While two hundred thousand in wages wasn't exactly generous, after deducting the one hundred thousand monthly rent for the dorm, the remaining money was enough for Noah's living expenses.
It seemed only Makarov knew the location of the Lumen Histoire at present, and it was almost impossible for Noah to get any information from him, so he could only wait for the right moment.
Since his purpose here couldn't be achieved for now, and he had a moderately acceptable, stable job with a salary, Noah stopped pretending and became quite laid-back.
Every day, Noah traveled between the dorm and the guild, reading books, instructing guild members in physical combat, and occasionally strolling through the city to grab discounted potato chips from the dock merchants.
Autumn turned to winter, and three months passed in the blink of an eye, with the New Year approaching.
Outside, snow covered everything, while inside, it was warm and cozy.
Thump!
The shaking of the bed forced the young man out of his sweet dreams.
Noah pulled his blanket tighter, mumbling groggily, "Who is it, disturbing my dreams so early in the morning? Don't they have any public morals? Just wait until I..."
"It's me."
Two short, icy words came from the red-haired girl, who glared at Noah, her sword already a third of the way out of its scabbard at her waist.
A cold glint flashed.
It was a clear warning that if he didn't get up, she would cut him.
Noah instantly sobered up, his eyes as clear as a primary school student seeing a teacher, his tone abruptly changing. "... thank her for reminding me to get up again."
"So you know it's 'again,'" Erza pouted, already accustomed to Noah's rapid change of expression.
Ever since a certain someone became the physical combat instructor, he strictly regulated the training duration for members who signed up for physical combat: 8 AM to 4 PM. The members participating in the training indeed followed this rule.
At first, everything was normal, but in less than a week, everyone was surprised to find that compared to physical combat, the instructor's slacking skills seemed even better.
The rule clearly stated an 8 AM assembly, but Noah often only arrived at lunchtime.
It was agreed that everyone would train until the afternoon, but Noah always left midway under the pretext of an afternoon nap, only to be seen at the guild in the evening.
Yet, the members who participated in training over these three months showed significant improvement in their physical combat under Noah's guidance, so they could only tacitly accept Noah's blatant slacking.
Except for Erza.
If you say it, you must do it. Everyone else followed the rules, so why was the instructor who set the rules slacking off so much?
Thus, Erza, who'd appointed herself the guild's "Disciplinary Committee" and decided to rectify improper behavior in the guild, began her two-and-a-half-month-long "wake-up service" for Noah, albeit with slightly violent methods.
And over these three months, Noah's impression of Erza transformed from an initially strict yet somewhat warm Queen to a complete tyrant.
Can you imagine how cruel it would be to pour a bucket of ice cubes into your bed while you're sound asleep in the dead of winter?
Getting out of bed, Noah found that the bed had shifted a few centimeters, likely kicked by Erza. That girl had some serious strength, but today's wake-up service was surprisingly gentle.
Noah walked towards the kitchen. "I'm making breakfast. Erza, would you like to eat something with me?"
Erza shook her head. She wasn't here today to supervise Noah's work, but for something else. "Christmas is in a week, and everyone at the guild is busy decorating. I can't let you keep sleeping in."
Every year, Fairy Tail celebrates Christmas together. Noah wasn't interested in holidays. He only cared about finding another excuse to take a break.
Since it's already the end of the year, why not just be happy and take a vacation until next year!
Erza's eyes flashed. Although they'd only known each other for three months, she'd already figured out Noah's personality and anticipated that this slacker would definitely use this as an excuse to be lazy before she even spoke.
Tossing a job form onto the bed, Erza stared at Noah with a half-smile. "Noah, I found a job for you. Try to be back before Christmas Eve."
Since joining the guild, apart from a temporary team-up with Natsu to complete a pet-finding job, Noah had not touched any guild jobs.
This won't do.
As the "Disciplinary Committee," Erza felt it was her duty to make Noah understand that besides being the physical combat instructor, he was also a Mage of a Magic Guild, and occasionally had to do jobs.
Noah didn't expect Erza to pull such a stunt. He was about to refuse, but his gaze inadvertently swept over the reward section of the job form.
A long string of numbers made Noah change his mind.
Three million? This amount was enough for the minimum bounty requirement of an S-Class job.
The guild had a rule that only S-Class Mages could accept S-Class jobs. Noah knew Erza wouldn't violate the rules, so the job she gave him would at most be A-Class.
Picking up the job form to check the details, Noah's expression showed some surprise, as the initiator of this job was actually the president of a commercial guild.
In this world, besides Magic Guilds, there were also Commercial Guilds focused on financial services, Treasure Hunter Guilds for finding treasures, Mercenary Guilds for hire, and various academic guild organizations.
Commercial Guilds rarely intersected with Magic Guilds. They mostly hired people from Mercenary Guilds to solve problems, only considering posting jobs to Magic Guilds if the issue was too difficult.
This job from the president of a Commercial Guild did not specify the exact task. It required meeting the client for detailed discussion.
Moreover, the job had a requirement: it had to be taken by a Mage who was calm and had some financial knowledge.
Looking at the release date on the job form, X780, it was actually a job posted two years ago!
Because the guild had no Mage who met the requirements, two years had passed, and this job still remained unfulfilled.
Glancing at the evasive Erza, Noah suddenly understood something.
Fairy Tail was a nationally renowned guild, and Erza was worried that if this job remained unfulfilled for too long, it would affect the guild's reputation. It would be a laughingstock if such a large guild didn't have a single Mage who met the requirements.
She saw that he read a lot, so she wanted him to give it a try?
As for financial knowledge, Noah did know a little—this time truly just a little.
"I can do this job."
Upon hearing this, Erza's face lit up with joy.
But Noah immediately put on an arrogant demeanor. "Erza, when you ask for a favor, you need to have the right attitude, understand?"
"Be my maid for a day, and I'll take care of this job. How about it?"
With that provoking tone, Noah was very smug.
He was finally able to get a rise out of the Fairy Queen, and even if it was just talk, Noah was happy, as he wouldn't dare to actually make Erza his maid. He'd be dead.
The next moment, a cold glint flashed, and a gleaming blade was held against Noah's neck. Erza spoke with a frosty expression.
"I'm glad you're capable of doing this job."
"But I don't like your threatening tone."
Noah never expected Erza to act so directly. Only three months had passed, yet her sword was fast enough to ambush him when he was completely unprepared!
Damn it, indeed, after slacking for too long, even his comeback skills were rusty.
Why did he have to run his mouth? Is it too late to beg for mercy now...
Just as Noah was contemplating which kneeling position would be more dignified, Erza suddenly withdrew her sword.
"Remember your words. Complete the job well, and I will fulfill your demand then."
She actually agreed!
How important was this guild to her that she would agree to his rude demand...
Noah composed himself, not dismissing his actions as a "joke," as that would only make Erza feel mocked.
To ease the awkwardness, Noah asked the initial question again:
"Erza, I'm making noodles. Do you want some?"
"I'll have a bowl."
Only after the room's owner left the bedroom did Erza cover her increasingly hot face with both hands.
How embarrassing! How could she have agreed to him!
Was it just because Noah looked somewhat similar to that person...?