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Without anyone else to disturb him, Freed only spent a little over half an hour to rearrange the Magic Circle.
After personally testing the new formation and confirming it was working properly, Freed approached Noah. "I've completed your request. Remember to give me the recording afterward."
Noah nodded, smiling. "I thought you'd leave immediately after finishing the Magic Circle. I didn't expect you all to stay."
"We of the Thunder God Tribe are also part of the guild, after all."
Freed's tone was neither cold nor warm, but he genuinely wanted to help. From the moment he was invited to set up a Magic Circle capable of trapping a demon, he had already guessed Noah's objective.
The Books of Zeref., created by the Black Wizard, was extremely dangerous. To deal with such a demon, more manpower was always better.
This person is actually quite nice.
Although Freed didn't speak much, through this minimal interaction, Noah could already tell that he was actually a warm-hearted individual who cared for his companions—just a bit shy.
Furthermore, he admired Laxus, that rebellious fellow, which led to Freed being influenced and rarely initiating contact with other guildmates.
With such a person around, even if Laxus preached "might makes right," if he were to ever do something extreme, Freed would surely stop him.
"Laxus is truly lucky to have a friend like you."
Noah's sudden compliment caught Freed off guard, but when he thought of his friendship with Laxus being affirmed, he became a little flustered.
Wait, why is he blushing?
Watching a faint smile appear on Freed's face, Noah's heart surged with realization. Is that the expression one should have when thinking of a friend?
It's confirmed—this guy really likes Laxus!
Fortunately, Noah knew that Laxus was completely and utterly straight. Otherwise, the image of a muscular Lightning Dragon Slayer with a shy male swordsman would be too hard to accept.
Thinking of this, Noah couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for Freed.
As Laxus's number one fan, how could Freed not know what kind of person his idol was, yet he still chose to follow Laxus.
It felt like someone accidentally falling for a person who could never return their feelings, knowing full well that nothing could happen between them, yet willingly and silently staying by their side.
Tsk tsk tsk, what a pity.
Noah almost couldn't resist suggesting that Freed learn gender-transformation magic. If Freed were to become Freedlia... Laxus still wouldn't be interested.
Noah always felt that given Laxus's personality, when a woman confessed to him, he might say something like, "I'm going to become the strongest in Fairy Tail. Women are just a hindrance."
Just then, Lucy came over. "Noah, when our troupe staff went out to fetch water, they found a boy wandering alone by the river, so they brought him back."
Noah raised an eyebrow. This area, nestled between three countries, was a lawless zone spanning dozens of kilometers because it was too remote and had no value whatsoever. One could say it was a godforsaken place.
As a result, none of the surrounding countries were willing to incorporate this worthless territory into their domain.
Since the last villagers moved out twenty years ago, this place—to put it nicely—was a lawless zone, but in reality, it was no different from an uninhabited wasteland.
How could a boy suddenly appear in such a place?
Freed's first thought was that the person was a mage, but Lucy immediately denied it. "Erza has already examined him. There's no Magic Power fluctuation from him at all. He's just an ordinary person."
"Then that's even stranger. What would an ordinary person be doing in this uninhabited area?" Freed frowned slightly.
Lucy agreed, adding, "According to the staff who brought him back, this person didn't carry any supplies or luggage—nothing but the clothes on his back."
All of this indicated that there was something unusual about the mysterious boy.
Noah suddenly became interested. He immediately left Lucy and Freed behind, moved with the wind, and in the blink of an eye arrived outside the tent where the mysterious boy was being housed.
Erza, who was talking to the boy in the tent, saw Noah's arrival and teased, "You lazy bum, you haven't done anything all day, but you're quick to join in when there's excitement."
"Hehe, well, there are plenty of people here, and professionals should handle professional matters. It's best if I, an amateur, don't cause trouble."
Noah looked at the mysterious boy sitting across from Erza.
Black eyes, black hair, black robe, with white cloth wrapped around the outside of the robe—who knows where that fashion sense came from. The boy had delicate features, and his melancholic demeanor, coupled with his handsome face, would surely attract young girls experiencing their first crushes.
Erza pulled Noah aside and whispered, "He was unwilling to speak when he was brought back. What's strange is that he clearly paused when he saw me, and then he was willing to chat a bit."
"I feel like he knows about my past."
"Noah, do you think he might be a victim of the Tower of Heaven, and this was once his hometown?"
It was possible, but Noah didn't agree with Erza's theory.
Because the mysterious boy had delicate skin, showing no signs of having suffered in the Tower of Heaven. Moreover, knowing Erza's past didn't necessarily mean he was connected to the Tower of Heaven.
"What's his name?"
Noah's question was met with a shake of Erza's head.
So after chatting for so long, she didn't even find out his name. Where did she get the confidence to assume he knew her...?
Sitting down directly across from the mysterious boy, Noah stared intently into his melancholic eyes. "I suppose if I ask where you came from, you wouldn't be willing to answer. But you must at least let us know your name, right? Just as a way of making friends."
"Let me start first. My name is Noah, and she is Erza."
As Noah finished speaking, the mysterious boy opened his mouth, knowing he couldn't refuse. He reluctantly said, "My name... is Spriggan."
Spriggan, meaning "ugly fairy."
Someone actually has a name like that. Noah smiled politely and extended his hand. "Hello, Spriggan."
"Speaking of which, our meeting is also a kind of fate. We are mages of Fairy Tail. We are all 'fairies.'"
Looking at Noah's outstretched hand and thinking of the identities of the two people in front of him, a hint of desolation flashed in Spriggan's eyes. Then he apologetically refused to shake Noah's hand.
"I'm sorry, please don't touch me. It will bring you trouble."
In the end, Noah, like Erza, couldn't get any information from Spriggan beyond his name.
However, Noah could at least be certain of one thing.
Although he wore a black robe, Spriggan was definitely not a member of the Black Magic Cult. It wasn't because he was an ordinary person without magic, but because he was different from those cultists who disregarded life.
In his eyes, there was a reverence for life.
Someone who cherished life so much—how could he be a dangerous person?