Chapter 34

(Listen! (Great thanks to 'Ice·Moon Shadow', 'Panda!', 'Black Cat·Luli', 'Wandering in a World Without You', 'Soul Lost', 'Cloud Qiyu', 'Long Tian i', 'Sing Zai', '2D Our Dream', 'Little H's House', 'Skyline Without Wind', 'Tiyin', 'Rabbit of 703' for the donations!))

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The sunlight, neither too hot nor too cold, shone upon the village, neither large nor small, and also upon the courtyard of an old inn, enveloping a man and a woman in a golden glow.

"Ha—ha—ha—!"

Accompanied by a series of clear and resolute shouts, Noah held a knight's sword and practiced his slashing techniques with the standard posture he had honed over three months. Each slash left a trail of flashing sword light and a sharp whistling sound, creating a pleasing sight.

Not far away, Wendy sat on the threshold, her small hands supporting her cheeks, her big, watery eyes fixed on Noah as he swung his sword in the courtyard. Her face wore a contented expression, and her gaze never left Noah.

This was the third day since Noah, Wendy, and Jellal had returned from the forest.

On the first day back, Noah went to the village chief's house and informed him that he had completed the mission, allowing the villagers to return to the forest for hunting as usual.

The village chief, naturally, expressed his gratitude while tactfully suggesting that Noah stay in the village for a few days. He would pay the reward for completing the mission once the villagers who entered the forest confirmed that there were no more crying spirits or broken skies.

This was a reasonable request.

Noah had not expected to gain the village chief's trust with just his words, so he brought Wendy and stayed at an inn in the village.

As for Jellal, Noah had thought he would leave immediately, but Jellal also stayed, temporarily residing in the village.

"Although it's inferred that 'Anima' should not activate in this area again, it's safer to stay and observe for a while."

Thus, Noah, Wendy, and Jellal stayed in the village and lived at the inn.

It's worth noting that although the three of them stayed at the village inn, they only occupied two rooms.

Noah was the first person Wendy had ever met.

Now, with her mother, Grandine, suddenly disappearing, Wendy had searched the forest for several days and cried for several days. It was clear how difficult the process had been for a girl under ten years old, who was not yet familiar with the world.

Perhaps because of this, Noah, the first person to offer Wendy warmth, seemed to have gained a very high status in her heart in just three short days.

Moreover, with her only relative gone, Wendy had not left Noah's side for a moment during these three days, even sleeping in the same room and bed as him. Otherwise, she would look on the verge of tears, having completely attached herself to Noah.

Unable to do anything else, Noah could only let Wendy be.

"Ha—ha—ha—!"

Rhythmic shouts echoed continuously, and the cold, sharp edge of the sword flashed repeatedly in the courtyard.

During these three days, Noah had almost entirely devoted himself to practicing sword techniques and magic control. Compared to Magnolia, the only differences were the location and the lack of Erza as a sparring partner; otherwise, nothing had changed.

Even outside, Noah did not forget to train his newly acknowledged and currently sole combat ability.

Wendy, who had been watching Noah practice, suddenly noticed someone approaching. She stood up, startled, and called out to Noah.

"Brother Noah! Jellal is back!"

Noah's knight's sword, which was halfway through a slash, immediately halted in mid-air, not continuing its momentum.

This demonstrated Noah's rapid progress in sword techniques. Even Erza, if she saw this, would likely praise him involuntarily.

"Brother Noah." Wendy had already run to Noah's side, holding a towel, which she handed to him.

"Thank you." Noah took the towel, wiped his sweat, and patted Wendy's head. As Wendy showed a comfortable expression, Noah turned to look at Jellal, who was approaching.

"How is it?"

"Still stable." Jellal nodded.

"'Anima' shows no signs of activating in this area again. I think it's safe here."

Hearing this, Noah also nodded.

Even after three days of cohabitation, Jellal still showed no intention of revealing the details of the interdimensional magic 'Anima' to Noah. Therefore, Noah knew nothing about 'Anima'.

However, from Jellal's words, "it's safe here," Noah could infer that if 'Anima' were to activate successfully, it would cause a disaster no less severe than Noah's magic失控.

It was to prevent such a disaster that Jellal was here.

According to Jellal, he would continue to travel the world, tracking the activation of 'Anima' and embarking on a journey to shut down any impending activations.

Aware of this, Noah turned his gaze to Jellal.

"Planning to leave?"

Jellal opened his mouth, about to say something, but was interrupted by a voice.

"Guests from 'Fairy Tail'!"

The speaker was the innkeeper, who had just entered from outside and approached Noah.

"What's the matter?" Noah looked at the innkeeper, frowning slightly at his hesitant expression.

"Is something wrong?"

"The village chief asked me to pass a message to you." The innkeeper shook his head and said.

"Recently, three white-haired children, about your age, came to the village chief to inquire about your whereabouts, then entered the forest and haven't returned. The village chief wants to know if they are your companions."

"Three white-haired children?"

Wendy and Jellal both looked at Noah, clearly seeing the sudden change in his expression.

"What is it?" Jellal asked.

"Do you know them?"

"Sort of." Noah's expression was not good as he asked the innkeeper.

"You said they haven't returned since entering the forest?"

"Not only have they not returned." The innkeeper answered honestly.

"The villagers only saw them enter the forest but have not seen them come out."

Noah fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"I understand. Thank the village chief for me."

The innkeeper smiled and nodded, then left.

"Brother Noah..." Wendy suddenly felt uneasy, tightly gripping Noah's hand, refusing to let go.

"Noah." Jellal asked.

"Do you need help?"

Noah's expression changed several times before he sighed and pulled Wendy in front of him.

"If you want to help me, could you take Wendy to find Grandine?"

"Take Wendy to find Grandine?" Jellal was surprised.

"I don't want to!" Wendy's face turned pale, and she suddenly hugged Noah's leg.

"I don't want to leave Brother Noah!"

Noah, as if expecting this reaction, smiled helplessly and squatted down, pulling Wendy in front of him again.

"Wendy, listen to me. Let Jellal take you to find Grandine, okay?"

"I don't want to, I don't want to!" Wendy immediately threw herself into Noah's arms, hugging him tightly, refusing to let go.

"Brother Noah, don't leave me like Grandine did!"

Hearing Wendy's words and feeling the strength in her small arms, Noah was surprised.

Although Noah really liked Wendy, the cute little girl who was like a sister to him, he had not expected her to be so attached to him.

Thinking about this, Noah felt a bit troubled, stroking Wendy's small back and speaking softly.

"I don't want to be separated from Wendy either, but don't you want to find Grandine?"

Wendy trembled all over.