Returning to Magnolia, Nab completed his first official job as a Mage, and the news immediately spread like wildfire throughout every corner of the guild.
"Everyone, I propose!"
"A toast to Nab for finally getting started!"
Fairy Tail always found reasons to celebrate from various angles, but this time, Makarov's congratulations for Nab didn't receive much agreement.
This was because the guild members were all gathered around Noah, or rather, they were captivated by the two small animals he'd brought back to the guild, which drew most of their attention.
A cute little cat with snow leopard coloring, with a plump white hamster perched on its head; the cat and mouse showed no signs of nervousness in the new environment, curiously looking around on the table.
"Hello everyone! My name is Cheese, and that's Snow. We are good friends with Noah."
The adorable appearance and tender voice of the little snow cat, Cheese, instantly melted the hearts of a group of female members, who eagerly competed to feed the two little ones.
"Wow! What a cute little cat!"
"It can talk, just like Happy."
"Cheese looks so fluffy, it must feel so comfortable to stroke its thick fur."
"Snow doesn't eat meat? Aren't hamsters omnivores?"
"Noah, you're so lucky. You went out once and got two adorable pets."
"..."
Amidst the constant envious exclamations from his companions, Noah subtly pursed his lips. Pets? Once you all realize that hamster can take on half the guild, then you'll know who the real boss is.
On the way back, Noah had discovered Cheese and Snow in a gift package from the villagers of Mount Hakobe.
They'd come to befriend Noah.
Because Noah had dealt with the bad guys who tried to capture Snow, his sincerity even led him to receive a Wish quest to "be friends" with the two little ones.
Looking at the rewards named "Malice Perception" and "Life-Magic Interdependence," Noah was also very willing to have two animal friends, and it was definitely not because he coveted these two powerful abilities.
"Malice Perception" came from the little snow cat, Cheese. It could clearly perceive "malicious" emotions within ten meters, whether or not they were directed at itself.
"Life-Magic Interdependence" was the hamster Snow's ability. The more vigorous its life force, the more its Magic Power would be amplified. Similarly, the stronger its Magic Power, the more tenacious its life force would be.
No one would have expected that this cute, gluttonous, vegetarian hamster would possess a growth talent akin to a spiral ascension, like stepping on one's own foot.
And no one would know that the legendary White Snow Magical Beast, said to be twice as strong as the Beast King, was actually just a hamster magical beast.
No wonder no one had ever seen the true form of the White Snow Magical Beast. Trying to find a white hamster in a snowy mountain would be impossible unless Snow chose to reveal itself.
Through Cheese's translation of the hamster's language, Noah also understood why it and Snow were grateful to him.
Although Snow was a powerful magical beast, it was a vegetarian and disliked fighting. And Cheese was just an Exceed a few months old, with no combat ability whatsoever.
The Black Magic Cult team had controlled twenty Vulcans to come to Mount Hakobe to capture Snow. Thanks to Cheese's Malice Perception ability, the two little ones had easily avoided them.
However, the bad guys' domineering behavior on Mount Hakobe, taking advantage of the White Snow Magical Beast, had almost made Snow, a kind hamster who'd never killed, unable to bear it.
It was only due to Noah's appearance that this benevolent hamster did not have to reveal its power.
To thank Noah, the two little ones planned to befriend him, but the greedy little cat, Cheese, was attracted by the scent of meat halfway and directly burrowed into the package to feast. After eating and drinking its fill, it simply fell asleep.
By the time Noah discovered them, the carriage they were on had already traveled far from Mount Hakobe. After getting the two little ones' consent, Noah brought them back to Magnolia.
His carefully prepared ten-page speech and two pages of thanks went unused, and Nab, whose thunder had been stolen by the two animals, was dumbfounded.
When I wasn't doing jobs, everyone teased me all day. After completing a job, I'm still not as attractive as two animals.
Then didn't I do the job for nothing?!
Am I not human?!
Am I even human at all?!
Nab fell into self-isolation, habitually returning to hover in front of the request board.
Seeing that Cheese and Snow got along well with everyone, Noah temporarily left them in the guild hall and went to the bar to confess Snow's identity to Makarov.
Makarov showed little expression. Being well-traveled, he'd recognized the extraordinary nature of the white hamster at first glance, though he hadn't expected the mysterious White Snow Magical Beast to be a vegetarian hamster.
As for whether Snow would bring danger to the guild, Makarov didn't care.
A powerful magical beast? It was just something that could be flattened with one punch of Giant. As an experienced Ten Wizard Saints, only a few Mages on this continent could threaten Makarov.
Seeing Makarov agree to let him take Snow and Cheese back to his dormitory, Noah moved on to the next topic.
A pitch-black color quickly covered Noah's right arm, shimmering with a hard metallic luster like steel.
"This is..."
Makarov's eyes narrowed. Because he could use Giant, he was also a skilled close-combat Mage with strong physical techniques in his youth. He immediately noticed the change in the strength of Noah's right arm.
The instantaneous appearance and covering of the pitch-black luster actually raised the defense of Noah's right arm by several levels, like a transformation from flesh to steel.
"Guild Master, you haven't seen this before, have you? This is called 'Armament Haki,' a power derived and transformed from willpower."
"Willpower, eh? Interesting."
Seeing Noah suddenly reveal a power he'd never seen before, Makarov also became interested, staring intently at Noah as if seeing through the young man's intentions.
"You wouldn't be trying to tell me that you want to teach this 'Armament Haki' to those kids, would you?"
Noah slightly curved his lips and dispelled the Haki. "As expected of the Guild Master, you saw through my little scheme so quickly."
If Haki were to spread, Fairy Tail's strength would undoubtedly increase significantly, but Makarov always prioritized the safety of the guild members.
The old man recognized this power, but he wanted to know if learning Haki would be dangerous.
"Regarding willpower, I'm not sure."
Noah shook his head. He didn't know either, after all, his way of mastering Armament Haki was a reward for completing an otherworldly quest.
He could teach based on the principles of Armament Haki, but he couldn't guarantee whether unexpected situations would occur.
Makarov mused for a moment.
"Alright, but it must be confirmed that learning this power will not be dangerous."
"So, teach it to me first."
Noah was slightly stunned, then smiled faintly.
To have such a Guild Master who willingly experimented for the sake of the children, Fairy Tail truly was the luckiest guild in the world.