The construction site rang with the constant clang of hammering.
Gajeel wore a dark scowl, resentment radiating from him as he hammered away, producing all kinds of metal fittings.
The complicated reconstruction work over the past few days had left him exhausted, body and soul.
Building a house required iron at every turn-nails, bolts, rebar, railings... Every iron tool and material had been dumped on him alone to make. As if that weren't enough, he also had to lay bricks, haul materials, nail down boards, and handle every other odd job that involved hammering.
In short, they were working him like a beast of burden.
But that was far from the only reason he was so exhausted.
As a combat Wizard, he had no problem fighting or wrecking things. Making him build a house, though, was nothing short of torment, and mistakes were inevitable.
As far as he was concerned, that shouldn't have been a big deal. Everyone had their specialty, after all. He had been dragged into this in the first place, so a few mistakes were only natural. With a little practice, he'd get the hang of it.
Unfortunately, the foremen behind him didn't see it that way.
They were always picking his work apart, nagging him endlessly.
One moment, a nail was too thick. The next, a piece of rebar wasn't strong enough. Then some fitting was the wrong size... He often had to remake the same thing more than a dozen times before it passed inspection.
The day before yesterday, he had finally snapped, slamming the table and demanding precise specifications. After dragging their feet forever, they had actually handed him a doodle to fob him off!
His body was overworked, and his mind was tortured.
Take right now, for example-
Gajeel turned to look behind