With Noah holding something over him, Laxus had been much more well-behaved lately. He was still rebellious, but he treated Makarov a lot better.
"You did good, kid, Noah."
In the guild master's office on the third floor, Makarov watched the magical projection Noah had brought him with a broad smile. It was, of course, footage of Laxus asking for a favor.
Noah had promised Laxus that the footage wouldn't be shared before he broke the rules. But Makarov was his own grandfather, not some outsider. Surely letting him watch didn't count as sharing it.
Makarov was delighted. Ever since he had personally expelled his son, Ivan, from the guild, he hadn't seen Laxus show any expression other than "indifference."
The more Makarov saw of Noah, the more he liked him. He didn't know why, but Noah always inspired a sense of closeness and inexplicable trust in him.
"Noah, you're not actually planning to make a hundred copies of that footage, are you?"
"Hard to say."
Noah shrugged. In his view, Laxus had gone a little too far.
It was one thing to look down on his comrades because he was so powerful. But he even wanted to become guild master so he could kick out the weaker members and recruit only the strong, making Fairy Tail even more powerful.
Laxus and Makarov had argued about this many times. Aside from rejecting his rebellious grandson's unreasonable proposal, all Makarov could do was stew in silence. Laxus was grown now, and Makarov could no longer control him.
Noah thought that if Laxus was allowed to keep acting this way, he might one day use force to seize the guild master's position and resort to extreme methods to "strengthen" the guild.
So it was best to use a few tricks to make Laxus think twice.
"That won't happen. Laxus loves the guild. He'd never do the sort of thing you're talking about." Laxus had always been arrogant, but Makarov still believed he wouldn't do anything to hurt the guild.
Noah shrugged again. What he'd just described was only the worst-case scenario. As Makarov had said, Laxus was unlikely to do anything too outrageous to the guild.
"Speaking of which, Noah, come help this old man with something..."
When Makarov took a stack of papers out of his desk drawer, Noah knew what he wanted. He turned and ran.
Makarov stared at him in astonishment, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Honestly, what's so scary about helping me write apology letters? This time, there are only a dozen or so."
Noah hurried down from the third floor to the guild hall. Only after confirming that Makarov wasn't following did he breathe a sigh of relief. The guild master had actually wanted a slacker like him to write apology letters. The old man really was losing it.
"Noah, you're here!"
That enthusiastic voice could only belong to one person. Natsu held up his blue cat companion, Happy. "I've been waiting ages! Let your Cheese go head-to-head with my Happy!"
"The winner will earn the title of the guild's strongest cat!"
Mira had just returned from delivering some drinks. As she passed Noah, she chuckled. "Haha, looks like a troublesome fellow has set his sights on you."
Noah ignored Natsu's invitation to a cat showdown. Exceed cats only needed to be cute. It was better to keep them out of fights.
"This is so boring. I've been working hard on Haki lately, but I haven't had anywhere to use it."
When Noah showed no interest in letting the cats compete, Natsu slumped over the table in disappointment. Then he spotted the blonde girl chatting and laughing with Levy. "I've got it, Lucy! Levy! Let me train you! Then you'll be able to learn Haki sooner."
The petite bookworm Levy gave an awkward smile. "Um, the city library has expanded a lot recently, and there are so many new books. So maybe we can put Haki training off for a little while..."
Lucy turned him down outright. She had been part of Fairy Tail for two months now and had gotten used to the guild. If anything, she was better off staying clear of Natsu's strange ideas whenever he got excited.
"Come on... We're teammates in the same little team..."
Natsu stayed slumped over the table, gazing at Lucy with a resentful look.
Lucy had something to say about that, too. If she hadn't been drawn in by Happy's cute appearance, she never would have teamed up with Natsu.
Since joining Natsu's team, Lucy hadn't earned a single Jewel from their jobs. In fact, she'd even had to pay some of her own money. Still, the jobs had been exciting, and the blonde girl had loved the thrill.
But speaking of jobs, Natsu seemed to remember something.
"Huh? Happy, don't we have a job we forgot about?"
"Aye? Do we?"
The blue cat, sitting beside Cheese and eating dried fish, looked puzzled. Lucy also double-checked that their team had completed all the jobs they'd taken recently. They'd just had to pay the rewards back as compensation for the damage they'd caused.
Natsu shook his head. "No, it was a job I took before you joined the guild, Lucy. It must've been a few years ago."
"Happy was just a tiny kitten back then. How could he remember?"
Mira glanced at Natsu and quietly explained to Lucy, who was beside her. But from Natsu's serious expression, that job might have been important.
"I think it was about a group of invisible people... They asked me to defeat an evil scientist?"
Natsu furrowed his brow and tried hard to remember.
Suddenly, a name surfaced in his mind. Natsu slapped the table hard. "Oh no! Silent Town! How could I have forgotten?"
As Natsu cried out in dismay, a notification sounded in Noah's mind.
[Local Prayer Request] [Under the influence of "Concealment" magic, E.N.D. had forgotten the promise he once made to the residents of Silent Town. Please help him fulfill the promise he made several years ago and rescue the invisible townspeople.] [Reward: Fire Consumption] [Time limit: 24 hours]
Well, would you look at that—Natsu's request had finally appeared again. Noah had thought he might get Fire Dragon Slayer Magic in one go, but it turned out to be only the ability of Dragon Slayer Mages to consume elements of their own type.
Flame Resistance, Fire Consumption... Perhaps after a few more of Natsu's Prayer Requests, Noah would be able to piece together the complete Fire Dragon Slayer Magic.
"Natsu, now that you remember, stop blaming yourself. Get to Silent Town right away and see if there's still a chance to make things right."
"Don't worry. I'll go with you."
Noah's voice brought Natsu out of his guilt. He nodded firmly. "Thanks, Noah. We have to get going right away."
Before you continue