"Hello, Lord Fermín. Here's the item. Please inspect it."
Marco immediately stood up and directly handed the item to Lord Fermín, adopting a strictly business-like attitude, as if he couldn't be bothered to say more.
"Alright, I'll inspect it right away."
Lord Fermín also noticed Marco's attitude and tactfully didn't say anything more, promptly doing as Marco instructed.
He could have said something like "No need to inspect it," but he knew that wouldn't make Marco think more highly of him—it would only make him seem troublesome, as it didn't follow the quest procedure.
If he said not to inspect it now, and something went wrong later, who would be responsible?
Of course, once the quest commission form was signed, anyone thinking of causing trouble would have to consider the consequences—did they really think "Fairy Tail" was just for show?
"No issues. Thank you very much Duke Marco, for coming in person."
Lord Fermín opened the box and took a glance, then immediately closed it and replied.
His aged face wore an eager smile as he promptly signed the commission form.
"Very well, I won't disturb you any further."
Marco nodded, ignoring the other's attempt to be friendly, and directly stood up to take his leave, straightforward and decisive.
"Ah, alright. Since you have other matters, I won't keep you."
Lord Fermín was momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered.
He stood up to see Marco out, his attitude extremely respectful. Marco's strength and reputation went without saying, and his noble rank was several levels above Fermín's, so Fermín naturally didn't dare show any disrespect.
"No need to see me out."
Once outside, Marco directly summoned his crow.
After leaving those words, he immediately took off and vanished into the night sky in the blink of an eye.
"..."
Gazing at the dark night sky, Lord Fermín said nothing, and the elderly servant beside him naturally didn't dare speak either.
"Fairy Tail, heh. Let's go back."
A complex expression crossed Fermín's somewhat weathered face. He sighed with emotion, then returned to the mansion with his old servant.
...
"Whoosh!"
Marco landed in front of the Fairy Tail guild hall.
He was thinking to himself that he needed to find a way to simplify this "daily quest" in the future—it was still too troublesome as it was now.
While pondering how to make this matter simpler, Marco returned to the guild hall. By now, there were hardly any people left inside.
Although the lights were still on, only Mirajane was sitting alone behind the counter, looking kinda lonely.
"You're back."
Seeing Marco enter, Mirajane's previously bored expression instantly vanished, replaced by a gentle smile.
It was like a wife waiting for her husband to return from work.
"Yes, the mission is finished." Marco replied, a smile also appearing on his face.
"Sorry for the trouble, Mira. Making you wait so late."
Walking up to the bar and taking a seat, Marco thanked Mirajane.
He hadn't explained anything clearly yet had asked her to wait for him at the guild. Anyone else would have felt somewhat resentful.
"It's fine, I didn't have anything to do anyway."
Mirajane shook her head, her smile still present as she looked at Marco.
Her eyes clearly held some confusion - she still didn't understand why Marco had suddenly come to take on a mission so late at night.
"Do you know this person?" Mirajane asked curiously while helping Marco complete the final procedures.
"No, I'm just feeling a bit restless and wanted to go out to clear my mind."
Facing Mirajane's curiosity, Marco naturally couldn't tell the truth. He made up a random excuse to brush it off.
"Is it because of the Edolas matter?" Mirajane continued with concern after finishing the procedures.
[Ding! Daily mission completed. Obtained 10 contribution points.]
Seeing the system notification pop up indicating mission completion, Marco breathed a sigh of relief.
As expected, all procedures needed to be finished for it to count. Fortunately, he had anticipated this, or else all his effort might have been wasted.
"You could say that, but it's fine now." Marco smiled and nodded, going along with Mirajane's line of questioning.
Before she could say anything more, he stood up directly.
"Let's go, let's head home together."
As he spoke, Marco bent over and extended his hand, smiling as he made a "this way please" gesture.
"Okay, let's head home together."
Mirajane was momentarily stunned before responding with a smile, though it was somewhat regrettable that they would each be returning to their own homes.
After turning off all the lights in the guild hall, Marco and Mirajane left together and began walking home.
They simply walked, not using more efficient methods like taking the "Corvus Aircraft." Marco didn't mention it, and neither did Mirajane.
"Did Lisanna and Elfman go on a mission?" Marco asked as they walked.
He remembered that both Lisanna and Elfman had been around when he returned in the afternoon.
The only reason they wouldn't have stayed with Mirajane at the guild was if the siblings had gone on a mission together.
"Yes, they saw a suitable mission in the afternoon and went out." Mirajane nodded, confirming his guess.
Lisanna and Elfman had indeed gone out on a mission.
"..."
Marco fell silent for a moment.
Didn't this mean Mira would be alone at home today?
"Ahem, the children have all grown up."
Realizing he was thinking about something inappropriate, Marco coughed dryly twice to cover his embarrassment and continued the conversation.
"Yes, my younger siblings are gradually growing up and becoming capable of handling things independently. I don't need to keep protecting them from behind anymore."
Marco's words made Mirajane quite emotional.
As she spoke, Mira turned to look at Marco beside her, slightly tilting her head up to gaze at his perfect profile.
"Thank you, Marco. Without you... our lives wouldn't be what they are now. This family couldn't be without you."
Looking at Marco's profile, Mira spoke seriously.
After finishing her words, her face suddenly turned bright red, clearly realizing she had said something that could easily be misunderstood.
Marco stopped in his tracks, and Mirajane halted alongside him.
She looked at Marco, and he met her gaze earnestly, staring into her large eyes.
"Without you, it wouldn't be complete either."
Faced with Mira's emotional sincerity, Marco gave this reply, speaking with equal seriousness, conviction, and certainty.
"Marco."
Mira was touched, and then she heard another words coming out of his mouth.
"Without any one of us, it wouldn't be right. With you, with me, with Lisanna and Elfman—that's what makes it whole." Marco spoke with a smile.
He didn't feel he had done any great favor for Mirajane's family.
Look at Mirajane's family in Edolas—without him there, weren't they all living just fine?
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