In the evening, the slightly reddish sunlight filtered through the window, casting a glow on Noel's face.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was a wooden ceiling.
Turning his head slightly, he realized he was lying on a bed.
Mira was resting beside him, her head down on the bedside, gripping his arm tightly.
Her eyes were closed, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep, but her brows were furrowed with worry.
Noel attempted to move his body, but he immediately noticed a strange sense of disharmony within himself.
"You're awake?"
An old woman with pink hair entered the room alongside Makarov.
The pink-haired elder spoke softly to Noel.
"Ms. Porlyusica... Master..."
Makarov waved his hand slightly, and a magic circle appeared above Mira's head.
Noel then saw Mira collapse further into the bedside, falling into an even deeper sleep.
"You shouldn't push yourself right now. Your current condition is far worse than just 'terrible.'" Porlyusica said grimly.
"I... Right, I was attacked by Ivan... Is Mira okay?" Noel asked, his gaze falling on the sleeping Mira.
"I arrived a little late, but I made it in time. Ivan escaped, and Mira is unharmed. The one in trouble... is you, Noel." Makarov shook his head.
"My body... what's my condition?"
Makarov and Porlyusica exchanged a glance, and then Porlyusica spoke:
"Right now, in your body, all the organs except your heart—such as your kidneys, stomach, and others—have been taken away by the power of the dark magic circle. Under normal circumstances, a regular person would already be dead, beyond saving. But you're special. Inside your body, there's a terrifying force that combines with magical power, which has shaped substitute organs to keep your body functioning. However, these are not real organs, so your current condition is still extremely dangerous."
Hearing Porlyusica's explanation, Noel closed his eyes, sensing the abnormal state of his body.
Inside, it felt completely hollow.
Aside from his heart, which was protected by divine power, all other organs had been stripped away.
If not for the divine power forming substitutes to sustain his body, Noel would likely already be dead.
Moreover, his divine power level had plummeted to less than thirty percent due to Ivan's sacrificial magic, and the divine energy sustaining the substitute organs was almost all the power Noel could wield.
It could be said that he could no longer use his divine power to fight... unless, of course, he didn't mind dying even faster.
"I'm not dead... and that's enough," Noel opened his eyes and said flatly.
"What's with your attitude?!" Hearing Noel's indifferent tone, veins popped on Porlyusica's forehead.
If she hadn't still been in control of her temper, she would have slapped him right then and there.
"Porlyusica, could you step out for a moment? I need to talk to Noel," Makarov said.
Reluctantly, Porlyusica agreed, "Hmph, do as you like." She left the room.
"I've officially declared Ivan expelled from the guild, and the council has issued an arrest warrant. Noel..." Makarov sat by the bed, seemingly pondering how to begin.
"It's okay, Master. That was Ivan's doing, not your fault," Noel said with a faint smile, as if sensing what Makarov wanted to say.
Makarov sighed, looking at the golden-haired boy in front of him who was actually comforting him.
He felt a sharp pain in his heart.
After a long pause, he finally spoke: "How can you be so calm? Do you understand what your current condition means?"
"I know..." Noel's eyes were calm as he placed a hand over his heart. "But my heart is still here, isn't it? I'm still alive, aren't I? He said, as long as the heart exists, you're still human. So, it's fine."
"He? Who is he?" Makarov couldn't help but use a layer of mental hypnosis.
From the moment he met Noel, he had known that Noel carried a deep emotional wound in his heart.
This wound was more severe than Laxus's arrogance or Mystogan reclusiveness.
It was so severe that it distorted Noel's perception and worldview.
Normally, such hypnosis would have no effect on Noel, but with his current physical state, he couldn't resist.
Even though using magic in this way was wrong, at this moment, Makarov couldn't care less.
"He... my only friend... Hal..." Under Makarov's hypnosis, Noel's eyes slowly became hollow and empty.
"What happened in your past, Noel?" Makarov asked.
"I... my past... don't... don't make me remember... Hal... Lia... I'm sorry, I'm sorry I couldn't save you both... I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Why, why did you do this to me and Lia... we are your own children... I don't understand... Father, why?" Tears began to well up in Noel's empty eyes, his hands gripping his hair tightly.
-------------------
"I see... such a heavy past... You've really been through a lot, Noel," Makarov said, shocked after hearing Noel's story through the hypnosis.
Every event Noel had gone through would make any normal person feel extreme pain, let alone experiencing it all alone.
The efforts and sacrifices he had made had only led to such a result—if it had been an ordinary person, they would have already broken down.
With a sigh, Makarov canceled the hypnosis magic, and Noel's consciousness gradually returned.
"What happened?" Noel felt like he had just spaced out and turned to Makarov, asking.
"Nothing," Makarov subtly tilted his head away, avoiding Noel's gaze.
"Is that so?" Though Noel had doubts, he didn't press further, as he understood that Makarov must have his reasons for not speaking.
"Master, can you remove the sleep magic? I... want to say a few words to Mira."
"Understood," Makarov made a slight gesture, and Mira's sleep magic was immediately lifted.
"Noel!!" Mira, now awake, immediately called out upon seeing Noel.
She tightly grasped his arm, tears streaming from her eyes uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry... Noel, I... I've caused you so much harm, it's all my fault. If it wasn't for me..."
"Mira, please calm down and listen to me, okay?" Noel interrupted Mira's words.
His clear gaze softly met her face as he gently wiped away the tears on her cheek.
"I've liked you, Mira, since before. No reason, just simply because I like you. I don't want you to be hurt, and I don't want to see you cry, so... I'm sorry."
A magic circle appeared in Noel's hand, surrounding Mira: "[Memory Alteration]."
After a while, the light faded.
Mira blinked, and after seeing Noel, it seemed like she remembered something and suddenly spoke up: "Ah, I fell asleep. Noel, how are you feeling? You suddenly collapsed, and it really shocked me."
"Mm, much better... Thank you for your concern, Mira. You should go back now, it's getting late, and Elfman and Lisanna will be worried," Noel smiled, though there was a hint of bitterness, a trace of pain in the smile that only he himself could understand.
"Mm, you're right. I'll go back now," Mira smiled.
"Is this... enough?" After Mira left, Makarov asked Noel, who was still lying on the bed.
"Yes, this is enough... really enough... As long as Mira can smile happily, that's enough. I'll carry all the sorrow on my own," Noel said.
The sunset light shone through the window, casting a shadow on Noel's face, making it impossible for others to see his expression clearly.
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The loud knocking on the door startled Mira, pulling her out of her thoughts.
However, she had no intention of opening the door.
Right now, she just wanted to be left alone in peace.
"Sister, please open the door!" Was that Elfman outside?
"...Please open the door, I have something to tell you..." Something to tell me? What is it?
"Noel isn't dead, sister, did you hear me?!!!"
With a bang, the door was opened, and Mira's figure appeared in front of Elfman.
"Elfman, what did you say? Noel is really okay?" Mira grabbed Elfman's shoulder, asking him in an excited voice.
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