"You dont need to hesitate, Guildmates are always happy to help each other out. Besides, this isn't dangerous work—just helping you guys build a house," Marco said earnestly, trying to ease Mirajane's concerns.

"Moreover, we can hire everyone through official requests. It's a mutually agreed arrangement."

Seeing Mirajane still reluctant to impose, Marco changed his approach—issuing a quest wouldn't be troubling anyone.

Accepting the quest would make it a normal employer-employee relationship.

"How much would it cost?" Mirajane asked, unable to suppress her interest.

Buying property in the city was a long, expensive journey.

Building their own place in the outskirts or forest seemed far more practical.

"That depends on the size, but a two-story house shouldn't cost much—just a few million J at most." Marco wasn't entirely sure about construction prices, but building in the outskirts or forest meant no land purchase.

If they were determined, they wouldn't even need to buy timber—the main expense would be labor.

Cutting and processing lumber entirely by themselves would raise labor costs, since this was truly starting from scratch—gathering materials directly from the forest would be free.

"Just a few million J?" Mirajane's eyes lit up at the price.

This was vastly cheaper than buying in the city!

The key difference was that city properties weren't always available for purchase, whereas building outside meant total freedom—no restrictions on when or where.

"But I don't have a few million J either..."

After the initial excitement, Mirajane sighed deeply.

Even a few million J was beyond her current means.

The family of three currently relied mostly on Mirajane's income.

Though Lisanna and Elfman still benefited from the guild's relief policies, Mirajane didn't want this to continue.

She hoped they could become self-sufficient soon, rather than depending on guild support indefinitely.

This girl had an intensely independent streak.

"I'll lend it to you. You can repay me once you start earning more. I believe you, Elfman, and Lisanna will all become excellent Mages. Earning a few million J will be simple." Marco brought up the loan again.

Truthfully, earning a few million J wasn't particularly difficult for powerful Mages—high-risk missions naturally brought high rewards.

Ordinary people lacked such opportunities, limited to farming or laboring just to make ends meet.

"...Don't you need the money yourself?" Mirajane looked at Marco, thoroughly tempted.

Starting construction now could mean completion in a month or two—they might even save on rent.

Living in Magnolia is no easy feat—it's truly a place where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold.

Properties near the city center, close to the Fairy Tail guild, are exorbitantly expensive and the official Fairy Tail dormitories aren't cheap either.

That said, the official Fairy Tail dorms are undeniably luxurious, secure, and come with minimal restrictions—residents can freely remodel them as they please.

At 100,000 J a month, it's an absolute steal.

Renting outside might be cheaper, but forget about making modifications or expecting additional amenities.

The reason the girls' dorm 'Fairy Hills' is so flexible is because the landlord, Mr. Lazio, has a daughter—Chico—who is a member of Fairy Tail.

Their family also runs a popular cafe in Magnolia, frequented by guild members.

"I don't have much use for money. It just sits there, so if anyone needs it, I'll lend it to them. They can pay me back slowly."

Marco raised an eyebrow and glanced at Makarov, signaling to Mirajane not to worry about his financial situation.

After all, as the 'crown prince' of Fairy Tail, he hardly had any major expenses.

"Thank you, Marco! I'll pay you back soon!"

In the end, Mirajane couldn't resist the temptation.

She desperately wanted a home of her own and Marco's offer was too enticing—it had opened up a whole new possibility for her.

Truthfully, building a house in the outskirts of the forest was something only Mages like them could realistically pull off.

No matter how bold ordinary people might be, they wouldn't dare to build homes in the wilderness or forests—monsters and wild beasts would be the death of them.

Saving that much money naturally came with risks.

If there were no dangers, the outskirts and forests would've been developed long ago instead of remaining desolate to this day.

"Don't mention it, Mira. Guildmates should help each other out."

Marco stood up with a smile and headed straight to the counter, submitting a quest to Airo.

The job posting was simple:

"Job Request: Build a two-story house in the outskirts for the Strauss siblings.

Payment: 5,000,000 J if completed within two months, 4,000,000 J within three months, 3,000,000 J within four months."

In Magnolia, this price for a two-story house would be unthinkable—but in the outskirts and the forests, it was perfectly reasonable.

"Mira, are you moving out of the dorms?"

Seeing the quest, Airo turned to Mirajane, who was standing beside Marco, her expression one of surprise.

"Yes! Airo-san, we're building our own house!" Mirajane nodded excitedly.

Even though it was a house built with borrowed money, it was still the first step toward independence!

"You've only been working for such a short time—how did you save up this much?" Airo processed the quest while asking curiously.

In Airo's mind, the jobs Mira had taken shouldn't have earned her this much.

As the guild's receptionist, she handled all the job postings and inevitably had some insight into most members' financial situations.

"I borrowed it from Marco." Mirajane admitted, a little embarrassed.

In fact, she also found it somewhat unbelievable in her heart—how easily she had accepted borrowing such a large sum of money from Marco.

If it had been anyone else, she definitely wouldn't have borrowed it.

That would be a favor, a very troublesome entanglement.

But when it came to Marco, she didn't seem to overthink it—perhaps because Marco was already so close with their family.

Both Lisanna and Elfman had learned magic under Marco's guidance from the beginning and had always been looked after by him.

It was also because of Marco's efforts and support behind the scenes that she had come to accept her own power.

Their family already owed Marco so much.

'Maybe I feel like since we owe him so much already, a little more wouldn't make a difference.'

Mirajane rationalized her behavior in her heart.

To their family, Marco was clearly no ordinary friend.

"You really don't hold back when it comes to spending, do you?" Airo first looked at Marco in surprise, then turned her gaze to Mirajane, glancing back and forth between them.

Her expression gradually grew more meaningful and even her tone began to take on a teasing edge.

The moment Airo said this, Mirajane immediately flushed red.

She opened her mouth to defend herself, but Marco cut in first.

"What are you talking about, Airo? If you needed to borrow it, I'd lend it to you too." Marco shook his head, exasperated and smiled at Airo.

"Oh no, with that much money, a weak Mage like me would probably have to work for the guild for the rest of my life to pay it back. Are you trying to tie your sister down to the guild forever?" Airo laughed heartily, joking as she spoke.

"That's an exaggeration, Airo. It wouldn't take that long. And honestly, if that were the case, it'd be even better. Without you, the guild wouldn't even have meals. I wouldn't be used to anyone else taking over." Marco spoke honestly.

Airo was a pillar of the guild, deeply trusted by Makarov, and her cooking was widely praised by everyone.

"That day will come eventually, Marco-chan. One day, when I fall in love and get married, I might just go home to take care of my family. Someone else will have to take over this job."

Airo wore a gentle smile as she shook her head, her tone tinged with nostalgia.

Only children believed that everything would stay the same forever, but life was actually made up of countless changes and surprises.

The future was always uncertain.

"If that day ever comes, maybe Mira can take your place. Lisanna and Elfman both say her cooking is amazing."

Marco chuckled, brushing off thoughts of farewell and turning it into a joke as he glanced at Mira beside him.

Honestly, it was hard to imagine Mirajane in an apron, wielding a spatula, playing the role of a perfect housewife.

"I'm nowhere near as good as Airo-san. I couldn't handle this job."

The shift in topic helped Mirajane recover from her flushed state and she responded seriously to Marco's teasing.

This was Mira's genuine opinion.

Airo was one of the few people in the guild she truly admired and respected.

This older sister managed all the guild's affairs flawlessly all by herself—she was incredible!

Mira didn't think she had that kind of ability.

Laki helped out too, but mostly as Airo's assistant.

The main responsibilities of the guild's operations fell on Airo's shoulders.

As for Master Makarov? A complete hands-off leader.

All he did was drink all day, only stepping in to make decisions when something major happened.

"Don't say that, Mira. Who can predict the future?" Airo smiled and reached out to ruffle Mirajane's hair gently.

She actually thought Mirajane had the potential to be a great housekeeper.

After all, Mirajane had grown up taking care of her younger siblings—how could she not have developed some managerial skills and attention to detail?

Mirajane didn't respond, but in her heart, she knew she wouldn't take up Airo's job.

She still had to go out and earn money.

"Big job! Big job! A five million J job! No need for strong combat skills—just expertise in construction work! No limit on participants! Anyone interested, come sign up with me!"

While Mirajane and Airo were talking, Marco had already posted the job request on the bulletin board and started calling out to gather attention.

Soon, a crowd had gathered around him.

"Huh? Mirajane's post a quest?"

"That much reward? Didn't realize she was so well-off!"

"Me! Me! I'm great at civil engineering!"

"Count me in! I've got the strength to chop trees—perfect for heavy labor!"

"Leave the blueprints to me."

"How could I miss out on this? I've even fixed up the boys' dorm!"

In no time, Marco was surrounded by a group of people—Reinhardt the renovation expert, Reedus the arcitect, Joey the muscle maniac and even Wakaba and Macao had come to join in.

"Wakaba's Smoke Magic might be somewhat useful, but Macao, what's your Fire Magic good for here?" Marco eyed Macao skeptically.

Trying to freeload?

Not a chance—the Fairy Tail Construction Crew didn't take slackers!

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