Chapter 118: The Regular Meeting
"Gramps, you wanted to see me?"
"The regular meeting is in a few days, and I'd like you to come with me. Didn't you say you wanted to see the libraries of other guilds? This will be a good chance to introduce you to a few of the Guild Masters we're on good terms with."
The "regular meeting" was the gathering of the local Guild Master's League, where they would all get together to give their periodic reports.
"Then I'll get ready. Should we bring some of our own books as a reciprocal gift?"
"Good idea. You and I will pick out some books to bring as gifts."
Makarov approved of Noah's suggestion. The two of them went to the Fairy Tail library which, thanks to Noah's continuous collecting over the years, now had a truly astonishing number of books. They selected a few valuable books, which Noah then copied. They placed the originals back on the shelf, and Makarov sorted the copies based on who they were intended for, with Noah storing them away.
A few days later, Noah accompanied Makarov to the meeting hall in the city of Clover, a mansion located deep in a forest.
They pushed open the doors and walked in, seeing many people already gathered and chatting with their acquaintances. Noah scanned the room and recognized most of them as Guild Masters, though the guilds most of them ran were not very large.
They hadn't taken more than a few steps when a high-pitched, flamboyant voice rang out.
"Makarov-chan! Over here~!"
Makarov, completely unfazed, turned and walked towards the voice. Noah quickly followed. They arrived at a table where a round, bald old man with a bit of stubble was standing, dressed in a purple-strapped top. He wore a necklace made of golden rings and a pair of pink-and-purple vertically striped shorts. He also had a pair of small, white wings on his back. His lips were painted with red lipstick, and he had pink blush on both cheeks.
The man's image was a powerful shock to Noah's system. Standing next to him was a slim man of average height, wearing a black hat decorated with spikes. He had sunglasses on, light brown hair, and a similar spiky accessory around his neck. He wore a dark T-shirt and black pants. This person seemed much more normal than the other one. Noah recognized who they were.
"Bob, Goldmine, you're here early."
"You're the one who's late. The meeting is about to start."
"Sorry, I was preparing a few things, so I'm a little late. Glad I didn't miss it."
"Ara, Makarov-chan, who is this adorable little boy behind you? Heehee~"
"Oh, this is our Noah. I brought him here today to introduce him to you."
At this, the expressions on both Bob's and Goldmine's faces turned serious. "Is this the Noah from your guild who became S-Class at the age of eight? Truly impressive."
"Seriously," Goldmine said, "when you told us he became S-Class at only eight years old, I honestly suspected you'd gone senile. Even though you kept confirming it, I was always skeptical. But now, seeing him in person, I actually believe you."
Goldmine looked Noah up and down. Aside from his handsome appearance, he showed no magic power fluctuations at all. "He's standing right in front of me, and I can't even sense that he's a wizard. That alone proves his strength is far greater than mine. And at his age... It seems you weren't exaggerating. He really is incredible."
"Hahaha!!!" Makarov laughed so hard his eyes disappeared. He patted Noah on the back and pointed to the two Guild Masters. "This one wearing the hat and dark clothes is Goldmine, the Master of the wizard guild Quatro Cerberus. And this one," he gestd at Bob, "is the Master of the wizard guild Blue Pegasus."
Noah quickly bowed to both Masters. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Goldmine, Master Bob."
"Oh, my! Noah-chan is so polite~"
"Mhm, indeed."
Makarov turned to Noah. "Back in the day, we were all on the same team in Fairy Tail. Your Grandma Porlyusica, too. I miss those days of doing requests together."
"That's right! Those were such fun times. We were always so reckless, always making the Council angry," Goldmine added, a reminiscent look on his face.
The three of them began to reminisce about their past experiences, and Noah stood by quietly, listening to them tell their stories.
They talked until it was time for the meal, and the venue staff began to serve food. As they started to eat, Goldmine asked Makarov, "You've never brought any other members from Fairy Tail to the regular meeting before. Why did you bring Noah this time?"
Makarov swallowed the food in his mouth. "Because Noah wants to learn more magical knowledge. He's already finished all the books in our guild library and has bought and read many of his own. He asked me if it was possible to read the libraries of other guilds, and you two were the first ones I thought of."
"That's fine," Goldmine said without hesitation. "Aside from a few confidential documents, Noah is welcome to read most of our books."
"The same goes for me, oh yes! If Noah-chan wants to come, he can read most of our books too!"
Both Masters agreed immediately. They had decades of friendship, and they trusted Makarov's judgment and character. Moreover, Noah had been an S-Class wizard of Fairy Tail for many years now with no issues, which was its own guarantee.
"Thank you, both of you. Here are some books that Gramps and I selected, as a thank-you gift," Noah said, taking out two magic cards containing the copied books and handing them to the two Masters.
They both accepted them without ceremony. With their level of friendship, there was no need for such formalities.
After putting the card away, Bob seemed to remember something. He turned to Noah. "Noah-chan, since you love to read so much and have bought so many books, it must be a real hassle to organize them all."
Noah thought for a moment. "It's not too bad. As long as you categorize them properly, it's manageable."
"I heard about a newly invented magic from the Council that I think would be perfect for you."
"What magic, Master Bob?" Noah was curious what new magic Bob would think was so suitable for him.
Bob continued, "It's called Solid Script."
~~~
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