Noah looked at Gray and Lyon, who were both covered in paint from head to toe. In contrast, Simon only had paint on his upper body and head, while the girls had mostly been tagged on their arms and backs, with very few marks on their heads or torsos.

"This is all your fault! I got covered in paint because of you!" Gray started to complain to Lyon.

"You bastard! I wouldn't be like this if it weren't for you!" Lyon shot back, convinced it was Gray's fault. The two of them butted heads and started fighting again.

Everyone else ignored them and began to pack up their things. When they were done, the two were still fighting. Erza walked over and gave each of them a punch. They both clutched their heads and squatted down in pain.

"Hurry up and get ready to go. We're waiting for you."

Gray and Lyon tearfully nodded in agreement. Although they had started learning magic before Erza, after about a year of training, her strength had already surpassed both of them.

The group went home for dinner, and the night passed peacefully.

The training continued like this for several days, and each time, Gray and Lyon would end up in last place because they would inevitably start fighting each other.

One morning, when it was time for the dodging and blocking practice again, Gray specifically chose a spot as far away from Lyon as possible. Lyon immediately noticed and shouted angrily, "What's the meaning of this?"

"What do you mean, what's the meaning? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in last place every day! I already have to wash the dishes for a week straight! To make sure it doesn't happen again, of course I have to stay away from you," Gray said without even turning his head.

"Damn it! As if I don't have to wash the dishes for a week too!" Lyon was also furious, but he still didn't go near Gray, instead choosing a spot on the opposite side of the clearing to train.

At the end of the day, with Gray and Lyon not interfering with each other, the one who was touched the most was Simon. Ever since coming to Fairy Tail and getting proper nutrition at Noah's house, Simon had started to have a growth spurt. He was now a head taller than he had been a year ago. Although his strength had increased, his agility had decreased a lot, so he didn't perform very well in this particular exercise. Simon took the result calmly, accepting it without complaint.

For a while after that, Simon was consistently in last place. Whenever it was his turn to do the dishes, Kagura would always run over to help her brother. However, Simon soon improved his agility, and the last-place position began to rotate between him, Gray, and Lyon. Occasionally, Kagura would also end up in last place. This was because she was the youngest and had less stamina, so she would sometimes be too tired to react in time. She wanted to start training to overcome this weakness, but Noah told her not to be in a rush. She was still growing, and the others were all three or four years older than her; it was normal for their stamina to be better. Kagura was a little dejected, and Noah, worried she might overtrain on her own, watched her for a few days. Seeing that she was sticking to a normal training routine, he was relieved.

While the others were still training against two Personality Phantoms, Erza and Ultear had already started practicing against three. The two of them were the strongest in the group besides Noah, and their growth rates were similar, so they both started the new training at the same time. At first, they had a very hard time adapting to three opponents, and on the first day, they were the ones who were touched the most. Over the next two days, the number of hits they took gradually decreased. After each of them had taken a turn in last place, by the fourth day, they had both escaped the bottom ranks.

Noah himself quickly adapted to being surrounded by two, three, four, and then five opponents of equal strength. Any more than that and the training effect decreased, as they would just get in each other's way.

A month later, Ur returned from her mission. She was very intrigued by Noah's training method, so Noah taught her the Personality Phantom magic as well. Ur spent a few days learning the spell and then took Ultear, Gray, and Lyon back to the snowy mountain to continue their Ice-Make training.

With Ur's group gone, Noah temporarily left Magnolia to visit the Heartfilia estate and see how they were doing. Layla's health was mostly recovered, though not yet perfect. Jude's health was no longer an issue, and Lucy was as lively and energetic as ever. Noah learned that Lucy was now learning various weapon skills and hand-to-hand combat, and had also begun her magic power conditioning. Layla planned to wait until Lucy had sufficient self-defense skills before letting her make a contract with a spirit and learn Celestial Spirit Magic.

Noah gave Jude a prescription for a daily health tonic, telling him that if he took it every day and maintained good habits, his body would stay healthy. Jude accepted the prescription with a huge smile. He was no longer as obsessed with his business as he had been. Although he still worked hard, he now spent much more of his time with his wife and daughter. He spent a great deal of time with them every day, and seeing his daughter's lively and cute appearance would make him grin from ear to ear. To Noah, it looked like Jude was heading in the same direction as Gildarts, becoming a complete doting father.

If it hadn't been for Noah's reminder, Jude would have never realized how mistaken his priorities had been. And after receiving Noah's treatment, his own body was free of its minor ailments, and his spirits were much higher than before, making him even more grateful to Noah. When he received the new prescription, Jude once again wanted to issue a designated request, but Noah finally managed to talk him out of it, saying that it would make their friendship feel too much like a transaction. Jude thought about it and agreed.

To thank Noah, Jude began to recommend Fairy Tail to his business partners whenever they talked. As a result, Fairy Tail's request board began to fill up with numerous new jobs, and the guild's reputation grew significantly. During that time, Makarov was always smiling from ear to ear. A thriving Fairy Tail was proof that his management was pretty good, wasn't it?

Noah had also asked the Heartfilia family to help him collect all sorts of books, especially magic books. He didn't need the originals; copies were fine. He had already copied all of the non-essential books from the Heartfilia's own library. Since Lucy also loved to read, Layla and Jude happily agreed to his request. In return, Noah gave them copies of the foundational and knowledge-broadening books from his own library. Lucy was so happy to see the new books that she ran around hugging them. Seeing this, Jude became even more determined to collect more books; he just wanted to see that smile on Lucy's face. However, Noah did tell Jude that any books he collected should be given directly to him and not kept at the Heartfilia estate, to avoid attracting unwanted trouble. Jude agreed.

Layla watched from the side as Jude looked at Lucy with a smile, and she smiled as well. This was the family life she had always longed for—a harmonious marriage, a harmonious family.

Noah, seeing this scene, was secretly pleased. Wasn't this exactly what he had hoped for? For Lucy to have a happier childhood and a better family atmosphere.

~~~

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