Chapter 198: Noah: It's Yours
"Alright, now that the Golden Lion is down, let's help process it and see what materials we can salvage."
Noah called out to the girls, ready to let the lion serve its final purpose. But he noticed Mirajane's hesitant expression.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "You look conflicted."
"I... I want to leave the Golden Lion's body for Elfman."
"For his Take Over, right?" Noah understood immediately. "Yeah, of course. He can have it." The other three girls nodded in agreement.
A smile flickered across Mirajane's face, but she quickly composed herself, her expression serious. "That's not right," she said. "We agreed that the reward for the subjugation quests—not counting the SS-Class and guard quests—would be split between me, Erza, Ultear, and Sorano. And you would get the monster bodies.
"If you just give me the S-Class monster's body, it's not fair to you."
Noah looked at her and could see she was genuinely concerned about taking advantage of him. "It's really fine," he said. "But if you feel like I'm losing out, just give me your share of the reward money for this one. How about that?"
He saw she was about to protest again, so he held up a hand to stop her. "Seriously," he said, looking at all four of them. "If you need something, just ask. We're comrades. That's what we do. If I can, I'll give it to you. If I can't, we'll figure it out together. Don't overthink it."
Erza and the others nodded. Mirajane looked at Noah for a long moment before finally nodding, too.
Before the trip, they had agreed that since Noah wouldn't be participating in the smaller subjugation quests, the four of them would split the reward money, and in exchange—both as thanks for bringing them on the SS-Class mission and because he needed the materials—Noah would get the monster bodies.
A regular monster's body was one thing, but an S-Class monster's body was worth a fortune. It was part of their "payment" to him. Even giving him her share of the reward money didn't come close to the value of the Golden Lion, which was even stronger than The Beast King. But since Noah had insisted, she had no choice but to accept, burying the gratitude deep in her heart.
Combined with everything he'd done for her and her siblings, she realized she owed Noah so much. A soft, shimmering light flickered in her eyes as she gazed at him.
At her side, Ultear's and Sorano's expressions instantly sharpened. They both stepped in at the exact same time, physically blocking Mirajane's view of Noah.
"Aaaand, since Noah gave you the lion's body, we're all done here!" Ultear said, a little too cheerfully, as she started pushing Mirajane away. "Let's go take a break!"
"Right!" Sorano chimed in, grabbing Erza, who had been about to offer Noah a hand. "Erza, you come too. Noah will handle the cleanup."
"You guys go rest," Noah said, waving them off. "I'll take care of the body and the surrounding area."
Erza let Sorano pull her away, and the four girls went to sit down.
Noah looked at the Golden Lion's body, then at the swath of trees destroyed in their fight. He got to work. First, he carefully prepared the lion's body as required for Take Over magic and stored it.
Then, he raised his hand, a magic circle expanding before him.
"Green Magic!"
Countless saplings sprouted from the scarred earth, growing into towering trees in mere seconds. Noah continued to pour magic into the land, and soon, the patch of forest that had been obliterated was restored, now even more lush than before. The crater from the explosion was filled, and the ground was level once more. When he was finished, there was no sign that a battle had ever taken place.
He walked over to where Ultear and the others were resting. They had already broken out snacks.
"All set?" Ultear asked as he approached.
"All set," Noah confirmed, sitting down and grabbing a snack. "We'll rest for a bit, then head out. We've got about ten more days until we reach Sitri's last known location. Are you all prepared?"
"As ready as we can be," Erza said, mid-bite of her favorite strawberry cake. "We'll see how it goes in practice."
"We don't know the demon's exact abilities," Ultear added. "All we can do is prepare based on our strengths and the information we have."
Noah nodded. "That's good enough. I'm looking forward to seeing what you've come up with. Oh, speaking of which," he said, turning to Mirajane, "I just remembered, when we were leaving the guild, Elfman and Lisanna looked miserable. What was that about?"
"Oh, that? Nothing much," Mirajane said with an innocent smile. "I just gave them some tasks before I left. They'll have an exam when I get back. If they don't pass, I'm doubling their training."
Noah could only mourn for them in silence for a few seconds. No wonder they looked so devastated. Their "guardian" had assigned homework.
After resting, they set out again. For more than ten days, they continued their journey, clearing out a few more monsters along the way. Finally, they arrived at the last place Sitri had been seen.
It was a town that had been utterly annihilated.
The once-bustling streets were now nothing but charred ruins. As far as they could see, everything bore the signs of an all-consuming fire. The streets were blanketed in gray ash. Half-burnt doors hung crookedly on their hinges, windows were shattered, and every wall was covered in deep scorch marks.
The entire town was eerily silent, save for the occasional caw of a bird or the croak of a frog. A gust of wind stirred the ashes, sending dark flurries into the air like black snow. Under the bright, cheerful sun, the ruin of the town felt impossAmensely desolate.
As they walked into the town, they saw them—massive, giant footprints, a clear sign of the creature that had invaded.
"This is... what Sitri did?" Sorano asked, looking at Noah.
~~~
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