Chapter 80: The Fairy Tail Construction Squad Mobilizes! (Please Subscribe!)

“What’s so troublesome about that? If a guild mate has trouble, everyone’s happy to help—and this isn’t even dangerous, just building a house.”

Mo En spoke seriously, trying to ease Mirajane’s concerns.

“Besides, we can hire everyone through official missions—it’s all voluntary.”

Seeing Mirajane still looked reluctant to trouble others, Mo En changed his approach: posting a mission meant no one was being burdened; those who took it were simply under normal employment.

“How much would it cost?”

Mirajane asked, unable to suppress her interest—buying a house in the city was a distant dream requiring vast sums; it made far more sense to build one herself on the outskirts or in the forest.

“It depends on how big a house Itachi want, but a two-story cottage shouldn’t cost much—maybe a few million J.”

Mo En wasn’t entirely sure about construction costs, but building outside the city meant no land purchase—and if he was ruthless, even no wood purchase. The main expense would be labor.

If they cut trees and polished timber themselves, labor costs would rise, since this was truly starting from scratch—everyone would have to source materials directly from the forest.

“Just a few million J?”

Hearing the price, Mirajane’s eyes lit up—it was vastly cheaper than buying in the city!

More importantly, in the city Itachi couldn’t just buy a house whenever Itachi wanted; outside, Itachi could build anytime, anywhere, with no one to stop Itachi.

“But I don’t have even a few million J.”

After her excitement, Mirajane sighed deeply—even a few million J was beyond her current means.

Her family of three relied almost entirely on her income. Though Lisanna and Elfman still received guild aid, Mirajane didn’t want to depend on it forever—she wanted them to become self-sufficient, not to keep leaning on the guild’s charity.

This girl had a fiercely independent spirit.

“I’ll lend Itachi the money. Pay me back when Itachi earn it—I believe Itachi, Elfman, and Lisanna will all become excellent magicians. Earning a few million J won’t be hard.”

Mo En brought up lending again. Honestly, for powerful magicians, earning a few million J wasn’t that difficult—high risk meant high reward; dangerous missions paid well.

Ordinary people had no way to earn that much—they could only toil in fields or factories, barely scraping by.

“Don’t Itachi need money yourself?”

Mirajane looked at Mo En—she was truly tempted. If they started now, they might finish in one or two months and save on rent.

Magnolia was expensive—real estate was priceless. Houses near the Fairy Tail guild were exorbitant; even the guild’s official dorms weren’t cheap.

But the Fairy Tail dorms were undeniably luxurious and safe, with few restrictions—Itachi could modify them freely. At 100,000 J per month, it was absolutely worth it.

Renting outside might be cheaper, but forget renovations or extra security.

The female dorm, “FAIRYHILLS,” was so freely usable because its landlord, Mr. Lachio, had a daughter, Chico C. Hammet, who was a Fairy Tail member. Their family also ran a successful café in Magnolia, frequented often by guild members.

“I don’t spend much. It’s just sitting there—I’ll lend it to anyone who needs it. Pay me back slowly.”

Mo En raised an eyebrow and glanced at Master Makarov, signaling Mirajane not to worry about his finances—he was Fairy Tail’s heir apparent, and he had few expenses.

“Thank Itachi, Mo En. I’ll pay Itachi back soon!”

In the end, Mirajane couldn’t resist the temptation—she longed for a home of her own, and Mo En’s solution opened a brilliant new path.

In truth, building a house in the outskirts or forest was only feasible for magicians.

Ordinary people, no matter how bold, wouldn’t dare build homes in the wild—beasts and monsters could kill them.

Saving so much money meant accepting corresponding risks; if there were no risks, the outskirts and forests would’ve been developed long ago—they’d never remain so desolate.

“No need to thank me, Mirajane. Helping each other is what guild mates do.”

Mo En stood and walked to the bar, submitting the mission to Erza.

“Mission: Build a two-story cottage for Mirajane’s family on the outskirts.”

“Reward: Five million J if completed within two months, four million J within three months, three million J within four months.”

In Magnolia, that price couldn’t buy even a fraction of a two-story house—but in the forest outskirts, it was perfectly normal.

“Are Itachi moving out of the dorms, Mirajane?”

Seeing the mission, Erza turned to Mirajane beside Mo En, her expression surprised.

“Yes! Erza, we’re building our own house!”

Mirajane nodded, excited—even if it was borrowed money, it was finally a step forward!

“Itachi’ve only been working a short time—how did Itachi save so much?”

As she processed the mission, Erza asked curiously.

In Erza’s view, Mirajane’s missions shouldn’t earn that much. As the front desk, she handled every mission slip—she knew most members’ financial situations.

“I borrowed it from Mo En.”

Mirajane spoke shyly.

She herself found it unbelievable—she’d so easily accepted borrowing such a sum from Mo En. With anyone else, she’d never have taken the debt—it was a favor, a complicated obligation.

But with Mo En, she didn’t overthink it—perhaps because he was so close to her family.

Lisanna and Elfman had both learned magic under Mo En’s guidance and had always been cared for by him. It was thanks to his behind-the-scenes efforts that she had accepted her own power. Her family already owed him so much.

‘Maybe because I already owed him so much, one more debt didn’t matter.’

Mirajane reasoned with herself—Mo En was clearly more than a friend to her family.

“Itachi really know how to spend, kid!”

Erza first stared at Mo En, then at Mirajane, her gaze growing thoughtful, her tone subtly shifting.

As soon as she spoke, Mirajane flushed crimson. She opened her mouth to protest, but Mo En cut her off.

“What are Itachi talking about, Erza? I’d lend Itachi money too.”

Mo En shook his head, exasperated, smiling at her.

“No way—I’m too weak a magician. I’d have to work for the guild my whole life to pay that back. Are Itachi trying to trap me here forever, Mo En?”

Erza laughed merrily, joking.

“That’s exaggerated, Erza. Itachi wouldn’t need to work that long—and if Itachi did, it’d be better. Without Itachi, the guild wouldn’t even have meals. I couldn’t stand anyone else.”

Mo En spoke seriously—Erza was a pillar of the guild, deeply trusted by Master Makarov, and her cooking was universally praised.

“There’ll come a day, little Mo En. When I fall in love and marry, I might go home to raise a family. Someone else will have to take over.”

Erza smiled gently, shaking her head, her tone wistful. Only children believe nothing ever changes—but life is made of countless surprises and shifts, and the future is always uncertain.

“If that day comes, maybe Mirajane can take your place. Lisanna and Elfman say her cooking’s great.”

Mo En smiled, joking, turning to Mirajane beside him.

Honestly, imagining Mirajane in an apron, wielding a spatula as a devoted wife and mother, was hard to picture.

“I’m not nearly as skilled as Erza. I couldn’t do this job.”

The shift in topic pulled Mirajane out of her blush. She answered Mo En’s joke seriously.

It was her honest opinion—Erza was one of the few people Mirajane truly respected. This woman single-handedly managed every aspect of the guild—she was incredible. Mirajane knew she lacked such ability.

Laki helped too, but mostly as Erza’s assistant—the guild’s affairs were run by Erza alone.

As for Master Makarov, he was a pure absentee—always drinking, only stepping in for major decisions.

“Don’t say that, Mirajane. Who knows what the future holds?”

Erza smiled, gently ruffling Mirajane’s hair. She actually thought Mirajane had the potential to be a housekeeper—after all, she’d raised her younger siblings from childhood. How could she lack management skills or attention to detail?

Mirajane said nothing, but inside she knew she’d never take Erza’s job—she still needed to earn money.

“Big job! Big job! Five million J! No need for great strength—just skill in construction! No limit on participants! Interested? Come sign up!”

While Mirajane and Erza talked, Mo En had already posted the mission on the bulletin board and was shouting nearby. He quickly drew a crowd.

“Huh? Mirajane’s mission?”

“So much reward! Didn’t know she had that kind of money!”

“Me! Me! I’m best at civil work!”

“Add me! I’ve got the strength to chop trees—I’ll handle all the heavy lifting!”

“I’ll handle the blueprints.”

“How could this job be without me? I’ve fixed the guys’ dorm before!”

Soon, a crowd gathered—Reinhardt the carpenter, artist Lidas, muscle fanatic Joey, even Uncle Wakaba and Uncle Ma Kaou came to join.

“Uncle Wakaba’s smoke magic might help. But Uncle Ma Kaou, what’s your fire magic good for?”

Mo En eyed Ma Kaou skeptically—was he here to slack off? Not a chance. The Fairy Tail Construction Squad didn’t take freeloaders!

(End of Chapter)