"Of course it's true. I looked into it." Makarov wore a smug expression.
As the guild master, Makarov naturally knew about Gildarts' past marriage—Gildarts respected him deeply and had once confided in him about it.
Back then, Makarov's reaction hadn't been much better than Marco's was now.
"Unbelievable..."
Marco gaped, genuinely finding it hard to believe.
What kind of man was Gildarts?
A wandering playboy who was never home, with a rich romantic history and a rapid turnover of girlfriends!
Unlike 'uncles' like Macao and Wakaba, who talked big but were actually married and even about to have kids, in Marco's memory, Gildarts had never even had a serious relationship.
It seemed like every mission he went on would add two more romantic escapades to his record.
His love life was all about speed—falling fast and breaking up just as quickly.
And Gildarts handled his relationships so smoothly that not a single ex had ever shown up at the Fairy Tail guild.
For such a carefree playboy to have been married—and to have a daughter?!
This completely shattered Marco's image of Gildarts.
The charming yet heartless Casanova vanished in an instant, replaced by the image of a man who abandoned his wife and child—a complete 180-degree turn in reputation.
"But Cana doesn't look like him at all!"
Marco thought about it.
Cana and Gildarts really didn't resemble each other much, otherwise someone would have surely joked about it by now.
"Cana takes more after her mother." Makarov sighed.
When he first learned about this, he had secretly investigated—after all, this was the woman who had made Gildarts willingly step into the grave of marriage!
"I only went there once, took a distant glance and didn't notice she was already pregnant. It's quite a regret. I only learned of her existence when Cana came to the guild."
Makarov truly felt some regret. If he had noticed back then, the situation wouldn't be what it is now.
"So Gildarts doesn't know Cana is his daughter?" Marco sighed.
In a way, this somewhat salvaged Gildarts' image—but only somewhat!
They all knew Cana's mother had passed away.
What did that mean? It meant Gildarts never went back to see Cana's mother before her death.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have remained unaware he had a daughter.
"He doesn't know. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed away all this time." Makarov nodded, equally filled with emotion.
Gildarts' attitude towards Cana's mother was likely no different from how he treated his other girlfriends.
Even if he loved her deeply at the time—enough to marry her—once the passion cooled, he probably reverted to his old ways.
His heart wouldn't stay there.
Gildarts handled emotional matters well.
Even after parting with Cana's mother, who raised the child alone, she clearly didn't resent him.
Cana's current state was the proof—she hadn't grown up in an environment of hatred towards Gildarts.
If anything, she held some admiration for him.
Perhaps the only thing Gildarts never anticipated was Cana's existence.
"..."
Marco fell silent, steadying his emotions.
Though he kept mentally criticizing Gildarts, this incident wouldn't really change Gildarts' standing in Marco's eyes.
After all, Gildarts' habit of changing women like clothes wasn't new.
As the saying goes, 'If you often walk by the river, how can you avoid wetting your shoes?'
"Why not tell Gildarts?" Marco was puzzled.
Gildarts was undeniably a scum, but he definitely loved children—and children loved him.
If he knew Cana was his daughter, he will never reject her.
After spending so much time together, Marco was certain of one thing: Gildarts genuinely cared for everyone in the guild.
The "fatherly" Gildarts truly saw them all as family—otherwise, he wouldn't be so respected.
"I think we should respect Cana's wishes in this matter." Makarov paused before sharing his thoughts.
In this situation, no matter how you looked at it, Gildarts was the one at fault.
Taking care of Cana and respecting her wishes in this matter were among the few things Makarov felt they could do.
"That's true..." Marco nodded.
Cana had come to the Fairy Tail guild but hadn't sought to acknowledge her father.
She must have her reasons and as outsiders, it wasn't their place to interfere.
This was about respecting Cana and her mother.
She had every right not to claim that bond.
"Don't tell anyone else." Makarov glared at Marco—well, it was Marco, after all.
If it had been anyone else, he would never have spoken about these things.
He would have kept them buried in his heart until Cana acknowledged their relationship and even then, he would have pretended to have just found out.
"Don't worry, I can keep a secret." Marco mimed zipping his lips shut.
He would take this matter to the grave and never bring it up on his own.
"Good." The old man nodded in satisfaction, then turned and strode out of the guild with an exaggerated swagger.
Today was the release day for a certain porn magazine and he wanted to be the first to buy it!
Hmm, might as well grab a copy for Gildarts too.
Watching Makarov suddenly leave in excitement, Marco couldn't help but shake his head.
He knew exactly what the old man was up to—such a mischievous grandpa.
Muttering to himself about 'perverted old man' Marco also prepared to leave the guild.
He had actually taken on a job request, though it wasn't urgent—the client was in a nearby city.
"Um, excuse me! Is this Fairy Tail?"
Just as Marco reached the guild entrance, a young girl stopped him, her voice nervous as she asked.
Marco looked at her.
She had purple hair and seemed quite young, not very tall—probably around Cana's age.
She wore glasses, was dressed neatly, and carried a small bag.
A bright red bow tied in her hair stood out prominently.
"That's right. What's the matter? Are you in some kind of trouble?" Marco asked with a bright smile.
"Th-that's great! I want to join!" The girl's eyes lit up as she spoke excitedly.
"Join..." Marco's expression turned odd.
'Join' huh? As if Fairy Tail was some kind of bandit hideout or something.
"Just now, a creepy old man ran out and scared me..."
The girl continued, shivering slightly as she adjusted her glasses, clearly still shaken.
"..."
Marco had a pretty good idea who she was talking about.