As he delved deeper into his studies, Noah became extremely interested in how Nirvana was able to switch a person's alignment between good and evil. Roubaul was also curious as to why he was so interested in this aspect.

"Because I don't want to wake up one day and find I've been turned into an unforgivable villain. So, I plan to understand it well enough to develop a countermeasure. Guiding people towards the light is not wrong, but directly turning a bad person into a good person... a good deed like that must come with an unimaginable price. It's just too perfect, a single spell that can make all bad people good. And the final result proves it: Nirvana was sealed away," Noah explained.

Hearing this, a complex expression appeared on Roubaul's face, and he said nothing more.

Noah quickly tried to console him. "The wishes and ideas of the person who created this magic were good. And I admire him. To have such an idea, to act on it, and to ultimately create something from it... it's just that the final result may not have been what he originally intended. If, back then, instead of directly switching personalities, it had guided people towards good, perhaps the outcome would have been different."

Roubaul nodded, his expression distant. "You can train on your own today, nabula. I need to think about what you've said."

"Alright then. You should rest well, Grandpa, and don't think too much about it."

Noah knew his words might have upset Roubaul. He said his goodbyes and went to a nearby clearing to do his own training.

The next day, Roubaul explained the workings of Nirvana to Noah as usual, and Noah didn't bring up what they had discussed the day before. Several days passed like this. Five days later, after their routine lesson, Roubaul looked at Noah with a grave expression. Noah sensed what was coming and sat up straight, waiting for Roubaul to speak.

"Please listen carefully to what I am about to say, Noah. First, I must apologize to you. I am not a descendant of the Nirvit tribe. I am a Nirvit. And the one who created Nirvana 400 years ago... was me."

"Four hundred years ago, to stop the wars that plagued the world, I created the good-and-evil-switching magic, Nirvana. Nirvana was a colossal structure, and we lived upon it. It was the symbol of our nation's peace and ushered in a new era. But great power inevitably gives rise to an opposing force. Nirvana turned darkness into light, but at the same time, it was eroded by that very darkness."

"To maintain balance, Nirvana could not infinitely turn humanity towards the light. Darkness gives birth to light, and light will inevitably give birth to darkness. The darkness that was lost from humanity latched onto us, the Nirvit tribe. It was like hell. We killed each other, and in the end, we were annihilated."

"I was the only survivor. No... that may not be the right way to put it. My physical body vanished long ago. I now exist only as a Thought Projection. To atone for my sins... I have been waiting for someone to appear, someone who could destroy Nirvana in my place. And I have waited... for 400 years."

After hearing Roubaul's story, Noah could finally say what he had been wanting to say all along. "Grandpa Roubaul, you are not a weak spirit. I can still feel the immense magic power within you. If someone like you is weak, then there are very few people who can be called strong."

"In any case, I am unable to destroy Nirvana now. Can you help me destroy it, nabula? Can you fulfill this one small wish of a weak and pitiful spirit?" Roubaul began to play the part of a helpless old man.

Noah replied with a helpless tone, "Grandpa Roubaul, I promise I will destroy it for you. But not now. Because I am also very weak right now, so I am unable to destroy Nirvana."

Roubaul immediately felt his own words come back to him like a boomerang. Noah continued, "Besides, you're the only one left of the Nirvit tribe, aren't you? Nirvana is the source of your regret. If it is destroyed, you will lose your will to exist. I hope that you will leave behind all of your knowledge, especially your magical knowledge. At the same time, the customs, cuisine, and all other cultural aspects of your tribe should also be recorded, so that everyone will know that there was once a nation that strived for peace, so that you will not be forgotten."

Roubaul was stunned, and then he became anxious. "You just want to learn my magic, don't you! But... is it really alright to record the history of the Nirvit? Is it really okay for us to be remembered?"

"No matter the reason, you should not be forgotten. As for what people think... let future generations be the judge of that."

Roubaul was persuaded. He decided that while he taught Noah his magical knowledge, they would also work together to compile the cultural knowledge of the Nirvit tribe, including their food, clothing, housing, activities, and all other aspects, and record it all.

It took them nearly a month just to get a portion of the work done. To increase their efficiency, Roubaul even created illusions with the personalities of his former tribespeople. Noah couldn't help but tease him mercilessly for this, asking how a "weak spirit" could do such a thing. However, Noah was also very interested in this method of creating personality-illusions and asked Roubaul to teach him. Soon, he had mastered it.

After learning the technique, Noah created several illusions with his own personality. Although they had no real strength, they could help with administrative tasks, which was perfect for documenting the Nirvit culture. He then left a Thought Projection behind to continue learning from Roubaul while his main body went to take care of other things.

First, he went back to turn in his completed requests. Then he went to the Heartfilia estate to check on the family's training progress. He found that their health was steadily improving, especially Layla's. Her once-pale face now had a healthy, rosy color, and her whole demeanor was different. Jude's health had also improved a lot, and many of his previous bad habits were gone. Lucy was also full of energy.

Layla and the others were overjoyed to see Noah and insisted he stay for two days. He couldn't refuse their enthusiasm and agreed. After staying for two nights, on the third day, Noah said his goodbyes and returned to Magnolia.

Back in Magnolia, Noah began training with Erza and the others again. With Noah there to prepare potions based on their specific conditions, the intensity and effectiveness of everyone's training increased significantly. They also sparred with each other frequently, though it was usually Noah against Erza, Kagura, and Simon at the same time, and even then, he had to hold back immensely just to make it a fair fight.

~~~

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