"Come to think of it…"
"The new girl who joined the guild, Erza, she's quite talented, isn't she?"
"To be able to defeat Laxus at such a young age, her teacher and parents must be extraordinary."
"By the way, Ian, have you asked Erza's parents if they're okay with her joining Fairy Tail?"
"If Erza ran away from home, we should at least contact her family to let them know. We can't have them worrying…"
"Of course, if she comes from some kind of evil organization, like that infamous 'Magical Development Bureau,' we must prepare ourselves."
"We absolutely cannot allow such people to continue harming young children…"
Makarov quickened his pace to catch up with Ian as they left the basement, bringing up the subject of Erza. Since Ian had expressed no interest in becoming the next guild master or learning about Fairy Tail's deepest secrets—like Lumen Histoire (or rather, Fairy Heart as it should be called, referring to the body of the First Master sealed in the magic crystal)—Makarov decided not to push further.
Makarov never liked forcing the children to protect something or take on responsibilities they weren't meant to bear. If he could, he would protect them for their entire lives.
"Well, of course!" Ian replied proudly as he walked ahead. "After all, Erza is my daughter."
"Wait, what?!" Makarov's eyes widened. "Erza is your daughter? That explains so much…"
"I was wondering how a kid could be so terrifyingly talented."
Makarov sighed in relief.
He had been worried that Erza's background might bring trouble to the guild, especially if she came from a powerful faction capable of training a thirteen-year-old to be an S-class wizard.
The mere thought of such a power backing Erza gave Makarov headaches.
Though Fairy Tail already had its fair share of troublesome youths, adding Erza wouldn't make much difference. However, Makarov still needed to be cautious to avoid any unnecessary trouble or risks to the guild members.
After all, protecting the guild was his responsibility as the guild master.
"Wait a minute, Ian… whose daughter is Erza exactly?" Makarov's heart skipped a beat as Ian's words sank in.
"Of course, she's mine!" Ian turned around and replied seriously.
"Eh?!"
"Ian! When did you go and get a girl pregnant?" Makarov gasped, jumping to all the wrong conclusions. "No, no, wait… judging by Erza's age…"
"Does this mean you already had a kid before joining Fairy Tail?"
"I've really misjudged you, Ian! I thought you were a decent person, but it turns out you're no better than me and Gildarts—you're just another scumbag!"
Makarov pointed accusingly at Ian's nose, furiously berating him.
"How rude…"
"You really think I'm like you lot?"
"Let me tell you, I'm married to Erza's mother, Irene—legally."
Ian furrowed his brow in irritation, glaring at Makarov. He was nothing like these hopeless rogues.
"Married?" Makarov blinked in shock.
"What did you think?" Ian shrugged, visibly exasperated.
"So poor Ur doesn't stand a chance then," Makarov muttered to himself, briefly lost in thought.
"What are you mumbling about?" Ian raised an eyebrow, sensing that Makarov was already overthinking things again.
"Ahem…" Makarov coughed awkwardly. "But why didn't you mention this earlier? And why haven't we seen Erza's mother at the guild?"
"Is there… some sort of issue between you two?" Makarov asked cautiously, piecing together Ian's past from when he had found him wandering like a vagrant. He came to the wrong conclusion: Ian must have been abandoned by Irene, left destitute.
You're asking why I didn't mention it before?
Hehe, because I just found out myself.
Ian thought to himself, feeling a bit silent.
"As for Irene and me, nothing's wrong between us," Ian continued. "Stop letting your mind wander…"
"Our relationship couldn't be better."
Ian paused for a moment before adding, "And if she ever did come to the guild…"
"You'd be the one panicking."
Ian left Makarov with those cryptic words before heading out of the basement.
Stepping outside, Ian squinted against the bright sunlight, massaging his temples to soothe the ache in his head. He smiled faintly as he watched Erza playfully engaging with the other guild members.
Yes, by "playfully engaging," he meant it literally. Erza was currently chasing Gray and the others around, mercilessly beating them.
Erza's integration into Fairy Tail was already more than fifty percent complete!
It was about time he had a proper conversation with her about Irene.
While only a few short years had passed for Ian, for Irene, it had been four centuries of loneliness. What had happened during those four hundred years?
Ian couldn't help but be curious.
"Ian… Ian…"
While Ian was momentarily lost in thought, he heard a weak voice calling from below.
"Huh? Where'd this dried-up corpse come from?"
Ian was startled as he looked down and saw a figure that resembled a lifeless husk, drained of all vitality.
"It's me… Natsu…"
"Ian, food! Get me some food! I'm going to starve!"
The skeletal figure quickly explained, fearing Ian would cast Fairy Law on him in the next second.
After all, Ian had already assumed the stance for using Fairy Law.
Though the version of Fairy Law Ian used likely wouldn't affect Fairy Tail members, there was always a small chance.
And that small chance depended on whether Ian recognized this emaciated figure as Natsu and whether the Fairy Tail emblem on Natsu's body could activate in time.
By the way, the Fairy Law Ian used had been modified after his battle with Deliora in Gray's simulated timeline. During the year he stayed in that timeline, Ian had worked on a demon-targeting version of the spell, specifically designed for taking down demons.
"You're Natsu?"
"Didn't you eat lunch?" Ian finally recognized the starved boy, pointing at him in shock.
"When I woke up, you all were already gone!" Natsu replied, sounding pitiful and deeply wronged.
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