A New Life in Fairy Tail

Noah began to set up a magic formula, extracting the nightmares of the nearby victims and weaving them into an illusion. He then placed the staff of the Magic Development Bureau into this illusion, forcing them to experience what it was like to be a test subject. He even strengthened their minds and heightened their sensitivity to ensure they would feel everything without suffering a complete mental collapse.

As a result, when the emergency response team from the Magic Council arrived, they were greeted by a field of ice cells, inside of which were people drooling, covered in their own filth, and reeking to high heaven. The team all stared at Ur with expressions of fear. No one looked at Noah. They couldn't believe a ten-year-old child was capable of this; it was far more likely that Ur, the victim's mother, was responsible.

Ur's face darkened. She knew exactly what they were thinking, but before she could say anything, Noah held up a hand to stop her.

"I did this to them. I just let them have a taste of what it's like to be a test subject. Of course, none of them are dead. What happens to them from here, I don't know. Since you're here, I'll leave the rest to you. We're leaving."

Without waiting for their reply, Noah took Ur and left, dispelling his magic formula as they went. The Council members didn't dare to stop them and could only watch them leave. After they were gone, the team got busy, treating the wounded, calming the awakened victims, cleaning up and imprisoning the Bureau's staff, and searching the facility. When they went inside, they discovered that most of the equipment had vanished, but all the documents and files were left perfectly intact. They could only gather the evidence and report it up the chain of command, leaving the headache to their superiors.

After they left, Ur asked Noah, "I saw you take all of that equipment. Won't that be a problem?"

"It won't be a problem. I did them a huge favor; they should be grateful. Consider the equipment my payment."

Ur looked helpless. "They're not going to be grateful."

"In any case, it's impossible for them to get the equipment back. Let's head back now. That disciple of yours, Gray, is causing a scene."

Hearing this, Ur forgot all about the equipment. "What's wrong with Gray? What happened?" she asked anxiously.

"You'll see when we get back. Let's go."

Noah grabbed Ur's arm, and with a flash of instantaneous movement, they were back in the yard of her friend's house.

The first thing Ur saw was Gray, pinned to the ground by Gravity Magic. Nearby, Lyon and Ultear were training hard under a similar spell.

"Noah, what happened?"

"Gray overheard some people on the road talking about Deliora appearing on the northern continent, so the fool tried to run off to get revenge. I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen. This was the only way to get him to cool down."

As Noah's Thought Projection finished speaking, it merged back into his real body. The gravity spell was released, and Lyon and Ultear stopped their training, panting for breath. Gray, freed from the pressure, tried to get up, struggled for a few moments, and then fell back to the ground with a thump. Even so, he forced his head up and stared stubbornly at Noah, his expression one of pure defiance.

"You're looking at me like I'm the bad guy here, but the problem is, I'm trying to stop you from getting yourself killed. Your master and I aren't even confident we could beat Deliora. What makes you think you can?"

"Shut up! How do you know I can't win? I'm going to avenge my mom and dad! Is there a problem with that?!" Gray shouted from the ground.

"Of course there's no problem with avenging your parents. But you don't have the ability. If you go fight Deliora now, it will kill you with a single blow. You're not going to luckily survive. Are you trying to get it to help you have a full family reunion?"

Gray still looked defiant but said nothing.

Noah thought for a moment. "Just to make sure you don't say your master didn't teach you any powerful magic, let me show you something."

Gray, having recovered a little strength, slowly pushed himself up. He looked at Noah, confused, wondering what he was up to. The others were curious as well.

Noah walked to the center of the yard and held out his hands, striking his right fist into his left palm. A blue ice magic circle appeared in front of him. Seeing it, Lyon and Gray gasped. "Isn't that..."

"This is the Ice-Make magic your master uses. I just learned it from her today. Watch closely."

"Ice-Make: Giant!"

A ten-meter-tall giant made of ice rose from the ground. Its face was somewhat indistinct, its fingers were thick, and its limbs were sturdy. It wasn't a refined creation, but simply by standing there, it blocked out the sun, casting a shadow over the yard and filling everyone within it with a sense of pressure.

"Ice-Make is a really good magic. As long as you have enough power, you can create anything you want. I've always wanted to pilot a Gundam; now I can finally get a small taste of it."

"N-no way... How could you do that just after learning it?"

Turning around, Noah said to the stunned Gray, "The proof is right in front of you. I just learned it today. Look at this ice giant. You couldn't create this even if you drained every last drop of magic from your body. Gaining strength takes time. Whether it's training your magic power or honing your magical techniques, it all takes time to polish. I've been studying magic for years and have built up a sufficient foundation, which is why even a spell I've just learned can have decent power. And you... you still need to build your foundation."

Noah looked Gray deep in the eyes. "You, of all people, know the pain of losing your family. Don't, through your own recklessness, make your teacher suffer that same pain by losing you, her beloved disciple."

Gray looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He stood there, stunned, and said nothing more.

Ur had been watching Gray with a worried expression. Noah walked over to her. "He needs to figure this out for himself. Let him think it over here. Let's go inside and rest."

Ur could only nod. She went inside with a recovered Ultear and Lyon. Noah took out his communication lacrima and walked to the side to contact Makarov. After a brief conversation where he got the information he needed, he hung up and walked over to Lyon.

"Lyon, do you know where Deliora was spotted?"

"When I heard those people talking, I think they mentioned it was in Brago, on the northern continent."

"Are you thinking of going after Deliora?" Ur, overhearing them, tried to dissuade him. "With our strength, we probably can't beat it."

"I never said it would be just the two of us. I've already called in one more person. With him along, we won't have to worry about any accidents."