A New Life in Fairy Tail

Chapter 320: Target, The Beach!

"Happy and I don't seem to have much money left either. Let's take a request together when we get back," Natsu said after hearing their conversation."Then how do we get back? Are you going to take us directly, Noah?" Mirajane asked.

"We aren't going back just yet. My Thought Projection will handle the report with Gramps."

"Eh? If we aren't going back, where are we going?" Sorano asked in confusion.

"Do you guys remember where we originally planned to go?" Noah asked Erza and the others.

"Where we originally planned to go?" Everyone started thinking. Having just gone through the massive incident at the Tower of Heaven, their brains were a bit slow to react.

"The beach..." Noah gave them a hint.

Lucy reacted first: "The Holiday Inn!"

"Ohhh!!!" Everyone finally remembered.

Originally, after receiving Loke's invitation vouchers, Noah and the team were planning a trip to the Holiday Inn at the beach. Ultear and the others knew this too. But then Noah brought up the Tower of Heaven, which led to a much larger group joining the investigation. Ultimately, it ended with the Tower of Heaven and the entire island being wiped off the map.

"Exactly, a trip to the Holiday Inn. We won't return to the guild; we'll head straight there to have some fun. I'll leave the reporting to my Thought Projection," Noah said with a smile.

"But aren't there only a few vouchers? We have so many people here..." Ultear looked at the group. There were over a dozen of them; Loke's few vouchers were nowhere near enough.

"Ah, don't worry about that. I'll pay for whatever isn't covered. Let's just go all out and relax properly this time. After all, we've been through a lot of incidents lately, and we are all a bit exhausted physically and mentally," Noah smiled at them.

"Would that be okay... It's going to cost a lot of money..." Wendy, having recovered her spirits quite a bit, said softly after hearing Noah's words. She knew the Holiday Inn was very expensive and felt a little guilty.

"Don't worry. Since Noah is treating us, there is no need to hold back," Sorano waved her hand and smiled at Wendy. She knew how much Noah spent on his research; compared to those expenses, a trip to the Holiday Inn was pocket change.

"Right, you don't need to worry about that. Just focus on having fun," Noah smiled, seeing that Wendy, Yukino, and the others were still a bit conflicted.

"Alright, it's better to think about how we're going to play later. Don't worry about anything else," Mirajane also reassured them.

Seeing everyone say the same thing, Wendy and the others dropped their worries and started looking forward to the trip.

"What are you all standing around for? Let's go!" Erza's voice came from the side. She had already changed into her beachwear and was wearing a sun hat.

"So fast!" Lucy and Gray both exclaimed in shock.

"Erza is certainly proactive about this!" Mirajane laughed.

"She has always been very proactive when it comes to this," Ultear also smiled.

"But we didn't bring our swimsuits or anything..." Wendy said. Yukino and Meredy nodded in agreement. They hadn't brought swimwear with them; it was all at home.

"No need to worry about that either. Whatever we lack, we'll buy when we get there. I'll foot the bill," Noah waved his right hand, completely unbothered.

"Then let's set off!" Natsu cheered excitedly.

"Aye!" Happy flew into the air, raising a paw in equal excitement.

"Target: the beach, Holiday Inn. Let's go!" Noah announced loudly, seeing that no one had any more issues.

"OHHH!!!" the group cheered loudly at the entrance of the Magic Council.

The Council personnel nearby couldn't help but look over to see what all the commotion was about.

Noah waved his right hand, and the entire group vanished from the spot.

Meanwhile, back at the guild, Noah's Thought Projection received the message from the main body. He turned to Makarov, who was sitting on the counter, and said, "Gramps, we just left the Council. We aren't planning to come back just yet."

"Hm? Did something happen?" Makarov turned to look at the Thought Projection.

"Didn't Loke give us a few invitation vouchers for the Holiday Inn previously? We plan to spend a few days having fun at the beach before coming back."

"If I recall correctly, it wasn't just your team that went with you, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be covering the expenses for the others."

Makarov knew Noah was quite wealthy, so he didn't dwell on the financial aspect. He was more concerned about something else.

"Did anyone get hurt? Did anything bad happen?" Although he knew Noah and the others were largely fine, Makarov still had to ask.

"No, it was just minor injuries. Wendy and I have already healed everyone."

"That's good. Tell me everything that happened."

So, Noah recounted all the previous events to Makarov.

"So that's how it is..." Makarov sat there, thinking deeply.

The Council firing Etherion was a massive incident. Launching a nation-destroying weapon naturally made every country incredibly tense. Especially since Etherion failed to achieve its intended effect, the pressure on the Council was now immense.

Moreover, the fact that Noah was able to send the entirety of the Etherion explosion into the sky made Makarov realize just how much stronger Noah had become. He could no longer gauge the upper limits of Noah's power. Rather than feeling discouraged or jealous, Makarov was simply overjoyed.

"By the way, Yajima-kun mentioned that a councilor proposed granting you the title of Wizard Saint?" Makarov brought up one of the most important things Noah had mentioned.

"Yeah, Grandpa Yajima told me that. He said I should come back and ask for your opinion."

"And what is your own opinion?" Makarov asked.

He looked at the young man's Thought Projection, his heart filled with gratification and pride. When he first brought him back to the guild, he was only about five years old. In the blink of an eye, he had grown so much, to the point where people were proposing to bestow the most prestigious title in the magical world upon him. Seeing Noah grow up so splendidly naturally made Makarov extremely happy.

"My opinion... honestly, my opinion is that it would be better not to accept it," Noah replied after a serious thought.

"Hm? Why is that? Tell me your thoughts."

"It's simple. Right now, the Council can barely take care of itself. It has a mountain of internal problems, and major nations are applying extreme pressure from the outside. Granting me the title of Wizard Saint at a time like this is obviously a ploy to divert attention. Although I am confident I can handle the pressure that comes with the title, it wouldn't bring much benefit to our guild. In fact, it would bring quite a few disadvantages."

Noah paused for a moment before continuing.

"First, having two Wizard Saints in the same guild is too eye-catching. It draws too much attention. Whether good or bad, it could easily bring all sorts of unexpected consequences to our guild. Our current strength and reputation are already solid enough; we don't need another Wizard Saint to prop up the guild. Adding another Wizard Saint would only invite more jealousy and envy, making us an easier target for people's schemes and putting our members in greater danger. After all, two Wizard Saints residing in one guild is just too concerning for others. Accepting the title under these conditions isn't worth the cost.

"Second, accepting the title of Wizard Saint right now to help the Council divert attention and pressure will only shift that attention and pressure onto us. We've already helped the Council salvage a lot of their reputation and alleviated a great deal of their burden by handing over everyone from the Tower of Heaven. That is more than enough. We don't need to do any more than that. After all, they should be responsible for their own messes."

Noah finished his explanation. Makarov thought it over and noticed that Noah's reasons were entirely focused on the guild, without mentioning his personal feelings. He asked, "As for yourself, do you not want the title? I recall this is a title many mages dream of obtaining."

Noah laughed upon hearing Makarov's question. "I really don't think this title is that important. Gildarts has had the strength for it for many years, and he never got it. Moreover, having this title or not won't make much of a difference to me. My strength doesn't need a title to prove it. To put it bluntly, out of the people who hold this title, how many could actually beat me?"

"Did you forget that I am also a Wizard Saint?" Makarov said, giving Noah a flat look.

"Haha, my mistake. How could I ever beat you, Gramps?" Noah scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.

Makarov ignored Noah's awkward laugh and fell into deep thought.

Indeed, two Wizard Saints in one guild would be too conspicuous. Just having one Wizard Saint had already made the guild incredibly famous. It was a title given to only ten people on the entire continent. Out of over 500 guilds, having even one was an extraordinary feat. Furthermore, most Wizard Saints didn't even belong to a guild, which made Fairy Tail's possession of one all the more special.

Phantom Lord had been in a similar situation, which was partly why Jose had grown so arrogant.

Coupled with the fact that Laxus, Ultear, and the others had grown up over the years, their strength and fame steadily rising, Fairy Tail was already one of the most renowned guilds in the kingdom.

~~~

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