A New Life in Fairy Tail

"It's simple. By reviewing relevant materials, it's clear that magic is developing at an extremely rapid pace in the current era. And by comparing various phenomena, we can tell that the ambient magic power content is now far greater than it was in ancient times. Therefore, it is highly likely that the gate can be opened. The gate requires two prerequisites: one is to gather all the keys of the Zodiac, and the other is an era of extremely high magic power. Only when the atmosphere contains sufficient magic can the gate be opened. Really, all we need to do is gather the Zodiac keys and try. If it can be opened, the Heartfilia family will no longer be bound by this mission."

Noah laid out his reasoning. When Layla heard his argument, especially the last sentence, her heart was deeply moved. Ever since she had read the family's ancestral book, and especially after the birth of her own daughter, Lucy, she had wanted to end this mission in her generation. She hoped that her daughter would not have to bear this burden and could live her life freely.

However, she never knew if it was actually possible. Now, to have someone come and tell her that her wish was feasible filled her with both joy and a sense of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted.

She turned and saw Jude's bewildered expression, and so she explained to him, "The Heartfilia family has a book that has been passed down for generations. The gist of it is just as Noah said: in an age of abundant magic, we are to use the twelve Zodiac keys during a lunar eclipse to open a gate. I was always skeptical, so I never told you about it. I'm sorry, my dear."

Layla looked at Jude apologetically. He immediately embraced her and comforted her softly, "It's alright. You didn't fully believe it yourself, so you don't need to apologize."

Jude then turned to Noah. "So you're saying the gate can be opened soon, and the Heartfilia family's mission can be completed?"

"Not that soon. According to my calculations, the next lunar eclipse won't be until July of the year X777. That is when we can open the gate. I've come to you now to give you a heads-up. Because we need the keys of the Zodiac, it would be best to start searching for and collecting them in advance. Find the keys or the people who hold them and communicate with them beforehand to ensure all the keys can be gathered on that day. Otherwise, I'm afraid we won't be able to find all the keys in time, and we won't be able to open the gate."

Jude and Layla immediately understood. Layla, in particular, being a Celestial Spirit wizard herself, knew just how precious the Zodiac keys were. Finding all of them in a short period of time would indeed be very difficult.

She said to Noah gratefully, "Thank you for the warning. Otherwise, even if we knew about the eclipse, trying to find all the keys at the last minute would have been incredibly difficult. With this much advance notice, it will be much easier."

Noah shook his head. "I just happened to learn this information and came to discuss it with you. I will also do my best to help you find the Zodiac keys. Because this is related to my guild, I will certainly help."

"Then thank you so much," Layla said gratefully.

"If it's convenient, may I ask what the relationship is?" Jude asked, still cautious.

"I can only say that the gate's construction and opening are related to my guild's First Master. I'm afraid I can't disclose the specific details at this time," Noah said with a troubled expression. He didn't dare mention Zeref's involvement; saying that name would only lead to bad consequences.

"This child's eyes are clear, and the feeling of his magic is bright and warm. He is a good child; he will not harm us," Layla said softly, gently tugging on Jude's sleeve.

"I trust your judgment, Layla. Thank you for your help," Jude said, letting go of his wariness and thanking Noah.

"Not at all. I should be the one thanking you for your trust," Noah replied sincerely.

"If the gate can be opened, my daughter won't be bound by our family's destiny in the future and can live freely. That would be wonderful. By the way, you and my daughter are about the same age. I'll call her over to meet you."

"That would be great. I look forward to meeting your daughter."

"Aunt Spetto, please ask Lucy to come here."

"Yes, madam. I'll go and get the young miss right away."

The woman called Aunt Spetto hurried away to fetch Layla's daughter, Lucy, to the parlor.

Just then, Noah said to Layla, "Madam, your health has always been poor, hasn't it?"

"How did you know? Layla's health has always been very frail." Before Layla could speak, Jude took over the conversation, his tone anxious, clearly very concerned about his wife's well-being.

"I know a little bit of the healing arts. I can see that madam's physical condition is not very good."

"Then can you cure Layla?" Jude asked, full of hope. He had been looking for all sorts of ways to help his wife, but nothing had had much effect.

"I will need to perform an examination to know what the problem is. Would that be convenient, madam?" Noah asked Layla.

"Of course. Please, go ahead," Layla agreed immediately.

With Jude watching, Noah performed various checks. When he was finished, he thought for a moment and then asked, "Madam, when and at what age did you retire from being a wizard? That is, when did you stop using magic?"

"It was in the year X764, when I was sixteen. I decided to retire because of my poor health."

"Then, since you are a Celestial Spirit wizard, back when you retired, how many keys did you possess, what type were they, and what was the maximum number of gates you could open at the same time?"

"At that time, I had three Zodiac keys, and I could open three gates simultaneously."

"Then I have a good idea of the reason for your poor health."

"What is it?" Jude asked eagerly from the side. Layla also looked at Noah with curiosity, wanting to know the cause of her illness.

"There are two others in my guild with this same symptom, and it only appears in people with extremely high talent. It is a condition where one is born with immense magic power, but their physical constitution is insufficient to handle it, causing the magic to put pressure on the body and lead to various health problems."

Through his examination and questions, Noah had confirmed his suspicions. She was truly a genius Celestial Spirit wizard. To be able to open three Zodiac gates simultaneously at the age of sixteen was an incredible feat. The Zodiac keys were the pinnacle of Celestial Spirit Magic; there were only twelve in the entire world. Opening even one gate required a large amount of magic, and opening two at the same time caused the magic consumption to rise drastically. To open three at once, the required magic would likely increase exponentially. For a sixteen-year-old Layla to be able to do this, the amount of magic power she possessed was simply unimaginable.