Chapter 591: This is Our Current Guild, Fairy Tail
During the final seven days in Alvarez, August and Irene were incredibly busy making their respective preparations.
Noah, however, didn't rest. Once he had meticulously cataloged and stored the mountain of advanced laboratory equipment Irene had gifted him into his magical cards, he immediately began drafting architectural blueprints.
Since he had just acquired the pinnacle of Alvarez scientific technology, he needed to completely redesign the layout of his underground laboratory beneath Fairy Tail. He drafted highly optimized floor plans, routing schematics for Ethernano conduits, and dedicated containment zones, ensuring everything was perfectly prepped so he could begin installation the moment they arrived in Ishgar.
Once his blueprints were finalized, Noah spent the remaining days multitasking. While a Thought Projection taught Irene the improved cloning spell, his true body divided his time between studying the rare historical tomes August had procured and meticulously analyzing Irene's centuries of biological data.
He continuously refined his theoretical cure, accounting for the new data points and finalizing the clinical procedures. By the time the deadline arrived, he had developed a robust, highly viable treatment plan.
Finally, the seventh day arrived. August, Mavis, and Irene gathered in the empty laboratory within Irene's castle.
"Is everyone fully prepared?" Noah asked, looking at the group.
"We've handled everything on our end. We also successfully acquired His Majesty's entire archive on soul manipulation," Mavis smiled, patting a leather satchel slung over her shoulder. "I must admit, Zeref's understanding of the soul is truly terrifying. He is undeniably a genius; four hundred years of relentless study yielded unimaginable results."
Hearing Mavis's assessment, Irene smiled faintly.
When Noah had explained that her soul was still human, she had found hope. Knowing that Mavis had secured Zeref's actual soul-manipulation formulas meant they possessed the exact theoretical roadmap required to reverse the physical mutation.
"I am ready as well," Irene announced.
She had packed all her personal belongings and the massive haul of gifts for Fairy Tail into her own spatial storage. Furthermore, she had successfully mastered Noah's improved Thought Projection magic.
Standing right beside her was a flawless, physical clone possessing half of her total Ethernano reserves. Because of the spell's advanced architecture, the clone was indistinguishable from the original; anyone lacking absolute, god-tier sensory capabilities wouldn't be able to tell which Irene was real.
"Ah, right. Several of the custom orders I placed haven't arrived yet. They should be delivered within the next few days," Irene noted. "I'll need you to teleport back here to retrieve them."
"Not a problem. I'll make the trip," Noah nodded. Commuting across the continent took him a fraction of a second; it was a trivial request, especially since he knew those orders were specifically for Erza and the guild.
"Alright. Since everyone is ready, let's head home," Noah smiled.
He raised his hand, and a massive golden spatial array expanded beneath their feet. In a flash of blinding light, the four of them vanished from the castle, leaving only Irene's clone standing in the empty laboratory.
When the light faded, they were standing on a grassy hill overlooking a bustling, beautiful city.
"This is Magnolia, a city within the Kingdom of Fiore," Noah announced, gesturing to the sprawling town below. "And our guild, Fairy Tail, is located right in the center."
"So this is Magnolia..." August murmured.
His voice trembled slightly, and a profound, incredibly complex wave of emotion washed over his weathered face.
This was the city where he was born. This was the city where Precht had abandoned him as an infant.
Decades ago, he had secretly traveled here just to see it. But when he learned that Mavis had "died" and Precht had taken over as the Second Guild Master, the crushing sorrow had driven him away, and he had never returned.
Now, eighty years later, he was standing on the same hill, looking down at his birthplace.
He noticed the subtle changes. The city had expanded. Certain hills he remembered from his youth had been flattened to make way for new, sprawling districts. But the overall peaceful, vibrant atmosphere remained entirely unchanged.
August stared at the city, completely lost in his memories, his eyes glazing over slightly.
Irene was equally silent.
She was originally from Ishgar. She had been born here, ruled a kingdom here, and suffered four centuries of agony here before Zeref had invited her to the Western Continent.
Returning to her homeland after twenty-one years stirred a chaotic storm of memories. But more importantly, Noah had told her that Erza had lived in this exact city for over a decade.
Her daughter was down there.
A sudden, overwhelming wave of anxiety gripped Irene's heart. She fell completely silent, staring at the city with a mixture of desperate longing and profound terror.
Noah and Mavis noticed their silence. Understanding the sheer emotional weight this city held for both of them, they didn't speak. They simply stood quietly, giving August and Irene the time they needed to process their feelings.
After a long, quiet moment, August took a deep breath, breaking the silence.
"Where are we going first?" August asked, turning to Mavis and Noah.
"We should probably find a place to stay," Irene suggested softly, her eyes darting away from the city center.
Despite having mentally prepared herself for this exact moment, now that she was literally minutes away from seeing Erza, her courage completely failed her. She desperately wanted to delay the inevitable reunion, terrified of how her daughter would react.
"That's a good idea. Let's get you two settled first," Noah nodded, easily reading Irene's sudden panic.
"Indeed. We need to secure proper accommodations," Mavis agreed, playing along. She currently lived in Fairy Hills, the female dormitory. She obviously couldn't bring a massive, eighty-eight-year-old man to live there with her.
"We'll rent two rooms at a high-end inn for now. Once you're comfortable, you can look into purchasing actual houses in the city," Noah suggested. Given their astronomical personal wealth, buying premium real estate in Magnolia would be trivial.
"Acceptable. Let us proceed to the inn," August nodded, fully composing himself.
Irene simply nodded silently.
The four of them walked down the hill and entered the bustling streets of Magnolia.
"Hey, Noah! You're back!"
"It's been a while, Noah! How was the trip?!"
"First Master Mavis! Welcome back!"
As they walked through the market district, the local shopkeepers and citizens immediately recognized Noah and Mavis, waving and calling out cheerful greetings. Noah and Mavis happily waved back, returning the warm greetings.
August and Irene, however, drew significantly different reactions.
"The atmosphere here is wonderfully vibrant," August smiled, watching the citizens interact with his mother so casually. It was a stark contrast to the rigid, militaristic reverence of the Alvarez capital.
Irene remained silent. She constantly scanned the architecture and the crowds, her draconic eyes sharp and assessing. Whenever the local men, drawn by her striking beauty and revealing outfit, dared to stare at her, she would simply shift her gaze toward them.
The moment her cold, predatory eyes locked onto them, the men would physically flinch, instinctively feeling like they had just been targeted by an apex predator. They would instantly look away and quickly shuffle off, terrified.
The group arrived at a premium inn near the center of the city and quickly booked two luxury suites for August and Irene.
"Alright, now that you're checked in, let's head to the guild. Everyone is incredibly eager to meet you," Noah said, clapping his hands.
"Indeed. I must formally express my gratitude to them," August nodded seriously.
"You didn't... tell her, did you?" Irene asked, suddenly looking at Noah with deep suspicion.
She had explicitly told Noah that she wanted to reveal her identity to Erza personally. Had he ruined the surprise?
"I haven't said a word," Noah shook his head reassuringly. "Since you wanted to tell her yourself, I kept it a complete secret. But knowing our guild, they'll be thrilled to welcome you regardless."
"Good," Irene exhaled, a massive wave of relief washing over her. She was terrified of walking in and finding Erza already furious or crying.
However, realizing that the reunion was now unavoidable, Irene's anxiety vanished, replaced by a cold, hardened resolve. Ripping off the bandage quickly was better than agonizing over it.
Seeing that Irene had steeled her nerves, Noah and Mavis exchanged a knowing smile.
Noah took the lead, guiding August, Mavis, and Irene through the winding streets of Magnolia until they reached the massive, bustling courtyard of the Fairy Tail guildhall.
They walked past the memorial fountain, waved to Macao who was manning the souvenir stand, and stopped in front of the massive double doors.
Max, who was helping Macao, stared at Irene's back. Specifically, he stared at her vibrant, cascading scarlet hair, his eyes widening in confusion. In the entire city, only one person possessed that exact shade of hair.
"This is our current guild, Fairy Tail," Noah smiled, pointing up at the massive guild crest above the doors.
He reached out and pushed the heavy wooden doors open.
Instantly, a wall of deafening, chaotic noise washed over them.
The guildhall was an absolute madhouse. People were drinking, laughing, playing cards, and dancing on tables.
But more importantly, a massive, violent brawl was currently raging in the dead center of the hall.
"What did you call me, you droopy-eyed bastard?!"
"I called you a squinty-eyed freak, Ice Princess!"
"A real man fights with his fists!"
"Flame-brain, stop hitting me!"
BANG! CRASH! THUD!
Natsu, Gray, Elfman, and Gajeel were currently rolling around in a massive, violent dogpile, smashing tables and throwing chairs at each other.
Noah didn't even blink. This was just a standard Tuesday.
"Let's go inside," Noah smiled, stepping casually into the warzone. Mavis happily skipped in right behind him.
August and Irene paused at the threshold. A chaotic storm of emotions swirled in their chests. They took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The moment they crossed the threshold, both August and Irene stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes widening in genuine surprise.
"This... this is an incredibly complex warding matrix," August noted, looking around the hall with a critical eye.
"Noah designed it to protect the guild," Mavis explained proudly, noticing their reactions.
"Impressive. Even with a cursory glance, I can identify at least five highly advanced, overlapping functions," August nodded approvingly.
Irene wasn't as versatile in general warding as August, but her absolute mastery of Enchantment allowed her to immediately recognize the sheer density and quality of the runes woven into the building's architecture. It was a fortress. She instantly understood just how fiercely Noah protected this place.
"I'm back!" Noah shouted, his voice easily cutting through the chaos.
The moment he spoke, a stray wooden chair, launched from the center of the brawl, came hurtling through the air directly toward his face.
SMACK!
Noah didn't even flinch. He casually raised his right hand and caught the chair by the leg, stopping it dead in its tracks.
"I know I've been gone for a while, but isn't this welcome a bit aggressive?" Noah asked, a teasing smirk playing on his lips.
"NOAH! You're back! FIGHT ME! I'm definitely going to beat you this time!"
A terrifyingly familiar roar erupted from the dogpile. Natsu violently shoved Gray and Gajeel away, igniting his fists with roaring flames as he launched himself through the air directly at Noah.
Noah casually tossed the wooden chair aside, letting it clatter harmlessly onto a nearby table.
As Natsu closed the distance, throwing a flaming right hook, Noah smoothly sidestepped the blow. He raised his right hand, tucked his middle finger behind his thumb, and casually flicked Natsu perfectly in the center of his forehead.
THWACK!
The sheer kinetic force of the flick instantly reversed Natsu's momentum. The Fire Dragon Slayer was violently launched backward, screaming as he crashed head-first back into the exact center of the brawl, bowling over Gray, Gajeel, and Elfman like bowling pins.
~~~
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