Chapter 28
Only a few days after Marshall placed the advertisement in the newspaper, two interested parties arrived at Fairy Tail almost simultaneously.
The first represented Duke Everlue, a powerful noble from southern Fiore and Magnolia’s nominal feudal lord.
The second came from the Heartfilia family, a prestigious wizarding house with centuries of history behind it.
Since the two groups arrived one after the other, Makarov placed them in separate rooms.
He then brought Marshall along to negotiate the proposed Naruto Amusement Park partnership with each of them individually.
They met Duke Everlue’s representative first.
She was a maid whose ugliness was so distinctive that it almost felt deliberate.
If she had not repeatedly emphasized that she was one of the duke’s favorite servants, Marshall might have assumed Everlue had sent her specifically to disgust them.
Intentional or not, she had certainly succeeded.
"...Duke Everlue has made his position perfectly clear," the maid declared. "If you wish to develop land within Magnolia, the entire amusement park must be registered under His Grace’s name. He is willing to accept only twenty percent of the future profits. That is his minimum condition."
"..."
Was she sleep-talking with her eyes open?
This was the first time since arriving in this world that Marshall had experienced such an immediate surge of disgust.
So he asked the obvious question.
"Master, am I allowed to throw this revolting creature out of the guild?"
"No...!"
The horse-faced maid stared blankly for a moment before unleashing a shriek that sounded more like a battle cry.
"AAAAAAH! How dare you insult me! His Grace will never forgive this!"
Marshall had already had enough. He ignored her and turned directly to Makarov.
"Master, Fairy Tail doesn’t actually need to be afraid of nobles like this, does it?"
Makarov rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"We aren’t afraid of the duke, but this is technically a legal matter. Magnolia officially lies within Duke Everlue’s territory. Without his permission, we can’t simply develop the land however we please."
He glanced sideways at Marshall.
"Even that enormous house of yours is technically an illegal construction."
[Aha! You built an illegal house too! I’m reporting this to the duke! You’re all finished!]
"Isn’t there another way around it?" Marshall asked.
"I sent Duke Everlue a letter beforehand and assumed that would be enough." Makarov sighed again. "I didn’t expect the nobles to be this foolish and greedy. I’ll write to the royal family and ask them to mediate."
[Are you ignoring me?! You’ve broken the law!]
"What a pain..." Marshall muttered. "Why does our guild have to accommodate people like this at all? Maybe I should just kill the duke."
[You—GAH?!]
"Marshall?!" Cold sweat immediately ran down Makarov’s back. "That’s far too extreme! Duke Everlue is also a Mage. Neither the kingdom nor the Magic Council would allow something like that!"
Makarov was not frightened of offending the duke.
What unsettled him was how casually Marshall had suggested murder.
[Something’s wrong. Marshall has always been such a kind, well-behaved child. Why does he become so cold whenever nobles are involved? He isn’t going to lose his way when he gets older, is he?]
Marshall heard every word of Makarov’s thoughts, but he did not care.
He saw nothing wrong with his reaction.
Listening to the maid’s thoughts had already made him sick. If she was one of Everlue’s favorites, the duke behind her was probably no better.
Marshall had almost no patience for corrupt members of a privileged ruling class.
Suppressing the urge to throw a fireball at her, he looked at the maid with open contempt.
"Go back and tell your master that we reject his conditions. The amusement park will be built, and the money it earns will remain with us. If he thinks he has the ability to take it, he can come here and try."
Marshall pointed toward the door.
"Now get out!"
"Y-You... You’ll regret this!"
The hideous maid fled in humiliation.
Even a three-year-old child in Fiore knew Fairy Tail’s reputation.
She certainly did not believe she could handle a guild full of powerful Mages by herself.
Makarov watched her leave with a troubled expression.
"Marshall, that was a little impulsive. The Magic Council is definitely going to criticize us again..."
"I was extremely restrained. I didn’t even use magic on her." Marshall glanced up at him. "You aren’t afraid of the Magic Council, are you, Master?"
Makarov’s worried expression immediately became a grin.
"Afraid? Me? They can eat shit!"
Marshall smiled knowingly.
That fierce protectiveness was one of the things he liked most about the old man.
"Well, what’s done is done," Makarov continued. "Let’s speak with the Heartfilia representative. And don’t worry too much about Everlue. Magnolia has always been Fairy Tail’s territory. It isn’t anyone else’s place to tell us what we can or can’t do with this town."
’Hasn’t Fairy Tail only existed for around a century?’
Out of respect for the old man, Marshall kept that observation to himself.
Makarov then leaned closer and lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"Actually, the guild has owed those nobles taxes for years. We’ve never paid them a single Jewel. If Fairy Tail ever becomes weak enough, they might even seize the entire guildhall!"
"..."
Marshall had already suspected something like that.
Fairy Tail had never looked like an organization that obeyed rules. If he had to describe its moral alignment, it would be chaotic good.
The Magic Council sent fines to the guild so regularly that they might as well have been bulk deliveries.
Marshall rubbed his forehead.
The members of Fairy Tail were not bad people, and they generally acted according to their consciences.
But having come from a society governed by law, Marshall understood exactly what the guild looked like from the kingdom’s perspective.
Fairy Tail was essentially a powerful local gang.
Its members were a collection of dangerous individuals who operated almost entirely outside the law.
It was obvious that the royal government had limited control over remote regions.
That was understandable, considering how enormous and sparsely populated this world was.
Still, Marshall decided he should eventually study the relationship between the monarchy, the nobility, and the wizard guilds.
It would be better to prepare before a real conflict emerged.
For now, caution was the safest approach.
...
Marshall and Makarov entered the room where the Heartfilia family’s representative was waiting.
Marshall had already researched their background.
The Heartfilias were a renowned family of Celestial Spirit Mages whose history stretched back centuries, perhaps even a thousand years.
The current head of the family was particularly gifted in business and had founded and directed the kingdom’s entire magic-railway project.
The Heartfilias were now among the wealthiest families in all of Fiore.
Marshall was naturally happy to welcome such a powerful potential partner.
Their representative was also a maid, though this middle-aged woman was far more pleasant to look at.
Marshall had known the entire world could not possibly share Duke Everlue’s bizarre taste.
"...My master is deeply interested in your guild’s amusement-park proposal," the maid explained calmly. "The Heartfilia family has come prepared to negotiate in good faith.
"We are willing to provide all the funding required for construction. In exchange, the Heartfilia family would receive forty percent ownership of the company.
Our only condition is that Fairy Tail assume full responsibility for the park’s security once it opens."
The offer was so generous that Marshall almost wondered whether they were running a charity.
Still, he could not help admiring them.
There was clearly a reason the Heartfilias had built such an enormous business empire.
Their vision and willingness to invest were on an entirely different level from Everlue’s petty greed.
"We have no objections to those terms," Marshall said. "However, a minor complication has just come up. Duke Everlue’s representative..."
He explained everything that had happened with the ugly maid.
Since the amusement park would be a joint project, it was only right to inform their partners of any trouble in advance.
The Heartfilia maid listened without showing much concern.
"My master is acquainted with Duke Everlue," she said. "The Everlue family possesses the Celestial Spirit Key of Virgo. For certain reasons, my master has temporarily borrowed that key from them."
She folded her hands neatly in front of herself.
"I was already planning to visit the duke while traveling through southern Fiore. Therefore, please allow me to deal with this matter first. I believe I should be able to return with favorable news."
Since the Heartfilia family was being so sincere, Marshall was happy to repay that goodwill.
The remaining terms were settled quickly.
Fairy Tail and the Heartfilia family would establish a joint company to construct and operate the Naruto amusement park.
Makarov would handle most of the administrative work from that point onward.
Marshall had only supplied the original idea.
The deal had succeeded mainly because both Makarov and the Heartfilias recognized the project’s potential.
Makarov also hoped that the amusement park would help Magnolia grow and prosper.
Even so, Marshall would receive a substantial share of the profits as the creator and licensor of the Naruto intellectual property.
He had expected the project to drain a large portion of his fortune.
Instead, he had somehow found an angel investor willing to pay for everything.
At this rate, Marshall might never manage to spend all his money.
Before leaving, the Heartfilia maid offered them one final piece of friendly advice.
"My master sees considerable potential in Magnolia and is considering financing a new railway line through the town. I hope that information proves useful to your guild."
She bowed politely.
"We will take our leave. May everything proceed smoothly for you."
Marshall watched their carriage disappear into the distance before turning toward Makarov.
"How can two maids serving powerful noble families be so completely different?"
"Ahem." Makarov stroked his mustache awkwardly. "I’ve heard rumors that Duke Everlue’s taste in women is... unusual."
He stared after the carriage.
"Apparently, they were true."
"..."