"Ur."
Ide, who had been looking at Erza and Ultear, had his attention instantly stolen by Ur as she stepped into the guild.
Time had been kind to her. The years seemed to have left no mark on Ur; she was just as beautiful as the day Ide first met her.
In fact, the Ur of today was even more charming and alluring than before. Perhaps this was the difference between a girl and a woman?
"Ur, long time no see."
Abandoning Erza, Ultear, and Cana, Ide walked straight toward Ur, his eyes filled with deep affection.
"Long time no see."
Ide and Ur embraced as if no one else was around. They leaned against each other, whispering about everything that had happened during their time apart.
"Saved."
"Thank goodness Auntie Ur is here."
Seeing Ur's arrival, Erza let out a long sigh of relief. That was a close call.
To be clear, Erza wasn't afraid of Ide testing her combat cultivation. What she feared was Ide testing her on book smarts.
Math, literature, geography... those things were truly terrifying.
"It's a good thing Mother arrived in time."
Ultear nodded slightly, expressing her agreement.
"Auntie Ur?!"
"Wait, aren't Big Sister Erza's mother and Big Sister Ultear's mother the same person?"
While Erza and Ultear were celebrating Ur's timely arrival, Cana, standing to the side, sensed something was off based on how Erza addressed Ur. She looked at Erza with a puzzled expression.
"Mmh."
"Big Sister Ultear's mother and my mother aren't the same person."
"My mother's name is Irene Belserion. She runs a flower shop in Magnolia Town!"
"By the way, she isn't a wizard. She's just a 'magic enthusiast' who knows a tiny, tiny bit about Enchantment Magic."
"Big Sister Ultear's mother is Ur Milkovich, one of the three active S-Class wizards of Fairy Tail."
Seeing Cana's confusion, Erza smiled and explained.
"Is that so?"
"So Big Sister Erza's mother is an ordinary person too? Just like my mother, running a flower shop."
Cana hadn't expected Erza's background to be so similar to her own—both having an extraordinarily powerful wizard father and an ordinary mother who loved flowers and romance.
For a moment, Cana felt the distance between her and Erza shrink. She asked softly, "So, if I start learning magic now, can I become as strong as you in the future, Big Sister Erza?"
"Isn't that obvious?!"
Erza patted Cana on the shoulder and encouraged her, "As long as you work hard, Cana, you will definitely become an excellent wizard in the future. Just like Uncle Gil (Gildarts)."
"I understand."
Encouraged by Erza, Cana's gaze became determined. She decided to step onto the path of the wizard, just like her father.
"The path of a wizard, huh?"
In a dark corner of the guild, Ivan sat radiating negative energy. His eyes were gloomy and depressed as he listened to Cana and the others.
He muttered incessantly, "Heh, the path of magic isn't that easy to walk! Without talent, no matter how hard you work, it's meaningless. Hehehe..."
Ivan remembered clearly. He had been listed by Makarov as a candidate for the S-Class Wizard Promotion Trial starting in the year X763.
That same year, Ivan met Gildarts, who was participating in the trial with him. He was essentially treated as a speed bump and curbed.
In X764, Ivan encountered Gildarts again, this time as the examiner. He was forced to "accumulate experience" for another year.
In X765, Ivan was full of confidence, but then he ran into the newly joined Ide and Ur. He was one-shotted by Ide.
In X766, Ivan met Ur, who had failed the previous year.
And from X767 all the way to X773—seven years of S-Class trials—Ivan encountered Ur as the examiner every single time. And she was an examiner who absolutely refused to go easy on him.
As a result, he had been a "super senior" repeating the grade for eleven years.
However, eleven years of accumulation wasn't entirely wasted. Ivan's current strength was approaching the threshold of the "Ten Wizard Saints." Perhaps in a few more years, he would truly cross that threshold.
But the increase in strength didn't bring Ivan any joy. Instead, he grew more anxious with each passing year.
Why? Because his son Laxus, along with Ide's two daughters, Ultear and Erza, were growing way too fast. It was only a matter of time before they surpassed him.
"Damn it."
"Don't push me."
Ivan gritted his teeth, his heart filled with irritability.
If his progress in magic was truly surpassed by his son Laxus, Makarov might just skip him entirely and pass the position of Guild Master directly to Laxus. If that happened, all his years of scheming would be in vain.
"Damn geniuses."
Thinking of this, Ivan looked at Erza and Ultear with increasingly unkind eyes, harboring a deep jealousy toward these prodigies.
---
They say a reunion after a long separation is better than a honeymoon.
After Ide and Ur hugged and acted lovey-dovey for a while, Ide seemed to remember something.
specifically, when he noticed Ultear and Erza sneaking suspiciously toward the guild entrance.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He smiled and said, "Why the rush to leave? I haven't tested your homework yet~"
"Bad news. We've been spotted."
Realizing her plan to sneak away had been exposed, Erza's face filled with panic.
"Run!"
Ultear, being a year older than Erza, was much more decisive. She sprinted past Erza, heading straight for the door.
"Sister!"
Erza hadn't expected Ultear to abandon her at the critical moment. Her pupils trembled.
Indeed, sisters are like birds in the forest; they fly their separate ways when disaster strikes.
Freeze!
Unfortunately, before Erza and Ultear could make any real progress, Ide waved his hand, casting a magic circle that froze their feet to the ground.
"It's over. We can't escape."
Finding escape impossible, Erza and Ultear wore looks of utter despair.
"Squelch... Squelch..."
"Damn you, Ide. Did you have to throw me that hard?"
"I was thrashing around in that artificial lake for ages before I got out."
At that moment, Laxus—who had been thrown into the lake by Ide earlier and had swallowed a bellyful of water—squished his way into the guild, leaving wet footprints with every step.
"Oh, Laxus! Perfect timing."
"Count yourself in for the academic exam in a bit."
Ide, still holding Ur, called out to the passing Laxus.
"Hah?"
"Why do I have to take an exam too?!"
Hearing this, Laxus's face turned green.
was it too late to jump back into the lake?