Just as Erza and the others were surrounding Irene with all sorts of admiration, Kabe and Cana also came out of the house.
"Hey, hey, hey. What exactly are you all doing?"
"Kabe, perfect timing. Come look at the new house I built for Irene."
Levy failed to notice the hidden resentment in Kabe's voice and waved him over with unmistakable pride.
Stopping beside the group of girls, Kabe narrowed his eyes and looked over the new residence built right up against his own estate. Then he folded his arms and said in an unhappy tone,
"If I remember correctly, every inch of land within several hectares around here belongs to me, right?
Did any of you actually get my permission before building a house here?"
What a joke.
For someone at Irene's level, was there really any difference between living next door and living directly inside his own estate?
As long as she wanted to, she could still eavesdrop at night, or even sneak a look.
Though, if he was being honest, that did sound kind of exciting in its own way.
Still, the idea of doing something intimate while somebody was secretly judging him from the shadows made him feel deeply uncomfortable.
More importantly, these people had just ruined one of his most important moments. If he did not make things difficult for them at least a little, there was no way he could swallow that frustration.
But faced with his aggressive questioning, not one of the girls treated it seriously.
All of them linked arms cheerfully and headed straight into Irene's new house together.
Mira said, "Oh, this is actually pretty nice. With just a little more decorating and a few pieces of furniture, it could be moved into right away."
Cana said, "It really is. Levy, you've gotten incredible. You actually made a house this huge appear in one go."
Levy grinned and scratched her cheek. "Hehe, that's mostly because Irene's enchantment magic is so amazing.
With her enhancement on me, it felt like my magic power was endless.
Even the speed and strength of my spells were several times greater than usual."
Brandish added, "Well, part of it definitely comes from Irene, but your magic really is ridiculously convenient."
The girls chattered one after another, praising the new house and praising Levy's and Irene's magic.
They completely ignored Kabe, who was still standing outside while his face gradually darkened.
'Good. Very good. So that's how you want to play it, huh? Fine. Just remember this. I'll deal with all of you properly tonight.'
After viciously muttering that in his heart, Kabe smoothed away his displeasure, put on a pleasant smile, and actively joined the discussion.
"Well, being neighbors isn't bad either. This way, everyone can still look after each other on ordinary days."
Looking at Kabe, who had been speaking in such a sarcastic tone just moments ago and was now suddenly saying the opposite, all the girls showed clear suspicion in their eyes.
"This guy really does change his tune fast."
Brandish muttered that under her breath, only to see Kabe wave it off carelessly.
"I was only joking just now. With all of you around, things will be livelier here too, won't they?"
The girls stared at him for several seconds, but after failing to spot any obvious flaw, they more or less accepted that explanation.
Afterward, once everyone had finished taking a simple tour of Irene's new house, they all began saying their goodbyes and preparing to leave.
Mira and Lisanna were heading back to continue looking after Elfman.
Juvia and Cana planned to go check in at the guild.
As for Levy, Irene had asked her to go furniture shopping together with Heine and Juliet.
Erza also volunteered to tag along and help choose things.
In the end, only Kabe, Irene, and Brandish remained behind.