Noah turned toward Erza and the others, curiosity shining in his eyes.
"What about you three? Have you awakened any magic yet?"
The moment the question left his lips, Erza, Simon, and Kagura exchanged excited smiles, their faces lighting up with barely contained pride.
Seeing their reactions, Noah tilted his head. "What's with those grins? You look like you're about to burst."
"We've all awakened our magic!" Erza announced, her voice brimming with joy. Simon and Kagura nodded eagerly beside her.
Noah's interest spiked. "Oh? Then why don't you show me? I'll try and guess what kind of magic you've awakened."
Erza immediately jumped to her feet. "I'll go first!"
A magic circle shimmered beside her hand, and with a flash of light, a long sword materialized. She swung it once with confidence, then held it up proudly for Noah to see.
Noah narrowed his eyes, recognition tugging at him. "Wait a minute… this is Requip magic, isn't it? The Magic of Armor and Weapons? But why does that sword look so familiar? It almost looks like " He leaned forward, then blinked. " one from my own arsenal."
Caught red-handed, Erza's cheeks flushed crimson. She held the sword in one hand and covered her mouth with the other, laughing nervously. "It is from Brother Noah's armory. I… borrowed it to practice my magic. I swear I've never actually used it in a fight before."
Noah chuckled and waved dismissively. "Don't worry about it. That's what the weapons are there for. If you're training Requip, then having proper equipment to swap into is exactly what you need. Honestly, I haven't touched those swords myself in years."
"Really?" Erza's eyes lit up, her embarrassment dissolving into excitement. She clasped the sword tighter, her voice bubbling with joy. "Thank you, Brother Noah!"
That armory of his held countless weapons and armor of excellent quality, and now she had permission to use them. To Erza, it felt like a treasure trove had just opened to her.
But then, something Noah said made her pause. She blinked and looked at him in surprise. "Wait Brother Noah… you also know Requip magic?"
"I know a lot of different magics," Noah replied with a grin. "That's why I wanted to see what you've awakened. If it's something I know, I'll be able to help you train more effectively."
Erza's astonishment only grew, but Noah had already turned to the others. His gaze shifted to Simon. "Alright then, let's see yours."
Simon lifted his hand. The light in the room seemed to dim, and a strange oppressive aura spread out, making the air feel thick and disorienting.
Noah's eyes sharpened. "That's Dark Magic," he said with certainty.
Simon nodded firmly.
Kagura stepped forward next. She raised her small hand, and suddenly Noah felt his whole body sink, as if an invisible weight had pressed down on him. His limbs grew heavy, the ground seemed to pull at him, and even breathing felt just a little harder.
A smile tugged at Noah's lips. "Gravity Magic, huh."
Kagura beamed, clearly proud that he'd guessed correctly.
Noah looked at the three of them Erza, Simon, Kagura each now bearing the spark of their own unique power. He exhaled slowly, unable to hide the satisfaction in his voice.
"They're all good magics. With the right training, they'll carry you far."
If Noah remembered correctly, these were the very same magics Erza, Simon, and Kagura had possessed in their original world. Somehow, they had awakened them again after coming here. But to Noah, that wasn't a problem it was reassuring.
"These are excellent magics," Noah said with an approving nod. "Each one has great potential. And as it happens, I know all of them. If you'd like, we can train together. I'll be home for the next few days."
He offered the invitation with a genuine smile, hoping to help them grow stronger and faster.
But instead of excitement, the three of them just stared at him with odd expressions.
"What?" Noah asked, blinking. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"
Erza frowned slightly, her tone laced with exasperation. "Brother Noah… have you forgotten? We're already living in your house."
For a moment Noah froze, then slapped his own forehead. With a sigh, he slumped against the table in defeat.
"Right… I forgot. I must've gone stupid from drifting at sea these past few days."
As his eyes wandered across the room, they landed on Kana. A thought struck him he hadn't trained with her in quite a while. Sitting up straight again, he called out, "Kana, what about you? Do you want to join us in training?"
Kana hesitated, chewing her lip. "I should ask Dad first… to see if he's planning to head out again soon."
With that, she hurried toward Gildarts.
At the moment, Gildarts was clinging to Makao and Wakaba, loudly proclaiming his fatherly pride. "Kana-chan is my daughter! Just look at her, isn't she the cutest? This is my precious Kana-chan~!"
When he spotted Kana running over, his enthusiasm doubled. His booming voice rang through the hall. "See that? Kana-chan can't stand being away from me for even a minute she's already come looking for her Dad again!"
Kana flushed red, waving her arms frantically. "Dad, stop it already! You're embarrassing me!"
She rushed forward, trying to cover his mouth, but Gildarts only laughed, towering over her as if nothing could smother his joy.
After a brief scuffle, Kana finally caught her breath and asked between pants, "Dad… are we going out again anytime soon?"
"Hm? No, not for now," Gildarts replied cheerfully. "Kana-chan needs a break. I should give you time to rest."
Kana's face lit up with relief. "That's great. Then I'll go train with Noah and the others."
"With Noah, huh? That's fine." Gildarts gave an approving nod, his tone softening into rare seriousness. "He's mastered a lot of different magics, and he's skilled in every one of them. You'll learn a great deal from him."
But a heartbeat later, the doting father returned in full force. He bent down, clutching Kana dramatically to his chest.
"But Kana-chan must come back at night! I can't get through the day without seeing her."
Kana groaned, trying to wriggle free. "Dad, you're way too clingy!"
The guild roared with laughter at the scene, warmth filling the room.
Kana pushed against Gildarts's face with all her strength and bolted back toward Noah and the others, cheeks flushed red. Behind her, she could still hear her father's booming voice echoing through the guild hall, proudly bragging about "his precious Kana-chan" to anyone who would listen.
Finally catching her breath, Kana let out a sigh of relief once she reached the group.
"Alright," she said, straightening her hair. "I won't be going out anytime soon, so I can train with you guys."
"Good," Noah replied with a satisfied nod. "Then tomorrow, we'll meet at the training grounds by the forest the same place we used to practice. Kana, you know it."
"Mm, I know."
With that settled, the five of them chatted a bit longer before heading home.
That evening, Noah, Erza, Simon, and Kagura returned to their house and began preparing dinner. Each of them had lived alone before and knew their way around a kitchen. Noah had also honed his cooking skills during his travels, so before long they managed to put together a surprisingly sumptuous spread.
After the hearty meal, Erza, Simon, and Kagura settled into the living room, notebooks and papers spread across the table. They were brushing up on the basics reading, writing, and arithmetic. Their hometown's education hadn't been strong, and when Makarov realized this, he had arranged for them to take cultural lessons.
Noah sat nearby, immersed in his own magic training. Whenever Erza or the others had a question, he'd pause and patiently explain before returning to his practice.
When the night grew late, they exchanged soft goodnights and retreated to their rooms. For Noah, it was the first peaceful sleep he'd had in days after drifting endlessly at sea.
The next morning, the four of them rose early, shared a simple breakfast, and headed out together. Their destination was a wide open field just beyond the edge of the forest.
The training grounds were surrounded by lush green trees. The fresh scent of morning dew lingered in the air, and sunlight filtered softly through the branches, scattering warmth across the ground. The moment they stepped onto the field, the drowsiness of morning faded, replaced by a sense of sharp clarity.
Following their agreed schedule, they began their warm-up exercises. As stretches and light drills ended, Noah turned to Kagura with a thoughtful expression.
"Kagura, how wide can your gravity field extend right now?"
Kagura raised her small hand, palm outward, and rotated it in a slow circle. "About this big," she said, projecting the area with her magic.
Noah studied the space carefully, nodding. "Not bad. You've only just awakened it, and it already covers that much. Impressive. But…" His tone shifted, becoming firm but encouraging. "…for the next few days, I want you to use my gravity as a baseline. You'll learn how to expand your own by adjusting against mine."
Kagura's eyes lit up with determination, and she nodded briskly.