"It's no problem. When I knew I was coming to visit a once-powerful Celestial Spirit wizard, I spent a long ti thinking about what kind of gift would be appropriate. As it happens, I've been interested in Celestial Spirit Magic for a while and have collected a few silver keys. Please, let give this one to little sister Lucy. I hope it can protect her well."
"Then thank you. However, I don't know if Lucy will choose to walk the path of a wizard in the future. That will be up to her," Layla said, stroking Lucy's head and signaling that she could accept Noah's gift.
Lucy took the key from Noah, her face beaming with happiness. "Thank you, Big Brother Noah!" she said. She then turned to her mother. "Mama, this key is so pretty!"
"Then you must take good care of it and not lose it."
"I will take good care of it! I definitely won't lose it," Lucy promised, her small face set with a serious expression.
Seeing that Lucy had accepted his gift, Noah said to Layla, "Madam, there is an extrely high probability that little sister Lucy will walk the path of a wizard in the future."
"Please don't call madam. Call sister. So, little Noah, why do you think Lucy is so likely to beco a wizard?" Layla corrected him. She was only in the pri of her life at twenty-seven and didn't want to be addressed so formally.
"Well then... Sister Layla, at the age of sixteen, you already possessed enough magic to open three Zodiac gates simultaneously. That level of talent and aptitude is incredibly rare. As your daughter, there is a high probability that little sister Lucy has inherited that talent from you. Do you rember what I said earlier about two people in my guild with a similar condition to yours? One is fourteen this year, and the other is eleven. Both of them were born with too much magic power for their bodies to handle, and the onset of their symptoms was around the age of eight or nine. I believe little sister Lucy is about that age now, isn't she?"
"Yes, Lucy is eight years old this year." Layla's expression grew serious. She had a good idea of what Noah was about to say.
"If little sister Lucy has inherited your talent, it's very likely she will develop similar symptoms within the next year or two. It would be best to be prepared."
This was Noah's judgnt, though it wasn't just a guess. In the original story, although Lucy often seed to be in a pinch, she always won her battles in the end. And even if it was due to various accidents, she was still able to open three Zodiac gates simultaneously around the age of seventeen, which proved she had inherited Layla's talent. However, Noah was deliberately exaggerating the severity of the symptoms to motivate Layla to take it seriously and personally train Lucy to beco stronger.
"There's another principle," Noah added. "You don't have to use power, but you cannot be without it. If little sister Lucy becos a wizard, no matter what she wants to do, she will be able to protect herself and have the freedom to refuse things she doesn't like."
Layla nodded, persuaded by Noah's final point. It was true. As a wizard, a powerful Lucy would have more freedom and more control over her own life.
"Ultimately, whether Lucy becos a wizard is her own choice. But to prevent her from developing symptoms similar to yours, Sister Layla, I suggest she start training her body now. There's nothing wrong with having a strong, healthy body."
"Then, little Noah, could you stay here for a few days? I'd like to ask you to help train Lucy. I will issue a designated request to your guild for this. I will also issue a designated request for my own treatnt. I can't let you do this for free."
Layla hoped Noah would stay for a while to help her daughter. She was genuinely frightened by what he had said; she didn't want her daughter's body to weaken under the pressure of her own magic as hers had. And since Noah's guild already had two similar cases that had apparently been cured, it proved he had the experience to handle it. He was the best person to train Lucy.
"Mmm, alright then. I accept. I'll be in your care for the next few days."
Noah had originally wanted to refuse, but on second thought, he had already given them a heads-up about the Zodiac keys and was helping Layla with her health. Refusing their offer of paynt might be detrintal to their relationship. So he agreed. Besides, for the Heartfilia conglorate, this amount of money was trivial.
"That's wonderful. I'll have soone prepare a guest room. Please stay the night here." Layla smiled, relieved that Noah had agreed.
Just then, Jude walked back in. He had already dispatched enough people to purchase the dicinal ingredients and had returned to entertain their guest. Layla told him what they had just discussed. Jude was also alard at the thought of his daughter becoming as frail as his wife; that would be a huge blow to him. When he heard his wife was issuing a designated request for Noah to treat her and train their daughter, he readily agreed.
"Yes, yes! We can't let Noah do this for nothing. We must issue a designated request." He then said to Noah, "Then please feel at ho here for the next few days. I've already sent people to buy the dicinal ingredients you need; they should be back soon. We'll be counting on you to treat Layla."
"Mhm. I've given my word, and I will see it through. I just need to contact my guild first, and then I can start training little sister Lucy. Please excuse for a mont."
"Of course, little Noah. Please, go ahead. We can et in the training room later. Aunt Spetto will show you the way," Layla said.
Lucy, who had been listening from her mother's embrace, looked up at him. "Goodbye for now, Big Brother Noah!"
"See you in a bit, little sister Lucy."
With that, Noah walked out of the room and went to an open space outside the main entrance to contact the guild.
He reported the situation to Makarov, omitting the details about opening the gate. He simply said that he had co into contact with the Heartfilia family for certain reasons, found that the lady of the house was ill, and was staying to treat her. He also ntioned that he had been asked to help train their daughter and that the relevant designated requests would be sent to the guild shortly. He had already accepted, so Makarov just needed to approve them.
As always, Makarov told him to be careful, which Noah readily promised to do.
After contacting Makarov, Noah then called the kids back at his house to tell them he would be away for a few days on a mission. They were all envious that he was out on another job, and he could only tell them that their strength wasn't sufficient yet, and that they would talk again when they were stronger.
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