However, when money was involved, this group of lazy troublemakers immediately became serious after looking at the few coins left in their pockets.
"Thinking about it this way, this privilege doesn't seem that great after all. We still have to empty our quest rewards to pay for the damages."
"Exactly. I completed three quests last month, but I ended up paying all the money I earned back for two of them. It was basically like working for free."
"Sigh, you single guys have it easy. My little brat has grown taller again recently, and I need to buy him new clothes.
I still have a wife to support at home. Looks like I really need to be more careful when taking quests from now on."
If Makarov were here and saw this group of people genuinely starting to reflect on their actions, he would probably have his eyes popping out.
Were these really the same troublesome brats who caused chaos every day and never listened to him?
"Good. Since you understand, then for the sake of your own food and living expenses, try not to create unnecessary losses."
Although Kabe was not very old compared to the others in the guild, he lectured everyone like an experienced senior.
And everyone listened obediently like well-behaved children.
Just when they thought Kabe was going to give them a long speech, he suddenly changed the direction of the conversation.
"However, that only applies to normal situations.
If you encounter danger or an emergency, everything I just said is invalid.
Whether you flood an entire town or destroy something important, it doesn't matter.
As long as you can guarantee your own safety and it helps you win the battle, you don't need to worry about anything.
A little financial loss will be covered by the guild.
You don't need to care about what outsiders say about you either, because those people will never understand our Fairy Tail!"
"Remember, the children of Fairy Tail have the guild master, me, the strongest mage of Ishgar, and all of our guild companions standing behind them!"
If Makarov was the strict yet loving father figure in everyone's hearts,
then Kabe was the most reliable brother they could depend on.
His words instantly swept away the slightly gloomy atmosphere inside the guild.
Everyone immediately responded with loud cheers.
"Ohhh! Long live Fairy Tail! Long live the guild master and Kabe!!!"
...
At dusk, Lucy successfully completed her quest and left Irene's shop.
She happily waved the 20,000J bills she had just received.
"I finally finished it! My first quest!"
"Although there wasn't much challenge, I've still taken my first step and crossed the threshold from a beginner mage."
Even though it was just an extremely simple delivery quest, Lucy still felt an incredible sense of accomplishment.
After enjoying her happiness for a while, she took out a few thousand J from her not-so-full wallet and handed it to Meredy beside her.
"Here, Meredy. I really have to thank you for today."
Meredy tilted her head while looking at the money Lucy offered her and the satisfied smile on Lucy's face.
Without even thinking, she pushed the money back.
"No need to split it with me. Helping newcomers is a tradition of the guild. Everyone in the guild has gone through this before.
Just keep it for yourself."
"Ah, th-this... I feel bad about that. You also worked hard with me for half the day."
Although she was tempted, Lucy stubbornly still wanted to share half of the reward with Meredy.
After refusing several times and seeing that Lucy still insisted, Meredy finally stopped walking and asked seriously:
"Lucy, judging by how happy you are just from getting 20,000J, you probably don't have much money right now, do you?"
Pfft.
Lucy felt like an arrow had accurately pierced straight through her heart.
Under Meredy's gaze, she awkwardly nodded.
"Yeah... before setting out, I brought quite a lot of travel money.
But by the time I arrived at Magnolia, I had already spent almost all of it. I probably only have around 8,000J left."
"Only 8,000J?"
Meredy widened her eyes.
She had guessed that Lucy was short on money, but she never expected her to be this broke.
Her expression immediately became serious as she began analyzing Lucy's situation like a concerned older sister.
"The cost of living in Magnolia isn't very high, and the guild also provides food.
But even so, one meal still costs around 500 to 600J.
Your 18,000J can only cover your food expenses for this month at most.
But you still need to rent a place, buy furniture, and prepare other necessities.
The guild created a series of benefits precisely because newcomers often struggle financially.
Letting you keep all the money isn't my personal decision. It is the guild's rule.
If you really want to give the money to me, you can go discuss it with the guild master.
But I suggest you don't.
After all, the guild master wouldn't just watch you run out of money and end up sleeping on the streets."