Chapter 107
X783, New Year.
Marshall’s birthday arrived shortly after the New Year celebrations.
Although Marshall didn’t care much about a birthday whose authenticity was questionable in the first place, his family still threw him a proper party.
He received a mountain of gifts.
Cana knitted him a scarf. Mira gave him thirteen handmade sweaters.
The girls worked together on several pairs of gloves, while the men contributed an assortment of ridiculous prank gifts.
Come to think of it, this was the first time Marshall had received so many presents since arriving in this world.
He couldn’t help feeling a little emotional.
Everyone in Fairy Tail really was adorable.
Some of the gifts were rather baffling, and many appeared to have been made from old clothes the girls had once worn, but the sisters had clearly put a great deal of thought into them.
Marshall was a simple creature.
After the birthday party ended, he dumped all the cleaning onto the Gugas and happily went to take a bath.
When he emerged, Cana was nowhere to be seen.
Sensing her coordinate marker on the roof, Marshall thought for a moment before heading upstairs.
Cana was leaning against the wall, gazing across the rapidly changing city of Magnolia.
Marshall still remembered that she was facing the same direction Gildarts had left in a year and a half earlier.
"Thinking about your father again?"
Cana turned and glared at him.
"I’m not thinking about that bastard!"
"He’s been gone for so long and hasn’t sent a single message back to the guild. Who would miss such a heartless, irresponsible man?"
"Yes, yes."
Marshall nodded along.
"It’s a shame Gildarts refused to let me place a spatial marker on him. Otherwise, I could teleport straight to his side and drag him back here."
Gildarts clearly wasn’t returning anytime soon.
"Cana... You do want him to come back, don’t you?"
"..."
Marshall didn’t press her.
He walked over, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and gently comforted her.
"Do you think I handled it wrongly too?"
Cana lowered her head.
"Do you think I should have told him the truth sooner?"
"Absolutely not!"
Marshall answered without hesitation.
"I’ll always stand on Cana’s side!"
"Everything is Gildarts’s fault!"
Cana burst out laughing.
"As expected, little brothers are the best. You actually know how to care about your big sister~"
She pulled Marshall into her arms and subjected him to a full-strength bear hug.
"Mmph! L-Let go! I can’t breathe..."
"I’ve decided."
Cana’s expression gradually became serious.
"When Gildarts returns this time, I’m going to tell him directly."
"I don’t want to keep worrying about all this anymore."
Marshall finally escaped her arms.
"I’ll always support Cana."
"Really?"
Cana’s smile immediately returned.
"Then sleep with your sister tonight~"
"Uh..."
"You’re absolutely not allowed to run away!"
"But..."
"No buts!"
"Doesn’t that make what I said completely meaningless?!"
Marshall protested.
"Hey, hey! I’m a respectable young man okay!"
That night, Cana slept soundly while holding Marshall in her arms.
...
"Master Makarov! Magnolia has recently become one of the most popular cities in all of Ishgar!"
A reporter eagerly held out her recording Lacrima.
"As the true authority behind this city, what would you like to tell our readers?"
Makarov cleared his throat.
"What do you mean by ’true authority’? Don’t say things that could cause misunderstandings!"
"I’m merely an idle member of the Ten Wizard Saints."
"In any case, Magnolia’s prosperity is the result of the hard work of every resident."
"Today’s Magnolia is safe, prosperous, and filled with vitality. We warmly welcome everyone to visit our city."
Reporter’s notes: Makarov declares that the entire city is under the protection of a member of the Ten Wizard Saints. Criminal activity will never be tolerated, making Magnolia an exceptionally safe and desirable place to settle.
"Master Makarov! The magical communication terminal recently released by Fairy Tail has created an enormous sensation throughout Fiore!"
"Sales have been astonishing, and supply is unable to keep up with demand."
"Some claim Fairy Tail earned billions of Jewels in only half a month. Is that true?"
"No."
Makarov shook his head.
"This product was jointly developed by our guild and Fiore’s magical-technology department."
"Although it has generated considerable profit, the numbers being circulated are wildly exaggerated."
Reporter’s notes: Makarov responded with great modesty. However, sources claim Fairy Tail’s internal estimates for its communication-terminal business were so conservative that even the guild itself failed to predict its true profitability...
"Master Makarov, you are now being praised as the greatest leader in Fairy Tail’s history!"
"Some people have even suggested that Magnolia was named after you. What is your response to that?"
"That’s a complete nonsense!"
Makarov’s beard bristled.
"I’m only an insignificant old man."
"Fairy Tail’s First and Second Guild Masters were both far more accomplished Mages than I am."
"Fairy Tail has always been the strongest guild!"
"And Magnolia already had its name before I was even born! What kind of ridiculous question is this?"
Reporter’s notes: Makarov declares that while Fairy Tail attracted little attention in the past, under his leadership its name will resound throughout the world. Magnolia shall also march toward greatness beneath his guidance.
"Thank you very much for your answers!"
"Our newspaper will report today’s interview exactly as it occurred!"
...
Fairy Tail had become really famous.
No—it had completely exploded in popularity.
The Naruto theme park had once brought widespread attention to the small town of Magnolia, but at the time, most visitors hadn’t paid much attention to Fairy Tail itself.
That changed when the names Fairy Tail, Magnolia, and Ishgar’s fastest-growing city became inseparable.
The guild located in Magnolia had finally stepped onto the center of the world’s stage.
And although many stories were supposedly nothing more than rumors, the reputation of Fairy Tail’s current Guild Master had become astonishingly grand.
Fairy Tail’s earnings throughout Fiore had already broken past ten billion Jewels.
Its exposure in newspapers and magazines remained exceptionally high, while scalpers resold limited Fairy Tail merchandise for prices reaching one million Jewels per item on the black market.
The magical communication terminals had become popular across the continent, and the single emblem engraved on the back of every compact device drew everyone’s attention:
Fairy Tail.
In the past, claims about Fairy Tail’s greatness had always sounded vague.
Its Guild Master was a Wizard Saint.
Its combat power ranked first in Fiore.
It supposedly had connections extending all the way to the heavens.
None of those claims could be easily measured.
This time, however, the money was real.
Fairy Tail wasn’t merely selling magical devices either.
It was publishing magazines, building factories, organizing merchant caravans, and expanding into one industry after another.
Anyone with the slightest business sense could smell the opportunities and staggering profits hidden within Magnolia.
Fairy Tail became the brightest rising star not only in Fiore, but throughout Ishgar.
Every day, magical trains arrived packed with visitors.
New districts were constantly being developed, and fresh buildings rose from the ground one after another.
The city was undergoing a complete transformation.
This prosperity didn’t belong solely to Fairy Tail.
It belonged to Magnolia itself.
Even the land surrounding Fairy Tail’s guildhall was now being purchased at outrageous prices.
Fairy Tail had become so famous that Marshall only needed to release the faintest rumor of a new project, and investors would practically beg him to accept their money.
The communication terminal—his version of a phone—was merely the first step.
Marshall’s next target was the audiovisual projection-device market.
Television.
Fairy Tail Media was an important part of his future business empire, but traditional media was already well established in this world.
Countless newspapers and magazines competed for readers, and defeating all of them through conventional methods would take far too long.
Marshall needed to overtake them from another direction.
In a magical world, broadcasting live images wasn’t especially difficult.
Primitive films also existed.
However, projection devices were normally reserved for major public events or wealthy people with too much money to spend.
In simple terms, the technology for televisions already existed.
There simply weren’t enough programs worth watching, so ordinary people had no reason to buy one.
Marshall intended to change that twisted media environment.
His next step was to bundle communication terminals with projection devices, then create several entertaining live programs to open this untouched market completely.
That alone could become another business worth tens of billions.
And that didn’t even include the magical spinning machines, magical looms, and Lacrima-processing plants he had recently commissioned.
Those facilities had already begun operating and were producing a steady stream of profit.
Just as Marshall had promised, Fairy Tail would gradually penetrate every aspect of the world’s economy.
The enormous ship had fully set sail.
Unfortunately, Marshall no longer had anything to do with most of those grand projects.
At the broader level, Fairy Tail had transformed from a simple combat guild into an enormous organization.
The smaller changes were already obvious too.
Most notably, more and more newcomers were applying to join Fairy Tail.
In the past, the guild had never maintained a particularly strict admissions process.
Makarov would usually take one look at someone, decide they seemed harmless, and approve them.
Later, the Guild Master had grown even lazier and handed the responsibility to Marshall, who possessed Telepathy Magic.
Marshall’s examination was equally simple.
He asked several casual questions.
As long as the applicant answered honestly and wasn’t secretly plotting anything malicious, they passed.
Generally speaking, very few people with hidden agendas had tried to join Fairy Tail.
That system no longer worked.
There were far too many applicants.
If Marshall personally interviewed every one of them, he would waste an unimaginable amount of time.
Worse, Fairy Tail’s sudden fame attracted all kinds of strange people.
Listening to some of their tangled thoughts gave Marshall a headache.
"You’re certainly an interesting person."
Marshall studied the latest applicant.
"Your soul is remarkably pure. I appreciate people like you."
"You aren’t particularly strong yet, but you would fit into Fairy Tail rather well."
"..."
He rubbed his aching forehead and sighed toward Makarov.
"She doesn’t appear to have any hidden schemes."
"Unlike the previous applicants, there’s very little unnecessary clutter in her thoughts."
"Whether you accept her is up to you, Master."
"Evergreen, was it?"
Makarov examined the young woman.
"You naturally awakened Stone Eyes Magic. That’s an excellent magical talent."
"You’re accepted."
"Welcome to Fairy Tail."
"Ohohoho~ Naturally!"
Evergreen lifted her chin.
"After all, I am a fairy!"
It seemed the guild had gained another eccentric.
After sending away the final applicant of the day, Marshall finally exploded.
"Master! I refuse to keep interviewing newcomers for you!"
"I quit!"
"I’m done!"
"..."
Makarov silently pushed a stack of papers toward him.
"Then give me a better idea."
"There are still dozens of applications here, all from young people who admire Fairy Tail."
"We can’t simply crush their hopes..."
Makarov was secretly delighted.
The stronger Fairy Tail became, the happier he felt.
He had also been so busy lately that his feet barely touched the ground.
But he was enjoying every moment of it!
"How about this?"
Marshall glanced through the applications.
"We accept all of them."
"What?"
Makarov’s expression changed.
"That seems dangerous."
"If we bring in people with malicious intentions, they could damage Fairy Tail’s reputation."
’As though our guild ever had a respectable reputation to begin with.’
Marshall almost laughed.
Even with Fairy Tail’s recent popularity, the message most outsiders seemed to hear was something closer to: Rich idiots live here. Come quickly!
The old man was living in a dream.
"Let me finish."
Marshall raised a hand.
"We accept them all as Fairy Tail’s reserve members."
"Or, to give them a more official title... affiliate members."
"The existing members of Fairy Tail would remain full members and form the guild’s core."
"Affiliate members would receive only part of the guild’s benefits."
"They wouldn’t be permitted to enter the main guildhall freely, receive Fairy Tail’s emblem, or have their names entered into the official member registry."
"Technically, they would be affiliated with Fairy Tail without being recognized as full guild members."
"However, affiliate members who perform well, prove their loyalty, and contribute enough to the guild would become eligible for promotion to full membership."
Marshall spread his hands.
"This solves our shortage of manpower while establishing a clear path for advancement."
"It also protects Fairy Tail’s core interests."
"One move, several benefits."
"What do you think?"
Makarov’s eyes lit up.
He slapped his thigh.
"That’s a wonderful idea!"
"It may sound a little stingy, but it suits Fairy Tail’s current situation perfectly."
"And those titles—affiliate member and full member—sound properly official without being too complicated."
He looked at Marshall curiously.
"Where did you learn a management system like this?"
"I’m self-taught."
Marshall answered without the slightest shame.
In reality, it was little more than the employment system used by certain companies in his previous life, repackaged to suit the structure of a mage guild.
He had simply given it a new coat of paint.
"Very well. We’ll proceed with your proposal."
Makarov gathered the papers.
"Though we should probably discuss the finer details with everyone first."
...
The next day, Makarov summoned the entire guild for a meeting.
The topic was Fairy Tail’s new admissions system, and he encouraged everyone to offer suggestions.
The response was immediate and enthusiastic.
"So from now on, everyone gets to decide who joins the guild?"
"Doesn’t that seem a little careless?"
"You say that as though our old system wasn’t careless."
"Times have changed!"
"Too many people want to join now. We never had anything like this before."
"A new era requires new rules. I think it makes sense!"
"But the standards can’t be too simple."
"What happens if people form factions and vote only for their friends?"
"What if someone abuses their authority for personal gain?"
"Master, we must guard against corruption!"
"You rotten brat! Are you implying that I’m an unfair leader?"
"I absolutely meant nothing of the sort!"
"Then what do you suggest?"
"We should give different votes different weights."
The speaker thought for a moment.
"S-Class Mages’ opinions are obviously more important."
"How about one S-Class Mage’s vote counts as five ordinary votes?"
"That seems reasonable, doesn’t it?"
"Well..."
Makarov instinctively turned toward Marshall.
Marshall shrugged.
"I have no objection."
"But let’s add one more rule."
"S-Class Mages should possess a single veto vote."
"What do you think?"
"I agree."
"Then we’ll use that system for now!"
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