After stepping out of the sanctuary, Noel couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
The task Elder Anqiro had entrusted to him was for him and Laxus to carry the crystal orb used for communication into the core of "Sanctum Barrier."
Once they arrived, Elder Anqiro would use the orb to reactivate "Sanctum Barrier."
This magic, "Sanctum Barrier," would enter an automatic adjustment period at a specific time each month.
Noel and Laxus were to infiltrate it during that window.
At present, the next adjustment period was still about a week away.
Therefore, before carrying out the mission, they would have to stay in Anphel City for a week.
Elder Anqiro had arranged for them to stay in a house near the sanctuary.
Noel didn't know if he was just overthinking it, but he kept getting the feeling that Elder Anqiro was deliberately hiding something.
"What's wrong?" Laxus noticed Noel seemed distracted and asked.
"It's nothing."
(Let's hope I'm just overthinking it.) Noel shook his head slightly.
When carrying out missions ranked S and above, the most terrifying scenario wasn't encountering a powerful enemy—it was when the client intentionally withheld or provided false information.
After all, a powerful enemy could still be dealt with through various strategies, but if a client gave misleading intel or hid critical facts, the mages performing the mission could easily be led into a death trap.
In such cases, the death rate for mages would increase by at least fifty percent.
"Since we still have some time, let's split up for now and look for clues around the city." Laxus's voice brought Noel back to his senses.
Before Noel could respond, Laxus had already vanished, turning into a flash of lightning.
(What a willful guy...)
Noel sighed inwardly with resignation.
Then, his body turned into white light and disappeared from the spot.
................
"Damn it, Ed, stop right there! I'm definitely going to teach you a lesson this time!"
Down a long street, a squad of fully armed soldiers was chasing after a young boy.
Their faces were filled with unrestrained anger—and a trace of subtle helplessness and frustration.
The one being chased was a brown-haired child around seven or eight years old.
A carefree smile played across his delicate face as he darted quickly through the street.
"Hahaha, you idiots think you can catch me? You'll need a million years for that!"
The brown-haired boy turned to glance at the pursuers behind him and let out a triumphant laugh, even sticking out his tongue at them.
"Ed, you little brat..."
"You're not getting off easy this time. We're definitely going to punish you properly."
Veins bulged on the foreheads of the provoked soldiers as they gritted their teeth and picked up their pace.
The brown-haired boy named Ed grinned slyly as he turned at the next intersection and dashed into another street.
However, to Ed's surprise, just as he made the turn, a golden-haired boy suddenly appeared right in front of him.
"Ah—watch out!!"
Ed's face was full of shock, but it was too late to stop.
He could only brace himself as he barreled straight toward the blond boy.
Thud.
Just as Ed was about to crash into the golden-haired boy, the latter moved.
At a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye, he extended his arm and precisely grabbed Ed by the shoulder.
With a slight twist of his wrist, he effortlessly lifted Ed off the ground.
Then, redirecting the momentum, he spun slightly, and before Ed could even react, he found himself dangling midair, firmly held by the golden-haired boy.
"Be careful. Don't run so fast, kid," a gentle voice sounded in Ed's ears.
Ed looked around in confusion.
The golden-haired boy had moved so fast just now that Ed only felt his body suddenly go light—and now he was hanging midair in his grip.
"Uh, what... just happened?"
"Oh, hey! Everyone, pick up the pace—don't let that brat get awa—uh, oh! You're... a mage from Fairy Tail, sir."
At that moment, the pursuing soldiers finally caught up.
But the moment they saw Noel, they abruptly stopped in their tracks.
"Good morning. By the way, were you chasing him?" Noel asked as he gave Ed a slight shake.
Hearing how Noel referred to him, Ed immediately protested, "Hey, hey! I'm not just some kid—I'm Ed!"
"Thank you very much. Please hand Ed over to us, Mage Sir," the lead soldier said with a polite nod.
"What did he do?" Noel asked curiously, glancing at the defiant-looking Ed.
The soldiers exchanged glances, clearly frustrated and helpless, and then explained the situation to Noel.
It all dated back to the time when Noel and Laxus had gone to the temple to meet Elder Anqiro.
During that period, the brown-haired boy named Ed had done something outrageous—he actually climbed up the statue of Anphel's war god, Alva, and started carving the words "Ed was here" into it with a chisel.
By the time the patrolling soldiers discovered him, he had almost finished carving the last character.
Naturally, the soldiers immediately started chasing him down.
"That's what happened, Mage Sir. Please hand this brat over to us," the lead soldier said.
Noel didn't respond right away.
Instead, he looked at Ed, still dangling in his grip.
"Your name's Ed, right? You sure like causing trouble. Why would you do something like that?"
"None of your business," Ed shot back bluntly, with no hint of respect.
Then a sly smile crept across his lips. "Also—idiots, there's no way I'm letting you catch me."
Phew—Ed's body, in an instant, transformed into a golden light in an unbelievable way.
Noel's hand, which had been holding onto Ed, simply passed straight through him.
"This is…" Noel was momentarily taken aback.
Ed flipped backward midair, his body reforming into a solid form as he landed on the ground, then immediately turned and ran.
The soldiers quickly reacted and chased after him.
(That just now… could it be…?)
Noel didn't follow.
Instead, he stood still, gazing in the direction Ed had fled, a faint, inscrutable smile slowly forming on his lips.
................
"Ha, finally shook those guys off."
After more than ten minutes of effort, Ed, hiding behind a wall at a street corner, was panting lightly.
His eyes followed the soldiers running in the opposite direction, and his expression finally relaxed.
"Hehe, one hundred thirty-sixth successful escape. Ed, you're amazing as always. Alright, time to head home—ah!!"
Thud!
Ed fell flat on his butt, staring in shock at Noel, who had somehow appeared right in front of him without warning.
It took him a moment to react, then he stood up, brushing the dust off himself and complaining, "Hey! You scared the life out of me, mister."
"My apologies for that." Noel narrowed his eyes slightly, offered a small nod of apology, then smiled.
"Ed… right? Do you know magic?"
"Magic?" Ed was stunned at first, then his expression gradually dimmed.
"I can't learn magic. I tried to study lightning magic with Epna and the others, but I just couldn't get it... I guess I'm just a magic failure."
"No, it's the exact opposite. You're a genius—a magic genius."
Noel spoke calmly, his words leaving Ed completely dumbfounded.
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