MTLNOVEL Chapter 49: Heartfilia
In order to meet this person, Noah had specifically researched the location of her home. Her family was quite famous in the Kingdom of Fiore, having existed for at least 400 years, as long as the kingdom itself. It was very easy to find her address.
However, since he had no direct connection to her or her family, Noah had scheduled an appointment for a visit long in advance. This would give them time to prepare and, at the very least, to confirm his identity. A few days ago, he had received her reply, agreeing to the meeting.
And so, on this day, Noah dressed in a formal black suit, took a train to the nearest destination, and then crossed over a mountain.
From the mountain, he could see a small town-like complex below. At the entrance was a fountain, leading to a straight, wide road that could accommodate several horse-drawn carriages at once. Numerous buildings were situated on either side of the road, and at its end stood a large mansion. The grounds outside the main road were covered in perfectly manicured lawns, and the various plants were exquisitely arranged, clearly tended to with great care.
Everything he could see was, in fact, the estate of the person he was here to visit. This was to be expected. For a family with a history of over 400 years, as long as they developed normally without declining, they would naturally possess a foundation beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Furthermore, the current master of the house was a master of the business world, causing the family's assets to grow continuously and making them one of the most famous financial conglomerates in the Kingdom of Fiore.
When he arrived at the main gate, a servant was already waiting for him. Seeing Noah approach, the servant hurried over, having clearly seen a photograph of him beforehand.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Noah Flair?"
"Yes, I am."
"Welcome to the Heartfilia home, sir. I am a servant of the Heartfilia family. My master and mistress have been waiting for you in the parlor. Please, follow me."
"Alright."
Noah followed the servant along the main road, admiring the exquisite architecture on both sides and feeling the cultural heritage of this place that had stood for over 400 years.
When they reached the large mansion at the end of the road, the servant led Noah inside. They passed through a spacious grand hall and went up to the second floor. They walked down a corridor where statues were placed at regular intervals, with a different painting hanging between each pair of statues, displaying the family's wealth and heritage. The servant came to a large set of doors, pushed them open, and gestured for Noah to enter.
Noah stepped inside and found himself in a large parlor. A row of windows lined the opposite wall, the curtains pulled to the side, allowing the warm morning sun to stream in and fill the room with a gentle warmth. The walls were adorned with simple decorations, giving the room a simple, generous, and elegant feel.
Not far from the windows was a table, flanked by two long sofas. A man and a woman had been sitting on the right sofa, but they quickly stood up to greet him as the servant led him in.
The man was a relatively tall, middle-aged man with dark eyes and smooth, golden hair that was impeccably styled, matching his neatly trimmed mustache. He wore an expensive, custom-tailored brown suit.
The woman was a beautiful young lady. She had bright eyes, and her long, golden hair was held in place by a frilled hairband, with a lock of hair falling on either side of her face to her chest. She had a graceful figure and wore a pink, off-the-shoulder long dress accented with white lace.
These two were the people Noah had come to find: Layla Heartfilia and her husband, Jude Heartfilia.
"Welcome to the Heartfilia home. I am Jude Heartfilia."
"I am Layla Heartfilia. Welcome to our home."
"I am Noah Flair, an S-Class wizard of Fairy Tail. I apologize for the sudden visit." As he spoke, Noah showed them the Fairy Tail emblem on the back of his right hand.
After both parties were seated and the servant had served tea and departed, Noah, not wanting to waste time with pleasantries, got straight to the point.
"I'm sure you are both very curious as to why I have suddenly come to find you. And I trust you have already taken the time to look into my background."
Jude, seeing that Noah was not like the businessmen he usually met who would start with a round of mutual flattery, also went straight to the topic.
"Indeed, we are very curious. You are a wizard of Fairy Tail. You became S-Class at the age of eight, and at ten, just last year, you assisted the Magic Council in subjugating the dark magic cult, then participated in exposing and suppressing the Magic Development Bureau, and you are also suspected of having single-handedly defeated Deliora. Although my wife was once a wizard, she has not been involved in that world for a very long time, and we have had no dealings with wizards in recent years. A powerful wizard such as yourself should have no reason to seek us out."
Jude was extremely puzzled. After learning of Noah's visit, he had conducted an investigation and discovered that his visitor was exceptionally young, yet his known achievements and strength were incredible, ridiculously so for someone his age. When he first saw the information, he had suspected it might be a shakedown, but he found that Fairy Tail was a legitimate guild that had existed for decades. So, even up to this moment, Jude still couldn't figure out why Noah wanted to see them.
"You are correct. However, there is a special circumstance. Our guild has a certain hidden connection with the Heartfilia family. To be more precise, it has to do with something that has been passed down through the Heartfilia family for generations." Noah, knowing their confusion, answered directly.
"Something passed down through the Heartfilia family?" Jude didn't understand; he had never heard of such a thing. But when he turned and saw the thoughtful look on Layla's face, he knew Noah was not mistaken. There was indeed something that had been passed down through her family.
"This thing that has been passed down through my family... what are you referring to?" Layla asked softly.
"To show my sincerity, I will first tell you what I know," Noah said. "Your ancestors tasked their descendants with gathering the twelve Zodiac Keys and opening a special gate during a lunar eclipse in an age of abundant magic. That is the gist of it."
"That is almost exactly what is written in the book that has been passed down in my family," Layla said, covering her mouth, her face a mask of shock. "How do you know this?"
"I cannot tell you the source of my information. I can only tell you that I am here to help you open that gate. The age of abundant magic... is now." Noah's expression was sincere, doing his best to increase his credibility.
"You're saying that this is the era when the gate can be opened, when the mission of the Heartfilia family can be completed? Although I have always been skeptical of the book and had considered trying to open the gate myself, I never knew if it was actually possible. On what basis do you make this judgment?"