Tl: Btw, gonna migrate over to ebisu translation over the next few days. They got automated chappie navigation, ToC clicky, and dark/light theme easy switching feature (I know some of you kept saying how the dark theme is blinding you in broad daylight)
Magnolia, river side….
Clang!
Following the sound of metal clashing, two figures armed with knight swords parted from each other rapidly stopping only when the two are quite a distance apart.
“Phew…”
Two gaze filled with battle intent collided with each other. Noah and Erza stared each other down, after they had calmed their breathing, one of them lifted his lip.
“You have grown stronger than you were in the past, Erza.”
“Same could be said of you, Noah.”
Like people who had met their worthy adversaries, Noah and Erza both caught their breath at the same time. And the next moment, new battle intention arose as could be seen from their eyes.
“Again?”
“Again!”
With that short exchange, the two comrades and at the same time rivals, lifted their blades and got into their stances.
Alas, before they could execute their moves, another sound came.
“Alright! That’s as far as you two go!”
Mira stood up and glared at Erza.
“Are you trying to prolong your alloted time of battle? It’s my turn now!”
“Mira-nee!”
Shouted a frustrated Lisanna who was sitting by her side.
“Why do you have to nitpick on the time they spend together? Is letting Noah nii-san and Erza fight longer together such a bad thing?”
“Damn right it’s bad!’
Mira said without any reserve.
“If we let them spar any longer won’t Erza get more training time? What if she get stronger than me?”
“Mira-nee, you are too petty aren’t you”
Lisanna puffed her cheeks.
“Noah nii-san, Erza and nee-san are the strongest trio of our generation and at the same time, the only group that can go out of Magnolia to do various jobs. Me, Natsu, Gray, Cana and Elfman nii-san can only do jobs within Magnolia. What’s there to fuss about?”
“That’s not enough!”
Mira said matter-of-factly.
“I can’t lose to Erza no matter what. Noah also isn’t allowed to get ahead of me!”
“Mira-nee…”
Lisanna sighed.
“You really are…”
Meanwhile at the center, Erza and Noah who are still in battle stance exchanged looks and they felt helpless.
With Mira making such a big hissy fit, the state the two had entered got disrupted. Surely Mira had waited for this opportune moment to disrupt them right?
With no other alternatives available, Noah and Erza reluctantly put away the arming swords in their hands. In doing that, giving their bodies which had been training all day long a much needed breather.
Originally, this training venue is a place known only to Erza and Noah, any other person would have been guided here by Erza/Noah. Otherwise, finding this place by chance would be a very rare instance.
The reason Mira is here is quite simple.
“What? Erza is going somewhere to train? Sneaking ahead of me is something I will definitely not allow!”
What Mira said when she saw Erza and Noah going to the riverside to train after the second day their official rivalry began.
And so, Mira became one of the user of this secret venue.
And as for Lisanna, her motivation is even simpler.
“If Noah nii-san is going with Mira-nee, then I’m going as well!”
Thus, Lisanna took on a spectator role and became a frequent visitor to this secret base.
Actually, Gray and Natsu wanted in as well but Erza who got her usual routine disrupted by Mira gave them the evil eye and the two backed down with sweat filled heads.
It seems Erza who is both strong and sometimes violent has become something of a demon inside Gray and Natsu’s heart.
Usually, Noah, Mira and Erza would gather here almost everyday when they’re not on jobs. They would spar, fight and train with each other to bolster their strength.
Erza was not amused with Mira following them here. However, Mira had become familiar with her [Takeover] magic and quickly saw her strength going through the roof. She is now within the top echelons of peers of her age inside Fairy Tail, making her the third of the strongest trio like Lisanna said. It is to the extent that the slightly weaker members of the guild could no longer contend with them much to their resignation and admiration.
It’s probably because of her rise in strength that the two is always fighting to see who is the stronger one. Of course, Noah got dragged into their squabbles every time just.
In reality, if the 3 were to go all out, their power should be roughly the same so it would be very hard to distinguish the winner. Granted, the two girls know full well that even if they were to be roughly equal in strength, that’s only if Noah can’t use his trump cards, i.e. the magic of that arming sword of his.
The two girls know that the arming sword Noah has is a magic weapon. As to what the magic is and what kind of effect it has is something only the owner, Noah or Makarov, the original owner would know.
“Come to think of it, Noah nii-san, Mira-nee, aren’t you guys going on a job?”
Lisanna asked with tilted head.
“I think you guys haven’t gone out to work in a month or so.”
“What’s the matter?”
Mira frowned.
“Are the living expenses not enough?”
“If we don’t spend frivolously, let me see…”
Lisanna started counting with her fingers.
“We should be able to hold out for another month.”
“I see…”
Mira thought about it and then she nodded.”
“Then let’s clear some jobs in a few days time!”
“I am not that needy for cash as well.”
Lisanna shook her head.
“Although I am saving up to buy a magic weapon, at the moment I am still searching for items so I guess I can wait a few more days!”
Mira, Lisanna and Erza looked at Noah at the same time, their eyes are beaming with curiosity.
“Me?”
A rare elation and joyful expression spread across his face.
“For the foreseeable future, I don’t think I need to work!”
The 3 girls were surprised to hear this.
Noah smiled but he didn’t elaborate further. Instead, he took out a bunch of black marbles and threw them into the sky.
Hum~
The ripples of magic were like the rolling waves of the sea, it raged forward and scattered out with him as the epicenter. It covered the marbles raining down from the sky.
Instantly, every marble took on a slight shine, and the marbles all stopped in the air.
And then, the marbles danced.
It’s a scene that could only be described as a dance.
The marbles are like comet revolving around him, under the guidance of his magic power, they flew around Noah in distinct rings of orbit. They would float up and down or twirl intermittently. It would also wander to the left or right, decelerate or accelerate randomly or seemingly doing agile leaps in the air, all the while zipping through the air.
After some time, Noah stretched out his hand and the orbitting marbles returned to his hand like bees to beehives, they returned in an orderly fashion and fell into Noah’s hand in a uniform order until they all returned.
Noah then stored away the marbles.
Mira, Lisanna and Erza are completely stunned by what they’re seeing.
“Noah nii-san…”
Lisanna said in a stupefied tone.
“That was….”
It is impossible for Mira and Lisanna to not knwo that Noah couldn’t learn magic because he can’t put his magic power under control. Erza knew of this even earlier than them. Hence, the 3 girls knew the implication behind that flawless dance of black marbles signifying that his magic control has entered a godly state.
Noah smiled exuberantly in front of the 3 girls.