Noel wasn't entirely sure how the battle had ended—he hadn't even seen the magic activate.
By the time he woke up, he was already lying in bed. This had been his first time successfully casting a Super-Magic.
But the price was steep. His body was so drained that, for at least the next several days, he couldn't use alchemy at all.
Because Noel's injuries were so severe, he remained bedridden to rest, and even the Council hadn't immediately come to take testimony. It was only when he finally regained consciousness that members dressed in the Council's uniform entered his room.
Noel cooperated with the questioning without complaint, though in his heart he couldn't help but grumble: The Council's efficiency really is pathetic—when the battle was raging they were nowhere to be seen, but now that it's over, they suddenly show up.
Still, he wasn't overly worried. Though two guilds had clashed, Fairy Tail wasn't likely to face heavy punishment. Both the physical evidence and the civilians' testimonies clearly proved that it had been Phantom Lord who launched the first attack.
Once the Council finished its investigation, the task of rebuilding Fairy Tail officially began.
Ordinarily, Noel could have reconstructed the guild with alchemy alone. But since he couldn't currently use his magic, the burden of rebuilding fell upon everyone else.
Noel remembered that when he'd first entered the Phantom Lord mech, their guild had still been intact. Judging by the destruction now, it must have been obliterated by Phantom Lord's Abyss Break.
"The damage really is total… To rebuild, it's going to take a lot of time," Noel sighed.
Staring down at the ruins beneath their feet, he fell silent. The guild had been completely and utterly destroyed.
Everyone else stood around the rubble as well, each one lowering their head, their spirits heavy. What exactly had they managed to protect? Even the very guild itself had been reduced to ruins.
"The guild may be destroyed, but we can rebuild it. If our comrades had been lost, that would have been irreversible." Mirajane smiled gently, comforting them.
"But there is one serious problem—without a guild hall, we can't take on any jobs for the time being. So, let's hurry up and rebuild, everyone!" she added brightly.
"That kind of thing's perfect for Noel! His alchemy is amazing," Natsu said.
"Impossible. For the time being, I can't use magic at all. So I'll be leaving the reconstruction in everyone else's hands," Noel replied.
Rather than feeling discouraged, Natsu only grew more fired up. "Then I'll go carry lumber!"
Gray immediately refused to be outdone. "I'll help too!"
Noel, however, could only stare, veins throbbing in his forehead. "Seriously? The guild's design plans haven't even been drawn yet, and you two are already hauling wood back and forth like maniacs… Do you think that actually helps?"
Mirajane turned toward him with a smile. "Speaking of which, didn't you design the last guild building? In that case, this time's blueprint is also up to you."
Noel instantly felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier. He hadn't agreed to anything, yet somehow the responsibility had been dumped on him.
"…Is there a commission fee involved?" he asked half-jokingly.
"Nope," Mira replied without hesitation.
Noel was left speechless. Once again he was being made to work for free. And to think—his architectural blueprints actually sold quite well on the market. If someone hyped them up a little, he could easily sell one for 100,000 Jewel's.
Maybe I should just fake being sick in bed instead… He sighed. Somehow, without even realizing it, he'd gotten stuck with the job again.
Meanwhile, Master Makarov wandered around nearby, as if looking for something.
"Master, about the guild's blueprints—" Noel began, only to be immediately cut off.
"I'm leaving it to you," Makarov said with a squint and a grin.
Noel felt utterly helpless. Why did I even bring it up?
The rest of the guildmates deliberately avoided his eyes, their expressions clearly saying: We're counting on you for this great task. With no way out, Noel could only resign himself to his fate.
Back in his lab, he threw himself into the work. Drafting blueprints wasn't simple—it required endless calculations.
And if they were rebuilding, then it had to be better than before—larger, stronger, able to withstand sudden assaults. Perhaps even outfitted with a magical cannon or two. Phantom Lord's fortress design wasn't a bad reference, though the lack of sufficient energy made that difficult.
…
After several sleepless nights, Noel finally finished the plans.
The all-nighter had left him with dark circles so heavy he looked like a panda. Still, in a way he was on the cutting edge of fashion—smoky-eye makeup was in style, after all.
Handing the blueprints to the others, Noel let Erza take command of the work crew.
Some carried lumber, others hauled stone, others set foundations—each person working hard under her direction.
As for Noel, the moment his head touched the pillow, he fell fast asleep.
Pulling all-nighters was exhausting enough when done for fun—but staying up for work was simply torture.
He slept straight through until nightfall. When he returned to the construction site, Makarov called him aside with a mysterious expression.
"Master, what is it?" Noel asked, puzzled.
"There's a vacant lot just in front of the guild… Could you maybe draw up one more set of blueprints for me?" Makarov asked.
As Fairy Tail's master, life wasn't easy. His office was so packed with complaint letters that he had no space to work.
And truthfully, the complaints were inevitable. Back when the guild was weaker, the commission rewards usually covered the cost of collateral damage.
But as everyone's strength grew, so did the scale of destruction. Half a harbor here, half a town there—there was no way the payment covered it all.
If it weren't for a few benefactors supporting the guild financially, Fairy Tail would've gone under long ago.
"…What exactly are you planning?" Noel asked warily.
"Just another storage building," Makarov said innocently.
"Another warehouse? We already have the underground one," Noel deadpanned.
"Not that kind of warehouse. Of course it'll store things… but it'll have other uses as well."
"…Like what, exactly?" Noel asked suspiciously.
"You don't need to worry about that. Just help me out, will you?"
With Makarov sniffling and pleading, Noel had no choice but to give in—another round of sleepless nights awaited him.
It had been years since he'd last pulled consecutive all-nighters for design work. But what could he do? This was for his guild.
…
Several days later, the guild hall was finally rebuilt. Bigger, stronger, more magnificent than before.
Peace returned once again.
Please drop some power stones support me at my
PS: Access the complete chapters/series at