Fairy Tail

"Come on in, Noah!"

Mira clapped her hands and turned around, a warm, sunny smile already on her face.

But the bodies sprawled all over the ground told the story of the white-haired witch's rampage just moments ago.

Noah had never seen such a violent woman in his life. Faced with Mira's enthusiastic invitation, he found himself at a loss.

Should he really join this guild?

If they found out he'd come with ulterior motives, he'd surely meet a gruesome end...

It was as though one voice inside Noah was urging him not to set foot in this guild, while another encouraged him not to be afraid—better to die beneath a peony than live in vain!

Just as Noah was caught in a fierce inner struggle, a deep, steady voice spoke up.

"Young man, is there something you need from our guild?"

Noah turned at the sound, but saw no one.

He scratched his head. Had he imagined it? Or was it someone's magic?

"Ahem!"

The pointed cough made Noah look down. A short old man in a beige robe and red shirt was gazing at him helplessly.

The old man had a small mustache and a bald crown ringed by white hair that shone brightly in the light.

"Grandpa, you're back!" Lisanna bounced out of the guild hall and crouched beside the old man, her big eyes blinking cutely.

Noah said nothing, quietly observing the old man. On the Magical Train, whenever Mira talked about Fairy Tail, she always mentioned one person.

Makarov Dreyar.

The current guild master of Fairy Tail.

One of the Ten Wizard Saints, whose title struck fear throughout the magic world.

Noah had never imagined that someone with such an intimidating title would be a kindly little old man.

As usual, Makarov gently rubbed the girl's head. "You look so happy, Lisanna. Is there something good you'd like to share with me?"

Lisanna said excitedly, "Grandpa, my sister completed the 'Beast King Hunt' request with my brother and me!"

But Makarov's expression changed when he heard her announcement.

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!"

"With that monster's constitution, you'd need two S-Class Mages working together just to have a chance of taking it down. Being an S-Class Mage doesn't mean you can easily complete an S-Class Mission!"

After giving them a brief scolding, Makarov saw that Lisanna was unharmed and asked with concern, "How badly is Mira hurt? And what about Elfman?"

Noah's lips curled slightly at those words. Makarov cared so much about the guild members—no wonder Mira respected him so much.

"Guild Master, we're all right."

Mira brought Elfman to the guild entrance and showed Makarov that they were safe.

Seeing that neither of them was hurt, Makarov finally let out a sigh of relief. He didn't want to see a tragedy happen in his guild.

But then Makarov began to wonder. With Mira's current strength, there was no way she could have defeated the Beast King and come away unscathed. And Elfman and Lisanna had been completely unable to take part in a battle of that level.

Lisanna wouldn't lie to him.

So how had Mira defeated the Beast King?

Mira seemed to notice the guild master's question. Smiling, she leaned toward Noah. "Guild Master, we owe our safe return to Mr. Noah here. He came to our aid."

Makarov followed her gaze to the young man from earlier. When he got a good look at Noah, he paused. Noah looked somewhat like two people he knew.

But Makarov was far too shrewd to let that flicker of emotion show. None of the young people around him noticed.

"Noah, is it? A good name."

"Please, come inside and have a chat with us."

Once inside the guild, Makarov saw guild members sprawled all over the place, knocked unconscious. He looked around but didn't see the person he'd expected to find.

At a table, Macao and Wakaba were each holding a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Seeing Makarov looking around, Macao teased him, "Don't bother looking, Guild Master. Erza went out on a job and hasn't returned yet."

"Mira-chan was the one who dealt with Natsu and Gray."

Makarov was quite surprised. Mira usually got involved in fights only to make them worse. Since when had she started being kind enough to stop one?

Wakaba puffed on his pipe and chimed in, "Seventeen's the age when young love first blossoms. Don't you think so, Mira-chan?"

"Oh, give it a rest!"

Mira's face reddened. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight, but then remembered Noah was beside her. Wanting to make a good impression on her lifesaver, she forced herself to suppress the urge to beat those two old men senseless.

Maybe you should just go ahead and beat them up. Don't bottle it up... Noah grumbled inwardly.

Makarov looked from Mira to Noah and gave them a kind smile. But he said nothing, simply leading them through the guild hall to a counter that looked like a bar.

What kind of guild made its service counter look like a bar? Noah had only just joined, and already he had plenty to complain about.

With a practiced hop, Makarov sat on the counter. "Noah, tell Mira what you'd like to drink."

"Just a glass of water, please." Noah pulled out a chair and sat down.

That was what he'd said, but Mira handed him a carefully mixed cocktail instead.

Makarov looked at the beer in his own hand, then at the drink on Noah's table, his feelings complicated. The little minx was already taking someone else's side.

Mira poured herself a glass of juice and reported the details of the "Beast King Hunt" to Makarov from behind the counter.

When he heard that Mira had been badly injured, Elfman had gone berserk, and Lisanna had been in danger, Makarov's brow furrowed tightly. Thankfully, Noah's arrival had prevented a tragedy.

"Mr. Noah, on behalf of Fairy Tail, I thank you for saving Mira and the others from danger."

Standing on the counter, Makarov bowed solemnly to Noah.

Noah was taken aback. He couldn't accept a bow from an old man in his eighties, so he hurriedly stood and helped Makarov up. "I just happened to be passing by. There's no need for that."

"Everyone in the guild is family to me. You saved the children's lives, so of course I have to thank you."

Makarov's expression was earnest. "Mira told me you're looking for your older brother. Could you describe what he looks like? I know a lot of people. Perhaps I can help you."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what my older brother looks like. I only know that he has dark blue hair."

Noah scratched his head, embarrassed. He really had no idea what his older brother, Jellal, looked like. It was all thanks to his father, Faust, who had inexplicably and cruelly abandoned Jellal while he was still a baby.

"Dark blue hair isn't especially rare on this continent, but it isn't common either." Makarov continued, "You know your brother's name, at least, right?"

"His name is Jellal."

Though Makarov hadn't heard the name before, he could ask his friends to help look for someone with dark blue hair.

Noah didn't have much hope that Makarov's offer would help. His older brother was from Edolas and had no magic power; he might not even be part of the mage community.

"Guild Master, Noah has nowhere to go. Could you let him join our guild?" Mira looked at Makarov hopefully.

"Hmph. You remember me now, do you?"

Makarov pursed his lips, but he couldn't resist Mira's pleading. Besides, even without her request, he wouldn't have refused Noah if he wanted to join.

"Joining the guild is no problem, but could you tell me what kind of magic you use, Noah?"

Makarov's request was reasonable. Fairy Tail was a magic guild, and its members usually worked together on requests and split the rewards. They needed to know each other's magic to form teams.

But Noah said he couldn't share that. He only said that his magic wasn't suited to direct combat or support, though he was skilled in hand-to-hand combat and weapons.

Makarov knew he was deliberately keeping it hidden, but didn't mind. He assumed Noah hadn't yet let down his guard in this unfamiliar place.

"Since you're joining Fairy Tail, you'll need to get the guild emblem. What color would you like, Noah? And where should we put it?"

"White, please. On my right forearm."

Noah held out his right arm. Makarov nodded to Mira, who took some tools from behind the counter and began marking Noah's right forearm.

As Makarov led the quiet Noah along, he suddenly thought of one of the guild's younger members.

"Noah, do you know Mystogan? He's a mage who was promoted to S-Class this year. He's a little like you."

"I don't know him."

Noah's answer was firm. His older brother had no magic power and could only use magical items in battle.

He didn't think his brother was likely to compete for the title of S-Class Mage in this magic-rich world against a bunch of exceptionally gifted mages.

Before long, a long, white "Dancing Fairy" emblem appeared on Noah's right forearm. From then on, he was a member of Fairy Tail.

Infiltrated Fairy Tail—check?

Next, he needed to find out whether the "Lumen Histoire" with its Infinite Magic truly existed.

Actually, after meeting Makarov, Noah no longer believed the information. Though this magic guild was just as bizarre as its counterpart in the parallel world, Fairy Tail, it shouldn't have a dark side.

"Listen up, brats!"

Makarov's booming voice quieted the guild hall, which had grown lively again.

Standing on the counter, Makarov raised his glass. "Let's welcome our new companion, Noah!"

"Welcome!"

"Come on, Natsu, show Noah a trick!"

"Yeah!!"

"I'm fired up!"

Noah watched the pink-haired boy breathe fire. He'd just been beaten until his eyes rolled back, but now he was full of life again. No wonder Mira had been able to hit him without holding back—his constitution was incredibly tough.

On the second floor of the guild, where only S-Class Mages could go, a figure in a heavy coat quietly watched the protagonist of the celebration below.

"Hmph. Interesting."

"The old man might not know, but I know your real name, Mystogan... The 'Jellal' this kid is looking for is probably you."

"Now you have no excuse to refuse a fight with me."