"Thank you," Marco accepted the goodwill, though he couldn't help but inwardly complain how the landlord's tone carried a hint of superiority.
When talking about "outsiders," it almost felt like he was saying, 'Damn out-of-towners, coming to Magnolia to beg for scraps again.'
But nowadays, Magnolia did have that vibe.
The city was developing rapidly, constantly expanding outward.
Immigrants, merchants, Mages, and travelers were all pouring in, contributing to the city's prosperity.
"Magnolia's locals are the real deal."
Leaving the chosen house, Marco chuckled to himself.
It just went to show how necessary proper management was.
If these chaotic trends were left unchecked, they'd undoubtedly bring many negative impacts to Magnolia.
Right now, the city still needed the influx of "outsiders."
What satisfied Marco was that Magnolia's city government was pragmatic.
They practically bent over backward for Fairy Tail, granting every request without hesitation, wholly dedicated to the city's development.
Magnolia was the Kingdom of Fiore's Magnolia, but it was also Fairy Tail's Magnolia.
The outward expansion of Magnolia's core urban area wasn't progressing too quickly because expansion required considering too many factors.
Just the "Gildarts Mode" alone demanded significant effort.
The city government had it tough, carrying a heavy load as they moved forward.
Thinking of this, Marco couldn't help but shake his head.
Even if you reminded Gildarts about his habit, he'd hardly notice—just like how Gray would unconsciously strip.
It was practically a passive skill, hardwired into their behavior.
You could say it was no coincidence that Uncle Gildarts was the one who picked up Gray back then.
This was a case of "stand users attracting each other."
With the house chosen and Loke temporarily settled, Marco, Makarov, and Loke began waiting for news from Bob.
It didn't take long before word came from Bob.
"Karen's body has been found."
Looking at Marco and Loke, Makarov spoke up.
Bob had sent a message asking if Loke wanted to attend Karen's funeral, which would be held in a few days.
"..."
Loke's expression grew complicated upon hearing this, torn over the decision.
"She went out on a mission by herself, but something happened along the way. Her body was discovered by nearby villagers, who contacted Blue Pegasus through official channels. As for the killer, no leads have been found yet, but it was definitely a Mage."
Makarov continued, explaining that even if Karen couldn't summon Celestial Spirits, she wouldn't have been killed by ordinary people.
She still had some combat ability—while she couldn't compare to powerful Mages, she was more than capable of defending herself against regular folk.
"Her Celestial Spirit Keys..."
Loke, who had been silent until now, spoke up, asking about what concerned him most.
"All gone." Makarov shook his head.
"That's to be expected." Marco wasn't surprised.
If the culprit was a Mage, they wouldn't have left the keys behind—especially since one of them was a Golden Key.
Even if sold, it would fetch a high price.
That was probably the most valuable thing Karen had on her.
Truthfully, even an ordinary person wouldn't have left those Celestial Spirit Keys behind.
They might not understand magic, but they'd recognize gold and silver.
Anyone could tell those keys weren't cheap.
"Are you going? To the funeral." Marco looked at Loke.
Master Bob was being considerate—he had specifically invited Loke to Karen's funeral.
After all, they had once formed a contract and fought side by side for a time.
"Better not."
After hesitating, Loke shook his head.
He wouldn't know how to face things if he went.
It was better not to invite trouble—the Mages of Blue Pegasus probably wouldn't give him a warm welcome.
"Not necessarily. They're not unreasonable people. Even if some hold a grudge, it wouldn't escalate to violence."
Marco believed that with Master Bob present, the blame for "Karen's death" wouldn't fall on Loke.
He trusted in Bob's ability and influence—his stance would undoubtedly shape Blue Pegasus's attitude, which was why he had invited Loke in the first place.
"Never mind. Just tell me the location. I'll visit on my own later."
Loke shook his head again, firm in his decision not to attend.
The truth was, he could no longer muster much grief for Karen's death.
Going would only be awkward.
Visiting alone afterward, lighting an incense stick—that would be enough to settle this ill-fated bond.
"Alright, then. That's fine." Makarov nodded.
This was actually a good sign—it meant Loke had come to terms with things.
That in itself was progress.
"If they find the killer, have them notify me. I'll contribute to avenging her—as a way to make amends."
Though Loke acknowledged that his regret and confusion stemmed more from his inability to return to the Celestial Spirit World, there was still a part of him that cared about Karen.
He genuinely wanted to help bring her killer to justice.
"Understood. I'll pass that along."
Makarov agreed, though he doubted finding the culprit would be easy.
They had too little useful information—right now, they didn't even have a suspect.
"I suggest keeping an eye out for the Golden Key of Aries. It might lead to some clues." Marco offered a suggestion.
If Karen's killer wasn't a Celestial Spirit Mage, they'd likely try to sell the Golden Key—since keeping it would be pointless.
"But if it's a Celestial Spirit Mage..."
"Then there's nothing we can do." Marco gave a helpless smile.
If the culprit wasn't selling the Aries Golden Key, then they could only wait until someone encountered the culprit and made them summon the Aries Celestial Spirit.
In any case, the Aries Celestial Spirit with its "unique nature" was an extremely important clue.
"Wait, could we ask another Celestial Spirit to inquire about the Aries Celestial Spirit in the Celestial Spirit World?"
Marco had a sudden inspiration and thought of another approach.
"Impossible. She can't reveal any information related to her contractor."
Loke shook his head decisively.
The contracts had strict constraints about such matters—otherwise, information about Celestial Spirit Mages would be far too easy to expose.
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Karen is killed by Angel iirc.