With the venue destroyed, the banquet naturally couldn't continue. After a brief discussion, the guests agreed to reconvene at a different location the following evening. For now, everyone would return to their lodgings to rest and calm their nerves.
As the guests left, many of them learned where Eidel and Noah's team were staying. One by one, they all decided to transfer to the same inn, which was suddenly overflowing with clientele. The innkeeper couldn't stop smiling.
Eidel himself was beaming for the entire night. He felt the request had been worth every jewel. The connections and goodwill he had solidified during this incident would be a massive boon for his business. He thanked Noah's team profusely one more time before retiring to his room to organize his gains.
Noah, meanwhile, placed a protective barrier over the entire inn. He had originally only warded their few rooms, but now he expanded the perimeter. It didn't take long.
Once that was done, the team gathered in Noah's room.
As soon as the door was closed, Sorano said excitedly, "So, how'd we do tonight? We were pretty great, right?"
"You were better than great," Noah said, smiling. "The most important part was your teamwork. It was flawless."
He was extremely satisfied with their coordination under pressure. They had all played to their strengths and supported each other perfectly.
"It's probably because of all those training sessions with you," Erza mused. "We spend so much time fighting you four-on-one, we've naturally developed that kind of coordination."
Ultear and the others nodded in agreement.
"That must be it," Noah said. "In any case, you all look tired. Go get some rest."
They all nodded. After the night's events, they were indeed exhausted. They returned to their respective rooms, and Noah, after one last check of the wards, also went to rest.
The next day, Eidel spent the morning and afternoon working from the inn, meeting with guests he had made deals with the night before. Noah's team stayed at the inn to protect him. That evening, they all went to the new banquet.
This time, Eidel was the man of the hour, and Noah's team members were the celebrities. Guests constantly came over to introduce themselves, make connections, and offer their thanks. The name "Fairy Tail" was firmly planted in their minds. They all decided to research this guild when they got home and send their requests there in the future.
After politely dealing with the crowd for a while, the team used "guard duty" as an excuse to slip away from the enthusiastic guests. The banquet lasted late into the night. They escorted Eidel back to the inn.
Eidel had more work to do in the city, so for the next few days, the team split into two shifts to guard him. Ultear and Sorano took one shift, while Erza and Mirajane took the other. During their time off, the girls explored the city, buying clothes and food—especially cakes and sweets. Noah also did some shopping and found quite a few things he liked.
Later, Noah heard from Eidel about the bomber. It turned out the man in the suit had been a merchant who went bankrupt, losing his entire fortune. He couldn't handle the blow and had decided to get revenge on other, more successful merchants. Noah and the others just shook their heads at the story. They didn't know what to make of it, and they quickly put the man out of their minds and continued exploring.
Five days later, Eidel's business was concluded, and they began the journey back.
After returning to Eidel's villa, Noah's team said their goodbyes. Eidel looked genuinely sad to see them go. Noah had helped him so much, and he felt he hadn't thanked him enough. But he had noticed how much they all genuinely loved their guild; their faces lit up every time they mentioned it. He decided the best way to thank them was to send all his future requests to Fairy Tail.
After leaving Eidel's, they got back in the carriage and headed to their next guard mission. During that job, they successfully repelled an attack on the client, though they did end up destroying several buildings in the process. Luckily, the client was incredibly wealthy, didn't mind at all, and paid for all the damages.
With that, all the side-quests were complete. The girls let out a sigh of relief. The whole journey had been intense, and they needed a break. So, they slowed their pace for the trip home, taking time to enjoy the sights. Along the way, the girls bought so many things that they ran out of space in their own storage magic. Noah had to use his magic cards to store the overflow for them.
It took them about a month in total, but the five of them finally returned to the guild.
They were met with a rowdy welcome. Natsu immediately rushed up, demanding to know what an SS-Class Request felt like.
Wendy (carrying Carla), Yukino, and Meredy ran over to Sorano. Sorano instantly grabbed Yukino in a tight hug, rubbing her cheek against hers. "I missed my adorable little sister so much! Let me get my snuggles!"
"Did you have a good trip, Sister?" Yukino hugged her back, having missed her just as much, and didn't resist the affection.
"It was great! We saw so much. I'll tell you all about it when we get back," Sorano said to the girls.
"Big Sis," Lisanna started, looking hesitant. She and Elfman had come over to Mirajane. They were obviously terrified Mirajane would ask about their training goals, but their concern for their sister won out. "How did... how did your main goal for the trip go?"
"With Noah there, of course it was a success."
Hearing this, Elfman and Lisanna broke into huge smiles. They knew her goal was to Take Over a powerful demon. Mirajane had told them in private (since Noah hadn't forbidden it), but they hadn't told anyone else. They were genuinely happy for her.
And then, they heard the words they had been dreading:
"So. Did you two complete the training goals I set for you?"
Their faces froze, and they both just laughed nervously.
Mirajane's anger flared instantly. She grabbed one in each hand and, without even stopping to rest, dragged them out of the guild and toward the training grounds. She was going to "personally confirm" their progress.
The other guild members watched them go, offered a few seconds of silent prayer, and then immediately turned back to pestering Noah's group for details.
Ultear was fending off Gray and Lyon, who were also desperate to hear about the SS-Class Request. She told them a few censored stories, which only made them more fired up to try one themselves.
Noah, after dealing with his own crowd, finally made his way to Makarov at the bar.
"Welcome back," Makarov said, not looking up. "I heard you had a lively time on that bodyguard job. Took out the entire banquet hall and the surrounding buildings, did you?"
"The news already spread that fast, huh?" Noah sighed. "It seems our guild's reputation for... property damage... is as strong as ever."
~~~
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