Leo—no, he should be called Loke now—hesitated for a moment before finally choosing to stamp the guild emblem on his back.
"What? Are you afraid people will see it?" Marco casually pressed the stamp onto Loke's back while teasing him.
Although guild members stamped their emblems in various places, having it on the back was quite rare—it wasn't like they were pledging undying loyalty to their country.
Since Loke had the appearance of an adult man, Aero found it inconvenient to stamp his back, so Marco did it instead.
If it had been a child, there wouldn't have been any need for such reservations.
"Why single me out? Where's your emblem?" Loke retorted, looking somewhat indignant after Marco's teasing.
He pointed out that he hadn't seen Marco's guild emblem either.
"Here." Marco rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a pure black emblem on his shoulder.
The left or right shoulder was a fairly common placement.
"So you cover yours up too, don't you?" Loke muttered under his breath.
He usually dressed formally in suits, so no matter where the emblem was stamped, it would be hidden—unless it was directly on his face.
"Is there any problem with not showing it?" Loke asked curiously.
Wasn't the guild emblem just a symbol?
"No problem at all, but this emblem isn't as simple as you think." Marco nodded but didn't elaborate further.
He had only been teasing Loke about his odd choice of placement.
After leaving the men's changing room, Marco returned the magic stamp to Aero and then took Loke on a tour of the guild.
The main purpose was to introduce the functions and uses of each area, giving Loke a basic understanding so he could familiarize himself with everything later.
"Marco! Is this new member a mage that specialize in martial arts magic?!" Joy suddenly called out excitedly as Marco and Loke were halfway through the tour.
The muscular man looked thrilled.
Marco glanced at Loke.
Earlier, when filling out his magical specialties, this Leo Celestial Spirit had written "martial arts" and "holder-type."
Loke had fully accepted Marco's suggestion—he planned to buy a holder-type magical tool with a magic crystal and pair it with his sturdy physique.
Normally, he would fight using the tool and his excellent martial arts, which would already qualify him as a proper Mage.
In emergencies, he could go all out, releasing his magic power to enhance his martial arts for a strong burst of combat ability.
However, it would be a one-shot deal—if the fight dragged on, he risked burning out completely.
After a fight, he'd have to rush to Marco for a "recharge," meaning he was completely under Marco's control.
"That's right, he specializes in martial combat," Marco confirmed, responding to Joy's excitement.
"You're Loke, right? I'm Joy. How about a spar? I'm a super-muscular Mage, also specializing in martial arts."
With Marco's confirmation, Joy immediately challenged Loke to a duel, clearly feeling a sense of kinship.
Most guild members had some level of martial arts or close-combat skills, but they usually used them to supplement their magic.
Joy, however, relied purely on physical combat.
"Ahem, sorry, I haven't been feeling well lately. Let's skip the duel—I need to find a place to settle down first."
Faced with Joy's enthusiasm, Loke was completely caught off guard and hastily declined.
He couldn't afford to waste his precious magic power on something like this—every bit he used meant a little less time he had to live.
Though Marco could "replenish his life," Loke had no intention of seeking him out unless absolutely necessary.
He had a feeling—the more he relied on Marco to extend his life, the deeper he'd be bound, and the more firmly Marco's mark would be branded onto him.
That pure, celestial magic was undeniably alluring, and the sensation of being connected to the stars above was intoxicating.
But he knew—hidden within that sweetness was deadly poison.
"Oh... alright then."
Seeing how firmly Loke refused—even using poor health as an excuse—Joy awkwardly scratched his head but didn't press further.
It was obvious Loke simply didn't want to fight.
"Not feeling well" was just a convenient excuse.
"Perfect timing, Joy. I'll leave the rest to you. Show Loke around and help him get familiar with the guild. I'll go look for a place for him to stay—the men's dorm is full, and there are no vacancies at Fairy Home, so he'll have to stay outside for now."
Marco called out to Joy, who was about to leave in disappointment, and—under Loke's stunned gaze—handed him over to Joy's care.
"No problem, leave it to me."
Joy didn't refuse either, immediately accepting the task of guiding the newcomer.
"W-Wait—" Loke was anxious.
He was worried Joy would insist on fighting him, but right now, he genuinely couldn't.
If this had been before, he would've jumped into battle without hesitation—he wouldn't be stuck feeling so helpless.
Not only was his Leo constellation combat ability unusable, but he couldn't even freely expend magic power.
He really was like a cripple.
"Don't worry, Joy's a good guy." Marco waved at Loke with a smile.
He wasn't lying—Loke was just being overly cautious and paranoid.
He had already clearly refused Joy, and Joy wouldn't push for a duel.
Joy hadn't yet reached the point where his brain was entirely muscle—he was still a reasonable person.
With lingering unease, Loke followed Joy, glancing back every few steps.
Though Marco was practically a devil trying to shackle his soul, there was no denying it—right now, Marco was the person Loke trusted most in the human world.
After entrusting Loke to Joy, Marco left the guild and sought out a professional rental agent to recommend suitable housing.
These agents belonged to the "Housing Rental Management Committee," an organization established under the proposal of Fairy Tail—or more accurately, Marco's proposal—to regulate the chaos in the rental market.
As Fairy Tail's reputation grew and Magnolia flourished, various issues naturally arose—housing shortages, price gouging, misleading listings, and more.
The "Housing Rental Management Committee" was an official department established by the city government to standardize the market.
The city government was actively addressing the various challenges in Magnolia and cooperating closely with Fairy Tail.
The city government knew who the "big boss" was and kept their position in check, so Fairy Tail still held considerable sway.
Marco came to rent a house and naturally received preferential treatment.
He quickly found a good property, and the landlord, upon seeing Marco, immediately offered the lowest price without hesitation.
"Of course, I have complete trust in a Mage from Fairy Tail renting my place. Far more reliable than renting to outsiders," the landlord said sincerely.
Though renting to a Fairy Tail Mage carried risks—even the possibility of the entire house vanishing—you could run, but you couldn't hide.
No matter the scale of the damage, Fairy Tail would compensate for it.
In any case, this was far more dependable than renting to unfamiliar outsiders.