A New Life in Fairy Tail

Chapter 332 332: Joining the Guild

In a flash of golden light, Noah and the group vanished from Akane Resort and reappeared just outside Crocus, the capital of the Fiore Kingdom.As the capital city, Crocus was naturally incredibly prosperous and bustling.

Walking through the streets, they saw massive crowds of people. The sounds of merchants hawking their wares filled the air, making it many times livelier than Magnolia.

They also immediately understood why it was known as the "Blooming Capital."

The streets were lined with an incredible variety of vibrant flowers. A sweet, floral fragrance wafted through the air. The scent wasn't overpowering; the different fragrances blended together perfectly, smelling wonderful without being cloying.

"Let's head over there first. There are a few shops I researched beforehand that are supposed to have excellent dresses," Erza said, pointing the way.

No one objected, and the group followed her lead.

Fairy Tail rarely took on requests in the capital. In fact, there were almost no Crocus requests on their request board. Most of them were filtered out by Noah on Makarov's strict orders.

Given the standard destructive tendencies of Fairy Tail mages, if they accidentally wrecked parts of the capital, the compensation fees would bankrupt the guild ten times over. Therefore, aside from a very select few low-risk requests, Noah tossed all Crocus jobs straight into the trash.

As a result, everyone was quite unfamiliar with the city.

Since they had decided to come here to shop, Erza and the others had done their homework, researching the most famous boutiques in advance.

Arriving at the first shop Erza recommended, they found the window displays filled with eye-catching, stunning outfits.

Erza pushed the door open and walked in first, with everyone trailing behind her.

"Welcome! Are you looking to buy some clothes? We have the most complete selection of garments in the entire kingdom. We absolutely have what you are looking for!" The shop owner, seeing Erza and the large group enter, immediately rushed over with a beaming, practiced smile.

"We do need to buy quite a few outfits," Erza confirmed.

"Are all these lovely ladies your companions? Are they all looking to buy clothes as well?" the owner asked, scanning the large group of beautiful women behind Erza.

"Yes. We are all here to shop," Erza nodded.

Noah could physically see the shop owner's smile widen until it nearly split his face.

"Wonderful! With so many of you buying, I will certainly give you all a substantial discount!" the owner beamed.

To operate a boutique in the capital, the prices were naturally exorbitant. A group this large buying luxury clothes was a massive payday. The owner was practically vibrating with joy.

"We'll take a look around and pick some things out first," Ultear told the group.

Everyone agreed and scattered to browse the racks. The shop owner hovered nearby, offering helpful suggestions and flattering compliments.

Natsu and Gray, having absolutely nothing to do, sat down in the waiting area with Noah and Happy, resigned to their fate.

When the girls found outfits they liked, they took them into the fitting rooms to try on. However, they steadfastly refused to come out and show the guys. After all, these were the dresses they planned to wear for the Miss Fairy Tail Contest; they had to keep them a secret.

With nothing to look at and nothing to do, Noah, Natsu, and Gray began to zone out, eventually nodding off in the comfortable chairs.

"Wake up."

Noah heard someone calling him through the haze of sleep. He opened his eyes to see Ultear standing over him.

"What is it? Are you guys done picking?" Noah asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Mhm. We've picked ours out, and we helped Wendy-kun and the girls pick theirs too. Now it's our turn to pick some outfits for you guys. You'll be participating in the Fantasia Parade too, so you need to look your best," Ultear declared.

Noah noticed the eager, glittering eyes of Sorano, Mirajane, and the others behind Ultear. He sighed internally, knowing he couldn't escape his fate as a dress-up doll. "Alright."

Noah stood up. Natsu and Gray were also rudely awakened and dragged over to the men's section.

Ultear and the girls excitedly began picking out clothes for them.

"This one looks nice! Noah, go try this on."

"Ooh, this one too. Try it after that one."

"I think this suits you perfectly, Gray. Go put it on."

"This one screams Natsu! Go change into it and let us see!"

Noah, Natsu, and Gray were ordered around mercilessly, trying on outfit after outfit.

After what felt like an eternity, the girls were finally satisfied. They selected several outfits for each of the guys, and Noah paid for everything on the spot.

Noah handed Natsu and Gray the clothes chosen for them, telling them to consider it a gift. Natsu and Gray didn't argue and happily accepted. Noah often bought them things, and whenever they found something cool on missions, they always shared it with Noah.

With their purchases packed away, Noah and the group left the boutique, leaving behind a shop owner who looked like he might die of happiness.

"I know a really great shopping street not far from here. Let's go check it out!" Sorano suggested, her enthusiasm completely undiminished. It was rare for them to visit the capital, and she wasn't about to leave so soon.

"Sure! Let's go take a look," Mirajane agreed with a bright smile. The other girls nodded enthusiastically.

"Sigh..." Natsu and Gray exchanged a look of pure despair and sighed heavily.

Noah didn't say anything. He simply fell into step behind Ultear and the girls, following them as they navigated the labyrinthine streets of Crocus all the way until noon.

After lunch and a brief rest, the girls' shopping fervor reignited with a vengeance.

Natsu and Gray trudged behind them, looking like zombies. Even Noah was feeling the strain. Physically, he was perfectly fine, but the mental exhaustion of endless shopping was taking its toll.

When Ultear and the girls finally declared they were done for now, Noah checked the time. It was already evening. The sun had set, meaning they had been shopping for several more hours.

Natsu and Gray looked like they were on the verge of collapse, swaying on their feet as they walked. Noah trailed behind, his eyes slightly glazed over. Seeing the girls still looking completely energized and slightly disappointed to be stopping, Noah couldn't help but sigh internally.

"Well, today was a lot of fun! We bought so many great things!" Sorano smiled happily.

"Indeed. I found quite a few dresses I really like," Erza agreed, looking incredibly pleased.

"We just didn't have enough time today. We'll have to come back another time. As expected of the capital, the variety of goods here is vastly superior to anywhere else," Ultear said, looking very satisfied.

"Mhm. We should definitely come shopping here more often," Mirajane nodded in agreement.

"I had no idea things here were so expensive..." Lucy muttered. She had spent most of the day just watching the others buy things, as she was still stressing over her rent. However, she had managed to purchase a dress specifically for the Miss Fairy Tail Contest.

"Have you never shopped here before?" Sorano asked curiously.

"No. When I lived at home, all my clothes were custom-made by tailors; we never bought things from stores. And when I ran away to travel on my own, I didn't take any of my family's money, so I had to be extremely frugal. Everything in the capital is way more expensive than anywhere else, so I never came here to shop. I've never even walked into one of these boutiques before," Lucy explained.

"Wow! Custom-made clothes? That must be super expensive!" Wendy-kun exclaimed.

"I think so. The artisans who made clothes for my family were supposedly the top masters in the kingdom, so I doubt they were cheap," Lucy recalled.

"Ah, the life of a wealthy heiress. So envious," Sorano sighed dramatically.

"Envious of what? I can't even afford to pay my rent right now!" Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Are you girls all done shopping?" Noah finally asked.

"Mhm, we're done. Let's get some dinner, and then we can head back," Ultear told him.

"Alright. Let's go eat." Noah nodded in relief.

Hearing the word 'eat', Natsu and Happy instantly perked up.

After having dinner in the capital, Noah raised his hand, and the group vanished in a flash of light.

When Ultear and the others opened their eyes, they were back in the living room of Noah's house in Magnolia.

Erza instructed Natsu and Gray to take all the shopping bags they had been carrying out of their spatial storage and place them on the floor.

Everyone gathered their respective purchases, said their goodbyes, and headed to their own homes.

After days of playing at the beach, and especially after today's marathon shopping trip, everyone desperately needed to go home and crash.

After returning to his room and taking a hot shower, Noah and the others in the house wished each other goodnight and fell fast asleep.

The next morning, everyone slept in late.

By the time they arrived at the guild hall, it was already around 10:00 AM.

As Noah and the group walked through the doors, the familiar, chaotic noise of the guild washed over them.

"You guys were gone for so long! Must have had a blast, huh?!"

"How was the trip?!"

"Damn it, I'm so jealous! A beach vacation with Ultear and the girls!"

"Yeah! We're so incredibly jealous!"

The guild members swarmed them the moment they walked in, chattering excitedly.

"If you're jealous, you can always go yourselves," Noah laughed at them.

"The environment there is truly fantastic. Both the beach and the theme park are top-tier. Especially the luxury suites at the Holiday Inn—they are absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend you all go stay there," Mirajane added with a sweet smile.

"What?! You guys stayed in the luxury suites?!"

"Wow, I'm so jealous!"

"Damn you guys!"

Hearing Mirajane's words, the guild members grew even more envious, glaring at Noah and his group with green eyes.

Noah flashed them a brilliant, unapologetic smile, completely ignoring their jealous stares, and led Ultear and the others toward the bar.

"You're back. Did you have fun?" Makarov asked from his usual spot on the counter.

"Of course. Akane Resort is fantastic. It definitely lives up to its reputation as a famous tourist spot. We had a great time," Noah replied.

"Glad to hear it. By the way, let me introduce a new member to you all."

Makarov hopped off the counter, jogged over to a table, and pulled someone back over to Noah's group.

"Here she is! Our newest member, Juvia! Isn't she cute?"

The person Makarov had dragged over was none other than Juvia, who had spent the last few days clinging to Gray at Akane Resort.

~~~

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