Seeing Cana's emotional outburst, Hope and Makarov exchanged glances. Cana's attitude towards Gildarts clearly transcended the ordinary camaraderie between guild members and the admiration for a senior.
Gildarts was a bit bewildered by the scolding. He tried to sit up from the table to explain: "Cana, listen to me, I can actually..."
"Can what? Can your lost limbs grow back?"
Cana interrupted him, her voice choked with tears, "You idiot drunkard! Always trying to act tough! Is the Hundred Year Quest something you can just barge into alone?"
"I..."
"I what, I what! Every time you come back, all you do is drink! Drink, drink, drink! Why didn't it kill you?"
Cana wiped away tears as she scolded him. Her words were harsh, but her expression clearly showed deep concern, despite her fierce tone.
Gildarts was completely dumbfounded. Watching Cana cry, a strange feeling swept through his heart, too fast for him to grasp, yet heartbreaking enough.
He could only clumsily raise his intact right hand, wanting to pat Cana's shoulder, but then hesitated and stopped mid-air.
Makarov cleared his throat, "Cana, calm down. Hope has a way to make Gildarts' severed limbs grow back."
Cana froze, looking at Hope with tear-filled eyes. She felt an inexplicable trust in Hope.
"What the Master said is true."
Hope nodded, "Actually, we were just treating Gildarts, but..."
Cana sniffled, roughly wiped her face, and finally realized she had accidentally caused a disturbance. She immediately stepped back two paces, but her gaze remained fixed on Gildarts.
Gildarts felt a bit uneasy under Cana's complex gaze. He cleared his throat, trying to lighten the mood, "Uh... Hope, shall we continue? What do I need to do? Lie flat? Meditate? Or..."
"Lie down, relax, and try not to move."
Hope was brief and to the point. He came to the wooden table, and dazzling blue-white electric light burst from Hope's body, coiling around Gildarts' body as if alive.
The air in the office began to vibrate, papers on the table moved without a breeze, and the windowpanes hummed with resonance.
Cana instinctively stepped back half a pace, while Makarov narrowed his eyes, carefully sensing this power fluctuation that transcended magic.
With his hands suspended above the severed sections of Gildarts' left shoulder and left thigh, Hope's gaze sharpened, and a powerful Magnetic Field Power suddenly erupted around him.
Magnetic Field Rotation!
70,000 Horsepower · Cellular Reconstruction!
"Ugh—!"
Gildarts grunted.
Under the effect of Magnetic Field Power, the severed sections of his left shoulder and the root of his left thigh began to undergo incredible changes.
Muscle fibers extended like wriggling earthworms, severed bones grew at a visible rate, and nerves and blood vessels rewove into a network over them.
This sight was both miraculous and somewhat horrifying.
New limbs slowly "grew" from the severed sections, first the bone framework, then muscle filling, and finally covered with skin.
The entire process lasted about three minutes. When the blue-white electric light dissipated, Gildarts already had his left hand and left leg completely restored to their original state.
"Done."
Hope gasped for breath, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.
Forcibly using Cellular Reconstruction had consumed most of his Magnetic Field Power. His horsepower had dropped to around 30,000 and would take a few days to recover.
Gildarts sat up, incredulously moving his new hand and foot.
He clenched the five fingers of his left hand, then flexed and extended his left knee. Every movement was smooth and natural, as if he had never lost these limbs.
"It's incredible..."
Gildarts murmured, then excitedly jumped off the table and bounced twice on the ground, "Hahahahaha! No problem at all! It even feels more flexible and stronger than before!"
Cana stared blankly at the scene, tears still on her cheeks, her expression shifting from grief to shock, and then to the joy of relief.
Gildarts had intended to give Hope a bear hug, but seeing Hope's slightly tired face and Cana's red eyes nearby, his movements immediately paused.
Gildarts scratched his newly grown left arm, looked at Cana, and his tone became a bit cautious, even perplexed: "Cana, look, I'm all better, really, nothing's wrong anymore, you... you don't have to cry, okay?"
"Idiot..."
Cana cursed again, but this time her voice was much softer. Seeing Gildarts' helpless expression, and his somewhat silly, hearty smile, the turbulent emotions in her heart became extremely complex.
She was angry that he understood nothing, relieved that he had returned completely unharmed, and felt a pang of bitterness for everything she was too timid to say.
Makarov watched the scene, walked over to Hope, and whispered, "Big consumption?"
"It's fine, just need some rest."
Hope had already recovered from the brief discomfort of rapidly consuming Magnetic Field Power. He clapped his hands, drawing the attention of the other three people in the room.
Turning to sit on the sofa, Hope's gaze rested on Cana, "It's better not to keep some things bottled up, or you'll end up like Laxus."
Cana's expression changed slightly, then she scratched her head, pretending to be clueless, "Hahaha... Hope, what are you talking about? How could I possibly become like Laxus?"
"Yeah, Laxus could easily take on ten of you."
"Hehe..."
After a small jab at Cana, Hope continued, "Laxus used to have things on his mind, but due to his own reasons, he distanced himself from his companions. With no one to confide in, he chose to lash out at others to vent his negative emotions."
"But you're different... Cana, you choose to keep things bottled up. If you continue to consume yourself like this, you'll eventually have a mental breakdown."
"Did you use Mind Reading on me?"
Hearing Cana's retort, Hope shook his head, "I don't eavesdrop on my companions' thoughts, nor do I pry into their secrets. I only act as a silent listener when a companion wants to speak."
Cana retreated and leaned against the wall, lowering her head. After a moment, she said, "Actually... the reason I came to Fairy Tail... was to find my father."
"That's the first I've heard of it."
"So, Cana, your father is a member of our guild, and he hasn't acknowledged you all these years? That's really terrible."
"Who is he? I'll help you teach him a good lesson."
Gildarts rubbed the stubble on his chin, expressing his dissatisfaction with Cana's irresponsible father, completely unaware that Hope and Makarov's gazes had immediately locked onto him.
Listening to Gildarts' indignant tone, Cana slowly continued, "My father... is you, Gildarts..."
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