Lucy left happily with this good news.
With this achievement, her position in the fan club would be further solidified.
Just as Marco had thought, she would truly become a "heroic" figure, revered by everyone.
Of course, Lucy wouldn't claim all the credit for herself.
She would share it with Hisui.
Although Hisui had always been a nominal leader, her role was irreplaceable, as it represented official endorsement and saved a great deal of trouble.
"There's really no need. I didn't contribute much," Hisui said, shaking her head and declining Lucy's goodwill as they walked back to the dormitory together.
She hadn't actually persuaded Marco, and taking credit for Lucy's efforts made her feel uncomfortable.
"We're on the same side. There's no need to distinguish between yours and mine. This achievement must belong to both of us; otherwise, it won't be good for unity," Lucy said seriously.
Her decision to share the credit with Hisui was not merely out of sisterly affection but also a calculated move for the stability of the organization.
Hisui's status as a princess and her role in endorsing the fan club were enough to secure her position as the leader.
However, since she didn't participate in daily management and rarely made appearances, she lacked a certain approachability, which made her presence feel less significant.
Lucy, on the other hand, was more involved in the fan club's affairs and was primarily responsible for managing the Heartfilia Conglomerate's personnel.
With this monumental achievement added to her record, her reputation and status could easily surpass Hisui's.
Many might even start to believe that Lucy should be the leader, with Hisui merely holding an honorary title.
"That wouldn't be good. You are the leader," Lucy shook her head.
She didn't want to see that happen.
By sharing the credit for persuading Marco to continue writing the Holmes series with Hisui, such voices would never arise.
"But I don't see anything wrong with that. You should be the leader, and I'll just hold an honorary title. That's how it should be," Hisui, however, hoped to step down and make way for someone more capable.
She believed Lucy was the true leader and saw herself as nothing more than a mascot with a nominal role.
"That wouldn't be good," Lucy still shook her head.
She couldn't accept this abdication, at least not now.
The fan club had only been established a few years ago, and stability was of utmost importance.
Hisui's identity and status were enough to maintain order.
As long as Lucy remained in a supporting role and stayed dutiful, others with ulterior motives wouldn't dare to act out.
It had to be said that Jude had taught Lucy a great deal.
Lucy wasn't just learning magic; as the only daughter of the Heartfilia family, she would eventually have to shoulder the future of the Heartfilia Conglomerate.
Her situation was quite similar to Hisui's—both girls had a slew of lessons to attend.
"You make a good point," Hisui nodded, no longer refusing.
She understood the reasoning behind it, though she didn't particularly care.
Since Lucy was serious about it, she was happy to cooperate.
...
The next day, the newspapers once again caused a sensation over Holmes.
The news that Holmes wasn't dead and the series would continue sent book fans across the Ishgar continent into a frenzy.
However, this did not affect Marco's daily life.
He was comfortably sitting at the guild counter drinking tea.
For Marco, the Fairy Tail guild was absolutely a sanctuary, as there would be no obsessive fans chasing him around.
Occasionally, when fans came to post quests, Marco would chat with them if he was around.
After all, since they came to the guild to post quests, as the "future guild master," Marco naturally had to provide friendly service—this was what you called a sense of ownership.
"There's an S-Class quest today, Marco. Do you want to go take a look?"
Behind the counter, Mirajane speak to Marco.
She had just come down from the second floor after posting the quest.
As an S-Class Mage, she naturally had access to the second floor, so the task of posting quest forms fell to her.
Speaking of S-Class, last year, Fairy Tail had gained another S-Class Mage—Mystogan.
With his hypnotic magic, he effortlessly defeated all his opponents and claimed first place, practically without a single worthy challenger.
Against him, every opponent would immediately fall asleep.
Because of this, Mystogan earned the nickname "Sleep God," and together with Marco, the "Star Rose God," and Laxus, the "Thunder God," they were collectively known as the "Three Gods of Fairy Tail."
The three of them were close in age, with Laxus being slightly older.
They indeed fit better together than with Gildarts before, and they were considered the future pillars of Fairy Tail.
The "Three Gods of Fairy Tail," along with Erza, the "Titania," and Mirajane, the "Demon," had already made a name for themselves among the younger generation of S-Class Mages.
Of course, putting Marco together with the other four was somewhat of an unfair comparison.
His achievements and reputation far surpassed the other four.
Some even referred to them as 'Champion and elite four' to highlight Marco's unique status among them.
"What kind of mission?" Marco asked curiously while sipping his tea.
"Come closer, and I'll whisper it to you."
Mirajane glanced around and spoke with a serious expression.
Marco cooperatively leaned in, allowing Mira to approach his ear.
"Go up and see for yourself, silly. How could I say it out loud here?" Mira leaned close to Marco's ear and spoke softly.
The faint warmth of her breath tickled his ear, making it itch.
After saying this, Mira covered her mouth and giggled lightly.
Watching Marco's speechless expression, her eyes curved into a cute smile.
"You..." Marco shook his head with a laugh.
He extended his right index finger and lightly tapped Mira's forehead.
Mira had tried to dodge, but Marco's finger seemed to have a tracking function and still landed on her forehead.
Mira took a step back, her chest heaving slightly.
Her breast development was indeed a bit exaggerated—previously, it was at least within the normal range, but now it was truly anime-level proportions.
Mainly because Mira had a slender figure with thin arms and legs, which made it appear particularly exaggerated.
Marco stood up and headed to the second floor.
Watching his retreating figure, Mira frowned and pouted at him—an expression she would never have made before, but now it came naturally.
Thinking about it, she had taken over Aero's role for over half a year now, and she was gradually getting used to her current life.
Though it was supposed to be a rotation with Lisanna, in reality, she handled most of the shifts.
After all, Lisanna was still young and lively, preferring to go on missions with her friends.
Mirajane adapted more quickly to the current peaceful life.
Only when occasionally feeling restless would she take on a mission, venting her pent-up frustrations by beating up some magical beast or villain.
This also helped her maintain her combat skills and prevent her abilities from declining.
Occasionally, she would take on S-Class Quests, never discouraged by her past setbacks.
Though she no longer competed with Erza in everything, Mirajane refused to let herself fall too far behind.
During her free time, she continued to improve herself.
Most importantly, she didn't want the gap between her and Marco to widen further—at the very least, she aimed to stay on the same starting line as Erza.
...
On the second floor of Fairy Tail, Marco glanced at the new S-Class Quest request.
He didn't particularly care about the reward; money had long lost its meaning to him.
What intrigued him was whether the task was interesting and if the target's strength was worth his time.