Chapitre 483: I Think It's Time, Cana

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

May, x786.

"Hey everyone, I'm home!" Cana shouted while closing the mansion's front door. "I can't believe none of you were at the guild at this time of day. *Sigh* I wish Fonzie was home, too, though."

As she finished shouting, Cana heard the sound of footsteps rushing through the house. Tilting her head in confusion, she closed the front door. Then, she took a step towards the stairs, intending to put her luggage in the bedroom before getting cleaned up.

Before she could get too far from the front door, however, Cana saw the source of all the noise. And when she did, she opened her eyes wide in surprise. Then, she smiled brightly as she opened her arms for a hug.

"Lici, you're back!" Cana shouted as Elicia rushed into her open arms.

"Cana, I missed you!" Elicia said as she sank into her best friend's hug. "You have no idea how sad I was when I found out you were on a quest when we got back yesterday."

"Well, I'm back now." Cana replied as she took one of her arms from around Elicia. Then, she reached into her card pouch and pulled out her storage card as she continued. "And I'm happy to see you, too."

"Come on, let's go put your luggage away." Elicia said with a smile as she let go of Cana and started pulling her towards the stairs. "I'll tell you all about our trip."

Smiling just as widely, Cana allowed herself to be pulled along. After a few minutes, the two arrived in Cana's room. Then, while Cana put her luggage away, Elicia sat on Cana's bed and told Cana about everything that happened while she, Alfonzo, Marin, and Ikaruga visited Quatro Cerberus.

"Finally, you put that drunk idiot in his place." Cana said before chugging down nearly a quarter of the bottle of gin she took out of her storage card.

"Pot, methinks thy name is Cana." Elicia said while deadpanning.

"Whatever." Cana replied while rolling her eyes. "At least I've never mistaken someone for being in love with me and threatened to kill their wife so they could be free."

"Fair enough." Elicia said with a shoulder shrug. "Anyway, your dad is here, too."

"Really?" Cana asked skeptically. "Why?"

"Your stepmom didn't tell you when you went to the guild hall to report on your quest?" Elicia asked while smiling cheekily.

"Um.... I haven't reported yet." Cana replied while smiling sheepishly.

"What? Then, how did you know no one was at the guild?" Elicia asked curiously.

"Well, after the doors opened, I noticed that no one was inside." Cana said while scratching her cheek. "So, I left. It's not like giving my report a day later is gonna kill me, right?"

Instead of responding immediately, Elicia stared at Cana blankly. And as the amount of time that Elicia stared increased, Cana felt more and more uncomfortable.

"*Sigh* Fine~." Cana whined. "I'll go give my report after I get cleaned up."

"Good." Elicia replied while nodding her head. "Anyway, some potential enemies are in our house right now, too."

"What?" Cana asked in a confused tone. "What do you mean?"

Elicia then went on to tell Cana about Irene and Brandish. When she eventually finished her explanation, Cana tipped her head back and chugged down another half of her bottle of gin.

"Seriously, I thought my dad was a freak." Cana said after she finished drinking. "But where do people with more magic power than him come from? Wait... Did you call Ur my stepmom?"

"Wow! That was a really late reaction, Cana." Elicia replied in a dumbfounded tone.

"Yeah, I know." Cana replied. "But I'm really tired. Like, Really, really, tired."

"Was the quest that hard?" Elicia asked curiously with a hint of concern in her tone.

"No, not really." Cana replied while shaking her head. "But doing the quest without causing any collateral damage is really tiring."

Immediately, Elicia opened her eyes wide. Then, she quickly stood up and placed her hand on Cana's forehead.

"Hmm... No fever..." Elicia muttered.

"Of course, I don't have a fever." Cana replied sharply while sweeping Elicia's hand away. "I'm tired, not sick."

"Yeah, but you just said you didn't cause any collateral damage." Elicia said in a confused tone. "So, I thought..."

"Why does that have to mean I'm sick?" Cana asked in an offended tone. "I just wanted Fonzie to be proud of me when I told him about it. Besides, it's not like this is the first time I've..."

The more she spoke, the quieter Cana's voice became.

"Cana, you're so cute!" Elicia squealed as she lunged towards Cana for a hug.

"Anyway, I can put my luggage away and get cleaned up later." Cana said, clearly trying to change the subject. "I miss Fonzie. I wanna go see him. Oh, and I guess I'll go see my dad, too."

Roling her eyes at her best friend's antics, Elicia eventually shrugged her shoulders and released Cana from her hug, before turning towards the door. A moment later, Elicia and Cana were in the elevator, heading down to the training room.

"What are Alfonzo and my dad doing in the training room?" Cana asked curiously.

"Well, Fonzie asked Gildarts to spar with him." Elicia replied. "He said he wanted to check his progress.'

Cana's eyes opened wide when she heard what Elicia had to say. Then, she could not help but wish that the elevator would move faster, hoping not to miss the rest of the spar.

A few moments later, the elevator doors opened. Immediately, Cana ran towards the training room, hoping that the spar was not over.

*Bang!*

As soon as she opened the door, Cana was met with the sight of Alfonzo being sent flying backwards before heavily impacting one of the walls. However, before he could even fall to the ground, Alfonzo pressed his feet against the wall behind him before bounding forward.

"I see you can take more of a beating than before, eh, Kid?" Gildarts said with a battle thirsty smile. "We've been at this for at least an hour and a half, yet you don't' seem hurt at all."

"That's right." Alfonzo replied while wearing a similar smile. "I can do this all day. But you look like you're about to pass out, Old Man. You sure you're not ready to quit? Wouldn't want you to throw out your hip!"

"Damn brat!" Gildarts shouted as he blocked a punch from Alfonzo with his forearm. "I'm getting tired of all these old man jokes. I'm not even fifty yet!"

Throwing a punch of his own, Gildarts was forced to take a step back when Alfonzo slipped it and kicked at his left knee. Gildarts then lunged forward with [Crash Magic] coating his fist.

Once again ducking under Gildarts punch, Alfonzo turned his body as he gripped Gildarts' outstretched arm and performed a shoulder throw, slamming Gildarts' back into the mat covering the training room's floor.

"Gah!" Gildarts grunted as the air was forced out of his lungs.

Not giving Gildarts a chance to recover, Alfonzo immediately moved to put him in a triangle choke. Unfortunately, Gildarts recovered faster than he expected. AS a result, Alfonzo ended up putting him in an arm bar due to Gildarts moving his head.

"This isn't good." Alfonzo muttered.

"No, it's great." Gildarts replied as he hopped up to his feet with Alfonzo still clinging to his arm.

In the next instant, Gildarts tried to slam Alfonzo into the floor. However, as he was expecting Gildarts to take this action, Alfonzo quickly released his submission hold. Then, before he could be slammed onto the mat, Alfonzo managed to get his feet down. Then, with Gildarts' arm still in his grasp, Alfonzo forcefully spun before letting him go.

"Shit!" Gildarts exclaimed as he flew through the air towards one of the walls.

*Bang!*

A moment later, Gildarts slammed into the wall, back first.

"[Electromagnetism Magic: Thunderclap]." Alfonzo chanted as he dashed forward like a bolt of lightning.

Recovering quickly, though not quick enough to get out of the way of Alfonzo's attack, Gildarts raised his guard. However, when Alfonzo appeared right in front of him with a devious smile on his face, Gildarts knew he made the wrong move.

*Clap!*

Alfonzo, instead of attacking Gildarts' body, raised his hands and brought them together right next to Gildarts' left ear. As a result, a clap, as loud as thunder, echoed through the training room. On top of that, there was a blinding flash accompanying the loud sound.

Completely caught off guard by this unorthodox tactic, Gildarts ended up completely disoriented by the improvised flash bang. So, he put up very little resistance when he was slammed into the mat once again.

Not only Gildarts suffered from Alfonzo's spell, either. Elicia and Cana, who were watching from the room's entrance, were also affected as collateral damage. On top of that, the loud sound could be heard from every corner of the mansion.

A few moments later, Elicia, Cana, and Gildarts regained their sight and hearing. And when they did, they found Alfonzo kneeling next to Gildarts with his right index finger less than an inch away from Gildarts' forehead. On top of that, Alfonzo's outstretched arm was sparking with violet electricity while a small chunk of metal hovered between Alfonzo's finger and Gildarts' head.

"Damn, where do you come up with all these tricks, Kid?" Gildarts muttered while shaking his head.

"Well, when you fight people who are that much stronger than you, you have to think outside the box." Alfonzo replied.

"Even so, how did you get past the [Crash Magic] I coated myself in before you clapped your hands?"

"Because my magic never came in contact with yours." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "Instead, you were only hit with the light and sound my spell produced. Physics for the win, baby!"

"*Sigh* I guess that means I lose." Gildarts replied. "Now, you can get that electricity away from me. You're making my hair curl up. Dispel that piece of metal, too. Were you trying to kill me, or something?"

"Tch! It's not like anyone would be able to tell." Alfonzo replied disdainfully as he pulled his arm back and dispelled his magic. "It's just like Ur said, you look like a hobo, anyway.'

"Fonzie!"

Immediately upon hearing that voice, Alfonzo smiled while Gildarts frowned. At the same time, Alfonzo spun on his heels while opening his arms welcomingly.

"Cana, I missed you." Alfonzo said.

In the next instant, Alfonzo closed his arms as Cana sealed his lips with her own. Then, without any hesitation because of her father's presence, Cana snaked her tongue into Alfonzo's mouth, deepening the kiss.

With a frown on his face, Gildarts picked himself up from the ground. Then, his frown turned into sadness.

"Cana, Daddy's here, too." Gildarts said in a pitiful tone.

"I know, I'm kissing him right now." Cana said absent-mindedly after breaking the kiss. A moment later,however, she registered the voice that just spoke to her. "Oops..."

*Cough!* *Cough!*

*Splatter!*

After realizing who she had just spoken to, Cana slowly turned her head towards her father. When she did, she was just in time to see him cough up a mouthful of blood.

"Uh... Hey Dad, I'm back..." Cana said in a tone mixed with guilt and embarrassment.

Instead of responding, Gildarts glared at Alfonzo in an attempt to set him ablaze.

"Hey, don't look at me like that, Old Man." Alfonzo said while smiling wryly. "I never told her to call me that."

Without a word, Gildarts continued to glare at Alfonzo, clearly not believing what he said.

"Seriously, Gildarts, it's not Fonzie's fault." Elicia said while smiling sheepishly. "Cana... Um... kinda picked up that habit from... Uh... me."

Hearing that, Gildarts could only look at Elicia blankly. He eventually turned his attention back to his daughter, though. But when he did, he almost coughed up another mouthful of blood after hearing Alfonzo's next words.

"Cana, I think it's time that we got married, too." Alfonzo said with a smile. "I proposed to you and Lici on the same day. So, I think you've waited long enough."

Cana's eyes lit up like a pair of high-powered torch lights. Then, she pulled Alfonzo into a deeper, more passionate kiss. Meanwhile, Elicia and Gildarts could only watch. However, as time passed, the atmosphere for those two became quite awkward.

"Cana..." Gildarts whispered in a tone filled with a mixture of unwillingness and anticipation.

"Well, I guess that's a yes..." Elicia muttered while smiling awkwardly.

"Hey, what was that loud noise?" Ultear, leading the rest of the ladies to the training room asked after exiting the elevator. Her expression changed, however, when she saw Cana tonguing down Alfonzo. "And what's got Cana so excited?"

"Oh, Fonzie asked her to get married." Elicia replied with a smile.

Hearing that, Ultear, Erza, Mirajane, Marin, Sun, and Lucy's eyes lit up. Meanwhile, Saeko and Saya narrowed their eyes in contemplation. Rika, on the other hand could only smile wryly as she overheard Shizuka muttering to herself.

"I wanna get married, too." Shizuka said quietly. "Lici looked so pretty in her wedding dress."

Lastly, Irene and Brandish exchanged glances, thinking how they could take advantage of the event to complete their mission.

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Chapitre 484: Gildarts' Breakdown

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

May, x786.

In the suite on the top floor of the most luxurious hotel in Magnolia, Irene and Brandish were discussing their run in with Alfonzo, Gildarts, and the ladies of Fairy Tail from earlier in the day.

After the tour of the mansion finished and everyone heard about the wedding between Alfonzo and Cana, Gildarts, Irene, and Brandish decided they had spent enough time at the mansion. Meanwhile, Elicia, Cana, Ultear, Erza, Mirajane, Marin, Sun, Lucy, Saeko, Saya, and Shizuka gathered in Cana's bedroom to discuss the wedding and its preparations. Alfonzo and Rika, on the other hand, made their way to the guild hall.

"That mansion was quite impressive." Brandish said as she sank into the couch. "It was nicer than my place back in Vistarion."

"Yes, and to think that young man, Alfonzo, designed it alone." Irene replied while pouring herself a glass of wine. "And if I were to venture a guess, he set up the security, as well."

"What makes you say that?" Brandish asked in a curious tone.

"Because all the walls, floors, and ceilings were lined with metal." Irene said. "Combining that with the fact that his epitaph is the Master of Metal and his title as Ishgar's best magic item craftsman, I can't think of any other who could have done so."

"But someone else could have created it while he only implemented it with his magic." Brandish countered.

"That's a possibility." Irene replied with a nod. Then, she took a sip from her glass of wine before continuing. "But my instincts are telling me there was more to it than that. They're telling me that he was the one who created the security systems in that mansion, the one on the shore of the lake, and the guild hall."

"When you mention the guild hall, I can't really argue." Brandish said while shaking her head gently. "Although I've never been inside, based on the exterior, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing was made of metal."

"Precisely." Irene said. "And that means His Majesty's plan will be much more difficult to complete than we expected."

"What should we do about it, then?" Brandish asked.

"The most straight forward way would be to infiltrate the guild and become one of its members." Irene replied. A moment later, however, she shook her head. "*Sigh* But that's probably impossible."

"Is that my fault?" Brandish asked curiously. "Yeah, it probably is. But I didn't expect to run into that woman's daughter."

"No, that's not what I meant." Irene replied with a small smile. "If anything, that altercation and the subsequent correction of the misunderstanding would make it easier for you to infiltrate."

"Then, what's the problem?" Brandish asked, this time sounding rather confused as she did so.

"They are wary of us because of our power." Irene explained. "Perhaps waiting a year or two to carry out this mission might have been a better idea. That fool Serena's disappearance doesn't help, either."

"I see." Brandish replied with a nod. "So, they most likely think we're here to get revenge for that guy, huh?"

"More than likely." Irene replied. "*sigh* My repeated attempts to probe their home didn't help, either."

As she said that, Irene could not help but remember the amused smile Alfonzo wore as he sent them off.

'To think such a young man could be so impressive.' Irene thought to herself while shaking her head. 'I'm certain he felt every one of my attempts to examine that house while I was there. Yet, I never once felt his or his wife's magic power from the moment they arrived in Magnolia last night. It looks like I was too confident. Still, that young man will be coming back to the empire with us, whether he likes it or not.'

As her thoughts reached that point, Irene smiled sinisterly, causing Brandish to shrink back instinctively. After a few moments, Brandish spoke once again, dispelling the sinister atmosphere and pulling Irene out of her thoughts.

"Actually, there may be a way to, at least, integrate into his inner circle." Brandish said. "Even if exploring the guild hall is impossible."

Hearing that, Irene turned a curious gaze in Brandish's direction.

"At the very least, I can take the time to get to know Lucy." Brandish continued. "I mean, we did spend a few years living in the same house. We were even playmates for a short time."

"I see." Irene replied. "That's a good entry point."

"Also, from the way those two, the one that looked a lot like you and the one with the blonde hair with pink ends, I think they're names were Erza and Marin." Brandish said, not noticing the slight change of expression Irene had at the mention of Erza. "They seemed interested in me. But I'm not a hundred percent sure. Either way, they could be a viable entry point, as well."

If Brandish knew the reason Erza and Marin were interested in her was because of the book she was reading, she would want to give up on that route, immediately. Also, she would be thoroughly confused how they knew what she was reading with the book cover wrapped around her copy of Saint Slippery's Academy for Girls.

"That's also a possibility." Irene replied with a nod. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to help you with this. However, you should try to include me as often as possible. For example, if you are invited to have dinner with them. I may be able to get them to slip up in conversation over dinner."

Nodding her head, Brandish agreed with Irene's plan. However, if she knew Irene cared more about tasting Alfonzo's cooking more often, she would look at her with shock. But if she knew that Alfonzo's cooking was the first meal she could properly taste in centuries, she would understand. Though, that knowledge would lead to more questions.

At the same time, Alfonzo just took a seat at his usual table after finishing a brawl that was going on when he and Rika arrived at the guild hall.

"Rika told you us you decided to marry Cana." Bisca, who returned from a quest with Alzack earlier in the day asked in an excited tone.

"That's right." Alfonzo replied with a smile. Then, he noticed how close Alzack and Bisca sat to each other. And with that realization, he narrowed his eyes as he continued. "But we can talk about that later. It looks like the relationship between the two of you has taken a step forward."

Immediately, Alzack and Bisca both blushed fiercely. Alzack even looked away in embarrassment with a sheepish smile on his face. Naturally, Alfonzo was taken off guard by their reactions.

"Ha! That's right, Alzack asked--- Urgh!" Elfman shouted, undoubtedly, about to use his catch phrase in his answer.

Before Elfman could finish, however, his younger sister, Lisanna, sharply elbowed him in the side.

"Big Brother Elf, that's not your story to tell." Lisanna said sharply, causing Elfman's complaints to be stuck in his throat.

And when Elfman saw the look in Lisanna's eyes, he quickly nodded his head obediently.

"Oh, so what did you ask, Alzack?" Alfonzo asked after vanishing from his seat and reappearing next to Alzack with his arm slung over his best friend's shoulders.

"Uh... I... Um... kinda... asked her to marry me." Alzack replied, his volume lowering with every word.

By the time Alzack was finished, Alfonzo would have missed it had he not been circulating his magic power through his body when he heard Alzack's volume dropping. Luckily, he did hear him. However, as a result, Alfonzo was completely dumbfounded, shifting his gaze between Alzack and Bisca with his eyes and mouth wide open.

"I think he broke." Laki said while poking Alfonzo's cheek with her index finger.

"Well, can you blame him?" Rika asked in a playful tone. "I mean, it's been almost five months since the last time he saw them, right? And back then, they couldn't even make eye contact without blushing up to the tips of their ears. And now they're engaged. I think I'd have trouble coping, too."

With Rika's explanation, everyone, other than Alfonzo, Alzack, and Bisca, nodded in understanding. Coincidentally, that also gave Alfonzo enough time to reboot.

As soon as Alfonzo came back to his senses, he sprung up to his feet. Then, he wrapped his arms around Alzack and Bisca before picking them up from their seats.

"What the...?" Alzack exclaimed in confusion.

"Kya!" Bisca yelped in surprise.

"Congratulations, you two!" Alfonzo exclaimed happily. "I'm glad Alzack finally grew a pair. I gotta admit, though, I was only expecting to hear that the two of you were dating. But since you've been dancing around each other for the last six years or so, I guess this is fine, too."

Reaching that point, Alfonzo put Alzack and Bisca, who were smiling brightly at his congratulations, back down on the floor. Then, with a happy smile on his face, Alfonzo continued.

"It's a good thing you got the courage to do it yourself, Alzack." Alfonzo said while maintaining his happy smile. "If I had found out you hadn't made any progress, I would have taken the task of getting you two together into my own hands."

Although Alfonzo's smile was extremely jovial, Alzack shuddered in terror. He could only imagine what Alfonzo would have done if he had not made any progress in the almost five months since they last saw each other.

Not only Alzack, but even Bisca showed an uneasy expression at the thought of the ordeal Alfonzo would have put them through if Alzack had not manned up. The other Fairy Tail wizards, on the other hand, were curious to know what Alfonzo had in mind. However, since it did not come to that, they knew that they would never find out.

"Anyway, to celebrate the good news, I'll be taking a shift in the kitchen!" Alfonzo shouted, his good mood evident in his tone. "And Alzack and Bisca's meals are on me!"

Immediately, the entire guild burst into an uproar.

"As soon as I finish talking to Ur, I'll head straight to the kitchen." Alfonzo added as he turned towards the elevator.

The whole time, the guild continued to cheer. They even bought rounds of drinks for Alzack and Bisca, as they were the reason for Alfonzo's good mood.

At the same time, in Irene and Brandish's suite, Irene felt her eyebrows twitching in irritation. Although she had no idea what was bothering her so much, she knew that it was something she really wanted. Meanwhile, Brandish decided to return to her bedroom to finish reading her book and start the sequel because of the irritated aura Irene was giving off.

A few moments later, Alfonzo arrived in the guild master's office. And when he did, he could not help but smile wryly.

Currently, Gildarts and Ur were sitting on one of the couches in the office. And had that been all, Alfonzo would have thought nothing of it. However, Gildarts was currently hugging Ur tightly with his head buried in her chest while crying loudly.

"Ur, he's taking my little girl away!" Gildarts shouted in a heartbroken tone.

"*sigh* She was going to get married sooner or later, right?" Ur said while smiling awkwardly and combing her fingers through Gildarts' hair. "At least it's to someone you've known for years and approve of, right?"

"Just because I've known him for years, doesn't mean he's good enough for my princess!" Gildarts shouted, sounding even more heart broken than before. "He's nothing but a damn thief! She even calls him Daddy! *Cough*"

As soon as he said something about Cana calling Alfonzo "Daddy," Gildarts turned away from Ur and coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the coffee table.

"Uh... Did I come at a bad time?" Alfonzo asked while smiling in amusement. "I can come back later if I did."

Hearing Alfonzo's voice, Gildarts and Ur finally realized they weren't alone. Then, while crying tears of blood, Gildarts flung himself at Alfonzo and grabbed him by his collar.

"You! Give me back my Princess!" Gildarts cried. Then, he turned back to Ur as he continued. "Ur, kick him out of the guild! He's---"

*Bang!*

"That's enough." Ur said in an exasperated tone after slamming an ice fist into the top of Gildarts' head. "You can be sad all you want. But don't be unreasonable."

"But... My princess..." Gildarts said as he collapsed onto the floor and continued to cry in the most sorrowful way either Alfonzo or Ur had ever heard.

"*Sigh* Sometimes I wonder why I fell for this idiot." Ur said while massaging his temples.

Meanwhile, Alfonzo stepped past Gildarts, making sure not to step on any of the snot that had fallen to the floor, before taking a seat on the couch opposite Ur.

"So, I'm guessing he didn't tell you anything about our meeting with those two, huh?" Alfonzo asked as he glanced back at Gildarts once again.

"*Sigh* Of course not." Ur replied while shaking her head. "So, I'm counting on you to fill me in on what happened. Even though I could keep track of them with [Magic Power Detection], I had no way of knowing exactly what happened."

"Right." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "And that's exactly why I'm here. Though, I thought I'd only be filling in some blanks that Gildarts missed."

With that said, Alfonzo began telling Ur what happened when he and the girls ran into Irene and Brandish.