There was no way Gildarts could possibly pull some ridiculous move like, "Woman, you've successfully caught my attention," just because Cana didn't take the initiative to get close to him.
Compared to him, Cana actually understood Gildarts a little better.
Even though she had never gone up to him herself, she had always been watching him.
Walking beside Gildarts and listening to his questions, Cana answered seriously.
Her emotions were rising and falling violently inside, nothing like the calm appearance she showed on the surface.
This was a feeling she had never experienced before.
Even though she couldn't call him Father, at this moment, Cana truly felt like she was touring Magnolia together with her father.
As they walked and talked, that deliberately distant attitude gradually disappeared.
She slowly began to reveal her natural lively side.
Gildarts was surprised, but he quickly came to an explanation.
He figured Cana had just been "shy" before.
Since she wasn't familiar with him, that was why she'd acted that way. But now that they'd spent time together, she had clearly been won over by his personal charm, so naturally she wasn't going to stay cold toward him.
Needless to say, he had understood absolutely nothing.
Still, no matter what, this was the most comfortable the father and daughter had ever been with each other in all these years, and both of them were in a very good mood.
After they had finished their walk, Cana still felt a little reluctant to part ways.
But it was Gildarts who took the initiative to separate. It was already getting late, and there should be distance between men and women.
Naturally, he wasn't going to keep hanging around with Cana.
Even though he was a notorious flirt, Gildarts would never make a move on a guild companion, let alone a junior.
He knew to avoid suspicion!
Watching Gildarts leave with his usual carefree swagger, Cana pressed her lips together and clenched her fists, silently encouraging herself.
"No matter what, this time I'm going to give everything I have to fight for promotion! No matter what... I have to become an S-Class Wizard!"
...
That day of spending time with Gildarts only strengthened Cana's resolve even further.
It deepened her obsession with becoming an S-Class Wizard to the point where it was almost becoming unhealthy.
Even after boarding the crow flight to Hargeon, and later transferring onto the ship bound for Tenrou Island, Cana remained in a state of excitement, like she had been injected with stimulants.
"What's gotten into Cana?"
Marco found it a little strange and asked Mirajane beside him.
If this had been in his previous world, Cana probably would've been dragged off for a drug test.
She looked like someone who had taken way too much of some kind of performance enhancer.
"Ahem... a few days ago, she spent a whole day walking around Magnolia with Gildarts. As for what exactly happened, you can ask him."
Mirajane coughed softly and quietly revealed the truth.
Even she didn't expect the impact on Cana to be this great.
Before this, Cana had clearly always avoided Gildarts.
"Uh..."
Marco's eyes widened, and he immediately understood.
No wonder Cana was like this.
After all, Gildarts was Cana's biological father. Even if the two of them simply spent a day walking around Magnolia together, something that wasn't particularly special on the surface, for Cana it was undoubtedly a huge breakthrough.
Marco glanced over at Uncle Gildarts. Gildarts looked completely normal and showed nothing unusual.
Clearly, Cana still hadn't told him the truth, and Gildarts remained in the dark.
"Looks like Cana is absolutely determined to win this exam."
Marco sighed.
He couldn't tell whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
If she failed in the end, the blow to Cana would also be enormous.
"I don't think her chances are very good."
Erza gave her judgment from the side. She wasn't optimistic about Cana being able to fight her way through.
Among the examinees, Cana's strength really didn't stand out very much.
She was a little too ordinary compared to the others.
"When it comes to magic, anything is possible." Marco smiled.
...
Tenrou Island was different. On this island, there was another examiner watching over the test.
Mavis, the first guild master of Fairy Tail.
Her spirit was on Tenrou Island, and she was also one of the examiners. Marco had already come here ahead of time to speak with her.
"Of course!"
Three days earlier, when faced with Marco's request, Mavis had agreed happily.
The spirit sat on top of her own gravestone, swinging her little legs, looking innocent and cheerful. She really did look like a "fairy," with very little human presence about her.
Of course, that was only natural, because she wasn't human anymore.
"You refused to learn my magic back then. Do you regret it now?"
Looking at Marco, Mavis tilted her head slightly upward, putting on an expression that clearly said, If you beg me now, I can still teach you.
"No. I'm not lacking in magic. Whether it's attack, defense, single-target, or wide-area attacks, I have ultimate moves for all of them—ultimate moves strong enough to stand above everyone else. There probably isn't a wizard more versatile than I am."
Faced with Mavis's slightly tsundere attitude, Marco's answer was extremely straightforward, which immediately earned him her dissatisfaction and complaint.
"Marco, you little brat, you sure talk big. Speaking of versatility, do you not know my old stories and reputation?"
Standing on top of her gravestone with her hands on her hips, Mavis's green eyes were filled with pride, and her long golden curls drifted gently even without wind.
The first guild master's personality really was as childlike as her appearance—but she also hated it when people said she "looked like a child."
"I know a little. Grandpa Makarov told me about you. He said you had read nearly all the magic on the continent, possessed an extremely brilliant mind and immense magic power, and were a true master of magic. You created the three great Fairy spells—Fairy Law, Fairy Glitter, and Fairy Sphere—and were a genius who amazed an entire era."
Marco nodded and listed what he knew about Mavis.
It wasn't much, and it was all rather broad, but that couldn't be helped.
After all, Mavis belonged to too old a generation.
She had been close friends with Grandpa Makarov's father, putting her a full three generations above Marco.
She was basically in the "great-grandmother" generation. This was the real meaning of "meeting your ancestress."
In truth, even Grandpa Makarov had never personally spent time with Mavis.
She died just as he was born, and even took his mother with her.
What he knew about her came from books and from the stories of two other elders. Of Fairy Tail's four founders, two were still alive.
One was confirmed to be alive and was currently one of the Ten Wizard Saints. The other—the second guild master—was currently of unknown fate.
He had been gone for far too long, and with no news returning, no one could say for sure what state he was in.
"Heh heh~ That's about right~ Its not exaggerated at all~"
Hearing Marco's words, Mavis couldn't help humming in satisfaction, looking extremely pleased.
She really did have the mindset of a child—Marco's praise had gone straight to the heart!
"Then I'll leave the second stage of the exam in your hands."
Seeing Mavis smiling so brightly, Marco smiled and made the request again.
He wanted Mavis to oversee the second stage of this exam.
At the same time, he wanted the first guild master to take a look at the guild's rising stars and see whether any of them were worthy in her eyes.
Marco himself might not want to learn those super spells, but that didn't mean he couldn't pass them on to his guildmates.
Mavis clearly wasn't the type to hoard her magic selfishly.
As long as someone was a member of Fairy Tail and earned her approval, she wouldn't mind teaching them.