Chapter 286: A Loss
"Let's go, Lucy. We need to talk to Gramps," Noah said, beckoning to her.
Lucy nodded and followed. Ultear, Natsu, and the others joined them as they approached Makarov.
"What's wrong?"
Makarov, who had been enjoying a drink, put down his mug. Seeing a large group led by Noah approaching, he assumed something had happened and his expression turned serious.
Nearby, Laxus, who had been forced by Noah to help with paperwork behind the counter after destroying the Phantom Lord branches, also looked up. He hated administrative work, but he couldn't beat Noah in a fight, so he had grudgingly accepted.
"Nothing bad. Lucy's parents want to thank us, so they're planning another banquet," Noah explained.
"Oh, is that it? Any time works for us," Makarov sighed in relief. He had thought it was something serious.
A banquet was always welcome. He had gotten along well with Lucy's parents during their last visit, so he was happy to see them again. And given their wealth, the cost wouldn't be an issue for them.
"Great. I'll go tell Mom and Dad. Once we set a time, I'll let you and the Master know," Lucy said with a smile.
With that settled, the group dispersed to rest. Noah could hear Natsu and Happy already drooling over what kind of food would be served.
After resting, everyone returned to work on the grounds behind the guild and library.
Lucy relayed Jude and Layla's reply to Noah. They had great faith in Fairy Tail's strength, so they had already prepared the ingredients for a victory celebration. They would bring everything over tomorrow for the banquet.
Ur, who had been protecting them, would also be returning with them.
Hearing this news, everyone was excited, eagerly anticipating the feast.
The next morning, guild members arrived early, filling the hall with lively chatter. Around 9 AM, Lucy received word that her parents had entered Magnolia. Everyone ran out to wait for them.
Soon, a neat convoy of vehicles arrived.
When the lead vehicle stopped, Jude got out first, then helped Layla down.
Ur jumped out after them. She walked straight to Noah and patted his shoulder.
"You really made a big splash this time. Defeating a Wizard Saint directly? I saw reports about you even at Layla's place.
"You usually hide your strength. Why didn't you this time? I thought you'd beat Jose secretly and give the credit to the Master."
"Indeed. Jude and I received many inquiries about you," Layla added with a smile. "People were very curious about the person who defeated a Wizard Saint, especially since Lucy is in Fairy Tail."
"We didn't tell them anything, though. We know you dislike trouble," Jude said.
"News travels fast, huh? Not unexpected," Noah shrugged.
"I didn't show my strength before because it was a hassle. Without a worthy opponent, some people wouldn't understand the gap. They might challenge me or do something stupid. Since I don't go on missions often, I didn't have many chances to show off.
"But showing my strength now avoids trouble. Jose was a good benchmark. Beating him makes my strength clear to everyone, which stops unnecessary problems before they start. It keeps people from getting funny ideas about Fairy Tail. It makes things easier for everyone when they're out on jobs."
Noah explained his reasoning to Ur, Jude, and Layla. The nearby guild members listened in.
"So complicated... didn't Noah just beat Jose?" Natsu looked confused. Happy spread his paws and shook his head helplessly. Everyone laughed; they didn't expect Natsu to understand the politics.
"True. Showing strength at the right time can prevent trouble. Should I have a match too?" Ur pondered.
"No need, Mom. Noah already made a statement. You showing off won't change much," Ultear said.
"Yeah. Just keep doing what you're doing, Auntie Ur," Noah agreed.
"Alright. I'll listen to you guys." Ur nodded.
"Let's go inside and talk," Makarov invited Jude and Layla.
"Yes, let's. We brought plenty of ingredients this time, enough for everyone," Layla smiled.
"Yay!" The guild cheered.
Under Noah's direction, the guild members and the Heartfilia staff moved the ingredients into the kitchen. This time, Jude and Layla had only brought food—but a massive amount of it, enough to last the guild a long time.
Seeing the mountain of ingredients, the members who could cook eagerly ran to the kitchen to prepare their favorite dishes.
By noon, a diverse array of dishes streamed out of the kitchen.
There were chilled dishes from Ultear, home-style cooking from Mirajane and Lisanna, western continent specialties from Bisca, and much more.
But the real highlight was the desserts. Erza, Sorano, Levy, Lucy, Wendy, Yukino, Meredy, and other girls had made a huge variety of sweets.
Erza was the most extreme, having made a mountain of strawberry desserts that made everyone doubt she could finish them all. But she patted her chest confidently, assuring them it was no problem.
Everyone ate happily, sharing their creations with each other. They sang and danced until nightfall.
By the end of the day, everyone was satisfied but exhausted. Many members fell asleep right there in the guild hall.
Lucy took her parents back to her rented apartment to rest. Noah, Natsu, Gray, and Ultear escorted them home before heading to their own beds.
Jude and Layla stayed through the next morning and left in the afternoon.
Ur went with them. According to her, she had enjoyed chatting with Layla, and since the battle with Phantom Lord had just ended, it was better to be safe. She planned to stay at the Heartfilia estate for a while. Jude and Layla welcomed her; having a powerful friend like Ur made Jude feel much safer about Layla's security.
Since there wasn't much for Ur to do at the guild, Makarov agreed.
After bidding farewell to the Heartfilias, Noah and the others resumed their renovation work behind the guild.
Cleaning up the battlefield went quickly; the guild was getting used to it. Processing the wreckage of the Magic Giant, however, was much slower.
Jose hadn't been lying about Phantom Lord's funds. Just building that giant must have cost a fortune. And it was filled with collectibles and valuable items. Even though much had been destroyed in the battle, Noah, Lucy, Levy, and the Thunder Legion still found plenty of salvageable items during their inspection.
Sorting through everything slowed down the demolition process significantly. It took several days to finish, even with Natsu, Gray, Lyon, and Simon helping out.
When they finally tallied the value of the destroyed items, everyone winced.
Noah felt the loss keenly. He realized he could have protected most of Phantom Lord's assets—no, Fairy Tail's assets—during the fight. But he had been focused on copying data and monitoring the battlefield, completely forgetting about the loot. Later, he got carried away beating up Jose and destroyed everything without thinking.
The already crumbling giant hadn't stood a chance.
Fortunately, they salvaged some things, thanks to the protective measures Phantom had installed.
Thinking about the lost value was painful, so Noah decided to stop thinking about it. Luckily, the guild members weren't obsessed with wealth, and they soon forgot about the missed fortune.
With the wreckage cleared, the ground reinforcement was completed quickly. Noah pulverized the remaining debris into stone slabs and laid them down. The excess material was used to pave the paths along the sides until the wreckage was completely gone.
With the work done, everyone returned to the guild to rest.
At that moment, a message arrived from the Council, summoning Makarov to hear the verdict on the incident.
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