Erza's arrival did not change Caesar's life much.
On the contrary, because of Caesar's presence, Erza—who had hidden her inner thoughts in the original timeline—was influenced by him and quickly integrated into the Fairy Tail guild. She also developed a very good relationship with Caesar.
In contrast, Caesar now had a dedicated and responsible sparring partner.
Compared to Gray, Erza was incredibly reliable. Whenever Caesar asked for help, she took it seriously and did her best to help him improve his strength.
Makarov saw everything and silently nodded at Caesar's growth.
"Caesar, come here."
On this particular day, Makarov stopped Caesar, who was about to head out to train after quickly finishing his breakfast.
Caesar walked up to him and asked, "Grandpa Chairman, what's up? Something else that needs repairing?"
Makarov shook his head slightly, patted Caesar on the shoulder, and said, "Not bad. You've gotten much stronger."
Caesar scratched his head and smiled.
When he had first arrived in Fairy Tail, he was skin and bones. But after a year of training and healthy meals, he'd bulked up significantly. While not overly muscular, his body was well-proportioned, and paired with his handsome face, he looked like he could be a model.
"I've seen the progress you've made," Makarov said kindly. "So I'm officially informing you as the guild master—Caesar, you're now eligible to accept jobs from the request board."
"Really?!"
Caesar was stunned with joy.
Being able to accept missions meant income.
And with income, he could spend money.
And if he could spend money, he could draw cards.
And drawing cards meant getting stronger.
It was finally time for Caesar to level up even faster!
Makarov chuckled at Caesar's eager expression, then pulled a commission from his pocket and handed it to him. "I picked this one for you. It's a good warm-up mission."
Caesar took the paper and gave it a quick look.
It was a relatively simple request: a farm on the outskirts of Magnolia was being attacked by a group of rabbits, damaging crops. The farm owner had requested Fairy Tail's help to eliminate them.
Of course, these weren't the cute little rabbits Caesar imagined. In the world of Fairy Tail, these were magic beasts the size of calves that could spit wind bombs.
Still, they weren't too dangerous.
Normal people couldn't handle them, but for wizards, unless the numbers were overwhelming, it was a manageable task.
And the reward? A generous 50,000 J.
Low difficulty, high reward—an ideal first mission.
"Alright, Grandpa Chairman! I'll be back soon!"
Caesar said excitedly and dashed out of the guild.
Once he left, the bartender polishing a wine glass spoke up. "Master, that's against the rules. That job's worth 30,000 J. Where's the other 20,000 coming from...?"
"It's my payment to Caesar."
Makarov waved it off, took a swig from his bottle, and added, "He's repaired so many things in the guild this past year. Giving him just food and a bed doesn't feel right."
"Understood."
The bartender nodded and went to pour drinks.
Makarov, gazing at the guild's front door, muttered, "Good luck, little guy."
...
The farm outside Magnolia wasn't far—only about an hour's run.
Nothing difficult for Caesar, who ran ten kilometers daily.
When he arrived, he met the farm owner, an older man dressed like a traditional farmer. Caesar handed over the mission slip and showed the Fairy Tail guild emblem. The man nodded and led him to the plantation area.
The farm wasn't large—only a few dozen acres—but with ripening magic, the yield was impressive.
Caesar quickly spotted the destroyed fences and ruined crops.
Examining the bite marks on the wood and the 62-yard spread of disorganized footprints, Caesar estimated there were about thirty rabbits.
Not a huge number, but still a bit of a hassle.
"Uncle, I'll reinforce your fence first to protect what's left of your crops," Caesar said. "Then I'll deal with the rabbits. But reinforcement costs extra. Would you be okay with that?"
"Reinforce it?" the farmer asked, confused. "You mean with earth magic? That won't help. These rabbits have sharp teeth and love to dig. Even with a fence, they'll just tunnel underneath and wreck everything."
"Not with earth magic," Caesar explained. "I'll use the metal in the soil to create a metal fence. If you provide extra materials, I can even put down a layer of steel underground. That way, even if the rabbits dig, they won't get through."
The farmer's eyes lit up. "Really?"
"If you've got the materials, I can make it happen."
"How much will it cost?"
"One hundred thousand J."
Caesar had calculated that enclosing several dozen acres with metal would take considerable magical effort. And that didn't even include the material costs.
He clarified that the farmer would need to provide the raw materials—extracting metal from the ground alone would only create a thin iron sheet.
After considering the long-term benefit, the farmer readily agreed and ordered a batch of iron ore to be brought in.
Thanks to the Edward card's Take Over ability, Caesar could use alchemy to manipulate raw materials as needed. Whether it was iron ore or ingots, it made no difference.
Once the materials arrived, Caesar activated alchemy through the Edward card.
In just a few minutes, the iron melted and reshaped into a strong metal fence, as fluid as plastic being molded. Simultaneously, Caesar formed a buried steel barrier—one finger thick—that surrounded the entire plot.
The farmer inspected it with amazement and, after confirming the results, immediately paid Caesar the full 100,000 J without hesitation.
Caesar was thrilled with the extra income.
Even side commissions could be profitable!
So this simple mission ended up netting him a total of 150,000 J.
A reward equivalent to mid-tier bandit suppression jobs.
It was safe to say: Caesar made a fortune this time.