"You just don't get it! Fire is super useful!"

Macao insisted with absolute confidence, urging Marco to include him.

"Macao's actually right. Freshly cut wood can't be used right away—it needs processing. Not all of it needs to be dried, but forest wood tends to be damp and might have pests, so a bit of fire treatment helps."

Reinhardt stepped in to explain.

"Wait… Uncle, you're seriously a pro at this?!" Marco stared at Reinhardt in amazement.

Their Fairy Tail guild truly had experts in every field!

"Heh, just a little knowledge here and there." Reinhardt scratched his head with a chuckle.

His years of experience weren't for nothing—after all, he'd helped build Gildarts' house outside the southern city back in his younger days.

This was familiar territory for him and his team—absolute professionals!

"Then I'll leave it to you, Reinhardt!"

Without hesitation, Marco decided to trust Reinhardt.

Professional matters should be handled by professionals—he had no experience in this and wasn't about to boss around the experts.

"Please take care of it!" Mirajane also spoke up.

Though she wasn't very familiar with Reinhardt, the man's thick beard and firm, reliable demeanor made him seem trustworthy.

"Don't worry, we'll get it done right!" Reinhardt thumped his chest in assurance.

"Give us a rough idea of what you want, and Reedus and I will draft up a plan. If it looks good, we'll get to work." Reinhardt called over the professional artist Reedus.

With Reedus here, they could produce the drawings on the spot.

As the user of Drawing magic, Reedus's speed and precision in painting were remarkable—after all, this was his livelihood.

An artist with slow hands wouldn't last long in the field of Drawing magic.

If the enemy was already at your doorstep before you could finish your drawing and summon your Drawing beast, you'd be done for!

The two of them turned to Mirajane, waiting for her to voice her requests.

"Three bedrooms, one study, a kitchen, a dining room, two bathrooms and a bathhouse—that should be enough."

Mirajane thought for a moment before earnestly stating her ideas.

Her demands were relatively simple—she had never lived in a particularly nice house before.

Their original home had been very basic, lacking all these amenities, so she felt her requests were already quite high.

Reedus and Reinhardt exchanged a glance, then both turned to look at Marco, who stood nearby with a calm expression.

"Huh? What?" Marco was baffled by their stares.

Couldn't they just give a straight answer? Why were they looking at him?

"Really... just three bedrooms?" Reinhardt asked Marco in a hushed voice.

"...What else?" Marco was exasperated.

There were three people in her family—how many bedrooms did they expect?

Did they think they needed to reserve one for him?

And why were they asking an outsider like him about this anyway?!

"Ah! Right, add one more bedroom!" Mirajane suddenly realized and quickly amended her request.

"If friends come over to visit, having a guest room is important."

To avoid misunderstandings, she added an explanation.

"Alright, sure you don't want to change anything else?"

Seeing that Mirajane had added another bedroom, Reinhardt and Reedus were finally feel relieved.

There were clearly four people—how could there only be three rooms?

They were still young—it wouldn't make sense for two to share a room already, would it?

"No more changes."

Mirajane glanced at Marco, confirming the final plan.

Reedus immediately began sketching, and in no time, he completed the draft.

A two-story cottage was drawn with meticulous detail, even including simple furniture arrangements.

This was a conceptual house drawing specifically for the client.

The professional architectural blueprints would be drafted after the plan was finalized.

"So, what do you think? Are you satisfied?" Reedus asked, looking at Marco and Mirajane.

Judging by his tone, one might think he was designing a new home for Marco and Mirajane.

"It's great. I'm very satisfied," Mirajane replied, her face slightly flushed.

She vaguely sensed something off, but since Marco was the current financier, she couldn't very well exclude him from the process.

As for Lisanna and Elfman, the two little ones, Mirajane didn't plan to give them a say.

She intended to shoulder the debt alone.

Marco remained silent.

He was genuinely self-aware—lending money for someone else's house didn't entitle him to meddle.

After all, they were going to repay him, and it was their home, not his.

Still, looking at the conceptual drawing, Marco couldn't help but entertain his own thoughts.

He might move out someday and build his own house.

The one he currently lived in belonged to Makarov.

While living with Makarov and Laxus wasn't bad, having his own place would offer more freedom.

Seeing that neither had objections, Reedus and Reinhardt took over Marco's role and began organizing the construction crew.

Under their leadership, the "Fairy Tail Construction Crew" quickly assembled.

While the "Fairy Tail Demolition Crew" was infamous, it had also cultivated a group of skilled builders.

Doing the repairs themselves often meant fewer losses.

*****

In the following days, the guild members grew busy as many joined the construction effort.

With so many participants, even a 5 million J reward would barely amount to anything per person.

Yet, one after another, they came to help.

They weren't in it for the money but for the camaraderie—the shared goal and the spirit of helping a fellow guild member.

Unity and friendship were the driving forces.

Had this been for an outsider, no one would've bothered.

Profit would've been the priority, and a month's work for meager earnings wasn't appealing.

*****

Time flew by, and over a month passed.

With a professional team at work, the results spoke for themselves.

A little over a month after taking the job, Reinhardt and his crew were nearly done.

The two-story house was almost complete.

Mira's family, Marco and the other children all came to visit.

Everyone was curious about the new home for Mira's family.

The final location for the wooden house was chosen just outside the eastern city gate, not too far from Magnolia.

It wasn't built directly in the forest, and everyone walked over chatting and laughing along the way.

At the edge of the eastern forest, a small wooden cottage appeared, standing alone on a small hill with no other buildings around.

The cottage was surrounded by a wooden fence enclosing a small yard.

The two-story wooden cottage had a cozy design, with warm brown wooden planks covering the exterior walls and light-colored wooden window frames adding accents.

The overall look gave off a very comfortable feeling.

Mirajane was very pleased with it, and so were Lisanna and Elfman.

A home should feel like a home—a warm haven that relaxes both body and mind at first glance.

"Not bad," Marco commented.

Though not luxurious, it had its own charm.

With a limited budget, luxury wasn't an option, so the cottage focused on a warm and inviting style.

"Told you there was nothing to worry about," Reinhardt laughed heartily, clearly satisfied with the cottage as well.

He opened the door and led everyone inside.

The first thing they saw was the living room.

On the wall opposite the door was a fireplace, and above it, the Fairy Tail Guild emblem was carved into an oak beam—this emblem would surely protect the home!

A rug was spread out in front of the fireplace, flanked by two sofas with a delicate wooden coffee table in between.

The setup was simple and minimalist.

All the furniture was handmade by the 'Fairy Tail Construction Team', with Laki playing a major role.

Her presence truly helped everyone save a lot of money.

"Don't worry, this cottage is solid. Macao's flames controlled the wood's moisture content perfectly, and all pests have been completely eradicated. There won't be any warp or termites—the whole house has been treated against insects, so you won't be bothered by bugs," Reinhardt explained as he led the way, exuding professionalism that left the younger ones in awe.

It had to be said, this little cottage was built with real skill.

Though simple, it wasn't plain—the details, like the patterned designs, were all carefully

It was clear that Reedus had been deeply involved, as Reinhardt didn't seem like the artistic type.

Reedus stood nearby, continuously sketching with his brush, capturing the scene of everyone touring the Strauss siblings new home.

The first floor had a living room, kitchen, dining area, one bedroom, and a bathroom.

The second floor had three bedrooms, a study, a bathroom, and a bathing room—everything Mirajane had asked for.

"The only thing missing is some furniture. My suggestion is to get some magical furniture—it'll make life a lot more convenient," Reinhardt proposed after showing everyone around.

The house was nearly finished, but the interior was still missing quite a bit of furniture.

Only the basics had been crafted.

Other furnishings that could improve quality of life would need to be purchased by Mirajane and her family.

There was no helping it—those things were beyond the team's capabilities, as they weren't truly professionals in that field.

"Thank you, Reinhardt! We're already very satisfied!" Mirajane, shedding her usual tomboy and rebellious demeanor, sincerely thanked Reinhardt.

She was well aware that everyone had put in considerable effort to build this house, and no amount of money could have bought their willingness to help.

After touring the new home, Mirajane was visibly moved, her eyes nearly welling up with tears.

After all the twists and turns, they finally had a new home—a place to call their own once again.

In Mirajane's heart, her sense of belonging to Fairy Tail and her understanding of the guild's ideals grew deeper.

Everyone in the guild was family, treating each other with genuine sincerity, free from any ulterior motives.

"Haha, no need for that, Mira. Everyone feels a real sense of accomplishment from building this house. These are all wonderful memories," Reinhardt said with a smile, waving off her heartfelt gratitude.

To him, it was nothing extraordinary—just the basic camaraderie among guildmates.

Though they might seem unreliable with their usual carefree antics, when it truly mattered, no one shirked their responsibilities.

That was the bond of Fairy Tail!

"Perfect timing! Mira, show off your cooking skills. I've been waiting for this day—you promised you'd cook once you moved in," Marco interjected with a grin, lightening the mood as he noticed Mira's emotional state.

He blinked playfully, his expression brimming with anticipation.

"Marco… don't tell me you lent her money to build this house just so you could eat Mira's cooking?" Erza eyed him suspiciously.

"Haha~ Well, that's not entirely wrong. Lisanna and Elfman have been bragging about Mira's cooking, and I've been dying to know—is it really that good?" Marco chuckled, squinting mischievously as he glanced at Mira, deliberately provoking her.

True to form, Mirajane immediately rose to the bait.

"Hmph! Just you wait! I'll blow you all away!" Mira wiped her moist eyes, pushing aside her complex emotions as she shot Marco a proud look.

"Can't wait," Marco replied earnestly.

He'd even made sure Natsu, Gray, and Elfman brought over all the pots, pans, and utensils beforehand.

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