Chapter 23: A Temporary Conclusion
After the light had completely vanished, Noah looked at the crowd of people collapsed on the ground before him, clearly having suffered immense psychological shock and now critically injured. He clapped his hands together.
"Alright, that's a wrap for this part. Now all that's left is to wait for the Royal Army and the Magic Council to arrive."
Noah sat at the village entrance, watching over the large group of soundly sleeping dark cultists. After waiting for some time, he saw the forces of the Royal Army and the Magic Council arrive in a hurry.
He couldn't help but marvel to himself, They got here pretty fast.
Brushing off his pants, Noah stood up and walked towards the men who appeared to be the leaders of the two groups.
"Excuse me, are you the Fairy Tail wizard who defeated these members of the dark magic cult?"
The two officials had already heard reports that this wizard from Fairy Tail had defeated a large number of cultists in another location. Now, seeing the pile of bodies before them, their tone couldn't help but become extremely respectful. Despite his young age, this was clearly a wizard of formidable strength.
"That's right. Though I only did a small, insignificant thing."
Noah was pleased with their attitude. It was a relief not to have to deal with arrogant people.
"No, no, no, you can't say that! Without your help, the losses these villages would have suffered would have been immense!" the two officials said, waving their hands hastily. Defeating so many cult members could hardly be called insignificant.
"By the way, what's the plan for these people? Do you know where their stronghold is?"
"Not yet. We were planning to take these men back and interrogate them as quickly as possible to find the location of their base. Then we'll organize a force to attack their stronghold and rescue the captured people."
"Good. If you find out the location of their base, you can inform me. I would like to lend a hand. After all, these people are unforgivably evil. The sooner they are defeated, the less others will have to suffer."
Joyous expressions appeared on the faces of the two officials. If this powerful wizard could join their subsequent assault, it would greatly reduce the potential casualties on their side. For frontline personnel, this was excellent news.
"We would certainly hope for you to join us, but we can't make that decision. We need approval from our superiors. We will relay your offer to them, and if they agree, we will notify you at the earliest opportunity."
"That's fine. If you get a result, just inform my Guild Master. He will let me know. You should have his contact information, right?"
"Yes, yes, we do. We will inform Lord Makarov as soon as we have a decision. Once again, thank you for your help this time!"
"Right, I had the villagers of Rosemary Village evacuate in that direction. Please send a few of your men with me to bring them back."
"Of course. You few, go with Lord... my apologies, we've been talking for so long and still don't know your name. May I ask...?"
"My name is Noah, a wizard of Fairy Tail."
"Right. You all will follow Lord Noah to retrieve the villagers of Rosemary Village."
The two officials quickly called over the relevant personnel to follow Noah. After a glance, Noah decided that walking with them would be too slow. He called them over, unfolded a magic circle, and teleported them all directly to where Erza and the others were.
Seeing such masterful use of magic, the two officials couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "As expected of the wizard who crushed so many dark cultists in a single night. To think he can teleport so many people at once."
Noah arrived with the army and council personnel at the place where the villagers were resting and walked over to the chief. "Chief, these are men from the Royal Army and the Magic Council. They are here to help you."
The chief hurried forward to discuss matters with the officials. Noah, meanwhile, went over to the villagers and began to help treat those who had collapsed from exhaustion or been injured during the evacuation. When Erza and the others saw this, they quickly came over to help.
By the time Noah had finished treating everyone with serious symptoms, the chief and the officials had finished their discussion. They decided to first lead the villagers back to Rosemary Village. The Kingdom and the Magic Council would then provide funds to help repair the damage and would temporarily station some men in the village to prevent another attack.
Seeing that they had a plan, Noah prepared to leave. But before he went, there was one last, extremely important thing to do.
Noah walked over to Erza, Simon, and Kagura. Erza excitedly asked him, "Big Brother Noah, what was that magic just now? The one with the magic circle that appeared over the village?"
"That? That's one of my guild's Three Great Magics, Fairy Law."
"Grand Magic? Fairy Law?"
"Grand Magic possesses power far greater than ordinary magic, and it's hailed as 'Superior-tier Magic,' which is why it's shortened to Grand Magic. Only those with exceptionally strong magic power can use it. If an ordinary person were to use it recklessly, they would suffer from Magic Deficiency Disease. And Fairy Law is one of Fairy Tail's Three Great Magics. It's a legendary spell of absolute judgment, using holy light to vanquish the darkness by destroying everything the caster perceives as an enemy. Pretty amazing, right?"
"Yeah! Super amazing!" The three of them clenched their fists, looking extremely excited.
"So then," Noah finally revealed his true purpose, "do you want to join Fairy Tail? If you join, you can learn powerful magic like that, and there are other spells that are just as, or even more, amazing that you can learn. And if you join Fairy Tail, everyone there will be your comrades, your family. Laughing together, fighting together, moving forward together... doesn't that sound wonderful?"
Hearing Noah's words, the three of them couldn't help but imagine a life in the guild and were filled with a sense of longing. Seeing that they were already tempted, Noah pressed on.
"And joining the guild doesn't mean you can never come back to the village. Joining the guild allows you to learn magic, to become stronger, to gain more family and comrades, and it will also allow you to better protect this village. The next time a dark cult like this invades, you'll be able to repel them yourselves."
Erza and the others were completely sold. "Big Brother Noah," they said, "we want to join Fairy Tail."
"Great! I'll take you back for now. Rest for the night, and tomorrow, pack your things. I'll take you back with me to Fairy Tail."
Noah told the chief and the others that he was leaving first, then teleported back to Rosemary Village with the three children. After greeting the army and council members still there, he first took Simon and Kagura back to their home.
Afterward, he returned with Erza to her house. Noah made a simple bed for himself on the floor of the living room, but he didn't go to sleep. First, he had to go to another place.