Looking at Cain walking in front of her, Ultear couldn’t help but daydream.
Once they escaped, they would go find Ur, and the three of them could live together.
Just imagining those happy, peaceful days intoxicated her.
After returning to her room that afternoon, she had thought about it carefully.
It was true—Ur had never explicitly told her she didn’t want her anymore.
She had only seen her mother living with those two boys.
Maybe they were just the children of Ur’s friends.
Suddenly, Cain stopped in his tracks.
Lost in her daydreams, Ultear didn’t react in time and bumped right into his back.
“Ah!” Her soft gasp was incredibly loud in the dead silence of the dark hallway.
At the corner ahead, a dozing guard groggily looked around.
Seeing nothing, he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.
Cain’s heart, which had just leaped into his throat, slowly settled back down.
Ultear had also noticed the guard.
Realizing her slip-up had almost gotten them caught, a wave of intense guilt washed over her.
“It’s okay.” Cain’s gentle whisper brushed against her ear.
Ultear looked up.
Even though it was dark, she could clearly see the reassuring smile on Cain’s face, telling her not to worry.
They waited silently for a few moments before cautiously tiptoeing past the corner.
Once they were safely away from the guard, both of them let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
Seeing each other make the exact same motion, they both couldn’t help but let out a muffled chuckle.
But they knew this wasn’t the time to relax.
They quickly adjusted their mindsets and pressed on.
Soon, they arrived at their destination: the Bureau’s garbage disposal area.
The Bureau’s trash was collected and hauled away by a specialized garbage truck every morning.
During her first escape, Ultear had hidden among the trash bags and slipped out of the Bureau when the truck drove away.
As soon as they got close, a pungent, sickening stench of rotting fruit peels and sewage assaulted their noses.
The moment the smell hit them, Cain and Ultear’s stomachs churned, and they both started dry heaving.
But Cain wasn’t a real eight-year-old.
Relying on the mental fortitude of an adult, he forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit.
“Ultear, cover your nose.” Ultear acted quickly.
The moment Cain spoke, she pinched her nose shut.
With the smell slightly blocked, it was much more bearable.
Now, all they had to do was wait silently for the early-morning garbage truck to arrive.
The two of them burrowed into a pile of large trash bags.
Perhaps their sense of smell was already growing numb to it, but the stench didn’t seem quite as unbearable as it had initially.
Ultear shifted closer, pressing her small body against Cain.
“Cain, do you think my mom will be happy to see me?” “She will be.” Even though he hadn’t met Ur, Cain’s absolute certainty made Ultear believe him without a shadow of a doubt.
“Cain, when the time comes, we can all live together!
Oh, and my mom is a super strong wizard.
We can learn magic from her together!” “When we get tired of training, we can go shopping in town.
Oh!
And there’s this iced pear treat in town that’s sweet, cold, and super yummy!” “But mom says I can’t eat too much, or my tummy will hurt.” Cain didn’t interrupt her.
He simply pulled her small, shivering body into a tight hug.
Although his original plan had been to join the Fairy Tail guild, going to live with Ur and Ultear sounded pretty good, too.
If he did that, he could stop Gray from recklessly seeking out the demon Deliora.
As long as Gray didn’t do something stupid, Ur wouldn’t die, and Ultear would have a mother who loved her.
Yeah, that sounded like a great plan.
Clap…
clap…
clap…
The sudden sound of slow clapping made Cain and Ultear stiffen.
All their beautiful hopes and dreams instantly popped like bubbles.
“I never would have guessed.
Honestly, I thought after you came back the first time, you wouldn’t try to run away again.” “Ultear, Ur already abandoned you.
Where could you possibly go even if you leave?” A dark silhouette stepped out from the shadows, approaching steadily until he stood right in front of the pile of trash hiding the two children.
With a casual wave of his hand, he swept away the bags concealing them.
Now exposed, Cain instantly recognized the man before them.
It was the director of the Bureau of Magical Development—Brain.
The man who would later become the leader of the Oración Seis, one of the three great Dark Guilds of the Balam Alliance.
Seeing the two children clinging to each other, a cruel, mocking glint flashed in Brain’s eyes.
“Did this little brat talk you into leaving?” By now, Ultear had recovered from her initial shock.
She glared at Brain fiercely.
“Cain didn’t talk me into anything!
I wanted to leave on my own!” Cain stared at Brain, his mind racing at a million miles an hour.
What could he do?
How could they possibly escape Brain’s clutches?
This is a critical, life-or-death moment!
System, it’s time to come out now!
But the miraculous cheat system he prayed for never arrived.
Cain’s anxiety skyrocketed.
Brain’s power was currently far beyond that of an average S-Class wizard.
If he unleashed his alternate personality, Zero, he’d be at least on par with Jose Porla, one of the Ten Wizard Saints.
Cain wondered if he could trade the location of Nirvana in exchange for Brain letting him and Ultear go.
But he had no idea if this version of Brain was even interested in Nirvana yet.
Faced with an astronomical gap in power and no cheat system to rely on, Cain was completely out of options.
Brain looked down at Ultear, who was glaring at him like an angry little lioness, and then at Cain, who hadn’t said a single word since he appeared.
A sinister smirk crept onto his face.
“Why don’t we play a little game?” “If one of you volunteers to stay behind, I’ll let the other one go.
How does that sound?” Brain’s twisted offer made Ultear’s eyes widen in horror.
“H-how could you do that?!” Just as she panicked and turned her head to look at Cain…
A sudden, sharp pain struck the back of her neck, and Ultear instantly blacked out.
Right beside her, Cain slumped over, unconscious as well.
It was Brain’s doing.
Looking down at the two unconscious children, he let out a dark chuckle.
“Fall into the darkness completely, Ultear.” He stepped forward, scooped Ultear up, and tucked her under his arm.
Turning back toward the Bureau, he casually ordered the guard standing nearby, “Dispose of the brat.” “Yes, sir.” The only reason Brain was keeping Ultear alive was that she possessed an astronomical amount of latent magic power.
To him, she was an incredibly valuable piece of merchandise—and a buyer had already reserved her.
As for the other brat?
He was just a defective reject.
No one knew when he might mutate into a mindless monster.
Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after, or maybe in the next five seconds.
Who knew?
He figured he was doing everyone a favor by taking out the trash.
Meanwhile, the guard approached Cain’s unconscious body and raised his sword, preparing to drive it through the boy’s chest.
But before he could strike, his captain’s voice called out from behind.
“Take him further away.
Don’t get blood everywhere, it’s a pain to clean up.” “Understood, Captain.”