User blog comment:TheCarrotSaysYumYum/Fairy Tail Chapter 416 (Tartarus Arc - Last Chapter) Review/@comment-26024533-20150120010901/@comment-4449950-20150120013832

Lol your avatar Az XD Hehehe

Yeah, the only excuse I can come up with for Mashima (because really, he's the one who should be explaining) is that Gildarts is literally out of the country on his quest/travel/idunevenknow. Ie. not in Fiore. Otherwise I'm certain he would have at least noticed something. Hell, his Magic would have been a perfect Face destroyer (guess that's why Mashima wanted him out).