Chapter 20: Buried in the Heart
"Of course it's true—I even looked into it myself."
Makarov wore a smug, almost proud expression.
As the guild master of Fairy Tail, he naturally knew that Gildarts had once been married.
Gildarts respected Makarov deeply—he had personally told him about it back then.
And Makarov's reaction at the time?
Not too different from the stunned look on Moen's face now.
"Unbelievable..."
Moen opened his mouth slightly, still trying to wrap his head around it.
Gildarts—the ultimate free spirit.
The man was a charming rogue who never stayed in one place for long, and never stayed with one woman for long either.
Unlike Macao and Wakaba—who always talked big about women but were long married with kids—Gildarts was the real deal.
He never had a steady girlfriend.
He'd go on a mission and come back with two more "romances" under his belt.
His love life was a whirlwind: fast to start, faster to end.
And yet—this womanizer actually got married once?
And even had a daughter?
The revelation shattered Moen's romanticized view of Gildarts in an instant.
The smooth-talking flirt became a man who had abandoned a wife and child.
His image took a complete 180 in Moen's eyes.
"But… Cana doesn't look like him at all!"
Moen frowned, trying to find even the slightest resemblance.
"She takes after her mother,"
Makarov said softly, his tone turning a little wistful.
When he first heard the news, he'd secretly gone to see the woman from a distance—just once.
She was the only one who had ever made Gildarts willingly step into the 'grave' of marriage, after all.
"I only saw her briefly. Didn't even realize she was pregnant.
That's what I regret the most.
If I had noticed then... things might've turned out differently."
Moen fell quiet for a moment, processing it all.
"So... Gildarts doesn't even know Cana's his daughter?"
Makarov nodded solemnly.
"He doesn't.
Otherwise, why would he have never gone back?"
Which only salvaged Gildarts' image a little bit. Only a little.
Because the fact remained: Cana's mother had passed away.
And until the day she died, Gildarts had never visited her again.
Never checked on her.
Never knew she was carrying his child.
"The way I see it…"
Makarov sighed.
"He probably treated her like all the others.
Even if he truly loved her at the time, enough to marry her—
when the passion cooled, he moved on."
And still, he managed to leave things peacefully.
Cana's mother raised their child alone, but clearly didn't hate Gildarts.
You could see it in Cana—she hadn't grown up resenting her father.
If anything, her eyes held a bit of longing when she looked at him.
Perhaps the only thing Gildarts never expected—
was Cana herself.
Moen said nothing.
He took a deep breath, letting it all sink in.
Yeah, he'd teased Gildarts plenty in his head just now.
But deep down, his respect for the man hadn't really changed.
After all, Gildarts had always been Gildarts—reckless, free-spirited, ever chasing the next thrill.
It wasn't like he hadn't seen this coming.
"Walk by the river long enough, and your feet are bound to get wet."
"So why not just tell him?"
That was what confused Moen the most.
Sure, Gildarts was a flirt, a bit of a mess when it came to love…
But he genuinely loved kids—and they loved him back.
If he knew Cana was his daughter, there was no way he'd reject her.
Not Gildarts.
Moen had seen it firsthand.
The way Gildarts treated the guild—every member, every child—like true family.
That "dad energy" wasn't fake.
That was exactly why everyone respected him so deeply.
"I think... we should respect Cana's decision."
Makarov paused before finally voicing his thoughts.
In this matter, no matter how you looked at it, Gildarts was the one in the wrong.
And as members of Fairy Tail—effectively the "in-laws" in this scenario—
they weren't exactly in a position to speak for the mother's side.
Taking care of Cana, and respecting her wishes…
That was one of the few things they could still do right.
"Yeah… you're right."
Moen nodded thoughtfully.
Cana had come all the way to join Fairy Tail, yet she never once tried to approach Gildarts.
She must have had her reasons.
As outsiders, it wasn't their place to interfere.
Not asking, not telling—that, too, was a form of respect for her and her late mother.
She had the right not to reconnect.
"Don't tell anyone else."
Makarov's expression grew stern as he glared at Moen.
He wouldn't have shared this with just anyone—only with someone he could absolutely trust.
Honestly, if it were anyone else, he would've taken this secret to the grave.
Even if Cana came forward someday, he would pretend he was hearing it for the first time.
"Don't worry. My lips are sealed."
Moen made a zipper motion across his mouth.
This? He would bury it deep in his heart—no one would hear it from him.
"Good."
Satisfied, the old man gave a sharp nod, then turned with his hands behind his back and started strutting off in that familiar "I-don't-know-you peasants" swagger.
Today was the release day for a certain summer special magazine,
and Makarov intended to be the first one in line to grab a copy.
Maybe he'd even pick up an extra issue for Gildarts.
Watching the suddenly enthusiastic guild master march off, Moen couldn't help but shake his head.
Yeah, he knew exactly where the old rascal was going.
"No wonder the younger generation is a mess—look at the role model."
Grumbling internally about "the crooked roof beam corrupting the whole house,"
Moen turned to leave as well.
He had a job request to handle today, though the client wasn't in a rush—it was just one town over.
"E-Excuse me! Is this... Fairy Tail?"
Just as Moen reached the guild's front steps, he was stopped by a young girl.
She looked nervous, voice timid as she clutched a small bag to her side.
Moen turned toward her.
She had purple hair and wore glasses—probably around Cana's age, maybe a little younger.
Well-dressed and tidy, with a big, bright red bow tied atop her head that stood out instantly.
"Yup, you've found the place. What's up? Need some help?"
Moen gave her a warm, friendly smile.
"Oh thank goodness! I'm here to join!"
Her eyes lit up as she suddenly perked up with excitement.
"Join…?"
Moen's smile froze slightly.
"Join," she said? What were they, a band of outlaws?
Did they look like a bandit gang accepting new recruits?
"There was this really creepy old man who ran past me just now...
He totally freaked me out…"
She shuddered slightly and adjusted her glasses, visibly shaken.
"..."
Moen's face twitched.
Yeah…
He had a very good idea who she was talking about.