After choosing the location, Marco began preparing for the clearing work.
First, he needed to uproot trees, shrubs, weeds, and the like, then till the soil.
Naturally, he didn't have to do this himself—he simply posted a request at the guild, and there were plenty of people willing to take on the task.
Fairy Tail's reputation and scale were growing rapidly, as the entry requirements weren't particularly high.
The guild had many newcomers, and they typically handled the simpler tasks in Magnolia and its surrounding areas.
This was a clear division of labor: high-reward, high-difficulty missions were taken on by the guild's stronger members, while low-reward, low-difficulty tasks were handled by newcomers and weaker Mages.
The stronger members had little interest in these minor tasks, as doing ten of them might not compare to the rewards of a single external mission.
The rapid development of Magnolia provided numerous opportunities for newcomers and lower-level Mages, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.
Otherwise, with Fairy Tail expanding at such a pace, the old Magnolia would never have been able to supply enough commissions.
When Marco posted the request at the guild to hire help, it wasn't because he was too lazy to do the work himself.
Rather, he wanted to give the newcomers a chance.
The payment he offered was quite generous—completing this job could help ease the financial strain on novice Mages.
"Elfman, you really don't have to help."
Watching Elfman uproot a tree in the Rose Field, Marco shook his head helplessly.
He hadn't intended to trouble his friends, but when he posted the request, he happened to run into Elfman, who insisted on coming along to assist.
"Helping you is the least I can do."
Elfman grinned, carrying the tree on his shoulder as he replied.
Marco had saved him, saved his sister Lisanna, and essentially saved his other sister as well.
Elfman understood that under the circumstances at the time, if Marco hadn't intervened, Mirajane would have been in danger too—and the source of that danger would have been him, the "Beast King."
Elfman felt genuine gratitude toward Marco.
Without him, their family would have truly fallen apart.
Marco had taken them in, taught them magic, helped Mira overcome her inner struggles, lent them money to build a house, shared daily breakfasts with them, guided their training, and now had saved their entire family once again.
To Elfman, who valued family above all, Marco had long since become part of their family—more special than any other guild companion.
Having lost both parents at a young age and grown up under his sister's care, Elfman saw Mirajane as both an elder sister and a mother figure.
And in his heart, Marco had taken on the role of an elder brother—a fatherly presence.
It could be said that the current Elfman was truly willing to go through fire and water for Marco without any resentment, even at the cost of his own life.
After all, his life had been saved by Marco.
"That kid..."
Seeing Elfman huffing and puffing as he competed with the newly hired recruits for tasks, Marco could only shake his head and smile.
He roughly understood Elfman's thoughts, so he didn't stop the earnest young man.
It was only right to give him a chance to prove himself.
"Marco-nii, I'm here to help too!"
Before long, Lisanna also came running over, followed closely by Mirajane, who was carrying several lunch boxes.
"Lisanna, Mira, you don't need to come. I've hired plenty of new companions to help."
Seeing the two sisters, Marco wore a somewhat helpless expression.
On their way over, Elfman had gone home to inform Mira and Lisanna, which was why the sisters had come looking for them.
"How could we not come?! We have to help too."
Lisanna shook her head vigorously, clearly disagreeing with Marco's suggestion.
"Actually, Marco-nii, you didn't need to hire anyone at all. You could've just called us to help." Lisanna spoke with a smile, striking a strong pose.
Marco looked at Lisanna, feeling a sense of relief in his heart.
According to the mission description, Lisanna should have been in the most dangerous situation during this task.
Yet, judging by the final outcome, she turned out to be the least affected by the incident.
Did this mean he had completed the mission exceptionally well?
Lisanna picked up tools and joined the work, bustling alongside Elfman and the other guild members.
For these Mages, the workload wasn't particularly heavy, and they would be able to finish everything in no time.
"I made plenty of snacks to share with everyone." Mirajane didn't pick up tools to help directly.
Instead, she sat down beside Marco and placed several lunch boxes on the grass.
Looking at Mirajane's gentle smiling face, Marco felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.
Mira appeared too quiet and peaceful, which didn't quite match her usual violent delinquent persona.
Of course, over the past few years, Mira's temperament had been gradually mellowing, becoming much calmer compared to when she first arrived.
Life in Fairy Tail had changed her, making her less guarded against everything than before.
It hadn't been easy for her to raise her younger siblings all by herself.
But this time, the sudden transformation felt rather significant, which made Marco somewhat concerned.
A drastic personality change was no small matter.
"I've come to understand many things." Mira spoke up, her gaze resting on Lisanna and Elfman with a faint smile playing on her lips.
Marco only then noticed that Mira hadn't tied her hair in a ponytail today.
Instead, she wore it down, only pinning up the front strands.
With her changed hairstyle, Mira carried more of a "virtuous wife and loving mother" aura, resembling her usual demeanor when cooking in the kitchen.
"What have you come to understand?" Marco played along, helping Mira open up.
He could tell she had things she wanted to get off her chest—this was a good sign.
It seemed Mira's situation wasn't as bad as he had feared.
"I've come to understand my own limitations. I'm not that powerful, and there's no need for me to act tough. That might only end up harming others." Mira spoke slowly, her face showing a look of relief.
"No, Mira, you're actually quite remarkable. Not everyone can keep up with Erza's pace, and not just anyone can compete with her."
Hearing Mira's words, Marco immediately spoke up to console her.
Her tone carried a hint of self-abandonment—this matter had clearly affected her, which was hardly surprising.
"Don't worry, Marco. I'm not giving up, just coming to terms with my limitations. I'll do my best to grow stronger, but I won't push myself recklessly or force myself beyond my limits anymore."
Seeing Marco's anxious attempts to persuade her, Mira shook her head with a light laugh and clarified her meaning.
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