was a whole group.

Makarov thought Nobu might have a chance against a small number of Vulcans, but if he had to face a whole group, things would likely end badly.

So Makarov had refused to let Nobu take the job. But Nobu had waited years to find a suitable challenge and didn't want to give it up. He kept pestering Makarov to approve it.

The two of them were at an impasse.

Seeing that neither would back down, Noah set the request form aside. "Master, let Nobu go."

Nobu's delight was written all over his face. He'd assumed Noah would agree with the guild master, so he hadn't expected him to take his side.

Makarov said nothing. He knew Noah well enough to suspect that the boy had more to say.

Noah picked up the request form again. "This job really is dangerous, Nobu. I'll come with you as a safety measure."

"But whether I step in or not, I want half the reward."

Nobu agreed without a second thought. What he wanted was to complete a challenging job by himself. If he succeeded, it would be a tremendous honor for him as a member of the Wild Tribe.

Makarov agreed with Noah as well. Noah was more than capable of handling a group of ape monsters, and with him watching over Nobu, Nobu at least wouldn't be in mortal danger.

The reason Noah was helping Nobu went back to the Prayer request he'd received earlier, the one about teaching Nobu martial arts. Its reward was his magic, Possession: Animal Spirit.

Under Noah's guidance, Nobu's martial arts had improved greatly, and when combined with his magic, they were ferocious.

Noah had taught him martial arts, but the Prayer request still hadn't responded. Now it seemed the request was connected to Nobu's true wish.

What Nobu wanted wasn't simply "martial arts."

He wanted to prove his own strength.