Chapter 244: Potential Danger
"Alright, we'll duel tomorrow! Happy, let's go train! We're gonna beat Noah tomorrow!" Natsu yelled, already recovered and racing out of the guild.
"Aye! See you later, Lucy!" Happy called, flying after him.
"Whoa, Natsu's gonna fight Noah tomorrow?"
"This is gonna be good! I can't wait!"
"Who do you think will win?"
"Are you stupid? Noah, obviously. The real question is how many minutes Natsu will last."
The guild was already buzzing with excitement.
"A duel?" Ultear asked as Noah walked over. "How are you planning to handle it?"
"Hmm, I'll drag it out a bit," Noah said. "Natsu's gotten a lot stronger. Putting some real pressure on him and letting him go all out will be good training."
"Ara, Natsu will be thrilled," Mirajane said with a smile. Natsu was always looking for a real fight.
"Yes, it will be an excellent training opportunity for him," Erza agreed.
"I think just beating him up severely is the best training," Sorano suggested with a grin.
"Sister..." Yukino-kun murmured, tugging on her sleeve.
"What? You don't think so?"
"Well..." Yukino-kun looked conflicted, unable to explain why, but it felt a little mean.
"Ah, don't worry about it," Sorano said, patting her head. "Natsu will be fine."
"Does everyone really just assume Natsu's going to lose?" Lucy asked, surprised.
"The power gap is just too big," Carla explained. "Natsu has no chance of winning."
"I see..."
"Forget that," Sorano said, perking up. "Let's all go shopping! It's rare that we're all here. We should buy some new clothes and food!"
At the mention of shopping, the girls' eyes lit up.
"Good idea," Erza said. "I need to see if any new armor sets are in stock."
"Yes, and I want to check out the new season's styles," Ultear added.
"Noah, you should come, too," Mirajane said, inviting him. "You could use some new clothes."
Noah's first instinct was to refuse. Shopping trips with them were never short. But when he saw all of their hopeful, expectant faces, he sighed and agreed.
"Great! Let's go now! Lucy, you're coming too!" Ultear said, their good mood infectious.
"Okay!" Lucy agreed happily.
And so, the group of S-Class women, the younger girls, and Lucy all headed out, with Noah following along.
It was summer, but the morning sun was just pleasantly warm. A light breeze kept the heat at bay. As they walked, the shopkeepers and neighbors all greeted them warmly.
"My, what a big group! Off somewhere fun?"
"Little Wendy-kun! Out to play?"
"Oh, Noah's with you! Well, that's a relief."
They waved and called back. "We're just heading downtown to buy some new clothes!"
"Oh, wonderful! Make sure to dress Wendy-kun and the girls up real pretty!"
"Of course!" Ultear laughed.
"Wow, the neighbors all seem to know and like you guys," Lucy said.
"Of course," Noah explained. "Fairy Tail has been in Magnolia for almost a hundred years. Most of us grew up here, and these neighbors watched us run around as kids. We're all one big family."
Lucy was touched. The warm, close-knit atmosphere between the guild members, and even the whole town, was incredible.
They walked along, chatting and window-shopping. When they passed a dessert shop, Erza and the others immediately went in.
"Wow, a lot of these cakes have the Fairy Tail emblem on them," Lucy noticed.
"The guild's pretty famous, so we get a lot of tourists," Ultear explained. "Putting our mark on things is good for business. We don't mind, as long as the shops are honest. We even have our own souvenir shop at the guild hall."
"More than 'pretty famous'," Lucy said, her eyes sparkling. "Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord are the two biggest guilds in all of Fiore! You're always in Weekly Sorcerer!"
"We don't really care about the fame," Noah said. "But it's good for the guild and good for Magnolia. But... you should know, our relationship with Phantom Lord is... very bad."
Lucy nodded. "I know. The magazines are always reporting on your rivalry."
"They are the ones who always start trouble," Noah said. "We just finish it. Did your parents ever mention them?"
"They did," Lucy said. "My dad told me to never go near Phantom Lord. He said their business practices are terrible, and their Guild Master, Jose, is a bad person. My dad refuses to send them any of anour family's job requests."
"Lucy's parents, huh? We've only ever heard Noah talk about them," Ultear mused.
"Oh! You should all come over to my house and visit!" Lucy said, her face lighting up. "My parents would be thrilled to meet you!"
"I'd love to!" Sorano said.
"Would we be intruding?" Mirajane asked.
"Not at all! It's usually just my parents and the staff. My dad does all his business in the city just so he can keep the house 'peaceful and quiet'."
"Still, we should probably give them a heads-up," Noah said. "It's one thing for me to drop by, but if this whole group—and probably Natsu and Gray—show up unannounced, it might be a bit much."
"Good point," Lucy agreed.
"By the way, Lucy," Noah said, his tone turning serious, "you need to be careful. Now that Phantom knows you've joined Fairy Tail, they might try to do something... reckless."
Lucy looked confused.
"The Heartfilia Conglomerate is the wealthiest in all of Fiore," Noah explained. "You're their only heir. I can only imagine how jealous and furious a man like Jose will be when he finds out. He will see you as a target."
"Really? But... they're a legal guild..."
"Your own father said their conduct is terrible," Noah said. "You can't treat them like a normal guild. I'll warn Natsu and the others to keep an eye on you."
Erza, who had just finished ordering an obscene amount of strawberry cake, walked over. "Noah's right. I've heard plenty of rumors about Phantom's shady operations. There's just never been any solid proof for the Council to act on."
"I... okay. I'll be careful," Lucy said, finally understanding the seriousness.
"You're teaming up with Natsu, right?" Ultear said, taking charge. "Stick with him on jobs. When you're in town, stick with one of us. We'll make sure you're safe. Noah, you should put a protective barrier on her apartment."
"Oh, no, you don't have to go to all that trouble!" Lucy said, flustered. "It's fine!"
"Ara ara, Lucy," Mirajane said, her voice gentle but firm. "We can't just do nothing when we know a comrade might be in danger. If something happened because we weren't prepared... we'd never forgive ourselves."
The others knew she was thinking of the "Beast King" incident. Erza put a supportive hand on her shoulder.
Lucy, seeing the unshakeable determination in their eyes, finally relented. "Okay. Thank you."
Just then, Wendy and the younger girls finished picking out their own desserts.
"Are you all buying that much?" Noah asked, looking at the mountain of cake boxes.
"A girl has a second stomach for dessert, you know," Sorano said proudly.
"Just... be careful. You don't want to get cavities. Or... you know... gain weight."
At the words "gain weight," all the S-Class women froze.
"Are you... saying we're fat, Noah?" Mirajane asked, her smile suddenly looking very sharp.
Noah saw the cold glint in their eyes. "No! Not at all! I just mean... you have to make sure your exercise keeps up!"
"Oh, well that's fine then," Ultear said, her expression relaxing. "Our exercise is plenty. But you're right. After all these sweets, we should probably add an extra session. Let's all go to the training grounds this afternoon."
"An excellent idea," Erza said seriously.
"We must not get fat!" Sorano declared.
"We'll come too!" Wendy-kun chimed in.
The shops would deliver the mountain of desserts later. "Alright," Ultear said, looking at the time. "Now, to the clothing stores!"
Erza led the charge, and Noah and the others followed in her wake.
~~~
Get early access to 50+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn