"This person," Noah began, letting the words hang for dramatic effect, "is the strongest in our guild… and also someone who's rarely here."
The moment he said it, every single guild member's gaze shifted in the same direction straight at Gildarts.
Gildarts froze. His eyes widened, his jaw slackened, and in the next second, cold sweat trickled down his face.
"Ehhhhhh ?!"
"Looks like everyone's guessed it right," Noah said with a grin. "That person… is Gildarts."
"W–wait… wait just a second…" Gildarts' entire body began to tremble.
"And Kana's father," Noah declared loudly, pointing straight at him, "is this shameless scumbag Gildarts!"
The guild erupted into shock.
"I never would've thought Gildarts actually had a daughter… and that she's been in the guild all along!"
"Same here. Kana, you've been through so much."
"Seriously, having such an irresponsible father must've been rough."
"Wait a second, Gildarts, you bastard, what have you been doing all these years?!"
Gildarts was already down on one knee, trembling as he muttered under his breath and started rattling off names.
"Whose child… whose child… Sarah… Naomi… Claire… Fina… Mary… Ilaysa…" His expression twisted. "No, no! The hair color's different!"
But he kept going. "Emma… Lela… Jean… Medonie… Michelle… Sutefanie…"
By now, the guild members could only stare in disbelief.
"Unbelievable… just how many women has this guy been with?!"
Kana's face darkened as she exploded. "HOW MANY WOMEN DO YOU HAVE?!"
Gildarts' voice shook. "I… I know! It's Sylvia! You're exactly the same same… um… gender…" His last words trailed off in a barely audible whisper.
Kana's hands balled into fists. "I'm so pissed! This hopeless, messed-up guy is actually my dad?!"
She spun around sharply and stomped away. "That's it, I'm done!"
Gildarts collapsed forward, arm outstretched desperately. "W–wait… wait a minute!"
Tears welled up in Kana's eyes, her voice trembling as she continued walking forward.
"I'm just letting you know this! I don't want to acknowledge you as my father!"
Before she could take another step, Gildarts caught up and pulled her into a firm embrace from behind. His voice softened.
"It's Cornelia's child… there's no doubt about it."
Kana's shoulders shook as she whispered through her sobs, "Let me go…"
"Why didn't you tell me when we first met?"
"…I didn't know how to start," she murmured. "I hesitated… and missed the chance."
Gildarts' arms tightened slightly. **"Cornelia is the only woman I have ever loved. She's also the only woman I've ever married.
Six years ago, she got fed up with my constant wanderlust… so she left home. Later, I heard rumors she had passed away…
But I never imagined… that she would leave our child behind."**
His voice grew heavy with guilt. "I'm sorry… I didn't even recognize you when I first saw you…"
Kana gently pushed him back, then turned to face him.
"It doesn't matter. I was the one who hesitated and let the moment slip by."
Gildarts lowered his gaze. "I didn't expect my daughter to come find me… but when she did, I failed to recognize her. That's my failing, not yours."
Kana bit her lip, forcing her tears back as she whispered, "But I still want to tell you something…" She took a deep breath. "It's so good to see you, Dad."
The words hit Gildarts like lightning. His mind flashed back to the first time he'd seen her a young girl standing alone on the road, clutching a small puppy. His eyes blurred, and before he knew it, tears streamed down his face.
He pulled her close again, voice thick with emotion. **"I won't let you be lonely ever again! From now on, no matter what happens, I'll be right by your side!
I couldn't be there when you were born… but please, let me be there while you grow up. Give me the right to love you!"**
Kana's tears spilled over once more, and she wrapped her arms around him in silent acceptance.
From the side, the guild members who had been holding their breath finally exhaled. Some of the more sentimental ones were already wiping at their eyes.
When the father and daughter finally calmed, Noah stepped forward with a warm smile.
"Congratulations… you've finally found each other."
Gildarts loosened his embrace but still kept Kana's left hand firmly clasped in his right. He turned to Noah and asked, "When did you find out?"
Noah understood that Gildarts was asking when he had learned about Kana's identity, so he replied,
"I saw Kana alone in the guild one day, so I went over and asked if she needed help. At first, she didn't want to say anything… but after I pressed her, she finally told me."
Kana spoke softly from beside him, "I didn't know how to bring it up at first… I kept struggling with it, so I just stayed quiet."
Hearing this, Gildarts turned to Noah. "Thank you. Without you, who knows when we would've finally recognized each other."
Noah waved it off. "It's nothing. We're all Fairy Tail members helping each other is only natural."
By then, Makarov had stepped forward, seeing the conversation had wound down. "So… how did the results of the S-Class exam turn out?" he asked, looking at Gildarts.
The surrounding guild members suddenly remembered what the fight had been for and began to clamor excitedly.
"Yeah, yeah, what's the result? Did Noah pass?"
"With how intense that fight was, he must have!"
"But Gildarts is crazy strong… he didn't even get scratched by Noah's last spell!"
Gildarts looked at Makarov and said plainly, "Noah's strength is enough. He meets all the other requirements too he's qualified."
A wave of excitement swept the group.
"Ohhh! Noah passed!"
"He actually passed against Gildarts?!"
"That's insane!"
"Does this mean he's officially S-Class?"
"Not yet it depends on the master's decision."
Makarov thought for a moment, then stepped forward, clearing his throat with a loud cough to draw everyone's attention.
"Now that Noah has passed Gildarts' test," he announced, **"I will declare the results of this S-Class wizard promotion exam.
After careful consideration… the new S-Class wizard is Noah!"**
Cheers exploded from the crowd.
"Ohhh! Noah's an S-Class wizard!"
"Our second S-Class wizard is here!"
"He did it on his first try!"
"He's only eight years old an eight-year-old S-Class! That's unbelievable!"
"Not just the whole country this news will spread across the continent!"
Everyone was overjoyed everyone except Laxus, who wore a strange mix of happiness and frustration. His expression twisted slightly as he tried to keep it in check.
Makarov raised his voice over the noise. "Let's have a party to celebrate Noah's promotion!"
The guild erupted in cheers once more, and they all made their way back to the campsite, where the celebration began in full swing.