A few months flew by. After Laxus mastered Observation Haki, Zorn continued to train alongside him and Cana.
Some of their guildmates also managed to enter the Physical Arts training area to strengthen themselves, and everyone was working hard to grow stronger. Cana proved herself exceptionally talented: through her diligent training, she learned to unleash monstrous strength and use it as a trump card in battle.
As things continued to improve, Zorn was able to take a break from training and bring Cana, Natsu, and Gray along on a few simple jobs. The old man also told Laxus to take Mirajane out on jobs.
One day, the master said he had something to announce, and the guild members gathered at the guild to wait for him. Zorn was enjoying a rare break and playing a card game at a guild table with Lisanna, Cana, and Elfman. Laxus lay on the sofa with his eyes closed, resting as usual, while the guild members made their usual racket.
Tap, tap, tap. A little old man walked into the guild with his hands behind his back, wearing the hat Zorn had given him last time. Looking perfectly composed, he entered amid the cheers of the guild members and then jumped onto the bar.
"Everyone, I've watched your efforts carefully over the past year, so it's nearly time to begin this year's S-Class Mage exam. Gildarts will arrive in three days, so the S-Class Exam will begin then as well," the master said solemnly.
"Oh, yeah! All right, Master, tell us the names! Who gets to take the exam this year?" Everyone cheered with excitement. One member, unable to wait for the list, eagerly raised a hand and asked before the master could speak again.
Hearing this, Laxus opened his eyes, turned and sat up. He raised his head, his eyes lighting up as he looked confidently at the old man. As Zorn listened to the master, he also watched Cana, who looked a little down beside him. Zorn knew Gildarts was someone special to Cana, and he was thinking about how to speak to her openly about it.
"Gildarts? The S-Class Exam?" Mirajane asked, somewhat puzzled. Seeing this, Erza pointed to the noticeboard upstairs, which they couldn't see clearly, and said, "An S-Class Mage can go up to the second floor and take on some difficult jobs, and is one of the candidates for the strongest person recognized by the guild. As for Gildarts..."
Macao heard Erza and Mirajane discussing the matter and, realizing they were a little unsure who Gildarts was, put down his glass and said proudly, "Gildarts is currently the strongest in the guild. He uses Greater Magic—Crash Magic—and he's also the only S-Class Mage."
"Ahem. Now I'll announce the candidates for the exam. They are..." The master coughed to quiet everyone, then paused at that point, building up plenty of suspense.
"Zorn Ace."
"Laxus Dreyar."
"That's all."
Some members were disappointed that they hadn't been chosen and lowered their heads dejectedly, but their companions comforted them, and they soon cheered up again.
"Damn it, I'm so jealous! I really want to be in the S-Class Exam too." Natsu listened to the names with envy written all over his face, his eyes shining as he imagined being on the list himself and having a great battle with Gildarts.
"All right, looks like I need to work hard too." For once, Gray didn't mock Natsu, because he felt the same way and was determined to meet the S-Class Exam requirements soon.
"Aye, Natsu, you should stop dreaming and work hard," Happy said, cradled in Lisanna's arms as he tried to talk Natsu out of his daydreams.
"Big Brother Zorn, hehe, congratulations!" Lisanna looked delighted for Zorn as she congratulated him on being chosen for the S-Class Exam.
"Zorn, congratulations." After the recent training, Elfman's personality had gradually mellowed considerably.
Everyone cheered for the upcoming S-Class Exam and discussed it enthusiastically. Erza and Mirajane, neither willing to lose to the other, argued over who would become an S-Class Mage first.
No one noticed the distracted look on Cana's face, but Zorn had been keeping an eye on her all along.
Once everyone dispersed to work and train even harder, Cana walked out of the guild in something of a daze. A little worried, Zorn followed her.
After Laxus's excitement subsided, he wanted to find Zorn and have a match with him before the exam, but Zorn had already left the guild.
On an earthen slope in the hills behind the guild, a cool breeze blew the last few leaves from the trees. Cana sat on the ground with her arms wrapped around her legs and her head resting on her knees. With envy and a touch of loneliness, she watched a happy, giggling girl being held high above her father's head in the town below, the whole family laughing together.
Zorn stood behind Cana, watching the heartbreaking scene, and couldn't help feeling for her. Remembering how desperately Cana had worked during training, and how determined she had been during the exam with Laxus, Zorn felt that he might have developed different feelings for her, and that he might not be able to stand by any longer.
"Cana," Zorn called out tentatively.
"What are you doing here? Are you going to train? Then let's go." Startled by his voice, Cana hurriedly put on a cheerful expression. She turned and stood up, smiling as she spoke to Zorn and patted the dust off her clothes.
"Cana, is there something you haven't told us?" Zorn asked softly and gently, sounding a little nervous.
"Haha, n-no, what could there be?" Cana paused, then laughed as she explained, still forcing herself to look cheerful.
"Whether it's something happy or something sad, sharing it at least to some extent is what a guild is all about. One person's happiness is everyone's happiness, one person's anger is everyone's anger, and one person's tears are everyone's tears. That's the Fairy Tail guild."
"Cana, Gildarts is your father, isn't he? I've noticed that whenever you hear his name, you look a little lonely. And you said you came to the guild looking for someone. With Gildarts's age and all those other things together, I could be sure." Zorn explained his reasoning as calmly as he could.
Zorn's words completely broke through Cana's composure. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she slowly told him about her past. As she spoke, tears ran down her cheeks and fell to the ground.
Zorn slowly stepped forward and drew Cana into his arms, patting her back to comfort her. "Don't worry. I'll give him a good beating in this exam. I might not be able to beat him, but I'll do my best. How's that?"
Hearing this, Cana looked up at Zorn, her wide, deerlike eyes still glistening with tears. The sight struck Zorn right in the heart, and his face instantly turned bright red. Seeing him blush, Cana realized how close they were. Her shyness eclipsed even her sadness, and her face turned red as well. She didn't push Zorn away, though; she merely drew her hands together in front of her chest, unsure what to do.
"Cana, don't worry. You can tell Gildarts whenever you're ready. But everyone in the guild is behind you. You're not alone. We're all your family, and, o-of course, so am I. I'll always protect you. I want to, I want to..." Zorn spoke firmly, but as he reached the words that revealed his feelings, he began to stumble, rubbing his head in embarrassment.
"Mm-hmm, okay." Listening to Zorn, Cana gradually calmed down. She looked at the Fairy Tail guild building below as the master's roar rang out and Natsu and Gray came flying out. Then she turned back, tucked her hair away from her face, and tilted her head with a blissful smile as she answered.
To be continued...