"..."

In the quiet room, Mirajane and Juvia exchanged glances.

"Ahem, how are you feeling now?"

Being the older one and unable to sit still or keep things to herself, Mirajane barely lasted a few minutes in the quiet room before growing restless.

She decided to break the silence first.

"I'm feeling alright."

Juvia, who had been lost in thought, was startled and replied softly.

She could sit still, but her mind kept wandering to 'What exactly did Marco and Erza talk about?'.

This thought gnawed at her, making her eager to go out and see for herself.

"Then I'll head out first. I'm already rested."

Mirajane stood up, not even bothering to pretend.

She had only sat for a few minutes before declaring herself rested, which made Juvia open her mouth in surprise, thinking it was a bit too fast.

"Then I'm out too."

Seeing Mirajane already getting up to leave, Juvia pushed aside her thoughts and stopped hesitating.

She followed suit, standing up and leaving the quiet room with Mirajane.

"..."

Mirajane pursed her lips.

She knew this little one had something on her mind—she was just as curious as she was about what Marco and Erza were up to!

The two left the quiet room and returned to the banquet.

Unsurprisingly, they were met with astonished looks.

"You two are already rested?" Cana asked in disbelief, clearly finding it absurd.

How could they have recovered from their discomfort in just a few minutes?

Since when did the meditation room have such an effect?

"That's right, I feel much better now."

Mirajane forced herself to admit it, then scanned the room, her expression turning puzzled.

She didn't bother explaining further.

"Where are Marco and Erza? Didn't they just come out earlier?" Mirajane asked.

Juvia, who had noticed this earlier, also waited intently for an answer.

"They went to the armor shop. Apparently, Marco wanted to have some armor custom-made." Levy answered for Mirajane.

After Marco and Erza had come out earlier, they had explained this to everyone.

Since they were leaving the banquet early, they naturally had to let their companions know the reason.

They couldn't just disappear without a word, especially since Marco was the center of attention at the party.

When Marco was about to leave, many of their companions had asked why, concerned about him.

Of course, he had to explain.

"..."

Mirajane opened her mouth but found herself at a loss for words.

At least her curiosity was satisfied now.

Marco had sought out Erza to have armor custom-made—something only Erza could help with.

Even if he had asked her, she wouldn't have been able to assist.

...

Meanwhile, Marco and Erza had left the Fairy Tail guildhall and quickly made their way to the "armor shop."

"This..."

Looking at the clothing store, Marco was slightly surprised.

In his memory, this shop didn't specialize in this kind of business.

"Miss Erza, you're here, but the armor you ordered last time hasn't arrived yet."

When the shop owner saw Erza enter, he immediately rushed over to attend to her, leaving the other customers to his staff.

It wasn't until after he'd finished speaking that he noticed Marco standing nearby.

"Mr. Marco! Are you here to order armor too?"

The tailor's eyes lit up when he saw Marco, asking with genuine enthusiasm.

While Erza was a VIP client—mainly because he had no choice but to deal with her stubbornness—his respect for Marco came from the heart.

In Magnolia Town, Marco was practically regarded as the city's representative figure.

Nowadays, countless people visited Magnolia just to catch a glimpse of him.

His presence alone had significantly boosted the town's economy, single-handedly driving its development.

As one of the beneficiaries, the tailor was naturally grateful to Marco.

"Yes, I'd like to have some armor custom-made."

Marco nodded, stating his purpose, though he suspected he might be disappointed.

The shop didn't seem equipped for specialized armor crafting—its main business was ordinary clothing, not armor.

"Custom-made armor with special specifications?"

Sure enough, the tailor hesitated after hearing Marco's request.

He had assumed Marco, like Erza, would order ready-made armor, which he could easily arrange.

Ever since Erza started demanding armor from him, he had expanded his network and branched into this line of business.

Now, he could source various new armor designs for her, but forging armor from scratch was beyond his scope—this wasn't a blacksmith's workshop.

"However, I can contact some armor manufacturers for you and see if they can craft something to your liking. I'm sure their craftsmanship will meet your standards."

Seeing Marco's disappointment, the tailor quickly offered a solution, though he could only promise to try his best without any guarantees.

"Thank you. If you hear anything, please notify me at the Fairy Tail guild. I'll compensate you for your efforts."

Marco nodded, expressing his gratitude to the helpful shopkeeper.

He wouldn't let the man's efforts go unrewarded, whether or not the deal went through.

"No, no! I can't possibly accept your money!"

Yet, the tailor firmly refused Marco's offer.

"Your presence alone has already earned me so much more business. I can't be greedy—if other shop owners found out I took money from you for such a small favor, they'd never let me hear the end of it!"

The tailor laughed, adamant about not accepting payment.

Marco's influence had brought substantial economic benefits to Magnolia's merchants, and they were all deeply grateful

. Naturally, they extended special treatment to him.

"..."

Marco sighed helplessly.

This had been a persistent issue for him.

Nowadays, in Magnolia, he could practically get by on his reputation alone—no payment needed, no matter where he went or what he did.

Even when he insisted on paying, people simply wouldn't take his money.

Just as the shop owner said, he had brought an immense amount of foot traffic to this city.

As a "red-hot superstar" renowned across the entire Ishgar continent, his influence was truly enormous—so much so that the entire city had risen along with him.

"Then I'll leave it to you." Marco spoke up, as payment could be discussed later.

"I'll do my very best!"

The tailor shop owner nodded earnestly.

Being able to assist Marco was an honor for him, something he could even boast about in his store!

If the owner really decided to do so afterward, Marco wouldn't mind at all—it wouldn't affect him either way.

With the matter settled, Marco and Erza left the shop.

Erza seemed a bit downcast, feeling she hadn't been of much help.

Though the familiar shop owner had agreed to assist and would undoubtedly put in his best effort, whether it would succeed remained uncertain.

"Don't be like that, Erza. You've already been a huge help. If not for your introduction, I'd never have guessed this tailor shop owner also handles this kind of business on the side. He really ought to list this service separately."

Noticing Erza's dejection, Marco smiled and comforted her.

His words were sincere—he genuinely hadn't known before.

"Right?! That's exactly what I think! He should open a dedicated armor shop—it might even earn him more than he does now!"

Marco's remark instantly resonated with Erza.

Her eyes lit up as she eagerly agreed, clearly having held this opinion all along.

"Making a fortune is unlikely, though. After all, there aren't many Magic users who have a demand for such armor."

Marco chuckled and shook his head.

The shop owner probably thought the same, which was why his armor-ordering service practically catered exclusively to Erza—making it her personal armor shop.

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