Chapter 105: Year X778
This was because every time Natsu saw Gray at the training ground, they would start fighting before they'd even spoken two sentences. Since they were in the training ground, there was no need to hold back, so both of them would use their magic. You could clearly see their progress; their magical proficiency and fighting skills were both improving.
In addition, Lyon and Simon would occasionally jump into the fray. Erza, on the other hand, would often get into fights with Ultear and Sorano right after stopping the boys' brawl. This was mainly because Sorano, who loved a bit of chaos, would frequently provoke the serious-minded Erza. The two would start fighting, and when Ultear tried to mediate, she would somehow get dragged in, turning it into a three-way battle.
As a result, you could often see the young generation of boys fighting in one group, and the girls fighting in another. Kagura, Yukino, and Wendy, the younger girls, could only watch from the sidelines. At first, Wendy would be on the verge of tears, wanting to stop them, but Kagura and Yukino would hold her back, telling her this was just a normal phenomenon, which left Wendy stunned. However, after witnessing several of these brawls over the course of a week, Wendy had no choice but to admit that this was indeed normal, and she was no longer frightened by the sight.
To let them fight to their hearts' content, Noah designated a special area in the training ground. As soon as he detected two or more people fighting in the other training plots, he would teleport them into this large-scale arena and let them have at it. It was clear that through this kind of combat-communication, everyone's fighting skills were rapidly improving. Though Noah suspected their endurance was probably improving the most; after all, it was a fist-to-flesh brawl, and anyone with poor stamina would be knocked out immediately.
Inspired and infected by their energy, the other guild members also began to join the fights. Some people had originally wanted Noah and Laxus to join in, but the two of them were clearly not on the same level as the others. If they joined, it was a clean sweep, with the exception of Erza and Ultear. They could at least exchange a few blows with Laxus, and although they would still lose, it was obvious Laxus wasn't having an easy time either.
When fighting Noah, however, anyone could spar with him for a while before being defeated. This was clearly Noah holding back. But everyone was still excited to fight him, because it was a rare opportunity. Not everyone had the chance to spar with someone so strong, especially since Noah would also point out their shortcomings and help them correct them. Noah thought these spars were fine; he treated them as a way to relax. After all, always researching magic could give you a headache. Moving around and hitting people was refreshing.
Amidst all this fighting and fun, the end of the year arrived. Natsu and Wendy had learned the basics of literacy, but any deeper knowledge would be up to them. Wendy was happy to study, but Natsu wasn't a big fan. Noah didn't force him. When they were brawling and Noah wasn't participating, he would chat with Kagura, Yukino, and Wendy on the sidelines, sharing all sorts of magical knowledge and stories, helping to broaden their horizons.
It should also be mentioned that one more person joined Fairy Tail at the end of the year: Jellal. No, he should be called Mystogan; that was his alias in this world. After several months, he had finally come to understand the basic situation of this world and had confirmed that what Noah told him was true. So, he gave himself an alias and kept his face hidden. When he came, he first found Noah, and with his introduction, he joined the guild. Of course, he also explained his situation to Makarov. Makarov, knowing the circumstances, didn't ask what Mystogan's mission was. He could see in his eyes that he was not a bad kid, and so he let him join.
After joining the guild, Mystogan demonstrated his skills, and after getting approval, he had planned to take some requests and leave. But Noah pulled him back to his house to see Wendy. Wendy was overjoyed to see him and excitedly shared all the happy things that had happened to her since she joined the guild. Noah gave Mystogan a few more magic items, but this time, Mystogan refused to accept them no matter what. Noah thought about it and finally had to make him agree to collect some common materials in return. Only then did he accept the items. After that, Mystogan left to continue his journey. Wendy wasn't as sad this time, because she knew that since he had joined Fairy Tail, she would be able to see him often. This was just a temporary farewell.
Soon, the year X777 passed, and X778 began. Not long into the new year, the guild welcomed another new member: Levy. She had heard that Fairy Tail had a huge collection of books, which was why she joined. Thanks to Noah's constant collecting, Fairy Tail's library was much larger than before. The first time Levy saw the archive, her eyes sparkled, and she was incredibly thankful she had joined.
A short time later, Noah saw three new faces in the guild. A figure in a black cloak was sitting at the counter; from the side, he could see white hair underneath the hood. The other two also had white hair, a boy and a girl. The boy was a bit older, wearing a small blue suit; the girl was a bit younger, wearing a pink dress. The two of them were already brawling with Natsu and Gray.
Noah had a good idea of who these three were, but he still went over to Ultear to ask. "Are those three new members?"
"Mhm. They joined a few days ago. They're three siblings. The older sister is the one at the counter. The other two are her younger brother and sister."
"Their sister doesn't look like she's doing too well. Did something happen?"
"We don't know. They haven't said much. The Master might know something."
"Then I'll go ask Gramps."
Noah went to the counter and found Makarov. "Did something happen with those three new members?"
"I knew you'd ask the moment you came over. But as for the specifics, you should probably just ask them yourself. It has to do with the older sister's magic."
"What magic?"
"Take Over. Normally, that magic isn't a problem. The problem is, the older sister took over the power of a demon, and because she's unfamiliar with her own magic, her right arm is permanently stuck in its demonic state."
"If that's the case, her talent must be very high, to be able to take over a demon's power. But a demon's power... a demon's arm? In the eyes of people who don't understand, that would be a symbol of misfortune. I can imagine their life must have been very hard."
"Mhm. She'll have to rely on herself to overcome this. If she can't accept her own magic, she'll never be able to control it, and her arm will be difficult to change back."