Chapter 565 - 565: I... I Need to Confirm This Again.

Noah and August walked out of the massive capital gates, navigating the bustling outskirts until they were roughly five kilometers away from the city.

Noah finally stopped his brisk pace and turned around, looking at the rolling, barren hills surrounding them. The terrain naturally obscured the capital from view. There was absolutely no one around; only the gentle wind blowing dust across their boots.

August halted a few paces away, his grip steady on his massive wooden staff. He didn't speak; he simply observed the young man.

Noah raised his right foot and gently tapped the ground. A powerful, completely invisible magical barrier rapidly expanded outward, enveloping both of them.

August analyzed the ward as it formed. It was a high-tier soundproofing and perception-filtering barrier. Recognizing that it posed no threat, he allowed the dome to enclose them.

"I assume whatever you wish to discuss is highly classified," August noted calmly. He could easily discern the sheer density of the barrier; it was engineered to completely block all external magical surveillance.

"I came looking for you for two reasons," Noah began, his tone respectful but firm. "The first was simply to meet the man known as the 'Magic King' and gauge his strength relative to my own. Because I wished to avoid a chaotic confrontation with the Imperial Guard, I chose to lure you out privately. I apologize for the deception."

"I see. And now that you've met me, what is your assessment?" August asked, his tone softening slightly.

The fact that the young man hadn't attacked, and had instead clearly stated his intentions, proved he wasn't a reckless terrorist. That earned him a modicum of trust.

"Your reputation is completely justified. Your raw power and magical density are absolutely staggering. You truly live up to your title," Noah answered honestly.

"You flatter me. Your own strength is equally profound, especially given your youth. I confess, I am genuinely perplexed. A mage of your caliber should be famous across the world, yet I have never heard of you," August admitted, tilting his head slightly.

"We can discuss my background later. I'd like to move on to my second reason for seeking you out," Noah said gently. "I came here because an elder in my family is desperately searching for her lost relative."

"Searching for a relative? You lured me out of the capital so I could help you search the Empire for a missing person?" August frowned in confusion.

"No. I lured you out because I want to see if you are her missing relative," Noah corrected him, his eyes completely serious.

August froze, staring at Noah in utter disbelief. He was silent for a long moment before he finally spoke.

"Me? You must be mistaken. I do not have any unknown relatives in this world. Are you certain your elder isn't confused?"

"We don't know for sure. That's exactly why we need to run a test," Noah shrugged casually.

"Is that so?" August couldn't help but chuckle softly. "How fascinating. I am an old man, yet someone travels across the continent to claim me as family. Very well. How do you intend to confirm this?"

August knew he had absolutely no children. He had spent his entire life loyally serving Zeref and building the Empire; he had never taken a lover. Aside from his father, Zeref, and his uncle, Natsu, he had no other living relatives.

But hearing Noah's claim sparked a tiny, irrational flicker of curiosity in his heart. Was it possible he had a relative he didn't know about? Was it someone from his father's bloodline? Or perhaps... his mother's?

August had spent his entire life desperately craving the parental warmth he had never received. Even just the thought of meeting a blood relative stirred a profound, deeply buried yearning within him.

"Give me just one moment," Noah said. He closed his eyes, instantly establishing a telepathic link with the Thought Projection he had stationed outside the Fairy Tail guildhall.

August waited patiently, leaning on his staff.

Less than a minute later, Noah opened his eyes. "We're ready."

VMMM.

Two figures instantly materialized directly beside Noah in a flash of golden light. One was Noah's Thought Projection, and the other was Mavis Vermillion.

The moment they appeared, August immediately recognized the fluctuation of high-tier, long-distance Spatial Magic.

But his analytical mind instantly shut down the moment his eyes landed on the petite, barefoot girl with long, wavy blonde hair.

His heart violently slammed against his ribs. A sudden, overwhelming, instinctual wave of profound warmth and deep, inexplicable longing washed over him.

He stared at the girl, his breath catching in his throat. Is this... the person he brought?

Mavis was equally frantic. The moment she materialized, her eyes locked onto the elderly man standing across from her. Her spectral eyes were wide, filled with a chaotic mixture of desperate hope and profound anxiety.

Noah had telepathically informed her that he had found an individual in Alvarez who perfectly matched the profile of her child, and he needed her to cast the tracking spell immediately.

After months of scanning an entire continent with zero results, the sudden prospect of success was terrifying. She desperately wanted it to be true, but she was terrified of having her hopes crushed again.

"This is the elder of my family. She will be the one to confirm the bloodline," the Noah clone stated, seamlessly merging back into Noah's physical body.

"Is it... her?" August whispered, his voice incredibly hoarse. He hadn't even realized his hands were shaking.

"You can begin, First Master," Noah encouraged her gently.

Mavis's hands trembled as she brought them together. She had cast this spell thousands of times over the last few months; the runic sequence was practically burned into her soul.

An invisible, profound ripple of ancient magic erupted from Mavis's core, instantly washing over August and expanding outward toward the horizon.

Before the pulse could breach Noah's localized barrier, it harmlessly dissipated. Noah had specifically engineered the ward to absorb the tracking pulse to prevent it from alerting the capital's magical radar.

The moment the pulse washed over August, Mavis's eyes widened in absolute shock.

For the first time in months, she felt a violent, overwhelming resonance.

Desperate for confirmation, she drastically shrank the spell's radius and intensified the magical focus, casting it a second time.

The resonance hit her again, exponentially stronger than before. The feedback explicitly confirmed that the resonance was originating directly from the elderly man standing right in front of her.

Stunned into silence, Mavis rapidly altered her hand signs, casting a completely different, highly specialized ancient spell designed to calculate genetic proximity.

The moment she cast it, a brilliant, blindingly bright golden aura instantly flared around both her and August simultaneously.

The sheer, overwhelming brilliance of the light indicated an absolute, direct biological link.

Mavis stared at the blinding light enveloping them. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably.

She had only ever seen a resonance this bright when she tested the spell on Gildarts and Cana, or Ur and Ultear.

It was undeniable proof. The elderly man standing before her was the infant she had birthed eighty-eight years ago. He was her lost son.

The sheer emotional weight of the revelation hit Mavis like a physical blow. Her legs instantly gave out. She swayed violently, collapsing toward the dirt.

Noah stepped forward to catch her, but a sudden gust of wind blew past him.

Before Noah could even extend his arm, August had vanished from his spot and reappeared instantly at Mavis's side, gently and securely catching her in his arms.

Noah smoothly retracted his hand, stepping back. Looking at the expression on August's face, Noah knew the old man had also realized the truth.

When Mavis cast the initial tracking spell, August instantly recognized its underlying runic structure. He knew it was a bloodline-tracking spell.

Normally, his passive magical defenses would have instantly nullified the foreign magic, but he deliberately suppressed his wards, allowing the pulse to wash over him.

When the spell hit him, he felt the violent, undeniable resonance connecting him to the girl.

When she cast the second spell to determine genetic proximity—a spell August himself knew perfectly well—the blindingly bright light confirmed their absolute biological link.

August knew that a resonance of that magnitude only existed between a parent and their direct offspring.

Since he knew for an absolute fact he had no children, the person standing before him could only be his parent. He already knew his father was Zeref.

Therefore, the young girl collapsing in his arms... was his mother. Mavis Vermillion.

"You... you..." Mavis stammered, looking up at his weathered, wrinkled face. She tried to speak, but her throat constricted tightly.

Despite all the logical analysis indicating her child was still alive, the agonizing months of fruitless searching had battered her hope. Now, suddenly, her son was holding her in his arms.

Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over her cheeks as she wept silently, completely overwhelmed by the reality of the moment.

"I... I need to confirm this again," August whispered, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

He didn't wait for her permission. He shifted his staff to his left hand and tapped the ground. A complex, ancient runic array instantly materialized around them. Noah recognized it as another highly advanced genetic verification spell.

A different, yet equally brilliant light flared between them, once again confirming their direct lineage.

August tapped his staff again. Another spell activated. Then another.

He rapidly cast five different, highly esoteric bloodline verification spells in rapid succession. Noah watched in genuine awe. He knew the theoretical framework for two of those spells, but he had never seen the others. The fact that August could instantly recall and cast them flawlessly proved why he was the Magic King.

Every single spell yielded the exact same result: absolute biological confirmation.

The girl in his arms was his mother.

As the final spell faded, a chaotic storm of questions exploded in August's mind.

I thought my mother was dead... trapped in a Lacrima crystal deep beneath the Fairy Tail guildhall. How is she alive? How is she here?

How does she even know I exist?! My father doesn't even know I exist!

August desperately wanted to ask her everything. But as he looked down at his mother, who was currently weeping softly in his arms, the words completely died in his throat.

He had lived for over eighty years. He had waged wars, conquered nations, and stood at the pinnacle of human magic. But in all those decades, he had never once experienced the warmth of a mother's embrace. He had absolutely no idea how to interact with her.

"Based on the magical feedback... First Master, congratulations. You finally found your son," Noah smiled warmly, breaking the heavy silence.

"Thank you... thank you so much, Noah!" Mavis sobbed, turning to look at him through her tears. "If it wasn't for you... I never would have found him... thank you!"

It was Noah who had deciphered Precht's encrypted journals and discovered the child's existence. It was Noah who had engineered the tracking spell. And it was Noah who had traveled across the world to find him. She owed him everything.

Hearing her words, August slowly turned his head to look at the young man standing nearby.

"Thank you... for bringing her to me," August said, his voice thick with emotion, bowing his head respectfully.

"You don't need to thank me. We're family. Helping family is what we do," Noah smiled gently.

He took a few steps backward, heading toward the edge of the barrier.

"Since the two of you have finally found each other, I'll step outside. You two have nearly a century of catching up to do, and a lot of things to discuss. Take all the time you need. I'll be waiting right out here."

Noah offered them a final, reassuring smile, and stepped through the barrier, leaving the mother and son alone.

~~~

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