Chapter 405: The Farewell Party
Upon arriving at the guild, Ultear and the others immediately joined the decorating efforts.
The guildhall's festive arrangements were nearly complete, and the farewell party organized for Lisanna was just about to begin.
Noah, meanwhile, slipped away to the guild's underground basement, heading straight for the central control hub of the magical barrier. He needed to finalize some technical adjustments he had left unfinished.
After dedicating a solid chunk of time to the intricate runic arrays, Noah finally wrapped up the modifications. He had successfully upgraded the guild's detection barrier, expanding its Anima-tracking radius to sweep a full thirty kilometers with the guildhall at its absolute center.
Satisfied that the newly optimized detection field was running flawlessly without any glitches, Noah left the basement and returned to the bustling first-floor hall.
The moment he stepped into the main room, Wendy, Yukino, and Meredy ambushed him, dragging him into a quiet, secluded corner. Carla trailed closely behind them.
"Noah, are we going to Carla's world soon?" Wendy asked, her voice tight with nervous anticipation. Yukino, Meredy, and Carla all stared at him with intense, hopeful eyes.
"Did Sorano and the others tell you?" Noah asked, shaking his head slightly. "To be precise, only Carla is going. The rest of you are staying here. This trip isn't a vacation. Besides taking Carla to see her homeland, we have a massive operation to execute."
"We heard all about it from Ultear!" Wendy protested, looking at Noah with absolute, unwavering resolve. "We know we might be going to war against an entire kingdom. But we are Fairy Tail wizards, and we are Carla's partners! We are a team. If there's danger ahead, we absolutely refuse to let Carla face it alone!"
"Don't underestimate us, Noah," Meredy chimed in, her tone dead serious. "Our combat strength is nothing to scoff at."
"And because we are a team, our synergy allows us to support each other and multiply our effectiveness in battle," Yukino added firmly.
Noah fell silent, genuinely considering their fierce arguments.
"Alright, you can come," Noah finally relented, looking at them sternly. "But you must avoid the frontlines. Your priority is to stay in the rearguard and provide tactical support for the vanguard. Understood?"
The moment the words left his mouth, blindingly radiant smiles broke across the girls' faces.
"We get to go with you!" Wendy cheered, scooping Carla up into a massive, joyful hug.
"I understand how you feel, but you'd better not forget what Noah just ordered you to do!" Carla scolded them gently, though she couldn't hide her own relief.
"We won't!" Meredy and the others chorused perfectly.
Hearing their absolute loyalty, a warm smile spread across Carla's feline face. With so many dependable partners standing by her side, the crushing weight of the "mission" she had sensed since birth suddenly didn't feel so terrifying anymore. With everyone together, she knew they could find a way through it.
Watching the heartwarming scene, Noah couldn't help but smile.
Just as Meredy had pointed out, they weren't weak by any stretch of the imagination; they easily outclassed a vast majority of standard mages. Furthermore, two of them possessed incredibly potent support magic that would drastically enhance the main strike team's survivability. Since their bond with Carla was virtually unbreakable, tying them down in Earth Land was a lost cause anyway. With Noah and the S-Class mages there to run interference, the actual danger to the girls was minimal.
"Go get your gear ready, then," Noah instructed them.
"Got it, Noah! We're going to pack right now!" Meredy and the girls cheered, immediately sprinting out of the guildhall.
With Carla's team sorted, Noah realized there was another specific person—and cat—he still needed to brief.
He waved Natsu and Happy over to a quiet spot, pulling Gray and Lucy along with them since they were part of the same core team and deserved to know the intel.
After bringing them up to speed on the impending dimensional crisis, Natsu looked at his blue partner with shining, curious eyes. "I can't believe Happy is actually from a parallel universe! What's the other world like, buddy?!"
"I hatched over here! How the heck am I supposed to know what that world looks like?!" Happy deadpanned, violently shutting down Natsu's excitement.
"A magic spell that literally rips people into another dimension... that's absolutely horrifying!" Lucy whimpered, shivering like a leaf. It was the first time she had ever heard of a magic designed specifically to violently convert living beings from another world into pure, crystallized magic batteries.
"I wonder what the Fairy Tail in that world is like?" Gray muttered, stroking his chin in thought.
"So, are you all in?" Noah asked, looking at the four of them.
"Obviously! Happy is my best friend! Wherever he goes, I go!" Natsu declared without a second of hesitation.
"Those bastards are trying to steal our world's people and turn them into fuel. Like hell we're gonna sit back and let that happen!" Gray scoffed, cracking his knuckles.
"Umm... am I actually qualified for a mission like this?" Lucy stammered, timidly raising a trembling hand. "I really don't think my magic is strong enough..."
"Don't sell yourself short, Lucy! Your combat record is incredible!" Noah praised her, his voice dripping with exaggerated awe. "I've heard the rumors! You single-handedly beat down three giant gorillas, absolutely pulverized the Master of Phantom Lord, and completely crushed the Oración Seis! You're a monster!"
"What the hell kind of insane rumors are those?!" Lucy screamed, glaring at him with completely dead eyes. "You were literally there! You know exactly what actually happened with Phantom Lord and the Oración Seis!"
"Haha! Just believe in yourself, Lucy. You've got this," Noah laughed heartily. "It's settled then. You guys are coming with us."
Since no one raised any further objections, the roster was locked in.
Shortly after securing the team, Noah received a telepathic ping from Mystogan.
Stepping outside the guild, Noah found the masked S-Class mage waiting in the shadows. Mystogan's eyes were deadly serious. "Anima is highly likely to form within the next few days. The epicenter will be right here in Magnolia."
"Are you absolutely certain?" Noah asked, his own expression hardening.
"Yes. I've double-checked the dimensional frequency multiple times," Mystogan confirmed, locking eyes with Noah.
"I see..." Noah's serious facade suddenly broke into a brilliant, predatory grin. "Perfect. That saves us the trouble of chasing it across the continent. When it opens up right above us, we'll just hijack the portal and take the fight straight to Edolas."
"Right," Mystogan nodded. Even beneath his heavy facial coverings, the sheer relief washing over him was palpable.
Knowing Noah was leading the charge completely shifted the dynamic. At absolute worst, if they somehow failed to hijack the portal, Noah possessed more than enough raw magical processing power to forcefully dispel the Anima before it consumed the town—something Mystogan lacked the raw output to do. Having Noah as a failsafe completely erased the suffocating pressure Mystogan had been carrying for years. The heavy, desperate tension in his eyes finally melted away.
"By the way, make sure you swing by the guildhall tomorrow. I have something for you," Noah mentioned casually.
"For me? What is it?" Mystogan asked, slightly confused. Having spent the last few days frantically tracking Anima's coordinates from the wilderness, he was completely out of the loop regarding the guild's internal affairs.
"You'll find out when you get here," Noah smirked, refusing to elaborate.
"Alright. I'll drop by tomorrow," Mystogan agreed. Turning away, his body rippled like a reflection on water before vanishing seamlessly into the thin air.
With Mystogan gone, Noah headed back inside to help the rest of the guild finalize the preparations for the massive farewell banquet.
The next morning, the guild members arrived bright and early.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the decorators, the Fairy Tail guildhall had been utterly transformed. Brightly colored streamers, floating balloons, and extravagant magical ornaments covered every inch of the ceiling and walls.
A massive, beautifully painted banner hung directly above the main stage, proudly displaying the words: Farewell, Lisanna and Mystogan!
Edolas Lisanna, the primary star of the show, had been escorted from her house by Earth Land Lisanna and Elfman first thing in the morning. She was currently standing in the center of the hall, completely overwhelmed as the entire guild lined up to shower her with blessings and farewell gifts.
While most of the presents were simple, inexpensive trinkets or handmade keepsakes, Lisanna treated every single one like a priceless artifact, accepting them with both hands and carefully stowing them away.
Noah stood off to the side, watching the heartwarming scene with a gentle smile. He planned to give Lisanna his own parting gift once they actually reached Edolas.
Suddenly, Noah's magical senses flared. In a flash of movement, he closed the distance and materialized right next to an invisible presence lingering in the corner of the room. Slapping a hand onto empty space, he felt a solid shoulder.
"This is your farewell party too. Why are you hiding in the corner?" Noah asked the cloaked S-Class mage.
Mystogan physically jumped, startled by the sudden contact, but breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was just Noah.
"No, it's fine. As long as you all know, that's enough for me. If I show my face down there, it's only going to cause problems for the guild," Mystogan shook his head.
He was painfully aware of the atrocities the Earth Land version of himself—Jellal—had committed. Walking into the light with that exact face would only open old wounds and cast a dark shadow over the celebration. He was perfectly content to just watch from the sidelines.
"Just keep your mask on, idiot. Stop making excuses. You are the guest of honor today, and you are going down there," Noah ordered.
Before Mystogan could even process the command, Noah clamped an iron grip onto his cloak and literally dragged the elusive mage straight into the brightly lit center of the grand hall.
"Noah, wait, you—" Mystogan stammered.
"Hey everyone! I found Mystogan!" Noah yelled, effortlessly cutting him off. "Hurry up and give him your presents before he disappears again!"
Hearing Noah's announcement, the entire guild swarmed them like a tidal wave. Dozens of wizards crowded around the notoriously reclusive mage, aggressively shoving their beautifully wrapped gifts into his arms.
Caught completely off guard, Mystogan clumsily fumbled to catch the barrage of presents, awkwardly bowing and stammering out endless streams of gratitude.
It took an agonizingly long time for the chaos to finally settle down. By the time Lisanna and Mystogan had finished collecting the mountain of gifts, they both let out identical, exhausted sighs of relief. Dealing with Fairy Tail's suffocatingly aggressive affection was physically draining, but undeniably heartwarming.
"Mystogan! Fight me right now!" Natsu roared, blasting through the crowd with flaming fists the absolute second the gift-giving concluded.
WHAM!
Erza instantaneously materialized beside the Dragon Slayer and drove her fist directly into the top of his skull, violently burying his face into the floorboards.
"The formal farewell ceremony hasn't even started yet. Do not ruin this," Erza commanded with a terrifyingly dark aura.
Seeing that the floor was finally clear, Master Makarov leaped down from the second-floor railing and strode to the center of the stage. Clearing his throat, he grabbed the lacrima microphone.
"Due to a highly unique and unprecedented set of circumstances, Mystogan and Lisanna must officially depart from our guild today. Therefore, we have gathered here to throw this grand farewell banquet to send them off with smiles!" Makarov's booming voice echoed through the silent hall.
"However, before you go, I must bestow upon you the three absolute laws for those who leave Fairy Tail. You must carve these words into your souls and never, ever forget them!"
Makarov stared down at Mystogan and Lisanna, his eyes burning with intense, fatherly love. Both of them stood at attention, hanging onto his every word.
First: You must never, for the rest of your life, reveal any information that could disadvantage Fairy Tail!
Second: You must never contact former clients for your own personal, selfish gain!
Makarov paused, letting the weight of the rules settle over the room before his voice softened into something incredibly raw and emotional.
Third: Even if our paths diverge, you must live on strongly! You must never treat your own life as something insignificant... and you must never, as long as you live, forget the friends who loved you! Do you understand?!
"We understand," Mystogan and Lisanna replied in unison, their voices trembling violently.
Tears were already streaming freely down Lisanna's cheeks. Mirajane gently pulled the crying girl into a warm embrace, softly patting her back to comfort her.
"Excellent!" Makarov yelled, throwing his fist into the air. "Now then... LET THE BANQUET BEGIN!"
"YEAAAAAHHH!"
The entire guild erupted into a deafening roar of approval, immediately plunging the hall into a wild, chaotic, and incredibly festive frenzy.
Mirajane gently wiped the tears from Lisanna's eyes and dragged her straight into the heart of the dancing crowd.
Mystogan, on the other hand, instantly found himself completely surrounded by a massive mob of curious guildmates. Even though his face was entirely obscured by his heavy mask and scarves, no one tried to forcefully unmask him. Instead, they peppered him with endless questions and dragged him into conversations.
Aside from Makarov and the other S-Class mages, practically no one in the guild had ever actually spoken to him before. They were determined to satisfy years of pent-up curiosity before he left forever.
Sweating profusely beneath his heavy layers, Mystogan desperately tried to field the barrage of questions. Overwhelmed, he shot a frantic, pleading glare across the room directly at Noah, silently begging for a rescue.
He had spent his entire life wandering the deadly wilderness hunting dimensional rifts. He rarely interacted with regular people, and even when taking jobs, he exclusively picked simple, combat-heavy requests that required zero social interaction. Being violently interrogated by dozens of hyperactive Fairy Tail wizards was absolute sensory overload.
Noah saw the desperate distress signal perfectly clearly—and completely ignored it. As long as Mystogan didn't try to bolt or accidentally expose his face, Noah was content to let him suffer. The guy was literally leaving the dimension forever; if he didn't bond with his guildmates right now, he would never get another chance.
Realizing Noah had abandoned him to the wolves, Mystogan slumped his shoulders in defeat and clumsily tried to navigate the aggressive socializing.
After finally managing to politely excuse himself from the mob, he stomped over to the bar counter, glaring at Noah with an aura of intense, bitter resentment.
"Relax. What's wrong with getting a little closer to everyone?" Noah laughed, casually patting the grumbling mage on the shoulder. "You've been a ghost for years, so it's completely natural for them to be intensely curious about you. Besides, you have absolutely zero plans to ever return to Earth Land. You need to use this time to actually connect with your guild before it's too late."
Mystogan fell silent for a long moment, the resentment fading from his eyes. He slowly nodded in agreement, turned around, and voluntarily walked right back into the chaotic crowd.
This time, his stiff, defensive posture was gone. He engaged with the questions much more smoothly, even sharing a few lighthearted laughs with the mages who had intimidated him just moments ago.
Satisfied, Noah leaned against the wooden counter, joining Makarov in watching their chaotic family celebrate. Warm smiles graced both of their faces.
"Mystogan confirmed that the next Anima is going to detonate directly over Magnolia. It's going to happen within the next few days," Noah reported quietly, ensuring his voice didn't carry over the loud music.
"Are our preparations fully complete?" Makarov asked, his tone matching Noah's low volume.
"Everything is perfectly locked in. All we have to do is wait for the Anima to drop," Noah confirmed. "However, you need to go speak with the Mayor immediately. I'm worried the scale of this dimensional rift is going to be incredibly massive. If a giant black hole opens up in the sky, it's going to cause absolute, city-wide hysteria. We need the Mayor to preemptively pacify the citizens so they don't riot."
"I see," Makarov mused, stroking his white mustache. "I'll inform the Mayor that Fairy Tail will be conducting a massive, city-wide 'magical experiment,' and instruct him to broadcast a warning telling the citizens not to panic. The fewer people who know the terrifying truth about alternate dimensions, the better."
"That's a brilliant cover story," Noah agreed, his eyes suddenly lighting up with dangerous, theatrical excitement. "If that's the excuse we're using, then I'll just have to manually tweak the Anima's visual effects when it drops. I'll make the sky show flashy and explosive enough to perfectly convince the entire city that it's just one of our insane magical experiments!"
~~~
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