After Mest and Makarov agreed to his plan, Noah discussed the specifics of the memory seal and the method for its future release.

Then, Noah began the work. He went through the guild, placing a seal on every member's memories related to Mest.

When it was finally Mest's turn, Noah looked at him. "This seal is only temporary," he said. "Your memories will be restored. The guild will always be your home. You can go forward without worry."

Mest nodded, his eyes shining with an unparalleled light.

Then, with Makarov as a witness, Noah sealed Mest's memories, leaving only his fabricated desire to join the Magic Council. After that, Mest left to begin his new life. Noah and Makarov provided no assistance, not even indirectly, to ensure his cover was perfect.

Once he confirmed Mest's infiltration was successful, Noah began his own project.

It was time to search the ruins—specifically, ruins related to the dragon race.

Dragons were the most unique race in this world, and they had vanished from the continent 400 years ago. Noah knew they hadn't disappeared by choice.

400 years ago, the dragons had split into two factions: those who wished to coexist with humans, and those who despised them. The pro-human dragons lived primarily in Ishgar, sharing their knowledge and power and living in peace.

The dragons who saw humans as nothing more than food resided mostly on the western continent. After devastating the west, they invaded Ishgar, teaming up with the local anti-human dragons to wage war against the pro-human faction.

The pro-human dragons were outnumbered and overpowered, and they were on the verge of losing the war. To save their allies, the humans who lived alongside them used the dragons' own power to create a new magic: Dragon Slayer Magic.

The Dragon Slayers were born, and the tide of the war began to turn.

But it didn't last. The side effects of the magic emerged. The immense power of the dragons began to corrupt the slayers, making them violent and aggressive. Their very bodies began to change, taking on draconic features. The ultimate fate of a Dragon Slayer was to become a dragon themselves.

But this process was cut short by a single man.

His family had been devoured by dragons, and he had set out on a path of revenge. He learned Dragon Slayer Magic, and with his prodigious talent, he grew strong at an incredible rate. He began to hunt, killing all dragons—not just the ones who hated humans, but the ones who protected them, too.

The side effects of the magic and the sheer amount of dragon blood he bathed in twisted him, transforming him completely. He became a massive black dragon, his wings and back covered in black scales and glowing, mysterious patterns.

His name was Acnologia. The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse. The Dragon King.

Noah knew that Acnologia was the final enemy of this world, and one day, he would have to face him. To do that, he needed to understand everything he could about dragons and Dragon Slayer Magic.

The problem was, aside from Acnologia, there were no dragons left in Ishgar. He had already studied Natsu and the other slayers in the guild countless times. He needed more data. He had previously only collected information on ruins, lacking the time and ability to explore them. Now, he had both.

After making his preparations, Noah began his search.

He would spend several days exploring a ruin, cataloging all the data, then return to the guild to rest, analyze his findings, and write Makarov's apology reports for the Council. He would also accompany Makarov on his trips to the Council, using the opportunity to check on Mest and reinforce his memory seal.

The guild members noticed he was suddenly busy and not just staying at home or the guild. Ultear, Erza, and the others offered to help, but Noah had to refuse. The Mest situation was top secret, and he was more than capable of exploring the ruins alone. If he got into a situation he couldn't get out of, they wouldn't be able to help anyway.

Seeing him work so hard, the girls were inspired to train even more intensely, determined to close the vast power gap between them.

Noah explored many ruins. Most were just preserved ancient settlements, interesting for history but useless for his goal. A few contained records of ancient magic, which was a nice bonus for his research.

But after searching site after site, he found nothing related to dragons. He began to worry. He had already exhausted the list he had spent so long compiling.

But his perseverance finally paid off. He found what he was looking for in a ruin deep underground, in the middle of a barren wasteland. An old text had mentioned an "ancient war" had taken place there. Noah had gone to check it out on a long shot.

Deep beneath the earth, he found a massive, cavernous space. It was filled with enormous skeletons.

"These..." he breathed, "these look like dragon bones."

~~~

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