Ever since Natsu joined the guild, the atmosphere had become far more lively. Gray and Natsu could be seen fighting almost every day, and Lyon would occasionally get dragged into their quarrels.
Now, with Erza, Mirajane, and Sorano joining the brawls and Ultear stepping in from time to time it often turned into a full-scale four-way battle.
As a result, the guild's maintenance costs suddenly skyrocketed. Noah often saw Makarov holding a thick stack of bills, his expression twisted in pain.
On one hand, as guild master, Makarov was glad to see the younger generation so energetic. It was proof that Fairy Tail had a bright future.
But on the other hand, the exploding costs made his life miserable.
Fighting among guild members had always been a Fairy Tail tradition, and maintenance had long been one of the guild's biggest expenses. Now that the younger generation was rowdier than ever, repairs became a daily occurrence, and costs rose sharply.
To make matters worse, members who went out on jobs sometimes caused large-scale damage in towns. Whenever that happened, local authorities sent Fairy Tail another compensation bill.
All of it combined into a total cost that made Makarov tremble whenever he saw the numbers.
Thankfully, Ur, Laxus, and the other elites frequently took on S-Class commissions. The rewards from those jobs were enormous, and with the guild taking a cut and some savings already in reserve the guild managed to scrape by.
In the past, Noah himself often filled the guild's coffers by taking on S-Class commissions. But since Jiude had started funding him in recent years, Noah reduced his workload, and the guild's income from his jobs dropped.
Even so, Noah still helped indirectly. Whenever Natsu, Gray, Erza, or Mirajane started a pointless fight in the guild, he would simply teleport them into the training grounds. That simple action alone had saved Fairy Tail a fortune in repairs.
Gildarts, however, was hopeless. He frequently spaced out or got careless, which always resulted in some catastrophic destruction of his surroundings. He never asked the guild to compensate him, but neither did he bring in much money to cover the costs.
Fortunately, since Cana had been looking after him more often, the number of disaster reports involving Gildarts had decreased. It wasn't much, but it was still good news.
Seeing Makarov so stressed about the guild's finances, Noah thought for a moment and decided to hand over a portion of the profits Jiude gave him each month.
When he told Makarov, the master was overjoyed at first, but then his brow furrowed with concern.
"You're giving so much money to the guild. Won't that affect your own affairs? I remember your research costs a fortune."
Makarov knew full well how expensive Noah's experiments were. He had even helped buy some of the equipment himself. If Noah didn't have such a clear source of income, Makarov might have suspected him of robbery.
"Don't worry, Grandpa," Noah replied. "The pharmaceutical company I partnered on with the Heartfilia family is thriving. It's already opened branches in neighboring countries. The share I receive each month is more than enough. Contributing part of it to the guild won't be a problem.
But this must stay secret. If the others find out, they'll get even more reckless."
Makarov nodded gravely. He agreed if the guild members knew, the damage they caused would probably double. He didn't want that.
Once he was sure it wouldn't harm Noah, Makarov happily accepted. He couldn't hide the wide smile that spread across his face.
The rest of the guild was baffled. They'd seen Makarov smile before, but not like this. For the past few months, he had looked so weighed down, but now he couldn't stop grinning.
Everyone grew curious and pressed him for answers, but Makarov only shook his head, saying nothing.
They might have kept asking, but before long, Natsu and Gray started another fight. The guild members were instantly distracted, surrounding them with cheers, and the questions about Makarov were forgotten.
Makarov's face returned to his usual stern mask, and the matter was dropped.
A few days passed like this. Then, one afternoon, Natsu came charging into the guild, eyes shining with excitement, holding something carefully in both hands.
"It's an egg! I found an egg!"
He ran all the way up to Makarov, holding it out proudly.
Makarov frowned. "An egg? Where did you find it?"
"In the eastern forest!" Natsu replied without hesitation.
Noah, who was quietly reading a book nearby, noticed Natsu come rushing in with an egg. He immediately recalled the story this was the beginning of Happy's birth. Another thought struck him: at this same time, Carla's egg should have also appeared in this world, near the location of Roubaul.
At once, Noah connected with his thought-projection that was currently assisting Roubaul, showing him the image of Natsu's egg and instructing him to look for another one of similar size.
Meanwhile, Gray glanced at Natsu and smirked.
"Well, well. Not bad, Natsu. You were smart enough to bring something back for everyone to eat."
He licked his lips as he spoke. Ultear, who was standing beside him, couldn't take it anymore and punched him squarely.
"Where are your clothes?!"
Gray clutched his head, tears springing to his eyes in pain.
"Are you crazy? This is a dragon egg! I'm going to hatch it!!"
Natsu spun around, cradling the egg protectively in his arms.
"Dragon egg?" Gray exclaimed, the pain forgotten as surprise flashed across his face.
"Look here the pattern looks just like a dragon's claw!" Natsu placed a mat on the ground, setting the egg carefully on top. He pointed excitedly to the markings etched across the shell.
"Is that so?" Gray muttered, staring blankly. Ultear also studied the egg with a puzzled look.
"So, Grandpa! You give birth to the dragon!" Natsu shouted eagerly to Makarov.
At those words, Makarov's expression darkened, his voice booming across the guild.
"What nonsense are you spouting, you fool?!"
The sudden scolding made Natsu, Gray, and Ultear all flinch. Then Makarov's tone grew heavy and solemn.
"There is no such thing as magic that can desecrate life. Life is born from love. No magic in this world can create that."
Ultear's eyes widened. Her heart stirred as she remembered the meaning behind her name. Her mother, Ur, had shed tears the moment she was born, naming her Ultear tears of life itself.
As the memory surfaced, Ultear's eyes brimmed, her head nodding again and again, finally understanding the weight of Makarov's words.
Gray's expression grew serious as well, while Natsu only tilted his head, wearing the same puzzled, innocent look as always.