Chapter 15
"Do it again! Why does my fortune keep coming up so good today?!"
"The result isn’t going to change no matter how many times I read it. Are you stupid, Gray? Why are you complaining about having good luck?"
"Because I fell into a ditch this morning! And I lost my wallet! Not a single good thing has happened to me all day!"
Gray slammed both hands on the table and pointed accusingly at Cana.
"Your fortune-telling is obviously wrong! You haven’t even learned your magic properly!"
"You looking for a fight?!"
Marshall was about to step in before the two of them started brawling again when a girl entering the guild caught his attention.
She looked eleven or twelve, with short scarlet hair and a white eyepatch covering her right eye.
A small cloth bag hung from one hand, while her clothes were torn and her entire body was filthy and covered in injuries.
She looked like a refugee who had wandered in from some distant disaster.
Yet Marshall could sense a considerable amount of magic power inside her—at least as much as his own.
’She’s a Mage? Then how did she end up in this condition?’
"This is... the place Grandpa Rob used to belong to..."
[It’s so loud. And why is there a naked boy in here? Is this some kind of pervert guild?]
"..."
Marshall glanced speechlessly at Gray, who had somehow stripped again.
’This idiot is destroying the guild’s reputation all by himself.’
Since he was still working part-time as a server, Marshall sighed and went over to greet her.
"Hello. Are you here to post a job request?"
"...Sho..."
The girl stared blankly at Marshall, and a thought surfaced in her mind.
[If none of those terrible things had happened, Sho might have been just as adorable as this boy...]
Marshall blinked.
’Looks like she has quite a story too. Still, this really isn’t the time to stare at me and think about someone else.’
"Miss? Did you come here because you needed something?"
The girl finally snapped out of her daze and shook her head.
"No. I came to join your guild."
[Oh~ Gramps! We’ve got a new customer!]
Marshall shouted toward the second floor, though he was actually using Telepathy to wake Makarov from the nap he was taking upstairs.
The little old man soon jumped down and approached the girl with a gentle smile.
"Hello, child. I’m Makarov, the Guild Master of Fairy Tail. I heard you wanted to join us. Could you tell me why?"
The girl answered with a serious expression.
"My name is Erza. Erza... S-Scarlet. Grandpa Rob told me to come here. He said Fairy Tail was his old guild..."
"Rob?!" Makarov’s smile vanished. "Where is he now?"
Erza opened her mouth, but no words came out.
As Makarov watched her struggle, his expression gradually grew solemn.
"Come with me, child. I imagine you have a great deal to tell me."
Makarov led Erza away.
The guild members discussed the new arrival for a few moments, but soon lost interest and returned to their usual noise.
Marshall went back to the table where Gray and Cana were sitting. Gray tossed the fortune-telling card aside and looked at him.
"Marshall, who was that?"
"A Mage. She came to join Fairy Tail, so she’ll probably be one of us soon."
"She looks filthy. Is she really strong enough to be a Mage?"
"She’s probably quite powerful. At the very least, she has more magic power than you."
"What?!" Gray stared at him. "Wait, how do you know that?"
Marshall tilted his head.
"Hmm... Instinct?"
"Tch. Just wait. I’ll challenge her next time and show you what a truly powerful Mage looks like."
Cana shoved Gray aside and pulled Marshall into the seat beside her.
"Marshall, let me read your fortune. Stupid Gray refuses to believe me."
"I don’t believe in luck anymore!"
"Let’s see... The Wheel of Fortune, the Ten of Cups... a fated meeting and emotional fulfillment." Cana smiled brightly.
"Looks like today will be another day filled with happiness for you!"
"See?! You told me the exact same thing earlier! You’re a fraudulent fortune-teller!"
"Gray, I think you’re asking for a beating! Get back here!"
Cana chased Gray around the table while Marshall sat in the middle and sighed helplessly.
Cana had also become considerably more energetic since Marshall first arrived.
He was not entirely sure whether that was a good thing.
A while later, Makarov returned with Erza. He jumped onto the bar and clapped his hands.
"Ahem! Everyone, quiet down! I have an announcement. This is Erza, our newest member. A respected former member of Fairy Tail sent her here, so make sure you all get along with her. That’s all!"
Makarov then brought Erza over to Cana’s table and placed a small pouch of coins in front of them.
"Cana, take the others and help Erza buy some daily necessities. She’s only just arrived—"
Before he could finish, Erza snatched the pouch from the table.
Her head remained lowered, and her expression was dark.
"There’s no need. I can go alone."
Without waiting for anyone to respond, she turned and hurried out of the guild.
"What was that?!" Gray slapped the table indignantly. "What’s with her attitude?"
Makarov sighed. His gaze moved from Gray to Cana before finally settling on Marshall.
"Marshall, keep an eye on that child and help her settle into the guild. Like you, she’s had a difficult life..."
"Me?"
Marshall pointed at himself with one small finger and rolled his eyes in a way that somehow still looked adorable.
"All right. I’ll pay attention."
Gray leaned toward Cana and whispered, "Did it feel like Master didn’t trust either of us just now?"
"Be quiet. Marshall really is much more sensible than you."
[Another child whose life was destroyed by those dark magic cults. Those bastards deserve to die...]
Makarov left in a grim mood, unaware that Marshall had heard his thoughts.
Marshall fell silent.
’So her home was destroyed by a dark cult too? Did they kill her family as well?’
Life in this world was not easy.
If Erza ever needed help, he would do what he could.
"So... we’re not following her?" he asked.
Cana pointed toward the door.
"We’re really going to let the new girl shop by herself? What if someone takes advantage of her?"
"Tch. Marshall said she’s strong, didn’t he?" Gray scoffed. "If she made it all the way to Magnolia alone, she can handle shopping. When I first came here—"
Marshall considered it but ultimately decided not to follow.
Erza was clearly uncomfortable around other people, and chasing after her would probably only irritate her.
Still, he reached out through Telepathy.
[Erza, when you’re buying things, show the shopkeepers the guild mark on your arm. Everyone in Magnolia respects Fairy Tail, so they’ll usually give guild members a discount~]
[???? Who are you?!]
[I’m the boy who spoke to you in the guild. My name is Marshall. This is my magic. We’re guildmates now, so I hope we can get along~]
[...All right. Thank you.]
...
"Levy~ Come over here! Let me read your fortune!"
The guild remained as noisy as ever, and Marshall returned to working while practicing his magic at the same time.
Every so often, he deliberately used Telepathy to listen to whatever nonsense was going through Gray’s head.
Whenever he went to the kitchen to collect food, he would use Requip to change clothes or practice Light-Make by forming a glowing halo above his head.
He used magic whenever and wherever he could, steadily grinding experience.
To everyone else, Marshall probably looked relaxed and carefree.
In reality, he was secretly becoming stronger every second of the day.
When it came to quietly working harder than everyone around him, Marshall had complete confidence.
Years of brutal academic competition in his previous life had prepared him well.
Then the guild’s chatter suddenly died away.
Marshall followed everyone’s gaze toward the entrance and saw Erza standing there in a suit of armor that did not fit her particularly well.
’She went out and bought armor?’
That was the thought running through almost everyone’s mind.