Chapter 594: How Strong Do We Have to Be for You to Tell Us?
"As for why the three of you have managed to avoid the terminal side effects of Dragon Slayer Magic, I'll explain it to you once you're a bit stronger," Noah said smoothly, offering a mysterious smile. "However, I can tell you exactly why Laxus is immune. It's because he acquired his magic through a Dragon Lacrima. The presence of the Lacrima within his body acts as a biological buffer, completely negating the Dragonification process."
"So a Dragon Lacrima has that kind of hidden benefit," Laxus chuckled, crossing his arms.
His Lacrima had been surgically implanted into his body when he was a frail, sickly child as a desperate measure to save his life and grant him strength. He never imagined that the artificial implant had inadvertently saved him from an apocalyptic biological mutation.
"That's wonderful! I'm so glad Laxus doesn't have to worry about turning into a Dragon!" Wendy smiled, genuinely relieved for him.
"But wait... if Laxus is immune because of his Lacrima, why are we immune?" Gajeel frowned, his sharp eyes narrowing as he analyzed the situation. "Did someone implant something inside us without us knowing?"
Hearing Gajeel's incredibly accurate deduction, Noah, August, and Irene all simultaneously, instinctively glanced down at the Slayers' stomachs.
Irene's draconic eyes darkened with profound realization. August's gentle smile widened slightly.
However, because the Slayers were still reeling from the horrific revelation that their magic was supposed to mutate them into giant reptiles, none of them noticed the three master mages staring at their abdomens.
"You'll have to figure that out on your own. Or, as I said, wait until your strength reaches an acceptable level, and I'll tell you everything," Noah replied casually.
"Dammit! You bastard! Stop giving us half-answers!" Natsu roared, jumping up from the floorboards and glaring at Noah.
Knowing a massive secret about his own body and not being able to punch the answer out of Noah was absolute torture.
"Knowing too much right now won't do you any good; it will only distract you. Just focus on training," Noah said, looking directly into Natsu's eyes, his expression turning completely serious. "If you train hard enough and reach the benchmark I set, I won't just tell you about your bodies. I'll also tell you exactly why your foster father, Igneel, disappeared."
"WHAT?!"
Natsu practically jumped out of his skin. He lunged forward, desperately grabbing the collar of Noah's shirt.
"You know where Igneel is?!" Natsu screamed, his eyes burning with absolute, frantic desperation.
Beside him, Gajeel and Wendy instantly snapped to attention, staring at Noah with intense, desperate hope.
Noah gently but firmly grabbed Natsu's wrists, peeling the Slayer's hands off his collar.
"I have a very good idea of what happened to them," Noah explained calmly. "But telling you right now won't help you. In fact, it would only put you in danger. You are only allowed to know the truth when you possess the strength to handle it. I am doing this to protect you."
"Then how strong do we have to be?!" Natsu demanded, struggling briefly against Noah's grip before realizing he couldn't break free. He forced himself to calm down. "Tell me the benchmark!"
"Let's see..." Noah hummed, looking around the guildhall. His eyes eventually landed on the massive, cloaked figure of Gildarts, who was currently sitting next to Cana.
"When you possess exactly one-fifth of Gildarts's current strength... or when you can fight Ur to a perfect standstill. Achieve either of those benchmarks, and you will have earned the right to know everything," Noah declared with a confident smile. "Alternatively, if the natural flow of time reaches the appropriate moment, I'll tell you regardless."
Given how rapidly Gildarts had grown over the last few years, reaching even twenty percent of the Crash Mage's current apocalyptic power was a monumental task.
As for Ur... her innate talent and potential were utterly terrifying. Having spent the last decade in Fairy Tail, constantly spurred on by sparring with monsters like Noah and Gildarts, her growth rate had skyrocketed. If she walked into the Alvarez Empire right now, she could effortlessly claim a seat among the Spriggan 12.
Setting Ur's current strength as a benchmark was actually a significantly more practical goal than aiming for Gildarts. But even then, Ur was constantly growing. If the Slayers didn't train like their lives depended on it, they would never catch up to her.
"Huh?!"
Gajeel and Wendy's jaws practically hit the floor.
One-fifth of Gildarts? A tie with Ur?! Are you out of your mind?!
Even reaching that level would take them years, if not decades. Gildarts and Ur were absolute, incomprehensible monsters. The guild rarely ever saw them fight seriously because whenever they did intervene, the enemy was completely obliterated in a single strike.
Natsu challenged them regularly, and every single time, he was casually swatted into a wall. The power gap was an endless abyss.
Gajeel glared at Noah, utterly convinced that the Guild Master was deliberately giving them an impossible task just to mess with them.
"There's no way we can do that anytime soon, Natsu," Happy sighed, looking at his partner helplessly. "I think we're better off just waiting until Noah decides the 'time is right.'"
"Yeah... I think I'll just wait for Noah-nii to tell me..." Wendy whimpered, completely overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity of the benchmark. She knew exactly how massive the gap was between her and Natsu, let alone her and Ur.
"NO WAY! I'M GOING TO BEAT GILDARTS AND UR, AND THEN I'M GOING TO MAKE NOAH SPIT OUT THE TRUTH! I'M FIRED UP!"
Natsu roared, his eyes blazing with absolute, unadulterated passion. A massive, roaring pillar of flames violently erupted from his entire body.
Noah didn't give him an impossible goal to discourage him; he gave him a concrete target to chase. And Natsu lived for the chase.
"Stop catching on fire inside the guild, you idiot. It's hot," Noah sighed, casually slapping his hand down on Natsu's shoulder. The sheer kinetic pressure of the slap instantly extinguished the roaring flames.
"Having confidence is a good thing," Noah smiled. "I look forward to seeing you reach the benchmark."
"YEAH! Happy, we're going training right now!" Natsu yelled, completely reinvigorated.
"Aye, sir!" Happy saluted.
"Hold on, I'm not finished," Noah said, catching Natsu by the scarf before he could bolt.
Noah's expression turned incredibly serious. "Listen to me carefully. We do not fear trouble, but we also shouldn't actively invite it. You must absolutely never reveal to the outside world that Dragon Slayer Magic transforms humans into Dragons. Do you understand?"
Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy all nodded solemnly.
Despite his hot-headed nature, Natsu wasn't stupid. He understood exactly what Noah was implying. To normal people, turning into a Dragon sounded like a horrific curse. But to the dark, twisted, and power-hungry mages of the underworld, the prospect of acquiring the immortal body and apocalyptic power of a Dragon was the ultimate prize. If the secret leaked, they would be hunted relentlessly.
Seeing that they understood the gravity of the situation, Noah smiled.
"One last thing. When you take on jobs over the next few weeks, do not travel too far from Magnolia. I will be initiating Irene's biological treatments very soon, and I am going to need your help," Noah instructed.
"Got it! Let's go, Happy!" Natsu yelled, tearing out of Noah's grip and sprinting toward the guild doors.
"Lily, let's go. There's no way I'm letting the salamander beat me to that benchmark," Gajeel grunted.
"Understood," Panther Lily nodded. He turned to Noah. "We'll be taking our leave."
"Make sure Gajeel doesn't wander off too far," Noah reminded him.
"Carla, let's go train too!" Wendy said, her fists clenched with determination. Even if the benchmark seemed impossible, she refused to be left behind.
"Please don't push yourself too hard, Wendy," Carla sighed anxiously, though she dutifully followed her partner out of the guild.
"If you need me for the research, just give me a shout. I'll be training in the guild's underground facility for the foreseeable future," Laxus smirked, pushing himself off the bar.
Since the benchmark Noah set involved confronting catastrophic danger, Laxus knew he needed to elevate his own strength as well. He had never abandoned his goal of catching up to Noah, and he intended to use this time to close the gap.
"I'll let you know when we're ready," Noah nodded.
With the Slayers gone, Makarov, who had been listening silently with a deep frown, finally spoke up.
"To think that Dragon Slayer Magic carried such a horrific curse..." Makarov murmured, stroking his mustache. He turned his gaze toward Irene. "So, you are hoping Noah can cure your dragonification?"
"Yes. Noah demonstrated a highly viable pathway to resolve my condition," Irene replied politely.
"August and I will also be assisting him with the research," Mavis added with a bright smile. August nodded respectfully to Makarov to confirm the statement.
"I see..." Makarov muttered.
Even though he couldn't accurately gauge August or Irene's magical signatures, his decades of experience as a Guild Master told him that both of these individuals possessed apocalyptic levels of power. If a mage of Irene's caliber couldn't cure her own affliction after four hundred years, the sheer complexity of the biological engineering required was unimaginable.
Makarov looked at Noah, his eyes softening with deep, grandfatherly concern.
"Noah... please do not push yourself past your limits. If you need anything—anything at all—you must tell me, do you understand?" Makarov instructed, making absolutely no effort to hide his blatant favoritism and familial love for his grandson.
Even though Irene was Erza's mother, Makarov's primary concern was, and always would be, Noah's well-being.
"I know, Grandpa. I'll be careful," Noah smiled warmly, nodding in acknowledgment.
Standing nearby, Irene didn't feel insulted or angered by Makarov's blatant prioritization of Noah's safety over her cure.
In fact, she felt the exact opposite.
Having had her maternal instincts fully awakened, her personality had significantly softened. Seeing the genuine, unconditional familial love radiating from the Guild Master only warmed her heart.
She felt a profound sense of peace knowing that Erza had grown up in a guild led by a man who cared for his children this deeply. Under Makarov's guidance, the guild could never stray into darkness, and the children within it were truly, unconditionally protected.
~~~
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