When he first saw the skeletons, Noah thought for a moment that he had ended up near the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus. He knew that deep beneath Crocus, there was also a massive dragon graveyard—the remains of the dragons slain by Acnologia. Since that was the only place he knew of with such a large number of dragon remains, he had planned to visit it last.
But after Noah carefully examined the skeletons in front of him, he realized something was wrong.
Scattered among the giant bones were many other skeletons that were, by comparison, tiny.
"Are these... human skeletons?!"
Noah stared in disbelief. The shape and size were unmistakably human, but they possessed features that no human should have, which is why he hadn't recognized them at first. Many of the skeletons had bizarre bone structures. Some had pronounced extensions from their shoulder blades, like the bones of wings. Others had finger bones that were elongated and sharpened, like claws. Some skulls even had bony protrusions, like horns.
There were even stranger specimens: some had the massive upper torso of a dragon but the small, human-sized lower body. Others were the reverse.
Noah first documented the entire scene with magic, afraid that the slightest touch might cause the ancient remains to disintegrate.
After he had a complete record, he began to carefully examine the skeletons. After triple-checking his findings, he finally came to a conclusion: A large portion of these skeletons belonged to the original Dragon Slayers, those who had first learned Dragon Slayer Magic. The rest were dragons.
This was an incredible discovery. If he could fully study these remains, his research into both the dragon race and Dragon Slayer Magic would advance by leaps and bounds.
Noah first bowed to the skeletons, holding a three-minute moment of silence for them. These people had bravely learned a new and immature magic, all in a desperate fight for humanity's survival. They deserved his respect.
After paying his respects, he began his work.
Collecting data, running analyses, and cross-referencing—Noah was completely absorbed. However, he still remembered his duties, returning to the guild once a week to write Makarov's apology reports and to visit the Magic Council to reinforce Mest's memory seal.
He placed the ruin itself under a series of powerful barrier enchantments to protect it from being discovered or disturbed. He also set up a large amount of magical equipment to assist in his research, which required him to purchase more supplies through Jude.
It was during one of these transactions that he received news from Jude: Lucy, with his and Layla's blessing, had finally left home to begin her own journey.
Her mother, Layla, had also become a wizard and set out on her own adventures at about the same age. Lucy, who was already older than her mother had been, was desperate to follow in her footsteps. Furthermore, she had decided to be completely self-sufficient and not use any of her family's money. She had a dream of becoming a novelist and felt she needed to experience the world as a normal person to write her stories—a decision both Jude and Layla supported.
She had told Noah long ago that she wanted to join Fairy Tail. Jude confirmed that she still planned to, but she wanted to travel on her own for a while first. Noah wasn't worried about her. Her combat skills and Celestial Spirit Magic were already quite good, and he knew Jude and Layla would be keeping a protective eye on her from a distance.
Noah told Jude that he and Layla were always welcome to visit Fairy Tail, and they promised they would.
After receiving his new equipment, Noah dove back into his research.
His analysis revealed that the state of the remains indicated a massive battle had taken place here—a battle between dragons and Dragon Slayers, and, most disturbingly, between Dragon Slayers and other Dragon Slayers.
The first part was understandable; the magic was created to kill dragons. But a battle to the death between fellow Dragon Slayers was strange.
Upon deeper investigation, Noah found the answer. Every single Dragon Slayer skeleton showed signs of partial, or in some cases, advanced dragonization.
He recalled what he knew: Dragon Slayer Magic was a double-edged sword. The power it granted would eventually corrupt its wielder. Those who couldn't control it would grow increasingly violent, their bodies twisting as they slowly transformed into the very creatures they hunted.
Noah's conclusion was somber: These Dragon Slayers had lost control. They had succumbed to the magic, gone berserk, and turned on each other.
But this theory raised another question. He looked at the dragon skeletons. If these were enemy dragons, they would have simply taken to the air and watched from a safe distance as the Dragon Slayers tore each other apart. A human, even a berserk one, could hardly chase down a dragon.
There was only one other possibility: These were the pro-human dragons. That was the only reason they would have stayed and fought.
They were trying to stop their human allies, to restrain them, to try and snap them out of their rage.
And judging by the field of bones, they had all failed.
Noah was silent for a long time, unable to pass judgment on such a tragedy. He could only record his findings and continue his work, hoping to find the answers he needed to one day face Acnologia.
Time passed, and before he knew it, the end of the year arrived. It was time for the S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial.
Noah was too deep in his research and flat-out refused to be an examiner this time. Makarov, seeing how busy he was, didn't push him and decided that Ultear, Erza, and the other S-Class women would run the trial.
~~~
Get early access to 50+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn