Chapter 46

(Listen, listen, listen, listen (Great thanks to 'Unable to Wish' for the 1888 reward! And to 'Ice·Moon Shadow', 'Book Friend 150313094047194', 'Tiyin', 'ミ夜残影?', 'Yun Qiqinggu', 'ha$guang', 'Little H's House', 'Flowing Years Become Injuries of Love', '2D Our Dream' for the rewards!))

“...”

In the vast library, an indescribable silence permeated the air.

Noah held a thick book in his hands, but his attention was not on the book. Instead, his gaze was tilted forward, his eyes filled with subtle emotions.

Across from Noah, Mira and Lisanna sat side by side, but unlike their usual boisterous behavior, they both seemed unusually quiet. A closer look revealed that their reactions were quite abnormal.

First, Mira.

Mira, who usually acted like a violent delinquent, now sat there looking somewhat embarrassed, her cheeks flushed pink. Though she looked adorable, this was not the Mira Noah knew.

Lisanna, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

Despite being the youngest, Lisanna was usually the most precocious and mature. Today, however, she seemed like a child, sulking and looking as if she were angry.

This scene had persisted since Noah was inexplicably woken up by an angry Lisanna.

Looking at the unusually cute sisters, Noah felt quite depressed, which made it impossible for him to focus on the book in his hands.

So, Noah lifted his head from the book and first looked at Lisanna.

"Hmph!" Lisanna huffed and turned her head away, still looking angry.

Noah blinked and then turned his gaze to Mira.

"——!" Mira's shoulders trembled dramatically, her already pink cheeks turning even redder. She glared at Noah and called out, sounding extremely embarrassed.

"What? Do you want to fight?!"

"..." Noah was understandably puzzled.

Mira looking for a fight wasn't strange.

What was strange was that her usual fierce and domineering "Do you want to fight?!" had today turned into a blushing, delicate version. What was going on?

Noah really had no idea what had happened to the sisters, so he decided to ask directly.

"Hey, are you two hiding something from me?"

Upon hearing this, the white-haired sisters reacted differently.

Mira's whole body trembled, and she turned her head away, looking guilty.

Lisanna, however, seemed even angrier and shouted at Noah.

"Big brother Noah is a big dummy!"

"????" Noah's confusion was almost overwhelming.

Could this be the legendary "unfathomable girl's heart"?

"That... that's enough idle chat. We should hurry and find a magic you like!" Mira, feeling uncomfortable, changed the subject.

"Do you not want to learn magic anymore?"

"Of course I want to..." Noah sighed, feeling that further questioning would be futile, and adjusted the magic book in his hands.

"Am I not looking for it?"

Seeing the topic return to normal, Lisanna gradually returned to her usual self and tilted her head to ask.

"You've been looking all night, haven't you found a suitable one yet?"

"Basically, all the magic books in the guild's library are here!" Noah patted the stack of books on the table beside him, looking at a loss.

"But I've been looking all night, and I still haven't found a suitable one."

"Is it that difficult?" Mira muttered, picking up a book and flipping through it.

"It's just choosing magic, not clothes. Why not just pick the most powerful, strongest, and most useful magic?"

"It's not that the more powerful the magic, the better. Your 'Reception Magic' is quite ordinary, while Natsu's 'Dragon Slayer Magic' is an ancient and precious lost magic. But you're still much stronger than Natsu, right?" Noah propped his cheek with one hand, his tone slightly weary.

"That's why I'm taking my time to choose. Otherwise, I would have gone to Grandpa directly. He definitely knows many precious, rare, and powerful magics."

Actually, Noah had also considered learning magic through self-awakening.

After all, while self-awakened magic might not be the most powerful, it is the most capable of expressing the abilities of the one who awakens it and is the most suitable magic for them.

However, achieving this is not easy, and there is a crucial challenge.

That is, Noah had no idea how to awaken the magic hidden within him.

Everyone awakens their own magic in different ways.

For example, Mira awakened her 'Reception Magic' after coming into contact with a demon.

Erza also learned her magic through self-awakening.

According to Erza, she awakened her 'Armor Change Magic' by firmly resolving her true self in a moment of crisis.

Noah had no idea how to awaken his own magic.

For this reason, ninety percent of the mages in this world choose to learn magic on their own, and Noah was no exception.

Moreover, what if the most suitable magic for him was not suitable for battle?

With the method of awakening magic unclear and the type of magic to be awakened also unknown, ninety-nine percent of the mages in this world use magic they have learned on their own.

Noah had already delayed learning magic for two years due to his magic power issues. Now that he could finally learn magic, he didn't want to rely on the uncertain method of self-awakening.

"Or, big brother Noah, why don't you learn 'Reception Magic' like us?" Lisanna suggested, her eyes gleaming.

"Then we could use the same magic!"

Hearing this, Noah looked at Mira and inadvertently saw a hint of expectation in her eyes, scratching his cheek.

"I've also considered 'Reception Magic,' but I'm not as special as Mira, who can receive the power of a demon, so I've been thinking about it."

Upon hearing Noah's words, Mira and Lisanna opened their mouths to say something, but a loud noise interrupted them.

"Ding-dong—ding-dong—ding-dong—ding-dong—!"

It was a loud sound, like the bells in a church.

As if at a festival, the loud bells suddenly rang throughout 'Fairy Tail' and even throughout Magnolia, so loud that almost everyone in Magnolia could hear them.

Before Noah, Mira, and Lisanna could react, a loud commotion echoed from outside the library in the 'Fairy Tail' guild.

"Gildarts!"

"It's Gildarts!"

"Gildarts is back!"

At the same time as the commotion, the three of them also heard an alarm sound in the sky over Magnolia.

"Magnolia is switching to Gildarts mode. Please, all residents, proceed to the designated locations quickly!"

As the alarm faded, Noah, Mira, and Lisanna felt the ground begin to shake.

"What... what's happening?"

Seeing the books trembling on the shelves due to the ground shaking, Noah stood up, and Mira quickly pulled Lisanna, instinctively protecting her behind her.

"Gildarts——!"

The guild continued to be in an uproar.

"Gildarts?" Mira and Lisanna looked at each other.

"Who is Gildarts?"

Noah also frowned and walked toward the door without a word. Mira and Lisanna quickly followed, leaving the library.

...

When Noah, Mira, and Lisanna came out of the library and entered the first-floor bar of the guild, they saw this scene.

All the mages in the guild had fallen silent, as if the previous commotion had been a mere illusion, their gazes fixed on the entrance.

At the entrance of the guild, a figure was slowly approaching.