However, this relatively pleasant atmosphere didn't last long.
"I plan to move out."
After the grandfather and grandsons returned home, Laxus proposed an idea that left both Makarov and Marco stunned.
"Why?"
Marco and Makarov asked almost simultaneously, clearly taken aback by the suddenness of it.
"I'm already an S-Class Mage. Isn't it time I have a place of my own?"
Facing his puzzled grandfather and younger brother, Laxus stated this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"This has nothing to do with what class of mage you are! This is your home. Why would you want to move out?"
Makarov couldn't help speaking up.
Even if Laxus became one of the 'Ten Wizard Saints' this would still be his home!
"I never said this isn't my home! I just want to live independently—it's not like I'll never come back Old man, stop rejecting all my ideas! I'm grown up now—isn't it normal to want to live on my own?!"
Within just three exchanges, Laxus and Makarov were already on the verge of an argument.
The slightest hint of refusal from Makarov made Laxus defensive, as if his grandfather had once again mercilessly dismissed his thoughts.
"..."
Marco watched the scene unfold, momentarily at a loss for words.
But deep down, he understood Laxus's perspective.
It all came back to the same issue—Laxus desperately wanted to escape the shadow looming over him, the shadow of being known as 'Makarov's grandson'.
Moving out was part of that effort.
To shed the title of 'Makarov's grandson' he at least needed to achieve independence in housing and finances.
How could he ever escape that label if he continued living under Makarov's roof?
"Have you made up your mind?"
Makarov's expression was complicated as he looked at his stubborn grandson.
Unsure how to persuade him otherwise, he could only ask again.
"Of course. I've thought about it for a long time—I've even picked out a place."
Seeing that the old man wasn't going to argue further, Laxus spoke more calmly.
This time, during their confrontation with Jose Porla, he had been satisfied that Makarov had stayed back, leaving the fight to him and Marco.
In the past, Makarov had always treated them like children.
But this time, he had finally shown a little more trust by not interfering—and Laxus had seized the opportunity to make a name for himself.
That was precisely why Laxus had decided to strike while the iron was hot and move out.
He wanted to become more independent, to truly step out of his grandfather's shadow and be known simply as Laxus.
"Are you renting or building your own place?"
Seeing that Makarov had fallen silent, Marco spoke up.
Marco figured it would be the latter—he hadn't heard anything about Laxus looking for a rental.
If Laxus had been asking around about housing, there was no doubt the news would have spread across the entire city in no time.
"Building my own. In the eastern forest."
Laxus answered without hesitation—there was nothing to hide.
He found the eastern forest peaceful, ideal for living.
Falling asleep to the sounds of insects and birds at night had its own charm.
"We can leave the construction to the guild members. They've got plenty of experience—they'll definitely do a good job. What do you think?" Marco smiled and made a suggestion—keeping the benefits within the family was best, so this kind of thing should naturally be handled by their own people.
Moreover, this could help Laxus bond more closely with everyone.
If they all helped build his house, surely he couldn't keep giving them the cold shoulder forever, right?
"..."
After hearing Marco's words, Laxus first frowned.
Truthfully, he didn't support guild members taking on side jobs like this—they weren't some construction company.
But looking at Marco's smiling face, he eventually nodded.
"Let's entrust it to the guild."
Laxus knew Marco was asking this to support his decision, so he should return the favor by agreeing to Marco's request.
Fine, he'd let those guild members help with the construction—its all for Marco's sake.
"..."
Makarov sighed and trudged back to his room.
The old man was once again lamenting his failure in parenting.
Though, to be fair, his upbringing of Laxus wasn't exactly a failure—at least Laxus's heart wasn't truly bad.
"Then it's settled."
Marco held out his hand, and Laxus high-fived him in agreement.
Tomorrow, the two of them would go to the guild to post the job request.
"Actually, when we were building the Strauss siblings house, I'd already been thinking about moving out. I didn't expect you to beat me to it—you really... threw off my plans."
As they walked upstairs together, Marco spoke helplessly, which surprised Laxus.
He hadn't expected Marco to have considered moving out—he'd assumed Marco would want to stay with the old man.
"If you move out too, the old man will be left all alone in this house..." Laxus spoke, though he wasn't entirely sure what he meant by it.
Maybe he wanted to persuade Marco to stay with Makarov, but he felt he had no right to say so, since he was the one moving out first.
"Yeah... Leaving the old man alone isn't good." Marco agreed.
Even though Makarov was strong and healthy, unlikely to fall ill and could easily live for decades more—meaning he didn't really need them around to take care of him—physical health was one thing, but emotional well-being was another.
Just because he didn't need physical care didn't mean he wouldn't feel lonely.
"..."
Laxus didn't respond further.
He'd already made up his mind to move out—whatever happened next was Marco's problem to worry about.
Though he didn't say it out loud, Laxus privately believed Marco should stay.
After all, Marco didn't need to prove anything to anyone, so it made sense for him to remain with the old man.
Besides, how old was Marco anyway?
Why was he in such a hurry to move out?
When Laxus had been Marco's age, he'd still been living obediently at home.
The two returned to their rooms in silence, and the night passed without further words.
***
The next morning, the two arrived at the guild hall.
Under Marco's watchful gaze, Laxus submitted the job request, instantly making it the guild's hot topic.
Everyone crowded around, curious about what Laxus was up to—since when did he post job requests?
"Building a house?! Is Laxus moving out?!"
Upon reading the request, the crowd erupted in surprise.
Clearly, no one had expected Laxus to move out on his own.
"The reward is quite generous! Laxus is truly worthy of being an S-Class Mage!"
Seeing the substantial reward for this mission, everyone gasped in amazement once more.
Laxus was quite wealthy.
Over the years, he had accumulated a considerable amount, and after being promoted to S-Class, he had earned quite a bit from completing several missions.
Indeed, making money wasn't difficult for a powerful mage.
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