Chapter 96: A Temporary Farewell
Jellal had now completely calmed down. Seeing how thoroughly Noah had considered all aspects of the situation, it was clear he wasn't lying, and Jellal began to trust his words.
"Then I'll leave this child in your care. I must go and do what I need to do. Goodbye to you both."
Seeing that the issue with the little girl was resolved, Jellal was relieved. After saying his goodbyes, he turned to leave. Noah, seeing him about to go, held out a hand to stop him. "Wait, you're leaving now? Aren't you going to wait for the little sister to wake up and say goodbye?"
"No. I've already spoken with her. There's no need for another farewell. Besides, I have to hurry and deal with something nearby."
Hearing this, something clicked for Noah. "Are you talking about that magic that was forming nearby?"
Jellal was startled. How did he know about that too?
Seeing his expression, Noah guessed what he was thinking and waved his hand. "I sensed a special magic power earlier, so I went to check it out and found that it was forming into a spell. I saw that the spell was being aimed at the village below and figured it was nothing good, so I interrupted it."
Jellal breathed a sigh of relief. "That magic is what I came to stop. It's called Anima."
"So that's your mission. It is indeed quite dangerous. From the look of it, you're probably not going to tell us the details about it right now. How about this: let me help you a little, so you can do what you need to do better."
Noah took several items from his coat and handed them to Jellal, who accepted them with a confused look.
"This communication lacrima can be used to contact me if you have any problems. Considering you don't have magic power, this bracelet can automatically collect and store magic from the atmosphere. It comes with a shield spell that can block damage and will automatically trigger to block a fatal blow. You'll know how to operate it after you put it on. This cloak also collects magic automatically. It's self-cleaning, warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. It's also enchanted with Gravity Magic, so you can use it to train your body. Since you don't have magic, a strong body is a must. These are some common potions—healing, antidote, stamina recovery, and so on. Their uses are written on them. And here's some money, enough for a month's expenses."
Seeing all the things Noah had given him, even without knowing their specific value, Jellal could tell from their effects that they were not simple items. He hurriedly tried to refuse. "No, I can't accept these."
"It's alright. I made these items myself; they're not that valuable. Just tell me what you think of them after you've used them. Consider all of this my support for your mission. Just take it."
Jellal tried to refuse several more times but was unsuccessful and had no choice but to accept the items. Seeing him take them, Noah added another reminder. "By the way, you'd best cover your face and body. Don't let people see you, and don't use your real name. It's best to come up with an alias. Otherwise, you'll run into a lot of trouble."
Jellal was a little confused, but covering his face was a simple matter. He trusted that Noah wouldn't harm him, so he took off his pack, put on the cloak Noah had given him, and pulled up the hood. Noah took out a scarf and gave it to him. Jellal took it and wrapped it around his face, obscuring his features.
He shouldered his pack again and said his goodbyes. "Farewell, Noah, and you too, old sir. I'm leaving now."
"Mhm. Contact me if you have any problems. And remember to come to Fairy Tail," Noah said.
"Be safe on the road, child," Roubaul added.
Jellal nodded seriously, turned, and left.
Roubaul watched Jellal's receding figure and asked Noah, "Were those the two you were waiting for?"
"Yes, I was waiting for them. I had information that they might come here, but I didn't know when, so I came to wait in advance."
Roubaul didn't ask any more questions and changed the subject. "You said that boy has no magic power? As far as I know, everyone should have magic power, it's just a matter of how much."
"That brings up another issue. That senior of mine and Jellal are both from another world."
"Another world?"
"Our world is called Earth Land, and Jellal's world is called Edolas. The two worlds are similar, yet dissimilar. The similarity is in the people. It seems that for every person who appears here, you can find someone with the same name and appearance in the other world. That's why I advised him to cover his face and use an alias, to avoid trouble. The dissimilarity is that magic is a scarce resource there, unlike in our world where it is in a constant cycle. I don't know much else, because there's not much information to be found, and I didn't dare ask that senior about it. She has a bit of a temper."
"To think there is such a magical world," Roubaul marveled. Four hundred years ago, there were wars everywhere, and just trying to prevent them had been troublesome enough. Later, he had created Nirvana and achieved a temporary peace, only for a hellish disaster to follow. To atone for his sins, he had been living in a remote, abandoned village ever since and naturally had no opportunity to learn of such things.
But after a moment's wonder, he turned his attention to the sleeping little girl. "What do you plan to do now? Are you going to take her back directly?"
"Let's wait for her to wake up first. After all, Jellal's original request was for you to take her in."
"That's fine. Let her sleep peacefully for a while."
Roubaul and Noah began to discuss magic a short distance away from the girl. Noah even set up a sound-proof barrier to prevent their voices from disturbing her sleep.
A little while later, the girl's hands and feet twitched, and she slowly opened her eyes. Noah, who had been keeping an eye on her, saw that she was awake and dispelled the barrier. Roubaul also turned to look at her, and the two of them walked over.
The little girl slowly sat up. She asked in a soft, weak voice, "Grandpa... big brother... where... where is this?"
"This is grandpa's house," Noah replied.
Tears began to well up in the little girl's eyes. "Jellal... Jellal said he was going to take me to a guild..."
"I'm a member of that guild," Noah said, showing her his guild mark. "The wizard guild Fairy Tail. I can take you back to the guild right now."
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