Chapter 162: Gildarts and Cana Return
"That's good. Since you're satisfied, Mayor, you can come find me if you have any new ideas in the future. For now, this is how it will be."
Noah saw the smile on the mayor's face and knew that he was indeed very satisfied with the arrangement. After waiting a moment for the shield to fade, he returned to the city with everyone. He did one last check of the equipment's operational status, and after finding that everything was in order, he was finally at ease.
The guild was as noisy as ever, but ever since Noah's magic suppression function had taken effect, the members had started using less magic during their fights. They had discovered that after using magic for a short while, they couldn't use it anymore. In reality, they were unconsciously increasing the power of their spells, which was then being suppressed.
As a result, Noah noticed that their hand-to-hand combat skills had improved. Since they couldn't use magic, they had to focus on their fists, and they seemed to be having even more fun, as fists weren't as destructive as magic. In an instant, the skill level of both the fighters and the ones getting hit had increased. Noah didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But this was a unique feature of the guild, so he didn't pay it any more mind and continued his daily routine of studying, research, and training.
On this day, Noah had just finished training and returned to the guild. He was sitting in a corner, reading a book while listening to the members chat, occasionally taking a sip of milk from a glass beside him.
He was taking on fewer and fewer requests these days. Thanks to his partnership with Jude, his funds were becoming more and more abundant, and he could buy most of the materials he needed. The few materials that couldn't be bought were sometimes brought back by the other S-Class wizards on their missions. Only the final, rarest portion required him to go out and collect them himself. And gathering those materials was generally quite dangerous, with very few requests that could be completed along the way. So, Noah had slowly reduced the number of missions he took, only occasionally accepting one or two when he went out to clear his head.
As Noah was engrossed in his book, running calculations in his mind, he suddenly heard the city's bells begin to ring.
Dong... dong... dong...
The moment they heard the bells, everyone in the guild stopped what they were doing and listened intently. This was followed by a wave of cheers as everyone grew excited.
"That bell pattern!!"
"Could it be?!"
"YEAH!!"
"Gildarts is back!" Natsu shouted excitedly. Gray and the others were also thrilled.
"Gildarts?" Meredy, who was also in the guild, asked, a little confused.
Wendy explained to her, "Gildarts is the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail. But he's often out doing requests with his daughter, Cana, so he's not in the guild very often."
"The strongest wizard? So he's even stronger than Ur, Ultear, and Erza?" Meredy asked.
Ur, who had recently returned and had quickly gotten to know Meredy, who was often with her daughter, overheard. She smiled at Meredy. "Gildarts is indeed stronger than me. And Noah is stronger than me too."
Meredy's eyes widened in shock. "Noah is stronger than you, Ur? How is that possible?" Although she had seen him use that powerful cannon blast before, she had never thought he would be stronger than Ur.
"He surpassed me a few years ago. I don't even know what level his strength is at now," Ur said with a sigh. Meeting someone like Noah had truly opened her eyes.
"Not at all. You were just held back for a while, Ur. Isn't your strength growing very quickly now? You've already surpassed the requirements to be a Wizard Saint, haven't you?" Noah said, having heard their conversation and walked over.
"I probably have, but I don't want to be a Wizard Saint. I just want to be with my daughter." Ur looked at Ultear with a serious expression, and Ultear hugged her mother.
"Alright, let's not talk about me," Ur said. "Meredy, you should go outside and take a look. You've never seen the scene of Gildarts' return."
"What scene?" Meredy was completely baffled.
Wendy and Yukino each took one of her hands and pulled her towards the guild doors. "Come on! You'll know when you see it!"
When she got outside, Meredy heard a broadcast announcement from the sky. "The city of Magnolia will now enter Gildarts Mode. All citizens!! Please move to the designated locations immediately!!"
The voice repeated continuously, and then Meredy witnessed an astonishing sight. The entire city was splitting in two, creating a single, straight road that extended all the way to the entrance of Fairy Tail.
"Wh-why is this happening?" Meredy was so shocked she could barely speak.
Just then, Noah walked up beside them. "Gildarts' magic can smash anything he touches. But he's often in a daze and absent-minded, and he can accidentally destroy an entire building without realizing it. So, after discussing it with the mayor, we created this special mode for him, so he doesn't destroy everything."
"This is amazing!" Meredy said, staring at the divided city in shock.
"It is, isn't it! I think it's amazing too!" Wendy said in agreement.
Carla, in her arms, just sighed. "Idiots."
In the distance, two figures were walking down the road. One was a tall man, wearing a tattered black, high-collared cloak. The woman beside him was a head shorter, wearing a tight-fitting athletic outfit that accentuated her already developing figure. They were the returning Gildarts and Cana.
Seeing Noah, Wendy, and Yukino waiting at the gate, a happy expression appeared on Cana's face.
Gildarts, on the other hand, looked around in a daze and asked her, "Cana-chan, did we take a wrong turn? This doesn't look like Fairy Tail."
Cana let out a deep sigh and pointed at the giant "FAIRY TAIL" sign on the door. "Dad, look closely. What does that say?"
"Oh! So this is the guild! By the way, did the guild get renovated? It's changed so much!!" Gildarts looked around in amazement.
Cana, looking like she couldn't stand it anymore, walked ahead toward Noah and the others.
"Welcome back."
"Mhm, I'm back. Wendy! Yukino! I missed you guys so much!" With that, Cana knelt down and pulled the two little girls into a tight hug, rubbing her cheek against theirs.
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