Chapter 597: Of Course, You Are All the Most Important!
"Everyone is the protagonist of their own story, right? In your own life, you are the absolute main character," Noah smiled, seeing Sorano's playful pout.
"Exactly! I am the main character of my life!" Sorano declared confidently, planting her hands on her hips. "And given everything I've been through, even if I was written into someone else's story, I would definitely be one of the most important characters!"
"You're right. You should absolutely be one of the most important characters," Noah chuckled, reaching out to affectionately pat Sorano's head. Sorano beamed brightly, leaning into the touch.
"By the way..." Mirajane leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "Since Irene and August are both incredibly powerful... how do they compare to you? Who is stronger?"
Hearing Mirajane's question, the rest of the group immediately turned their attention to Noah. It was a fascinating question.
"When I fought them recently, they were both slightly stronger than me," Noah replied honestly after a moment of thought. "However, after fighting them, my strength has surged significantly over the last few days. If we were to fight head-on right now, I could fight either of them to a perfect standstill."
Thanks to his anomalous growth rate and his monstrous physical recovery, Noah was confident he could now perfectly match the Magic King and the Dragon Queen in a battle of attrition without being overwhelmed.
"That strong...?" Ultear murmured, her eyes widening in profound awe. "All three of you are absolute monsters."
As someone deeply connected to Noah, Ultear understood his terrifying power better than almost anyone. After his apocalyptic clash with Acnologia, Noah had never needed to fight at absolute maximum capacity. Yet, she could constantly feel his magical density rapidly expanding, pushing his already absurd limits even higher.
To think that even that level of power had been slightly inferior to August and Irene just a week ago... it truly contextualized the terrifying might of the Alvarez Empire's absolute pinnacle.
"But Noah will surpass them soon," Erza said, her voice brimming with absolute confidence as she smiled warmly at him.
Given his young age and the sheer velocity of his growth, she had zero doubt that Noah would eclipse the two four-hundred-year-old monsters in the near future.
"Exactly! Noah is going to leave them in the dust!" Sorano cheered, pumping her fists in the air.
"Of course I will," Noah grinned confidently.
Standing behind the bar, Makarov had initially felt his heart clench with anxiety upon hearing the true power of the Alvarez shields. Ever since learning about Zeref's connection to the Empire, Makarov had viewed Alvarez as a terrifying, apocalyptic threat to Fairy Tail. Knowing they possessed mages stronger than Noah was horrifying.
But then, Makarov relaxed.
August was Mavis's son, and his entire existence revolved around her happiness. There was absolutely no reality where August would ever willingly harm Fairy Tail.
Irene was Erza's mother, genuinely desperate to reconcile with her daughter, and completely dependent on Noah to cure her four-hundred-year curse. She would fiercely protect the guild.
The two strongest, most apocalyptic threats in the Alvarez Empire were functionally part of Fairy Tail's extended family. The looming, existential dread that had plagued Makarov for months vanished completely. His heart felt lighter than it had in years.
Laxus, leaning against a nearby pillar, had a very different reaction.
He had always viewed Noah as the ultimate benchmark. He knew Noah was an absolute monster. He had privately analyzed the power of the Ten Wizard Saints and concluded that, aside from the Four Gods of Ishgar, he could likely defeat any of them. Noah, however, was leagues above the Saints.
Hearing that there were two more mages on the continent stronger than Noah didn't intimidate Laxus; it thrilled him.
The blood boiled in his veins. Excluding Noah, Gildarts, and Ur, Laxus was arguably the fourth strongest mage in the guild, having already surpassed his grandfather. The sudden introduction of new, apocalyptic ceilings of power ignited a blazing fire in his chest.
He knew he couldn't surpass Noah anytime soon. But reaching Noah's current level of power? That was a goal he could chase. He was more motivated to train than ever before.
"Ah, that reminds me. I brought back a ton of souvenirs for everyone!" Noah suddenly announced, clapping his hands together.
He dispelled the soundproofing ward surrounding their table and reached into his spatial storage, pulling out a thick stack of magical cards. He began unsealing them, retrieving massive piles of regional specialties, intricate crafts, and unique magical tools from the Western Continent.
"Ooh! Let me see! What did you bring?!" Sorano instantly perked up, practically diving over the table to inspect the loot.
"Patience. I got something specifically for you," Noah chuckled. He handed Sorano a beautifully crafted, intricately detailed angelic doll.
"It's gorgeous!" Sorano gasped, clutching the doll to her chest with a radiant smile.
Noah then distributed the personalized gifts he had selected for Ultear, Erza, Mirajane, Makarov, and Laxus. Everyone was incredibly pleased with the thoughtful presents.
"Hey, everyone! Get over here! I brought souvenirs for the whole guild!" Noah shouted, turning toward the crowded hall.
"YEAH! What did you get us, Noah?!"
"Hey, stop shoving!"
"I was here first, you jerk!"
The guild immediately devolved into a chaotic, shoving mob as everyone rushed the bar to get their gifts. Minor brawls broke out instantly, but everyone was too excited to care.
"Don't worry, I brought enough for everyone!" Noah laughed, casually tossing out trinkets, magical tools, and exotic Western snacks.
Ultear and Mirajane stepped in to help distribute the massive haul. Within minutes, the entire guild was happily examining their new souvenirs, chatting excitedly about the strange items.
"Alright, brats! Let's throw a feast!" Makarov suddenly yelled, jumping onto the bar with a massive mug of beer in his hand.
Despite the heavy, complex revelations regarding Irene and August, the good news vastly outweighed the bad. He was genuinely, profoundly happy, and he wanted to celebrate.
"YEAAAAAH!!!" The entire guild roared in unison, raising their mugs.
The guildhall instantly erupted into a massive, boisterous party. The alcohol flowed freely, music filled the air, and laughter echoed through the building. Noah happily joined the chaos, deeply savoring the loud, vibrant, familiar atmosphere of his true home.
The party raged late into the night before everyone finally stumbled home.
Noah, Erza, Ultear, Mirajane, and Sorano returned to Noah's mansion. Wendy and Carla, who had spent the evening training, had already returned and were currently drying their hair in the living room.
The older mages quickly washed up and gathered in the living room to relax before bed.
"So, tell us about the Western Continent. What was it actually like?" Mirajane asked, toweling her wet hair as she sat on the couch.
"Yeah! You never actually gave us any details about the cities!" Sorano added eagerly, leaning forward.
Ultear and Erza also looked at Noah with deep curiosity. Wendy and the Exceeds sat cross-legged on the floor, staring up at him expectantly. Ishgar and Alvarez were worlds apart; they desperately wanted to know what the foreign superpower looked like.
"Alright, I'll give you the grand tour," Noah smiled, checking the clock. They still had a little time before bed.
He started by describing the majestic, sprawling architecture of the Imperial Capital, Vistarion. He then detailed the unique cultures, landscapes, and magical technologies of the various cities he had passed through.
To help visualize his stories, he pulled out a stack of tourist maps, travel brochures, and dozens of photographs he had taken during his journey, passing them around the room.
The girls eagerly examined the photos, their eyes sparkling with wonder and fascination as they listened to his vibrant descriptions.
"Wow... it looks so beautiful. I really want to go traveling in the Western Continent," Sorano sighed, gazing dreamily at a photo of a massive, glowing magical fountain in a foreign plaza.
"You'll get the chance eventually, but not right now," Noah chuckled, shaking his head.
A casual vacation to Alvarez was a terrible idea at the moment. He had only gone because of specific, critical missions. Until the overarching geopolitical tensions with Zeref were resolved, he wasn't about to drag his family into hostile territory for sightseeing.
"Actually, if you just want to travel, we could always take the airship out for another tour of Ishgar," Mirajane suggested with a bright smile. "Since we aren't desperately searching for the First Master's son this time, we could take it slow and properly explore all the countries and cities we rushed past."
"That's a brilliant idea!" Sorano immediately cheered, clapping her hands.
"I think the entire guild would absolutely love that," Ultear nodded thoughtfully. "A massive, guild-wide vacation."
"If we're going on a tour... I need to start mapping the route immediately," Erza declared, a fierce, burning light igniting in her eyes. "I will systematically locate and sample the strawberry cake from every single renowned bakery on the continent."
"Mhm! Mhm!" Wendy, Carla, and Happy nodded furiously in absolute agreement.
They all loved sweets. If Erza was planning a continental dessert tour, they were absolutely tagging along.
"Don't eat too much cake, or your teeth will rot," Noah warned playfully, gently tapping Erza's nose.
He leaned back, thinking it over. "Honestly, taking the airship out for a proper vacation is a great idea. We built it to be used, not to sit in the hangar gathering dust. I'll talk to Grandpa tomorrow about organizing it as an official, annual guild event."
"Yes! I'm going to start planning my itinerary right now! I want to visit so many places with Yukino!" Sorano beamed excitedly.
"We only saw the major cities briefly during our search. It would be wonderful to actually explore them," Ultear smiled.
"I'll pitch the idea to Grandpa tomorrow. But realistically, the trip will have to wait a while," Noah noted. "I won't be able to leave Magnolia for the foreseeable future."
"Because you have to cure her dragonification," Mirajane said softly, her eyes flickering toward Erza.
As expected, the bright, excited smile on Erza's face instantly dimmed slightly at the mention of Irene.
"Yes. I promised Irene I would cure her," Noah nodded seriously. He looked at Erza. "And from a purely scientific standpoint, analyzing her biology and the mutation process will yield invaluable data for my own research.
"But Erza... if you truly do not want to see her, I can arrange for her to enter the underground laboratory through a completely separate, hidden entrance. You won't ever have to cross paths with her."
"No, you don't need to do that," Erza shook her head quickly. "The First Master and August will be coming here to assist you, right? It would be incredibly rude and awkward to force her to use a secret back door while everyone else uses the main entrance in the house.
"You told me not to overthink it and just treat her like a normal person. So I will. I won't avoid her. But if I decide I truly cannot handle her presence, I will tell you, and I will walk away."
"Alright. Just remember to tell me the second you feel uncomfortable. Your well-being is the absolute most important thing to me," Noah said, his voice brimming with profound, unwavering sincerity.
"I know," Erza smiled, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
"Hey! What about me?! What about me?!" Sorano immediately demanded, pointing frantically at her own face.
"You're all the most important! Every single one of you is the most important!" Noah answered instantly, not hesitating for a fraction of a second. It was an absolute reflex at this point.
"Hmph," Sorano crossed her arms, feigning annoyance, but she couldn't hide the wide, pleased smirk on her lips.
Ultear and Mirajane chuckled softly, perfectly used to the dynamic.
Wendy, Carla, and Happy simply rolled their eyes. This exact scene played out in the mansion almost daily. If they didn't see it, it would feel unnatural.
"Alright, it's getting really late. We all need to get some sleep," Noah said, checking the clock. "If you want to hear more stories about the Western Continent, I'll tell you tomorrow."
The girls checked the time and agreed. They quickly worked together to pack away the maps, brochures, and photographs.
After wishing each other a good night, they all headed to their respective rooms to sleep.
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