No one dared to touch their chopsticks before Marco arrived at the victory banquet—this time, it was meant as high praise, highlighting his immense contributions.
Marco, however, didn't bask in the glory.
Once he arrived, he simply took his seat—at the kids' table, no less.
Mirajane and Erza were also at that table.
Since Marco was around the same age as them, there was nothing odd about him sitting there.
Once Marco arrived, the banquet officially began.
Everyone raised their glasses—some with alcohol, others with juice—for a collective toast to celebrate.
After that, they ditched any formalities and simply did as they pleased, embracing the carefree atmosphere.
At that moment, the guild hall was lively and filled with laughter as everyone enjoyed this rare moment of leisure.
They had just completed a major request and earned a hefty reward, so naturally, they could afford to take a short break.
Even the most work-obsessed among them wouldn't rush into another job right away.
"Erza, there's something I need to ask of you," Marco said, turning to her at the table.
"Huh? What is it?"
Erza looked puzzled as she set down her juice.
Marco's unusually serious tone piqued her curiosity.
With the guild's noisy chatter making it hard to talk, Marco invited Erza to step away from the table to discuss matters properly.
"Let's talk somewhere quieter."
Marco stood up and gestured for Erza to follow him to another room.
Without hesitation, she rose and went after him.
"..."
Mirajane, who had been watching from the side, frowned slightly.
What were those two up to? Sneaking off for a private conversation?
Baffled, Mirajane silently kept her eyes on them as Marco and Erza entered the same room—a meditation chamber meant for quiet reflection.
Unable to suppress her curiosity any longer, Mirajane stood up and began heading toward the chamber.
Her strange behavior immediately caught the attention of Lisanna and Elfman.
"Mira-nee? Where are you going?" Lisanna asked curiously as she noticed her sister leaving.
Not just Lisanna—the other kids at the table also turned their eyes toward her.
The timing of Mirajane's departure was far too suspicious, following right after Marco and Erza.
Even Natsu wouldn't believe there was no connection.
"Ahem."
Mirajane froze mid-step when suddenly called out.
She coughed awkwardly—Lisanna's question had made her pause and ask herself: What am I doing?
That was an important question.
She couldn't just barge in on them, could she?
"I'm not feeling well. I need some quiet time," Mirajane blurted out in a panic, coming up with a clumsy excuse on the spot.
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized how unconvincing they sounded.
"Huh?! Mira-nee, what's wrong? Are you sick?"
Sure enough, Lisanna immediately rushed over in concern, with Elfman following close behind, both wearing worried expressions.
Not just them—the other kids also turned their attention to her, their gazes filled with concern.
"Did you not rest well yesterday? It's fine if you want to rest in the meditation chamber."
When Mirajane was at a loss for how to explain, Juvia spoke up, prompting Mirajane to immediately nod in response.
"That's right, it's nothing serious. I just need to rest for a bit. You all keep having fun, don't worry about me. I'll be back after I recover."
Mirajane smiled as she spoke, smoothly taking the out that Juvia had given her.
"I'll go with you. I'm not feeling too well either."
Juvia stood up and moved to Mirajane's side, causing the latter to widen her eyes in complete surprise.
"Alright, let's go together."
Though inwardly shocked, since Mirajane had just accepted Juvia's excuse, she naturally couldn't refuse Juvia, who was also claiming to be "unwell."
"..."
Watching Mirajane and Juvia leave, the children exchanged puzzled glances.
Were those two really feeling unwell?
Before Mirajane and Juvia could even reach the quiet room, they ran into Marco and Erza, who had just stepped out.
"Mira? Juvia? Are you two heading in?"
The two groups met right at the quiet room's entrance.
Marco stepped aside and held the door open for them while asking them.
"Uh, yes!"
After the initial surprise, Mirajane quickly nodded and hurried into the quiet room, looking rather flustered.
Juvia glanced at Erza, who was staring at them with wide eyes, and received a puzzled head tilt in return.
"What's wrong?" Erza asked, clearly confused.
"N-nothing..."
Not daring to meet her gaze, Juvia followed Mirajane inside.
"Thanks, Marco."
Before entering, she thanked Marco, who was still holding the door open for them.
"No need. Do you two have something to discuss?"
Marco waved off her thanks, then asked curiously.
When had Juvia and Mirajane gotten so close? He hadn't noticed before.
"Nothing to discuss—wait! Actually, yes, we do!"
Juvia shook her head at first, then suddenly changed her answer, making the whole thing seem contradictory.
Marco gave her a strange look but didn't press further. It was best not to pry into girls' secrets.
Watching the unlikely pair of Mirajane and Juvia, Marco's mind conjured up some odd scenarios—one was a feisty, short-tempered girl, while the other was still somewhat timid and insecure.
It almost looked like Mirajane was about to bully her.
Shaking his head with a chuckle, Marco dismissed the strange thought.
He trusted and understood Mirajane well.
She was far gentler with other girls than she was with Erza, and bullying simply didn't happen in Fairy Tail.
Beating up Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel didn't count as bullying—those three always asked for it.
They were the type who wouldn't behave unless they got a good thrashing.
"Are we going after the party?"
As they stepped out of the quiet room, Erza asked Marco again.
She hadn't given much thought to Mirajane and Juvia's odd behavior, her mind still occupied with Marco's earlier request.
"If possible, the sooner the better."
Marco nodded.
His request to Erza was related to crafting his own Saint Cloth.
He wanted her to recommend some armor shops where he could place a custom order.
Marco had already thought of a way to create a custom Saint Cloth - first commission the outer shell of the armor, then use Saint Cloth repair techniques to completely overhaul its internal structure.
It would be like the "Ship of Theseus," replacing everything from within!
"Then let's go right now!" Erza said immediately after hearing Marco's explanation.
-----------------------------
Read 50 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator