After the S-rank Dark Guild subjugation mission that came with the last task, Zorn used a portion of the combined bounty from both missions to buy gifts for his Guild Members, but the remaining money allowed him to rest at the Guild for a full three months.
Happy also grew healthily during this time and was already able to briefly fly with Natsu and the others during their training, though he mostly perched on Natsu's head.
One early morning, Zorn, unable to resist Natsu and Gray's constant pleas over the past few months, finally agreed to take them on an external mission. They had only been doing small tasks within the town, at most helping nearby villages drive away mountain animals. This time, Cana and Zorn were going on a high-difficulty mission, which made them restless, so they took advantage of Zorn's three months at the Guild to pester him three times a day, every day.
Zorn agreed because he saw that the two had trained desperately over the past three months, and their strength had significantly improved; they could even imbue their fists and feet with Armament Haki. This was also a good opportunity for practical application.
"Grandpa Guild Master, Cana and I would like to take Natsu and Gray with us for this mission," Zorn said, handing the mission request to the Guild Master, who was still drinking at the bar.
"Hehe, yes, Jiru."
"Old man, me too."
"Aye!"
Natsu and Gray, standing beside Zorn, looked like good students, showing off their white teeth as they chimed in. Even Happy, perched on Natsu's head, stretched out his paw in agreement and chirped.
"This mission is... a B-rank mission. Isn't this too simple for you, Zorn?" The Guild Master looked at the mission request with confusion. Given Zorn's current strength, even an A-rank mission would be a piece of cake for him.
"Oh, no, Grandpa Guild Master, you're exaggerating. I still have a long way to go," Zorn said, humbly scratching his head. Then he changed the subject and emphasized to the Guild Master, "This time, Cana will be the main lead, with Natsu and Gray assisting. I won't be making a move."
"Oh, so Cana's strength, in your eyes, is already enough for a B-rank mission? Not bad, not bad, hahaha." The Guild Master burst into hearty laughter upon hearing this news. No parent would be unhappy to hear about their child's excellent progress.
"And with your supervision, it's fine." The Guild Master happily agreed, registered the mission, and handed the request back to Zorn.
"Oh, Cana can already do B-rank missions? After training with you for only about a year, I don't quite believe it, Zorn. How about I test her skills?" Suddenly, a voice full of doubt and a hint of provocation reached Zorn and the others from behind them.
"Laxus, you—"
"What's wrong, old man? You only know someone's strength after you've tested it," Laxus retorted mercilessly, then looked at Cana and the others with disdain.
The other Guild Members, Mirajane, and Erza, hearing these words, frowned and looked at Laxus with concern.
"I agree. Since Laxus is concerned about Cana and the others, why don't Cana and Laxus have a physical combat match? That way, Laxus can be at ease, right, Laxus?" Zorn was the first to raise his hand in agreement, and with a mischievous smile, he pointed out Laxus's true intention.
"Who, who said that? I'm just annoyed by how careless you are." Laxus, hearing Zorn suddenly expose a thought he hadn't even realized himself, instantly started hopping around, stammering his defense.
"Hahaha, is that so? Alright, then let's go to the East Forest, to the east of the Guild." It was the first time the Guild Master had seen this side of Laxus since he had grown up, especially since Laxus had grown more distant from him after his son was expelled from the Guild.
"Urusai! Think whatever you want. See you in the East Forest in one day." Laxus, seeing the old man laughing so happily, became even more awkward and turned to leave.
"Pfft~ Haha!" Laxus's series of awkward reactions made everyone burst into laughter, making them realize that Laxus actually cared deeply about the Guild Members.
This was the effect Zorn wanted to see. Ever since his father was expelled from the Guild by his grandfather, Laxus had always wanted the Guild to become stronger, constantly pushing himself to get stronger. Gradually, he closed off his true feelings, never opening up to the others or sharing his thoughts with his grandfather, leading to an increasingly extreme personality that ultimately caused the Guild's internal conflict. Zorn wanted to change all of this, and this was the first step in using this opportunity to expose his inner thoughts.
At night, on the way back to the dorm after training...
"Zorn, I..." Cana wanted to talk to Zorn about her worries concerning tomorrow's match but didn't know how to start.
Zorn looked at Cana, who was nervously clenching her hands together, and knew what she was worried about. Cana had been a bit distracted all afternoon, so he asked her, "Cana, have you been lazy during your training so far? Have you trained until you collapsed on the ground? Do you have the determination to give everything to become stronger? Is there anyone you want to prove to that you are excellent?" Zorn asked Cana a series of questions without pause.
"No, I've always wanted to get stronger. I've always persevered, always persisted, never given up. Of course, I have, I have!" As Zorn asked his questions, Cana followed closely, answering him. Her voice grew increasingly firm, her eyes changed from confused to clear, then to resolute, and finally, she shouted out loud.
"Very good. Then, when you take that final, firm step, all your previous efforts and sweat will not have been in vain. They are the foundation upon which you step towards success, understand? Tomorrow, let them see that Cana is also very strong."
Looking at Cana's resolute eyes, Zorn knew that tomorrow's duel would be no problem. He knew Cana's true current level; in terms of physical combat alone, she was already strong enough. What she lacked was a firm belief, and he was looking forward to everyone's expressions tomorrow.
"Alright, I believe in you. Get some rest early, see you tomorrow, Cana," Zorn said, covering his mouth with his hand, yawning, and waving goodbye to Cana.
Seeing Zorn's retreating back, Cana suddenly wanted to tell Zorn about Gildarts-related matters but didn't know where to begin. He was the first person she felt she could open up to, and there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
"Well~ I'll talk about it later," Cana thought to herself, then softly said aloud.
Perhaps you're wondering why Natsu and Gray weren't causing trouble nearby? At the end of training this afternoon, Erza dragged them both away, one in each hand, under the pretense of needing help. Erza, seeing Cana looking hesitant and distracted, immediately misunderstood and quickly dragged Natsu and Gray away, wanting to leave Zorn and Cana some alone time.
To be continued~