In the thirteen years since Marco came to this world, even during his childhood, he had never met the great senior Warrod Sequen—a true elder who was a full four generations above him!
Even Makarov would address him as "uncle."
The old senior had withdrawn from the guild long ago, though the specific reasons remained unknown to Marco.
Makarov was tight-lipped about it, likely unwilling to discuss the affairs of his elders.
Marco estimated that Warrod Sequen must be at least 120 to 130 years old, yet he remained lively and energetic, ranking among the top in strength even among the Ten Wizard Saints.
It just goes to show how long-lived powerful mages can be!
After reflecting on this for a while, Marco stopped dwelling on the matter.
With such a senior overseeing the escort, there was no way Jose Porla could escape.
As for whether the Magic Council could actually convict Jose Porla—and what charges they might bring—Marco didn't hold much hope.
The Council might not have the courage to take strong action against him.
Moreover, though influenced by Fairy Tail's buff, the fact remained that Jose Porla's magic hadn't caused any casualties, which significantly lightened his culpability.
After all, even Fairy Tail's members, notorious for their destructive tendencies, had never been sentenced for their actions.
How could they use that as grounds to convict Jose Porla?
In the end, the only charge that could stick to Jose Porla was "forbidding mages from leaving the guild and forcibly detaining them"—a charge with plenty of wiggle room for interpretation.
"In the end, it'll probably just be a slap on the wrist," Marco concluded.
The world of mages wasn't so different from ordinary society: to survive, you either needed power or connections—otherwise, you'd better keep your head down.
And Jose Porla? He had both power and connections.
Unless Fairy Tail decided to go all-out and pressure the Magic Council, he wouldn't face serious consequences.
Judging by Makarov's attitude toward the matter, it seemed he had no intention of pushing things to that extreme.
Most likely, he just wanted to teach Jose Porla a lesson and humiliate him thoroughly.
It was clear Jose Porla hadn't crossed Makarov's bottom line.
Otherwise, the old man wouldn't have cared about appearances or spared the Magic Council's feelings.
After skimming the news, Marco didn't return to the guild.
He figured it must be a chaotic mess inside right now—another all-out brawl.
Better to wait a while before heading back.
He could already picture Laki's exasperated expression.
Day after day, she used her magic to repair tables and chairs in the guild.
Sure, she got paid, but the constant overtime was exhausting!
Laki didn't even need dedicated training time—her nightly repairs doubled as magical practice, making it a sort of work-study arrangement.
Marco instead headed to the newly built "Lyre Concert Hall."
That place had cost a fortune to construct.
First off, this location was acquired at considerable expense—several shops were demolished, combined with surrounding small vacant lots, ultimately resulting in this rather impressive Concert Hall.
The full name of the concert hall is "Heartfilia Lyre Concert Hall," making it immediately obvious that it's a property of the Heartfilia Conglomerate.
Of course, the usage rights have now been handed over to Valtava.
When Jude built this concert hall, it was purely for the sake of personal investment—not a single commercial consideration was involved.
After all, he even gave the concert hall's profits to Valtava.
While the profits went to Valtava, the overall operations and maintenance remained the responsibility of the Heartfilia Conglomerate, adding no burden to Valtava whatsoever.
The only requirement was for him to occasionally hold concerts—essentially pouring money into the venture to earn goodwill.
When Marco arrived at the concert hall, a long line had formed at the entrance.
There was a performance scheduled for today.
Master Valtava's residence in Magnolia had truly made it convenient for nearby residents to enjoy the arts.
The concert hall also gave Magnolia another reason to attract visitors.
Master Valtava was already quite famous, further enhancing the prosperity of Magnolia, which had always enjoyed a steady stream of visitors.
The moment Marco appeared, people immediately noticed him.
Those waiting in line weren't just locals from Magnolia—many had traveled from neighboring cities.
Naturally, they were very curious about Marco, especially since he had recently made headlines again.
After his previous victory over Jose Porla, both Phantom Lord and Jose Porla had vigorously debunked the rumors, casting some doubt on Marco's strength and making people think he might not be as formidable as claimed.
But this time, Marco and Laxus teamed up to defeat Jose Porla once more—and in a direct confrontation.
What could Jose Porla and Phantom Lord possibly say now?
Surely they couldn't claim all the credit belonged to Laxus and that Marco was just riding on his coattails, right?
Marco himself didn't mind, since Laxus had been the main attacker this time.
His spell, 'Fairy Law' had shown everyone the true might of the 'Number One Guild in the Kingdom of Fiore!'
But Laxus certainly wouldn't stand for it.
He knew the truth—without Marco stepping in to divert most of Jose Porla's attention, he would never have had the chance to use 'Fairy Law' to defeat him.
If anyone dared to call Marco a freeloader, Laxus would be the first to refute it.
Laxus would never take credit for Marco's contributions—that would only bring him shame.
He wasn't about to steal the achievements of someone three or four years his junior, was he?
"Star Rose God!"
"It's Holmes!"
"Marco! Marco!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, a testament to Marco's immense popularity.
A powerful and handsome mage, the author of The Great Detective Holmes, the creator of Masayume Chasing, and Master Valtava's prized disciple—Marco was stacked with achievement, naturally drawing massive attention.
"Ugh—"
Hearing the crowd's shouts, Marco couldn't help but wince before making a hasty escape through the VIP entrance of the concert hall.
To be honest, hearing a crowd shout "Star Rose God" still made Marco feel a bit awkward.
Maybe he should just go with "Star God"—it would pair better with Laxus's "Thunder God" from the Gemini constellation.
Adding "Rose" in front made it sound a bit too girly, not to mention it made him seem like some pretty-boy idol.
Marco was a real man—handsome, of course, and far from scrawny, with a well-built frame.
But maybe because he was still young, he did look a little soft.
That was just age for you—it'd change later.
After barely managing to escape the mob of fans, Marco was nearly drenched in sweat.
A proper mage, almost cornered by a bunch of ordinary people—who could he even complain to?
But what could he do?
Facing a crowd of enthusiastic fans, he couldn't just unleash a Pegasus Meteor Fist to clear the place—that would be outright madness.
So Marco had no choice but to muscle his way through, bit by bit.
No bodyguards around—just pure, stubborn effort.
"Hahaha! Marco, you really ought to hire some bodyguards. Otherwise, you'll have a hard time even stepping out in the future—your fame's too big now!"
Backstage at the concert hall, Jude laughed as he teased Marco.
His presence here was actually quite a surprise.
"Mr. Jude, what brings you here?" Marco asked, puzzled.
Wasn't this guy always swamped with work?
Jude had supposedly been busy preparing for the 'Southern Expedition' lately—how did he have time to come to Magnolia for a concert?
"The Heartfilia Conglomerate's preparations are nearly done, so I've had a bit more free time lately. When I heard Master Valtava was holding a concert, I made a special trip to ensure its success—this venue's first performance has to go perfectly!"
Jude grinned, playing the role of the concert's guardian.
But Marco could read between the lines.
Jude might claim he was here for the concert, but his real target was Fairy Tail.
If the Heartfilia Conglomerate was ready, then it was time for Fairy Tail to step up.
Their collaboration was about to kick into full gear.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Mr. Jude. Master Valtava must be thrilled. This concert's been a huge hit—it'll have a positive impact on all of Magnolia. I'm sure the city government will cooperate enthusiastically, which'll save the venue a lot of trouble."
Marco smiled, keeping things cordial.
Fairy Tail would never break a contract—that was the foundation of any Magic Guild.
No denying it—Jude was sharp.
Sponsoring this concert hall at great cost was a masterstroke, instantly warming his relations with all of Magnolia.
The city government already held him in high regard, welcoming his outside investment for further development.
"Marco, are you performing today?"
Catching Marco's drift, Jude smoothly shifted the conversation back to the concert.
"I'll see how it goes." Marco hadn't thought about it before, but if Master Valtava asked him to go on stage, he wouldn't mind.
After all, his skills were good enough that he wasn't afraid of performing.
-----------------------------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator