Gildarts' return brought renewed energy to Fairy Tail.
The nearly forty-year-old man genuinely connected with the kids and he seemed to share a special bond with Natsu.
After being knocked out cold by Gildarts in one punch, Natsu latched onto him, eager to learn from the seasoned mage.
Gildarts didn't refuse.
After finishing Marco's daily training, he made time to teach Natsu as well.
The two got along so well they almost looked like father and son.
Marco suspected Natsu sensed a fatherly warmth in Gildarts—something the boy, who had just lost his 'father' naturally clung to.
Unconsciously, Marco had accepted the idea that Natsu's father was a fire dragon.
Still, he believed Natsu was more likely adopted than biologically related to the creature.
*****
"Marco, today's another great fortune for you!"
In the guild hall of Fairy Tail, Cana blinked her big eyes, holding a tarot card with a serious expression.
But her words only made Marco, sitting across from her, raise an eyebrow skeptically.
"Cana… I'm not doubting your divination skills, but… is it really possible for someone to have great fortune every single day of the year?"
Marco's lips twitched.
Three hundred sixty-five days?
He try every single reading since Cana first started learning fortune-telling.
The worst he'd ever gotten was "minor luck."
How… was that even possible?
"Of course it is! You're living proof, Marco!"
Cana declared righteously before hurriedly gathering her cards.
"But you've never gotten results like this for anyone else, have you?" Marco stared at Cana, his expression still strange.
At first, he hadn't thought much of it, but as time went on, even someone as slow as him began to sense something off about these divinations.
"Marco, you're different from others."
Cana carefully put away her tarot cards and spoke softly.
Faced with Marco's skepticism about her fortune-telling, she seemed a bit flustered, her cheeks turning pink.
After saying this, her face grew even redder.
"Please believe in my fortune-telling skills!"
Before Marco could respond, Cana hurriedly added, her voice slightly raised, sounding almost angry.
"Alright, alright, of course I believe in your skills."
Marco immediately stopped pressing the matter.
He could only sigh—girls' thoughts were hard to guess and little girls were no exception, their way of thinking entirely different.
"Cana, are you going to find Gildarts and the others?"
Marco wisely changed the subject, no longer dwelling on the topic of fortunes.
He asked because Cana had already packed up her things, looking as though she was about to leave.
Gildarts had just taken a few kids outside, probably to play in the woods beyond the city.
"No, I'm heading back to the dorm."
Cana shook her head, her cheeks still flushed, making her look adorable.
"Huh? Going back so early?"
Marco looked surprised.
It was still early morning—why would she come just to leave right away?
"I have a mission today. I'll be setting out directly from the dorm later." Cana explained.
If she didn't have anything else to do, she would have stayed at the guild.
She loved the lively atmosphere here.
"What kind of mission? Are you going alone?" Marco nodded, then asked curiously.
"No, with Levy and Erza. Erza didn't say what the mission is—she invited both of us." Cana shook her head.
She didn't know the details yet, but with Erza leading, whatever the mission was, it would surely be fine.
"Oh okay then, goodbye. Good luck on your mission."
Marco smiled and bid Cana farewell.
He shared the same thought—with Erza along, there was nothing to worry about.
Both Levy and Cana had mastered magic, though they weren't yet skilled in combat and needed more training.
But with Erza in the team, no one would underestimate their strength.
They all had complete faith in Erza's abilities.
If it were just Levy and Cana, Marco would have been concerned.
'So, even though she had a mission, Cana still came to the guild hall early in the morning just to do a fortune reading for me?'
Watching Cana jog away from the guild, Marco paused, suddenly realizing this.
Whenever Marco was at the guild, Cana would come every morning to do a fortune reading for him, so he had grown somewhat accustomed to it.
Today, despite having other commitments, she had still made the effort to come.
Marco couldn't help but feel touched—the little fortune-teller was quite dedicated.
"That girl Cana should spend more time with Gildarts."
Just as Marco was musing, a voice suddenly came from under the table.
"..."
Seeing the horned jester's hat emerge from beneath the table, Marco's lips twitched, his face full of exasperation.
"Grandpa, how long have you been here?"
Marco rubbed his temples, swallowing his frustration.
This old man was always pulling stunts that left people speechless.
"Ahem, just got here."
Makarov coughed dryly.
He hadn't overheard anything too private.
"But it does seem like Cana isn't particularly fond of approaching Gildarts. She always watches quietly from the sidelines."
Marco rolled his eyes and shared his own observation, which had been quite noticeable to him before.
As the big brother—no, as the leader among the kids, Marco paid attention to each child's emotions.
While everyone else excitedly crowded around Gildarts, only Cana would watch from a distance with a complicated look in her eyes, too hesitant to get close.
"Is there some kind of story behind this?" Marco asked curiously.
If there was, Makarov would definitely know.
Noticing Marco's inquisitive gaze, Makarov glanced around like a thief.
After confirming no one was paying attention to them, the little old man sneakily leaned in closer to Marco.
"Gildarts was once married."
Makarov lowered his voice, dropping this bombshell that made Marco's eyes widen in shock.
"WHAT?!"
Marco couldn't help shout, only to be immediately silenced by Makarov's hand over his mouth.
"Shh!" Makarov looked tense, signaling Marco to keep quiet.
"Don't shout! Not many people know about this!"
The little old man acted so suspiciously, as if this were some shameful secret.
"No way?! Is this for real?!"
Marco looked utterly stunned, starting to suspect Makarov was pulling his leg.
Because the implication of Makarov's words was practically saying that Cana was actually Gildarts' daughter?!