บท 453: Gildarts' Confession

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

January, x786.

"Anyway, now that I'm done giving my report, there's something I need to say to you, Ur." Gildarts said in a solemn tone.

Not expecting Gildarts to change the subject so abruptly, Ur wore a confused expression on her face. Even so, she was curious to know what Gildarts had to say.

"After Bianca and Orlando's kids got married, you told me that if I could stop all my womanizing, you would give me a chance, right?" Gildarts asked in the same tone.

"That's right." Ur replied with a nod.

"Well, to be honest, I haven't even touched a woman ever since I found out that Cana was my little girl." Gildarts said, a small smile making it onto his face at the thought of his daughter.

Hearing that, Ur was completely taken aback. Like everyone else in the guild, she thought that Gildarts was an irredeemable man-whore who didn't know how to keep it in his pants. A moment later, after letting Gildarts words sink in, Ur looked at him skeptically.

"*Sigh* I know it's hard to believe." Gildarts said while wearing a wry smile after seeing Ur's expression. "Hell, knowing my old behavior, I wouldn't believe me either if I were you. But I promise you, it's true."

"And what was it that caused you to change?" Ur asked with an eyebrow raised.

"It's because of Cana." Gildarts said. "Or rather, it's because of how Cana was when I found out she was my daughter. She was afraid… Afraid that I wouldn't accept her."

Reaching that point, Gildarts inhaled a deep breath. Then, after holding it for a few seconds, he exhaled slowly before making eye contact with Ur once again.

"And I didn't want to find any more children in the same situation later on." Gildarts continued. "I mean, I'm not even sure if Cana is the only one. But if I were to find out there were more, I would do all I could to take care of them."

Maintaining eye contact for a little while longer, Ur eventually sighed as she lowered her head. Then, she raised her head and smiled brightly at Gildarts.

Naturally, Gildarts was thoroughly confused by Ur's smile. However, before he could question her about it, Ur began to speak.

"It's good to see that becoming a father made you grow up." Ur said while still smiling. "It's just a shame that you took so long to do so."

In response, Gildarts lowered his head while smiling bashfully and scratching the back of his head.

"And I'm guessing you told me all of that because you have an answer for me, right?" Ur asked, her expression turning serious as she spoke.

"*Sigh* That's right." Gildarts replied as his expression also turned serious. "Honestly, I'm scared to accept your offer."

Once again, Ur was taken aback at the words that left Gildarts' mouth. However, Gildarts did not give her a chance to say anything.

"I'm sure you know I was married to Cana's mother, right?" Gildarts asked, receiving a nod in return. "And I was a terrible husband. I mean, I couldn't even make time for her. And because of that, she divorced me. She didn't even tell me about Cana. And I'm terrified that I would end up treating you the same way."

Hearing that, Ur opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"Now, I know you're not asking me to marry you." Gildarts said with his head lowered. "But I'm afraid that I wouldn't give you the time and attention you deserve, if we were to get together. So, I hesitated. *Sigh* Ur, over the years, I've come to really like you, despite the number of times you've beaten me up or slapped me upside the head. And because of that, I'm afraid to hurt you… Like I hurt Cornelia and Cana in the past."

With Gildarts pouring out his heart, Ur did not know what to say at first. As a result, Ur's office fell into a deafening silence. However, after getting her thoughts together, Ur finally replied to Gildarts.

"I know you won't be around as much as most men would." Ur said in a solemn tone. "But as long as you come back and don't forget about me, I think I could manage. I won't pretend like I wouldn't get lonely from time to time. But I doubt you could be as bad as my ex-husband, who abandoned me during pregnancy."

"Of course, I wouldn't!" Gildarts shouted as he quickly raised his head.

Seeing the expression on Gildarts' face, Ur smiled once again.

"Then, we shouldn't have anything to worry about." Ur said. "I know what kind of wizard you are. Always looking to push yourself on quests. Needing months to years to complete some particularly difficult ones. And I had accepted that you wouldn't always be here when I decided I would give you a chance."

"Yeah, but you deserve better." Gildarts said.

"I think that's up to me to decide, Gildarts." Ur said in a soothing tone. "And I'm prepared to deal with your absences. Like I said, as long as you come back. And as long as you don't pick up random women while you're out on quests. If you can promise me those two things, I can deal with just about anything else."

Taking a few seconds to process Ur's words, Gildarts eventually raised his head with a solemn expression on his face.

"*Sigh* If you're sure about this…" Gildarts said in a solemn tone. Then, his expression morphed into a smile. "Then, I'm willing to do all I can to make you happy. I'll even take more time between quests to spend as much time with you as I possibly can. As for cheating, that will never happen. And I will always come back to you. This is my home, after all."

Hearing that, Ur's smile widened. A moment later, she stood from behind her desk. Then, she walked around the desk before stopping next to Gildarts.

Meanwhile, Gildarts watched Ur's every move.

"As long as you keep those promises, we shouldn't have any problems." Ur said while continuing to smile brightly. Then, she leaned down and kissed Gildarts on the cheek. "Just don't let me down, okay?"

In response, Gildarts smiled just as brightly as Ur. Then, he stood up and wrapped his arms around her.

*Smack!*

"Slow down." Ur said as she slapped Gildarts' hands that immediately slid down her back towards her butt. "Just because I accepted you as my man doesn't mean that I'm ready to move that fast."

Pulling his hands back, Gildarts could not help but smile wryly.

"Sorry about that, my instincts took over." Gildarts said while scratching his head. "Back in the day, when the atmosphere was this good, that's when I would usually make my move."

"Oh, I'm well aware." Ur said while rolling her eyes. "You tried the same thing back when we first met, too."

"Ha ha ha…" Gildarts laughed awkwardly while looking away. Then, he cleared his throat before looking into Ur's eyes. "So, how would you like to have dinner together sometime? I know a pretty good place in Crocus. They have all kinds of really good food."

Smiling at Gildarts attempt to salvage the situation, Ur shook her head lightly, making Gildarts think that she was rejecting his invitation.

"That depends." Ur said. "After being a part of this guild for almost ten years, I have pretty high standards. If it's not at least eighty percent as good as Alfonzo's cooking, you'll have to try again."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Gildarts smiled.

"Don't worry, I would never take my lady to somewhere sub par." Gildarts replied. "I actually came across this place last year while I was on my way back from a quest. And trust me when I say, it's almost as good as Alfonzo's cooking."

Hearing that, Ur raised an eyebrow.

"And what's this place called?" Ur asked in a curious tone.

"Oh, it's called Sixth Sense Restaurant and Lounge." Gildarts said with a smile.

'That's what I thought.' Ur thought to herself without changing her expression. 'Actually, now that I think about it, I heard about Gildarts going there from Alfonzo, I think. Though, he didn't have any proof that it was Gildarts. He did show me a report of someone eating there, then, when the person left, the entrance was destroyed, and the culprit ran away without looking back.'

"Then again, I'm not sure if they'll welcome me back." Gildarts said while smiling sheepishly. "After having a meal there, I kinda destroyed the entrance. Then, before they could ask for compensation, I ran away. But since they never sent me a bill, it should be fine."

'*Sigh* And there's the proof.' Ur muttered internally. 'Unfortunately, Gildarts is definitely gonna get a bill in the next few days. Especially after I send this information to Alfonzo. He's probably even gonna tack on interest, too. The worst thing is that I can't even keep this information from him. Since, according to the contract I signed when I bought those shares for the guild and myself, I have to report anything detrimental to business operations as soon as I hear about them. Oh well, sucks to be Gildarts, I guess.

"Sure, I'd love to have dinner with you." Ur said while smiling sweetly. "And going somewhere with food almost as good as Alfonzo's sounds like a great first date."

'And it would probably be for the best that I keep it a secret that Alfonzo is the owner of Sixth Sense Holdings.' Ur thought to herself as she watched Gildarts' face light up in happiness. 'Otherwise, he'll definitely want a piece of the pie. Or at the very least, want to get free stuff from all the Sixth Sense shops.'

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Margaret.

While Gildarts and Ur were discussing the details of their date, Ultear was beating Lyon one-sidedly. Despite that, it was clear to Ultear that Lyon had not been slacking in his training ever since he returned from Magnolia.

Still, the training Lyon had done was in no way comparable to the training routines the current generation of Fairy Tail wizards had been through, even when compared to the time before the training chambers. And when you add the training chambers into the equation, Lyon could not hold a candle to Ultear's strength and skill.

"Well, I guess that's enough." Ultear said as she looked down at Lyon, who was covered in bruises and lying spread eagle in the middle of the training ground. "But I guess you passed the assessment. So, you should be happy."

Hearing that, Lyon's eyes opened wide. In his bid to show Juvia how good he was for her; he had completely forgotten about the assessment Ultear mentioned when they first met. Then, despite the fact that he was already covered in sweat, Lyon could feel cold sweat forming on his back and forehead at the thought of what would have happened had he failed the assessment.

'Something tells me that Ur would have dropped everything and made a trip out here to oversee my training until I was up to her standards.' Lyon thought to himself in fear. 'No, that's impossible. Ur is the master of Fairy Tail, now. There's no way she could do something like that. Still, why do I feel like that's exactly what she would have done.'

Meanwhile, Ultear watched Lyon begin to shudder, having a good idea what he was thinking while she thought to herself as well.

'I guess Mira will be happy about this.' Ultear thought to herself while smiling wryly on the inside. 'Because I have no doubt that when I reported back to Mom, if Lyon had failed, she would have come out here to oversee his training. And she would have left Mira in charge of the guild while she was way, just like Master Makarov used to.'

"Hmph! Even though he is Ur's disciple, too." Juvia said with a snort, pulling Lyon and Ultear out of their thoughts. "Why is he so week?"

"Well, what did you expect?" Ultear asked while wearing a derisive smile on her face. "He abandoned Mom for a stupid reason almost ten years ago. Despite that, she still sees him as a disciple. *Sigh* I don't even know why she still puts up with this ingrate."

Hearing that, Lyon's eyes widened in shock. Meanwhile, Juvia glared at Lyon as if he were trash. Ultear on the other hand, smiled deviously. She had been holding onto the resentment she felt when Lyon acted as if he had been betrayed when he found out that Ur was not the world's strongest wizard. And now that she finally got to take revenge, she could put it behind her.

"Come on, Ultear, I was just a kid back then!" Lyon shouted while quickly sitting up. "I didn't understand the way the world worked back then."

"Yeah, and now that you do, you never even apologized to Mom." Ultear replied with narrowed eyes. "She took care of you for over a year, feeding you, housing you, and teaching you magic. And how did you repay her? You left her as soon as you found out she wasn't the strongest. Hmph! As far as I'm concerned, you're still a kid."

In response, Lyon could only lower his head in shame. Everything Ultear said was right, after all. And despite meeting Ur several times since they separated, he never apologized to her for the way he acted back then.

"*Sigh* You're right, Ultear." Lyon said in a downcast tone. "I really do need to apologize to Master for the way I acted."

"That's right. You really do." Ultear said before turning away from Lyon. "Anyway, let's go back inside, Juvia. We still need to talk."

"Okay…" Juvia replied, her tone sounding rather downcast, as well.

With that, Ultear and Juvia returned to the Lamia Scale guild hall while Lyon continued to sit on the training field in contemplation. Meanwhile, the rest of Team Lyon looked at their leader with concern, not knowing the best way to cheer him up.