A New Life in Fairy Tail

Chapter 367: Participating Members, Confirmed

"Fairy Tail alone is more than enough! Or rather, having me by myself is plenty!" Natsu declared, stepping forward with absolute confidence."Don't talk nonsense. Gramps and the others are forming this coalition to safeguard the guild's future," Laxus said, clapping a heavy hand onto Natsu's shoulder.

Finding himself lectured by Laxus, Natsu shut his mouth, though he still looked incredibly indignant.

"Wait, this doesn't make sense... Hold on a minute, their primary roster only consists of five individuals, right?! For a group that small to necessitate a Joint Coalition Force, what kind of monsters are we actually dealing with?!" Lucy whimpered, a wave of acute panic washing over her face.

A headcount of a mere five individuals was enough to anchor one of the three pillars governing the entire continent's underworld network; Lucy simply couldn't comprehend how staggering their destructive capacity must be.

"Gramps, the two legal guilds partnering with us in this coalition are allies we share close ties with, correct?" Laxus asked, turning his gaze back to Makarov.

"Indeed. We share deep bonds of camaraderie with both their masters and their primary members. Because of that baseline trust, our operational coordination within the Joint Coalition Force will be far more seamless," Makarov nodded, before turning his attention to Noah. "Noah, your deduction regarding their leadership was unanimously accepted by the regional legal Masters during the assembly. Combined with our strategy to avoid being isolated and targeted by the rest of the Balam Alliance, the formation of this coalition was finalized."

"A deduction? What deduction?" Erza asked, her sharp brow twitching.

"It is a highly credible suspicion that the mastermind steering Oración Seis is actually Brain—the former director of the Magic Development Bureau," Makarov explained after a brief pause, choosing to lay out the parameters.

The exact millisecond the name cleared his lips, a violent, chilling surge of frost erupted through the center of the guildhall.

Centering directly on Ultear, the raw magical pressure froze the solid wooden floorboards beneath her boots instantly. The surrounding guild members caught in the freezing radius shivered involuntarily, cold sweat prickling their skin.

"Calm your focus. Don't let your emotions compromise your composure," Noah said, stepping forward smoothly to press a firm hand against Ultear's shoulder.

"Whew... haaa..."

Ultear drew several deep, measured breaths, systematically forcing the turbulent rage back down into the depths of her chest until the frost stopped spreading.

"I didn't relay this theory to you earlier because I lacked definitive proof to confirm the intelligence parameters. Even now, it remains a calculated deduction rather than a verified fact. The reason I brought it to Gramps ahead of schedule is because when dealing with a top-tier Dark Guild, it is always strategically sound to anticipate the absolute worst-case scenario," Noah explained softly, ensuring her mind remained grounded.

"I understand. It's just... I've scoured the continent for that bastard for so many years without a single lead. Hearing his name surface so suddenly out of the blue... I temporarily lost control of my parameters," Ultear said, shaking her head as she addressed the worried faces around her.

Seeing her magical output stabilize, the crowd let out a collective sigh of relief. Those who understood the underlying history naturally held zero judgment toward her reaction; even the members who lacked the exact details could deduce from her intense magical backlash that she shared a profound, blood-deep vendetta with this man named Brain, choosing to keep their mouths shut out of respect.

"Master, I am officially requesting a slot on this subjugation deployment," Ultear said, her voice turning ice-cold as she faced Makarov.

Makarov nodded solemnly. When he chose to voice Noah's deduction to the room, he had already factored the historical trauma between Ultear and Brain into the operational equation. Ultear's inclusion in the strike team was a foregone conclusion.

"Master, I am also requesting a slot on the roster," Sorano chimed in from the side, her expression equally unyielding.

Makarov blinked in brief surprise before nodding in agreement. He recalled that Sorano's past was also deeply intertwined with Brain's horrific human experimentation during her childhood. Her desire to hunt down the mastermind was perfectly logical.

"Outside of those two, we must deploy a proper detachment to anchor the operational line. A headcount of two is far too light to secure a perimeter against a pillar of the underworld. To guarantee a absolute suppression victory, we need to field our elite line," Makarov instructed, looking over his children.

"Count me in," Noah said to Makarov. Since both Ultear and Sorano were stepping onto the battlefield, there was absolutely zero probability of him remaining on the sidelines. Furthermore, he had invested a massive amount of planning and covertly leaked information regarding Nirvana specifically to draw this mastermind out into the open. Now that the target network was finally mobilizing, missing the execution phase was out of the question.

"If Noah is going, then I'm definitely taking point! This is the perfect window to show them what I've got!" Natsu cheered, his fists igniting into sudden sparks as he grinned at Makarov.

"Since this rogue mastermind is the one responsible for tearing my Master and senior disciple apart, I am duty-bound to join the front line. I'll help settle the score," Gray noted, his eyes locking onto Makarov with firm resolve.

Hearing his statement, a soft, genuine smile broke across Ultear's face. Seeing her junior disciple stand up so fiercely to avenge their master and defend her honor brought a wave of warmth to her heart.

"Since three of my primary team members have claimed slots on the line, my presence as their captain is required. Furthermore, if this adversary stands as an enemy to Ultear, then crushing them becomes an absolute priority for my blade," Erza declared, facing the Master.

With four core members of their signature team stepping onto the roster, Lucy panicked completely, her jaw dropping. "Wait, don't tell me... am I expected to deploy on this mission too?!"

"We operate as a cohesive team, Lucy! Of course you're deploying with us!" Natsu stated with absolute finality.

"Aye! I'm tracking Natsu straight into the thick of it!" Happy added from his shoulder.

"Ugh..."

Lucy let out a comically agonizing groan. While Happy's cheerful declaration provided absolutely zero comfort to her wallet or her safety parameters, she didn't voice a single word of refusal. When her comrades committed to a battlefield, abandoning them to face danger alone was simply not in her nature.

"A headcount of eight, is it...?"

Makarov surveyed the eight individuals who had stepped forward to claim a slot in the Coalition Force, nodding his head in deep satisfaction. The combat capacity of this lineup was exceptionally high, with several individuals possessing monstrous, tier-breaking power. He estimated that even if this specific detachment had to face Oración Seis solo, they held more than enough payload to secure a suppression victory. With that realization, the lingering weight in his chest evaporated.

Standing nearby, Mirajane and Laxus had initially intended to throw their own names into the selection pool, but seeing the immense volume of elite power already locked into the roster, and noticing Makarov formalizing the slots, they stepped back and chose to remain silent to manage the guild's home defense.

"The operational roster for the Fairy Tail detachment is officially finalized at eight members. Move out and conduct your final gear configurations. I will pass the exact coordinates for the staging ground and the localized tactical data directly to Noah," Makarov instructed the group.

The selected members nodded in unison, dispersing across the hall to prep their arsenals. Faced with a Dark Guild of Oración Seis's legendary caliber, optimizing their combat parameters was paramount.

Noah stepped up directly to Makarov's desk.

"With your presence anchoring the front line, my anxieties regarding this operation are cut in half, Noah. However, maintain your visual sweep and analyze their movements carefully. Do not allow arrogance to compromise your guard," Makarov whispered, his voice dead serious.

"Understood, Gramps," Noah replied calmly.

"The primary staging area for the Coalition Force is a private estate owned by Bob, situated right along the northern perimeter of the Worth Woodsea. The execution window for the assembly is tomorrow at high noon," Makarov relayed the precise logistics.

"Excellent. I'll head out and finalize my personal preparations then."

"Go on," Makarov nodded.

Noah cleared the area, navigating through the hall until he tracked down Wendy and her friends.

"Wendy, have you girls paid a visit to old man Roubaul lately?"

"Mmm! We actually traveled down to his village to play just a short while ago!" Wendy cheered, her eyes lighting up.

"Perfect. Since the rest of the guild is going to be incredibly busy with an extensive deployment over the next few days, how about I transport you girls down to stay with old man Roubaul for a bit? He personally sent me a message mentioning how much he misses his girls," Noah suggested with a pleasant smile.

"We'd love to!" Wendy agreed without a shred of hesitation. Yukino and Meredy nodded their heads in vigorous, joyful unison beside her. Old man Roubaul treated them with immense kindness, and they deeply cherished his company.

Carla watched Noah's expression, a faint inkling of suspicion flickering through her mind, but she quickly dismissed the thought. Noah's logic was perfectly stable, and there was no glaring anomaly in his suggestion.

"Mira, I'm counting on you to look after Wendy and the girls during their stay. Have them gather their belongings, and I'll deploy a spatial transport to send you all over directly," Noah said, turning to Mirajane.

"Understood!"

Wendy and her friends sprinted off toward their quarters with immense excitement, eager to pack the assortment of souvenirs, trinkets, and festival gifts they had meticulously selected for old man Roubaul during the Harvest Festival.

"If I remember my geographical charts correctly, old man Roubaul's settlement sits directly adjacent to the Worth Woodsea perimeter... Is there a specific operational reason you are sending the girls to his village right now, Noah?" Mirajane asked, stepping closer once the children were out of earshot.

"This... Just ensure you keep a close eye on Wendy and the others, and offer some company to old man Roubaul," Noah hesitated for a fraction of a second, choosing to withhold the structural details regarding Nirvana and the impending battlefield layout.

"Fair enough. You can fill in the blanks whenever the parameters allow it," Mirajane noted. Seeing his hesitation, she chose not to force the issue. She understood that if the information was safe to share, Noah would have mapped it out for her from day one. His silence simply meant there were critical operational reasons blocking a full disclosure.

"Just spend some quality time with the children and the old man over the next couple of days," Noah added, his tone deeply earnest.

"I got it, silly. Even without your academic instructions, looking after my family is second nature to me," Mirajane replied, rolling her eyes playfully at his seriousness before turning on her heel to pack her own traveling gear.

The moment Wendy and the girls returned with their luggage, Noah activated his high-level spatial magic, cleanly teleporting Mirajane and the children directly outside the rustic entrance of Roubaul's residence.

"Old man Roubaul! We came down to visit you!" Meredy shouted toward the wooden doors at the top of her lungs, her face full of glee.

"Hohoho! Welcome, welcome!"

Roubaul's deep, booming laughter resonated from the interior before the heavy wooden doors swung open, revealing the elderly chief sporting a massive, warm smile.

"Old man Roubaul!" the girls cheered in perfect unison, swarming forward. Noah and Mirajane stepped up to offer their respectful greetings in turn.

A radiant, unsuppressable joy filled the old man's face as he welcomed them. "Come inside, make yourselves comfortable!"

The moment they crossed the threshold, the girls couldn't wait to unpack their spatial storage slots, presenting the old man with a massive collection of items they had purchased during the festival. Hearing the sudden commotion, the nearby villagers began filtering into the house one by one to greet Wendy and her friends, laughing warmly as they accepted the children's thoughtful gifts.

Without missing a beat, the villagers immediately began prepping a massive, celebratory feast to properly welcome their beloved young guests.

Back during the planning phase of the Harvest Festival, Wendy and the girls had repeatedly invited Roubaul and the villagers to travel to Magnolia to enjoy the celebrations, but the elderly chief and his people had politely declined the offer, choosing to remain within their secluded perimeter.

To make up for it, the girls animatedly recounted every single thing they had seen, heard, and experienced during the festival, pulling out an archive of photographs they had captured to showcase the grand event. Roubaul and his people sat in a comfortable circle, smiling warmly as they absorbed the children's infectious energy and shared in their happiness.

Noah seized the sudden lull to subtly scan the surrounding environment, updating his tactical metrics on the localized terrain.

Once the initial wave of storytelling wound down, the enthusiastic villagers began presenting the girls with items they had systematically crafted for them over the past few weeks. From beautifully stitched traditional garments to intricately carved wooden handicrafts, Wendy and her friends found their arms completely overloaded by the sheer volume of the village's hospitality.

Unable to physically carry the mountain of gifts, the girls laughed happily as they systematically transferred the surplus items into their spatial inventory pockets.

~~~

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