After having a meal at Blue Pegasus, Caesar got on the return train and headed back to Magnolia.
But when he left the station and saw Magnolia's drastically changed scenery, he was stunned for a moment before remembering that it was Gildarts who had returned.
Following the road leading directly to Fairy Tail Guild, Caesar rushed toward the guild.
At this moment in the guild, Gildarts was clinking glasses and laughing with the new members alongside Makarov. He was nothing like the unshaven and decadent person in the original plot.
Of course, at this moment, his left arm and leg were still intact and had not been broken by Acnologia, and his strength was at its peak.
"I'm back!"
Caesar walked into the guild and immediately saw Gildarts.
"Hey, little Caesar is back. I heard you went to Blue Pegasus. How was your harvest?"
Gildarts recognized Caesar and greeted him warmly.
"The harvest is good, but I didn't expect you to be back."
Caesar walked to the counter, looked at Gildarts for a moment, and sighed, "You've become stronger again, but I still can't beat you."
"Hahaha, of course, I am an S-class mage!"
Gildarts laughed loudly.
This made Caesar a little unhappy and he was about to give him some eye drops.
"By the way, I recently received another interesting heroic soul."
Caesar looked at Gildarts with a smile. "This heroic soul has no fighting power, but it has a great ability."
"Oh? What ability is that?"
Gildarts became interested, and even Makarov looked at Caesar.
"It means you can roughly predict a person's past and fuzzy future just by looking at their face."
Caesar said mysteriously, then pointed at Gildarts and said, "Take you, Gildarts, for example. Judging from your appearance, you should have been married and have a child. Well... it should be a daughter."
"Forehead…"
Gildarts was stunned, and even Makarov looked at him curiously and asked, "Are you married?"
"What? Gildarts got married?"
"How can that be?"
"Which woman did you marry?"
"No, the point is not which woman but who can conquer Gildarts!"
The people in the guild were immediately shocked. This melon was a bit too big!
Among the crowd, Cana silently held her book, bit her lip, and looked at Gildarts.
"It's so noisy."
Gildarts scratched his head and smiled awkwardly. "That's right. Her name is Cornelia. However, she couldn't stand me who only cared about work, so she left. I recently heard she passed away."
Damn, you actually have melons!
Everyone looked in disbelief and then turned to Caesar.
Caesar laughed, "Want some help? If I read correctly, your daughter probably exists. I can try and see if I can help you find her."
Hearing Caesar's words, Cana in the crowd suddenly felt flustered.
She was a little excited at the moment but didn't want to be exposed because of it.
All I can say is, don't guess what the girl is thinking. You can't guess what she's thinking.
Her father is obviously by her side, but she doesn't recognize him—alive or dead. In the original plot, they didn't even meet until Tenrou Island, which was really tiring.
Therefore, Caesar wanted to step in and help Cana.
"No, no need."
Gildarts shook his head and said, "If I really have a daughter, I want to find her through my own hard work, not rely on outside forces. At least, I want to say sorry to her and repay my negligence of the past few years."
Caesar: …
The case was closed, and he finally understood Cana's kind of personality and that her roots were here with Gildarts.
"As you wish."
Caesar rolled his eyes and said, "Judging from your appearance, you will meet eventually. You can handle it yourself."
Caesar nudged Gildarts slightly and then walked away.
Gildarts was stunned again, then his eyes suddenly passed through the crowd and fell on Cana, who was holding a book and preparing to leave.
For no apparent reason—maybe the faint blood connection—Gildarts saw some familiar shadows in Cana.
"Cana? No way."
Gildarts felt numb in his heart, but he had a hunch that if he really had a daughter, it might actually be Cana.
Gildarts quickly recalled the time when Cana came to the guild.
At that time, Cana was a little girl, wearing white washed clothes and skirts, carrying a small cloth bag.
He glanced at her back then, and it was that look that made Cana cry.
He thought he had scared the child, but now he thought it wasn't the case. The crying felt like tears of joy.
Usually in the guild, Cana would sit quietly on one side, occasionally lying on the table. When she seemed to be thinking about something, her eyes would always be in his direction.
Even though he had just come back, Cana in the crowd looked at him, seeming hesitant to speak.
Could it be…
Gildarts could no longer drink, so he stood up and walked outside.
Caesar, who was sitting aside and observing the situation, caught a glimpse of this scene and thought to himself, "You reacted so quickly? You don't look stupid."
On the other side, Gildarts walked out of the guild, looked around, and ran toward the girls' dormitory.
He remembered Cana seemed to live there.
Jogging along, Gildarts soon saw Cana walking slowly ahead of him.
He immediately said, "Wait, Cana!"
Cana shuddered, then turned around. In front of her was Gildarts, who looked a little confused.
"Is… is there something wrong?"
Cana was a little overwhelmed and stuttered.
"That… Cornelia."
Gildarts didn't know how to say it properly.
Looking like this, Cana felt inexplicably calm.
She took a deep breath and said, "Do you want to ask if I am your daughter?"
Gildarts was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
"Really, he's a guy who doesn't make people worry."
Cana sighed, then turned and left.
Gildarts opened his mouth wide. Although Cana didn't admit anything, judging from her tone, it was almost acquiescence.
Suddenly, Cana felt someone hug her from behind.
"I'm sorry I didn't discover your identity sooner. I didn't expect that my daughter would be by my side all this time."
Cana clearly felt the trembling body of the man behind her and his uncontrollable emotions.
"It does not matter."
Cana pulled Gildarts' trembling hand away, turned around, and looked at him with a smile. "As long as it's like this. But let me say this once—it's so wonderful to see you. Okay, Dad."
Seeing the smile on Cana's face, Gildarts couldn't hold back any longer. Tears and snot ran down his face. He was completely different from before, and he hugged Cana tightly.
"Cana! Never again! Never again! No matter what, I will be by your side!"
"It seems a bit annoying."
"So give me the right to love you!"
Listening to Gildarts' heartfelt words, Cana smiled and leaned into her father's arms, tears flowing freely.