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"Tsk tsk... They can't even get a death sentence for this?"
"The Magic Council and the Kingdom of Fiore's government are way too soft."
On the fourth floor of the guild hall, in the office lounge area, Noah—leaning against a sofa—yawned, slowly lay down until he'd completely taken over the sofa, and then placed the newspaper he'd just finished reading over his face.
Looking at the white-haired youth dozing off on his office floor, Makarov couldn't help but laugh and scold, "You barge in here to bother me in the middle of the day, and now you're falling asleep on me?"
"Hey, isn't that because the capable ones do more work?"
Noah pushed the newspaper aside. He hadn't wanted to come find Makarov at noon—the sun was way too strong—but he'd slept until past twelve.
Listening to Noah's shameless flattery, Makarov's face lit up with a smile.
Ever since Noah and Mystogan had revealed their origins to him, Makarov had been much more at ease these past few days. These two 'sons' from a parallel world came by to see him every single day now.
With his son banished and his grandson rebellious... Makarov hadn't felt real family warmth in far too long.
Though his heart felt warm, when he thought about what Noah had told him, Makarov's smile gradually faded into a serious expression. "Noah, you said Gajeel came from four hundred years ago. Do you actually have proof?"
Makarov believed in Magic that could travel through time, but he still had his doubts.
Since the topic had turned serious, Noah dropped his usual lazy attitude, sat up straight, and said earnestly, "Guild Master, I don't have direct evidence, but looking at all the connections, I'm at least ninety percent sure Gajeel's from the past."
"I mean, with Dragons extinct now, where are you gonna find one willing to teach humans Dragon Slayer Magic?"
Makarov nodded. Truth was, after Noah had thoroughly explained everything to him earlier, he'd already believed him.
Because there was another Dragon Slayer in the Guild whose situation was almost exactly the same as Gajeel's.
By Noah's estimate, Gajeel had arrived in the current world six years ago—that'd be X777.
And in that same year, around the same time, Makarov had found a little pink-haired boy named Natsu in a forest, bawling his eyes out while looking for his 'adoptive father.'
Back then, Natsu had told Makarov that his 'adoptive father' Igneel was some super powerful Dragon, but Makarov had just written it off as a kid's imagination—Dragons had been extinct for ages.
But as Natsu grew up, Makarov was shocked to discover that Natsu was actually a legendary 'First Generation Dragon Slayer'—a Mage who'd been personally taught Dragon Slayer Magic by an actual Dragon.
Makarov was dead certain that the forest where he'd found Natsu had zero traces or rumors of any giant creatures for at least the past two hundred years.
He'd had so many questions about Natsu, but Makarov hadn't been able to find any answers, so he'd just let it be. Besides, Natsu was happy living in the Guild, and there was no point upsetting the kid.
Now, with Noah laying out Gajeel's origins like this, Makarov finally understood why Natsu—just a little kid six years ago—had shown up alone in the middle of nowhere.
"What the hell is going on..."
Makarov rubbed his shiny bald head in frustration.
If it was just one person traveling through time, you could call it an accident. But Natsu and Gajeel having such similar stories? That meant this was planned.
The old man couldn't stop worrying about those kids.
To pull off time-traveling Magic like that, sending two children four hundred years into the future—whoever was behind this had to be incredibly powerful.
Thinking about how Natsu always said his adoptive father, 'Fire Dragon Igneel,' loved him so much, Makarov's gut told him that both kids' Dragons must've been involved in this whole time travel thing.
But why? What was the point?
Makarov didn't doubt that Natsu and Gajeel had crazy potential, but they still had a long, long way to go before becoming top-tier Mages.
Lost in his worries, Makarov suddenly noticed the hair he'd pulled out still in his palm, and his expression changed instantly. "Dammit, Noah! This is all your fault for telling me all these questions I can't answer! Now I'm losing even more hair!"
Noah, who'd been casually sipping the old man's tea, nearly did a spit-take. "You pulled that out yourself! Don't you dare blame me for that!"
"You think a mere Guild member can talk back to the Guild Master? You're asking for it, you little white-haired punk! C'mere...!"
When Mystogan arrived on the fourth floor, the first thing he saw was the completely trashed office lounge and his younger brother getting chased around and beaten by the Guild Master.
The sight made the already quiet man in black robes go even more silent.
...He'd picked a bad time to show up.
"Big bro! Perfect timing!"
Noah immediately spotted Mystogan and wasn't about to let him escape. "This old man's having a meltdown over his hair loss and he's taking it out on me!"
After another round of chaos, Makarov finally managed to plant a solid kick on Noah's rear with Mystogan's 'help.'
Noah dusted off his pants and sat back down on the sofa like nothing had happened, though he shot his older brother a look that clearly said 'traitor.'
Makarov, now in much better spirits, picked up his teacup and turned to the newcomer. "So, Mystogan, how's Porlyusica doing these days?"
"My aunt's doing very well."
Ever since he'd learned that Anima would no longer threaten the Ishgar continent, Mystogan could finally stop wandering and live the life he actually wanted.
Since he preferred peace and quiet, Mystogan had chosen to live in the forest outside Magnolia, which also let him keep an eye on his elder, Porlyusica.
Noah looked at Mystogan, still completely wrapped up in his usual getup, and said helplessly, "Brother, why are you still wearing that mask? Aren't you dying in there?"
"I'm used to it. And my face would just cause problems."
Mystogan knew that if he showed his real face, the Magic Council would probably investigate him because of Jellal, but with Noah and Erza vouching for him and Makarov's connections, he wouldn't be in real trouble.
Still, Mystogan just didn't like causing problems for other people. Even when he used Sleep Magic on his guildmates whenever he returned to the Guild, it was only to avoid bigger issues down the line.
Seeing that, Noah didn't push it any further.
Makarov, though, was curious about why Mystogan had come by. "Please tell me you're not about to drop some good or bad news on me that'll make me worry, just like Noah did."
Mystogan glanced at Noah in confusion, then said,
"No, nothing like that. I'm just planning to find someone."
"Six years ago, I found a little girl and took her in as my sister. But back then, I had to deal with Anima, so I left her with an old woman."