Chapter 2 - The Red-Haired Little Girl Who Doesn't Fit in With Her Surroundings!

The Fairytail guild building has three floirs in total.

The first floor is where the guild members usually gather, or take on tasks posted on the commission column, go out to work, or carry out various guild activities, chat and hang out. It is quite similar to a regular pub, and most guilds are more or less the same format.

The second floor is a vacant place. The layout is not much different from ordinary buildings, but there is a commission column just like the one on the first floor. The tasks posted there, however, are more difficult than the ones on the first floor. Only powerful guild wizards approved by the guild president can enter.

As for the third floor, it was originally used to store important items in the guild. It wasn't until Noah joined that one of the rooms was tidied up for Noah to live in.

In other words, without Noah, the third floor of the Fairytail would be the least visited place. Even now, it only gets occasional visits when someone needs Noah. Gray is the most frequent visitor, but even he doesn't stay long.

The two of them walked down the stairs from the third floor, and curiously glanced into the second floor as they passed by. However, all they saw was an empty floor.

Nowadays, in the entire guild, only a very few members have been approved by the guild master to take on tasks on the second floor. Naturally, it's not easy to see people on this floor.

"Hey, Noah..." Gray said, seemingly driven by curiosity, "The guild members say that the tasks on the second floor are terrifying missions that only super powerful wizards can take. We pass by here every day, shouldn't we..."

"Don't even think about it!" Noah, who had guessed what Gray might say from his expression, interrupted him without hesitation, "When I first moved into the third floor of the guild, my grandpa warned me with a terrifying expression, that I absolutely must not enter the second floor when passing by, or else he would kick me out of the guild!"

"Kicked out of the guild?!" Even the bold Gray was given a huge scare, "Just to go in and take a look, is the punishment really necessary to be that severe?"

"I don't know either," Noah shook his head. "Grandpa usually loves me very much. Apart from the initial warning that I should not learn magic before I can control my own power, he's only scolded me like that once. So, we better not go in."

"Tch..." Gray snorted, but the eagerness on his face obviously all disappeared, "Even if I can't go in now, sooner or later, I will!"

"As long as I can get grandpa's approval, I can go to the second floor too!" Noah nodded heavily, "Someday, I will go in!"

One was a magician who is still in the process of learning magic and is not yet mature, and the other who simply can't perform any magic at all, a complete half-baked novice, are at this moment making a determination that even excellent magicians dare not easily make.

Don't know whether to say that they are fearless like a newborn calf facing a tiger? Or is this just children's nonsense?

The two parties involved, however, wore a determined look on their faces, smiled at each other, no longer paying attention to the second floor. Engaging in intermittent chat, they walked down to the first floor.

"Wow----!"

When Noah and Gray arrived on the first floor, a huge noise immediately filled their ears.

At this time, it was not long after dawn, and there were already many magicians of the Fairytail in the guild. Some were sitting in front of wooden tables drinking and boasting, while others were heading to the task column to take on tasks and go out to work.

As the grandson of the president of the Fairytail and having lived in the guild for a year, the people in the guild are already very familiar with Noah. When they saw him coming down from upstairs, they all greeted him.

"Yo! Noah!"

"Finally woke up, huh?"

"You're a little later than usual today!"

"You didn't wet the bed, did you?"

"Hahaha!"

Faced with the teasing from his guildmates, Noah wore a helpless expression, but he also began to respond. He actually quite liked this lively and comfortable atmosphere that gave him a sense of closeness. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to live in the guild.

However, just because Noah could handle the people in the guild with ease does not mean that Gray could.

"Hey! You guys! Can't you see me?!" Gray jumped out, pointing at everyone in the guild with veins popping on his forehead, "I'm right here too, why do you always only greet Noah?!"

Upon hearing this, the members of the guild burst out laughing.

"Before that, Gray, you should put on some clothes first!"

"Huh?!" Gray just realized that he was wearing only a pair of shorts.

Seeing this, Noah couldn't help but laugh.

Although he was a companion of the same age, as a child who was only eleven or twelve years old, being able to use magic at this age was very impressive. However, Gray had a habit that made others laugh - he liked to expose himself.

Therefore, Gray often does this without realizing it!

This is also why Noah was indifferent when he saw Gray dressed like this calling him.

As everyone in the guild was making a fuss with Gray, silent eyes couldn't help but turn to a wooden table in the corner of the guild.

There, there was a little girl of the same age as Noah and Gray. She was a little girl who was quite out of place with the lively atmosphere in the guild. The girl had a head of bright red hair, and her face, although very young, was very delicate and very cute.

But this little girl, who is very lovely in all respects, wears a cold armor that does not match her, and a medical eyepatch on one eye of her delicate face. She sits there alone, not talking to anyone, as if intentionally isolating herself from the people around her in a different world, silently eating her food.

The girl's name is Erza Scarlet.

As for this girl named Erza, Noah doesn't know much, only that she joined Fairytail after he did.

However, since joining Fairytail, Erza has always maintained this state, not talking to anyone, not interacting with anyone at all, except for a few conversations with Makarov, the president, she has not communicated with others.

This is a girl with a story. This is Noah's first impression of Erza, and the only one so far.

Looking at the other person sitting there eating silently, it can't be linked to the lively scene in the guild at all, Noah hesitated for a while, and walked towards the bar that specifically provided wine and food.

"Huh?" In the field of vision of Erza who was eating silently by herself, a hand suddenly appeared, and after placing a plate with a cheese cake in front of her, it disappeared.

Erza slightly furrowed her brows, lifting her head to look ahead, only to see a figure about her size, but seemingly very sturdy, walking towards the guild's main door. Soon after, the figure walked straight out of the guild, disappearing from her sight.

Erza stared at the guild's main door in surprise, then looked somewhat blankly at the cheesecake in front of her. She fell silent for a while before finally reaching out with the fork in her hand, cutting a small piece from the cake and putting it into her mouth.

After a long while, a voice that only Erza could hear came from her mouth.

"So sweet…"