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Magnolia Port.
Noah, who'd originally planned to take Cheese to get some discounted fries, noticed a luxurious ship docked at the pier, drawing a large crowd. Noah naturally joined in to watch the excitement.
The first to descend from the ship were two humanoid, dark-green toads dressed in white robes. They held staffs twice their height and stood on either side of the gangplank.
One of the toads spoke in human tongue.
"We are envoys of the Council. The Councilor is traveling, so please do not make a ruckus."
"The Council?!"
"A Councilor!"
"Why would such an important person come to a small place like ours?"
"Wow! Talking toads!"
"..."
These words not only failed to quiet the onlookers but instead sparked even more discussion, causing the toad envoy some embarrassment.
In the past, when visiting other cities, merely revealing their identity would make the ordinary people respectful. This tactic, however, had no effect in Magnolia; they were simply treated as entertainment.
These were no ordinary common folk.
They must be made to understand the authority of the Council!
One of the toads tapped its staff on the ground, and a wave of pressure was about to spread out.
Although it was a spell with no offensive power, using it on a crowd in broad daylight showed how arrogant the Council's toads could be.
Just as Noah handed the bag of chips to Cheese, preparing to secretly teach that toad a lesson, a gentle voice stopped the Magic-releasing toad envoy.
"Please stop."
The two toad envoys' expressions changed, and they quickly turned and bowed respectfully. "Sir, we are truly sorry. These unruly commoners are a bit too bold..."
"Toad envoys, our Magic Council exists to maintain order, not to oppress the people."
It was still a gentle tone, but it made the two toads feel as if they'd fallen into an ice cellar, breaking out in cold sweat, and they quickly lowered their heads in affirmation.
A figure slowly emerged from the ship's cabin. It was a young man.
He wore the Council's uniform white attire. Beneath his dark blue hair was a handsome face that could charm countless young women, and the mark on his right cheek added to his mysterious aura.
"It's... it's Siegrain!"
"He's so handsome!"
"He truly is the man who can contend with Loke for the 'Most Desired Boyfriend' list."
"Councilor, I heard you have an inappropriate relationship with your female subordinate. Is that true?"
"Siegrain, how many girlfriends do you actually have?"
"..."
Listening to all sorts of rumors that even he found astonishing, Siegrain struggled to maintain his composure for a moment.
As the youngest Councilor in the Council's history, Siegrain's reputation was exceptionally high.
Not only was it because he possessed the strength of a Ten Wizard Saints, but his appearance alone already captivated countless young women, often leading to female fans flocking to him wherever he went.
However, what Siegrain hadn't expected was that in Magnolia, few people paid attention to his looks. Instead, they showed an extraordinary enthusiasm for the baseless rumors and gossip about him.
Noah crunched on his potato chips again, looking at the young Councilor's undisguised astonishment. He could only say that this was how it was in a city where Fairy Tail existed; having seen so many handsome men and beautiful women, people were naturally more interested in gossip.
Siegrain quickly composed himself and entered the city, led by the toad envoys.
However, as he passed through the crowds on both sides, Siegrain noticed that among the people watching him, there was a white-haired boy who bore some resemblance to him.
There were many people in this world who looked alike, so Siegrain was only slightly surprised and didn't pay too much attention, as he'd long since lost his family.
After buying some more snacks at the discount store, Noah, stroking Cheese, leisurely followed behind Siegrain. He was very curious as to why this fellow, who seemed to be involved with Dark Guilds, had come to Magnolia.
Noah soon found out.
Because Siegrain entered a building: Fairy Tail.
Was he here to visit Makarov? After all, their Guild Master was an evergreen in the Magic world.
Noah suddenly felt bored and decided to go check on the man he'd rescued.
However, upon arriving at the inn, a person in a black robe caught Noah's attention. His Malice Perception ability made him realize that the black-robed person had ill intentions.
The malice was not directed at Noah, so he didn't act immediately. Instead, he pretended to be passing by and followed behind the black-robed person.
In front of room 404, the black-robed person stopped and looked back at Noah. Noah continued to feign being a guest, carrying Cheese and walking past him, until he disappeared around the stairwell.
Room 404 was the room Noah had arranged for the undercover man, known only to the few who participated in the Silent Town job, and Makarov.
Noah gave a playful smile, whispered something into Cheese's ear, and the kitten immediately flew away using Aera.
Inside room 404, after treatment with Winter Snow Grass, the man's condition had greatly improved; he could even get out of bed and move around.
Looking at the unfamiliar ceiling and recalling the events of the past two days, the man named Angke was very grateful to the group who'd saved him. However, thinking that he hadn't told his saviors his name, he felt a pang of regret.
Just then, there was a sound at the inn room door.
Was it the inn staff bringing food?
No, they would knock first.
As an intelligence agent brave enough to go undercover in a Dark Guild, Angke's wealth of experience immediately put him on alert. He silently crept behind the door, waiting to control the person once they opened it.
With a creak, the door slowly opened, and a figure entered. Because he was wearing a black robe, Angke, hiding behind the door, couldn't make out his face, but he could sense that the person had ill intentions.
His injured body did not hinder Angke's actions. Concentrating his limited Magic Power, a Magic bullet formed in his hand. However, the Magic Angke unleashed with all his might was extinguished with a casual wave of the black-robed person's hand.
But in that instant, the light of the Magic bullet still illuminated the black-robed person's face. It was a blue-haired young man with a mark on his right cheek.
"It's you!"
Angke immediately recognized the newcomer's identity.
With such distinctive features, there was only one person in the entire Ishgar continent: the powerful Mage who'd recently taken a seat on the Magic Council.
Siegrain!
Unlike the warm smile on the propaganda posters, this "Siegrain" gave Angke only a feeling of coldness and deep contempt.
Exploding all his Magic Power with all his might, Angke knew he was no match for a powerful Mage who was about to become a Ten Wizard Saints. One of his saviors had told him that their guild was nearby, and all he had to do was light the signal.
"A dying struggle."
The blue-haired young man sneered dismissively. Heavy Magic Power condensed into a faint starlight, instantly overwhelming Angke, who was already injured, causing his unhealed wounds to rupture immediately.
The vast disparity made the man feel despair. Life was just outside the inn, not far away, but he could do nothing.
"Damn rat, why couldn't you just die quietly? You just had to cause me trouble."
Looking down at the struggling Angke, the blue-haired young man expressionlessly channeled Magic Power, conjuring a common Fire Magic spell in his hand.
To silence someone, one naturally wouldn't use their signature Magic.
A little regret, not being able to see his family again; a little pity, not being able to expose the wicked; a little apology, for letting down his superior's trust... In an instant, Angke thought of many things, and his mood was unexpectedly peaceful. His demeanor greatly surprised and puzzled the blue-haired young man.
"You're not afraid of death?"
"Everyone dies. My life has been brave enough. I shouldn't be the one afraid."
The blue-haired young man fell silent. The courage to face death, he seemed to have once possessed it... At this moment, the blue-haired young man actually felt a slight reluctance to kill this person who might disrupt his plans.
Unfortunately, that was just a fleeting thought. Having already harmed so many people, he wouldn't mind one more.
"Goodbye..."
"Hey, why are you so slow at killing someone? I'm getting impatient just watching. Do you want me to help you?"
A lazy voice suddenly broke through, and the interrupted blue-haired young man turned his head to look.
At some point, a white-haired boy was leaning against the doorframe.
Following the light to see the black-robed person's face, Noah couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
He looked exactly like Siegrain.
If the blue-haired young man who went to the guild earlier was "Siegrain," then who was this black-robed person?