"You're saying that you're the daughter of Selene and me?"
At this moment, Ian's mind was in complete disarray...
When Eresh appeared right in front of Ian, he felt a storm of emotions deep within, an indescribable shock.
This was completely different from his and Irene's child, Erza—he hadn't even known that he had a daughter with Selene in this world.
"Give me five minutes, I need to collect my thoughts a bit."
"Honestly, my brain is completely overwhelmed right now..."
Ian sighed, gently massaging his forehead. After a moment, he rubbed his aching temples, trying to calm his turbulent heart.
"Alright."
Eresh looked at Ian, who seemed both anxious and thrilled. A smile curved on her lips; her appearance didn't seem to be a bad thing for Ian, and that was enough for her.
Eresh didn't want to be a burden to her father. What she truly wanted was his love.
Five minutes later.
"Whew..."
Ian took a deep breath and, once he had calmed down, opened his arms wide and spoke softly to Eresh, his eyes filled with sincerity, "In any case, welcome, Eresh. No matter what kind of life you've led before, it's all in the past now. From today onward, Fairy Tail will be your family."
"Father..."
Eresh whispered and rushed into Ian's arms, burying her head in his chest. Tears welled up in her bright eyes, spilling forth as she finally experienced what she had longed for—human love.
"Finally, the family is reunited."
Erza stood with her arms crossed, a warm feeling blooming inside her as she watched the scene unfold.
Eresh had finally reunited with her father, something that had always weighed on her mind.
"Achoo~"
Meanwhile, far away on the continent of Ishgar, a certain someone, known by many as the "Sword Saint Dragon," or "Jerk Dragon," sneezed loudly while wandering and challenging various dojos, collecting their "Sword Techniques." He looked puzzled, "Strange, with my constitution, there's no way I'd catch a cold."
"Colds and fevers are problems for mortals, not dragons like me!"
"So, it must mean someone is thinking of me, right?"
"Could it be Eresh?"
"Hmm... Considering Eresh's pace, she probably found Father by now."
"Which means... the time I have to wander around freely is running out."
"No, no, I still have so many fun things to experience! I can't just be dragged back by Eresh like that..."
Kurnugi muttered to himself as he continued his journey.
In fact, Kurnugi was completely overthinking it.
Because no one in this world cared about his well-being at the moment.
Fortunately, unlike the dangerous North Continent of Guiltina, there were few beings on Ishgar who could threaten him.
Meanwhile, on Tenrou Island.
"Guild Master, this is my daughter, Eresh," Ian said as he introduced Eresh to Makarov and the others.
"I see."
Makarov nodded lightly, indicating that he had already learned about Eresh's identity before coming to Tenrou Island. So he wasn't surprised at all—after all, he'd already had his shock earlier.
"Hahaha..."
"Ian, you really outdid yourself!"
"How could you just leave your own child out there?"
"That's not the behavior of a Fairy Tail mage. You're a complete scoundrel, man! Really lacking in class... too disappointing."
Beside Makarov, Gildarts laughed heartily, clutching his stomach as he teased Ian. Seriously, what kind of person just abandons his daughter? Ridiculous...
"No, no, no..."
"Anyone else can call me out, but you, Gildarts, have no right to say that!"
Ian couldn't believe he was being mocked by the biggest scoundrel in Fairy Tail's history, Gildarts. It was as if the sun had risen from the west today.
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
Gildarts frowned, looking at Ian in confusion.
Somehow, he felt there was more to Ian's words.
"Well..."
Ian glanced over at Cana, who was standing nearby.
At this moment, Erza was holding Cana's hand, whispering words of encouragement, "Cana, you can do it! Be brave, and just say it aloud."
"There's no such thing as 'deserving' or 'undeserving' when it comes to family. You already are his child."
"Besides, Cana, look at how far you've come—being chosen by Master Makarov to take part in the S-Class mage trials makes you special."
Erza kept motivating Cana, giving her the courage she needed.
"Mm..."
Cana tilted her head, her eyes shimmering with determination.
Truth be told, she saw a reflection of herself in Eresh...
They were so similar, yet also so different.
Eresh was far braver than she was.
Watching Eresh courageously speak the truth to Ian had sparked something within her.
Eresh's bravery, coupled with Erza's encouragement, had completely inspired her.
"Old man, Cana has something to tell you."
Deciding to give Cana one last push, Erza stepped forward, looked at Gildarts, who was still laughing heartily at Ian, and frowned slightly. Without hesitation, she punched Gildarts hard in the stomach.
"That hurt, Erza..."
Gildarts' face twisted in pain. Erza's punches were probably the heaviest among the current S-Class candidates, thanks to her always wearing heavy armor.
Moreover, Gildarts had noticed something special about Erza's armor...
It was strange enough that even his "Crush" magic couldn't destroy it.
Its properties were very similar to the scarf that Natsu wore around his neck.
"..."
However, Erza said nothing more and turned around, forcefully pushing Cana in front of Gildarts.
"So..."
Ian, holding Eresh's hand, walked over to Erza's side and asked softly.
"Mm, Cana already explained everything to me during the trial passage," Erza nodded lightly, confirming Ian's suspicions.
"Got it."
Ian, assured that his guess was correct, held back a smile and chose to remain silent, simply standing by like any other bystander, witnessing the upcoming reunion scene.
"So, Cana..."
"Is there something you wanted to tell me?"
Gildarts scratched his head. He hadn't noticed the awkward atmosphere in the air, and he looked at Cana, whose face was flushed as if she had something she wanted to say to him.
"Actually, my reason for joining Fairy Tail was to find my father."
Cana glanced around, and with Erza's encouraging gaze, she finally spoke out.
"Oh?"
"That's the first I've heard of that..."
"So your father is also in Fairy Tail?"
"Don't tell me it's Ian, that jerk?"
"Ahahaha..."
Gildarts laughed at the thought of something amusing, his laughter echoing across the scene.
Until he realized that no one else—Ian, Makarov, Warrod, or Ur—was laughing with him. They all just silently watched, without the slightest hint of a smile, causing Gildarts to calm down.
"So, who is your father?"
Gildarts looked into Cana's eyes with growing confusion.
For some reason, his heart was pounding faster at this moment, a premonition forming in his mind.
"It's you, Gildarts."
Cana lifted her head and spoke her scoundrel father's name.
"Eh? Wait..."
"I'm your father?"
A look of disbelief crossed Gildarts' face, and then he fell to the ground in shock, mumbling frantically, "So whose child are you? Michelle? Jessica? Emily? Emma? Sophia? Mary Jane?"
"No, no..."
"The hair color doesn't match any of them..."
In just ten minutes, Gildarts' mind went through the names of dozens of his ex-girlfriends, not including those with whom he had fleeting moments of passion during missions.
"How many ex-girlfriends does this guy have?!"
"He's a scoundrel!"
"He should just drop dead!"
"Laxus, whatever you do, don't learn from him..."
"Huh?! What does this have to do with me?"
All at once, the rest of Fairy Tail glared at Gildarts with disapproval, their voices filled with criticism.
"I just wanted to tell you this, nothing more," Cana said, her expression showing a sense of relief. She turned away, no longer looking at Gildarts' face. She had said what she needed to say, and whatever came after didn't matter anymore.
"It's Cornelia, I couldn't be wrong. She was the love of my life—the only woman I ever married, the one who haunted my dreams," Gildarts said, holding Cana close the moment she turned, tears running down his face.
"Let go of me, old man..." Cana said, her voice muffled, tears streaming down her face like raindrops.
The stubborn and strong father-daughter pair held each other, whispering softly...
"Mm..."
Not far away, Erza nodded continuously as she watched the reunion between father and daughter.
Meanwhile, Erza couldn't help but think to herself, "This massive Fairy Tail guild would completely fall apart without me."
"Ian, Gildarts..."
"Are all the adults in our guild scoundrels?!"
"Master, you must have had a tough time picking these scoundrels out of the crowd and gathering them in the guild..."
Gray watched as Cana and Gildarts reunited, feeling somewhat defeated.
First Ian and Eresh, now Gildarts and Cana. If someone told him that Master Makarov also had an illegitimate child out there somewhere, Gray would believe it.
And then there was his teacher, Ur, who had nearly lost her own daughter...
Seriously, when would the adults in this guild ever act reliable?!
Were they really counting on the underage members to save the world?
"Gray, before you criticize others, put your clothes on."
Ian gave Gray a side-eye and spoke coldly.
"What?"
"Oh no, when did I take them off again?!"
Gray panicked, frantically searching for his clothes.
But it was in vain.
"Who knows when you took them off?" Ian continued, staring at Gray, "But ever since you got out of the passage, you've been undressed."
"Oh no..."
"It seems I've left my clothes in the passage," Gray said as he ran back to retrieve them.
"How embarrassing, Gray..."
"I should've been promoted instead."
Lyon, standing with a basketball-sized bump on his head, watched Gray retreat with smug satisfaction.
"You go put your clothes back on too!"
Ian flicked his wrist, sending Lyon flying back with a gravity wave to find his clothes.
"Speaking of..."
"If I burn Gray's clothes, does that mean he'll be disqualified from the second round of the S-Class mage trials?"
Natsu tilted his head, staring at the departing Gray with a thoughtful look.
Rather than feeling sad about not continuing in the trials, why not make everyone else sad too? That was the Fairy Tail way.
Makarov crossed his arms and formed a giant X with his hands, yelling angrily, "Not at all! That's not the Fairy Tail way I taught you."
"Happy, let's go!"
"We've got a job to do..."
Natsu called out, excitement written all over his face, as he summoned his partner, Happy, and started off to hunt Gray.
"Aye~"
Happy flew over and joined Natsu as they both rushed toward the passage where Gray had gone.
Natsu had made up his mind—he was going to get Gray.
"Hey, hey, hey! Show some respect for the rules of the S-Class trials!"
Makarov watched Natsu and the others rush off, feeling utterly drained.
"Makarov..."
"Precht entrusted Fairy Tail to you..."
"Is this how you're managing it?!"
"Why do you let these scoundrels remain in the guild?!"
Warrod glared at Makarov, anger flashing in his eyes.
"No, no, no..."
"This was just an accident."
"Please believe me, Warrod."
"These kids may look mischievous, but they're good kids."
"Please give them another chance!"
"Please don't kick them out of the guild, I'm begging you..."
Hearing this, Makarov immediately knelt, pleading with Warrod, desperately explaining the burdens that both Gildarts and Ian bore.
Uh, although, in Gildarts' case, he really was just a simple scoundrel—no special burden there.
"Wahahaha..."
"I was just kidding~"
"Makarov, you've actually done a great job~"
"You're better at managing the guild than Precht ever was."
Warrod burst into laughter, and as he laughed, vibrant flowers began blooming all around him—he was only joking just now.
"Ah..."
Makarov suddenly felt a bit weak, clutching his heart as he looked at Warrod, "Please, no more jokes like that. My heart can't take it. If you want me to continue as the Guild Master of Fairy Tail, I beg you, Warrod!"
"Uh..."
"Sorry, truly my apologies."
"I'll try my best to hold back in the future, no more jokes like that."
Warrod bowed deeply to Makarov, expressing his apology. He'd thought the joke would be amusing, but it turned out Makarov was far from amused.
The idea of scaring Makarov had brought him so much excitement and happiness just a moment ago.
But clearly, scaring Makarov had only made him sad, and that wasn't the outcome Warrod wanted.
"Still, Makarov..."
"What you've done with Fairy Tail really opened my eyes..."
"I never imagined that Fairy Tail could be so lively until I saw it with my own eyes."
"You have redefined what it means to lead a guild."
Warrod's earlier bow was no joke—it was a heartfelt gesture of gratitude for everything Makarov had done for Fairy Tail all these years.
Surely, if Mavis were here, she'd be delighted to see this sense of camaraderie within the guild—a guild where companions treated each other like family.
When Mavis was alive, she constantly spoke of how Fairy Tail's true form was precisely this kind of spirit, the one that currently filled the guild.
"Ah?"
"Are you talking about me?"
"Cough cough..."
"Did you really just say I led Fairy Tail well?"
"Are you serious, or are you joking?"
"I'm just doing my best."
"I'm not as good as you say."
Makarov's old face turned slightly red. It felt amazing to receive such recognition from a senior member like Warrod.
"Yes, Makarov, I acknowledge you~"
"You're truly Yuri's child."
"The way you run Fairy Tail surpasses both me and Precht~"
"You are the best of us all!"
Just as Makarov was basking in the praise, his face flushed with pride, a beautiful girl—so pure and ethereal she seemed like a fairy—descended gracefully, her bare feet touching the ground in front of him. She had an angelic decoration on her head that swayed lightly as she spoke, praising Makarov for his exceptional leadership of the guild.
"Hahaha..."
"Warrod, look!"
"I think I'm too excited—I can see the ghost of the first master, Mavis, appearing before me. She's even complimenting me! Hahaha..."
Makarov stared at the ethereal figure, his expression stunned for a moment before he burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face as he pointed at the girl who looked just like the first Fairy Tail master, Mavis.
"Yo! Mavis, it's been a long time..."
As Makarov laughed, Warrod Sequen wiped a tear from his eye, the sight of the girl bringing back memories.
"It's been a long time, Warrod."
"And thank you for all your hard work over the years."
Mavis looked at Warrod, her face filled with a bright smile.
"Eh?"
"Wait..."
"Was it not my excitement that made me hallucinate but actually the real Mavis, the first guild master, standing before me?"
"Does that mean... I just made fun of her?"
The moment Mavis started laughing, Makarov's own laughter vanished. He stared at the scene before him, stunned.
It seemed that smiles never truly disappeared; they just shifted to someone else...
---
Bonus chap for reaching 200 power stones! Thank you everyone!