Hades' indifferent voice filled the room. Outside the door, Shane instinctively narrowed his eyes, interest lighting up in them.
So this was the "Guild Master" Ultear had mentioned—the legendary "Abyss of Magic," Hades?
Even if they weren't truly enemies yet, Ultear's words had always hinted at his swelling ambitions. If they were destined to clash sooner or later, then having the chance now… of course Shane wanted to hear what made this so-called master so extraordinary.
Inside the room, Ultear's nerves were tight.
Not because she was afraid of Hades—this kind of routine check-in was something she'd long since grown used to.
She was worried about the man outside the door instead: Shane, whose brain never ran on normal rails. If he suddenly barged in, or made some weird noise at the wrong moment—
Then things would get complicated. Fast.
Ultear drew a slow breath and forced her voice steady. "I found a grimoire that interested me. I… had to put in some effort to get it."
"Oh? A grimoire?"
Hades' voice remained low, the disdain unmistakable. "And you're still wasting time on things like that?"
"Ultear, you need to understand: even if you do find that kind of magic, in this dull, mediocre world, even the greatest spells are beasts bound in chains. They can't be used freely."
He paused. When he spoke again, there was a coaxing, seductive undertone to it.
"Didn't I tell you already? Once we complete the Great Magic World… the truth of magic will descend again."
"With your Arc of Time, reclaiming the happiness you once lost—will be nothing more than an easy little task."
"Great Magic World…?"
Outside the door, Shane silently repeated the phrase to himself and exchanged a look with Erza—who clearly didn't understand it either.
That was… a lot to unpack.
Shane's mind churned.
Was this the thing Ultear always refused to talk about—Hades' real ambition?
Ultear's expression twitched. Her eyelid actually jumped.
She hadn't expected Hades to toss that plan out so casually.
But staring at the projected image—at that single eye that felt like it could see straight through her—
Ultear could only crush down the turbulence inside her and keep her face cold and flat. "No. It's just an interesting 'super magic,' that's all."
To keep Hades convinced—and to hide her real intentions—she needed a believable smokescreen.
"Master… have you ever heard of Nirvana?"
"Nirvana?"
Hades let out a cold laugh. "That magic created by the ignorant Nirvit tribe? Trying to forcibly twist human hearts without paying a price—stupidity at its finest. They deserved their extinction."
Outside the door, Shane's brows shot up.
The information he and Ultear had gone through hell to dig up in the tree sea—Hades already knew it?
And from that tone, he didn't just know it. He looked down on it.
Shane couldn't help shooting Ultear a weird look.
If your guild master knows everything, why did you go through all that trouble? Why not just ask him?
Ultear had no good answer.
The entire reason she'd dragged Shane along in secret was because she didn't want Hades knowing she was hunting super magic on the side.
And now, the excuse she'd thrown out in desperation had landed her directly in the line of fire.
She cursed her luck inwardly, and outwardly lowered her gaze like she'd just been taught something. "I see… As always, Master, your knowledge is unparalleled."
"Hmph."
Hades snorted, clearly unimpressed by flattery.
"Perfect. That spell is useless in itself, but I've heard the fool Brain has taken an interest in Nirvana."
In his lone eye, a calculating gleam flashed.
"Keep an eye on it. If you play this right, you can use him to draw more of the Council's attention and buy us time for our plan."
Then his gaze swept over Ultear's slightly pale face—cool and appraising, like he was looking at a tool.
"In two days, come to the guild. We've taken in another mage who has mastered Lost Magic. As the head of Purgatory, you need to meet them."
"Understood."
With Ultear's reply, the lacrima's light dimmed, and Hades' image vanished into the air.
The moment the call ended, Shane couldn't hold himself back. He pushed in immediately.
"What was that 'Great Magic World' thing your master just said?"
He asked it straight out.
Ultear's expression shifted. She still didn't want Shane knowing what her wish really was.
She turned her face away, dodging his intense stare. "A pipe dream. Something that'll probably never happen. Not worth talking about."
Then she pivoted, eyes sharpening as she looked between Shane and Erza.
"More importantly—you heard him too. Brain seems interested in Nirvana."
Her gaze turned hard. "Do you have any ideas?"
Even though it was obvious Ultear was changing the subject, the moment Brain's name surfaced, both Erza and Shane sobered instantly.
"Of course I have ideas," Shane said, face serious. "If Nirvana can really lure Brain out, then this is our chance to finish him—permanently."
Erza offered, "Can we spread the information about Nirvana? If Brain hears it, maybe he'll go straight there."
"No." Shane shook his head without hesitation. "Nirvana is too dangerous. We can't just throw that information out into the world."
After hearing Roubaul's story about how the Nirbit tribe was wiped out, Shane couldn't even imagine what kind of chaos would happen if Nirvana fell into the wrong hands.
"Then what—do we just pretend we never found it? Do nothing?" Erza frowned.
"No." Ultear cut in, a chill flashing in her eyes. "I can help you monitor the Worth Woodsea."
She looked at Shane, lips curling into a thin, cold smile. "If Brain is interested in Nirvana, he'll go there sooner or later. If we keep eyes on that place, we won't miss him."
"Good idea!" Shane's eyes lit up.
He'd almost forgotten: Ultear's hatred for Brain wasn't any weaker than theirs.
"You don't need to worry," Ultear continued. "After I go back and deal with what I have to deal with, I'll return to the tree sea and set up surveillance magic."
"If Brain shows up, I'll contact you immediately."
"Good." Shane clenched a fist, exhilarated. "That's a huge help."
A problem that had haunted them for ages finally had a workable solution. For once, Shane found himself looking at Ultear and thinking: she's actually pretty great.
He casually handed her the cup of warm water he'd been holding, voice gentler than usual. "Get some rest."
"Tch." Ultear slanted him a look.
She could practically feel how fast he'd switched gears. Five minutes ago he'd been sniping at her, now that he needed her help he was suddenly all warm and friendly.
Still, she took the cup and sipped. Then she lay back down, rolling over to face away from him.
In her mind, she was weighing something: now that Hades' plan had slipped out, did she really still need to hide her wish from Shane?
Shane just laughed softly, unconcerned. He tugged Erza along, heading out—and even remembered to shut Ultear's door for her.
Outside the room, Erza's face brightened with genuine relief. "That's great, Shane! The Tower of Heaven… it's finally going to be over."
"Yeah." Shane nodded, the sight of her bright smile lifting his own mood. "But we can celebrate once it's actually over. For now…"
He stretched, glancing up at the moonlight outside the window.
"Let's just wait—with hope—and let things play out."
After a full day of travel and tension and stories, Shane felt like his bones were about to fall apart.
He told Erza goodnight, but instead of going straight to bed, he wandered out back. He wanted a proper soak to loosen up.
With the Heart Flame heating the water, steam began to rise from the once-cool spring.
Shane brushed aside a few leaves floating on the surface, stripped down in three quick motions, and was just about to step in—
When the door that was supposed to be shut creaked open beside him.
Creaaak.
Erza peeked her head out, eyes bright and fixed on him.
"Anything else?" Shane blinked.
"I want to soak with you," she answered instantly.
She said it so naturally that Shane just… stalled out for a second.
After a pause, he helplessly pointed at her hair—still not fully dry. "Didn't you already take a shower?"
"…So?" Erza tilted her head. "Does that mean I can't?"
"It's not that you ca—"
Before he could finish, Erza whooped once and hopped lightly into the spring.
Midair, a flash of magic—
Her sleepwear swapped into a thin white bathrobe that clung to her.
Splash!
Water sprayed up and hit Shane square in the face.
"Hey—careful!"
Shane finally accepted it: lately, she'd gotten more and more "my way or the highway," and he was completely out of tools to stop her.
"Haaah…" Erza scooped water over her shoulders, visibly relaxing. "Hot springs really are better. Way better than a shower."
Then she turned, puffed her cheeks in a rare bit of childish sulk, and poked Shane's arm hard with a finger.
"You've been running around nonstop, so this pool's been wasted. I haven't had a real soak in ages!"
Her finger tickled, and Shane couldn't help complaining, "Don't even start. You literally soaked with Ultear last night."
"And you two were already at the 'help each other scrub backs' stage—how did you not also give her a change of clothes?"
"…Huh?" Erza blinked, genuinely surprised. "Ultear went out without any spare clothes?"
She'd seen Ultear arrive empty-handed, sure—but with Requip being normal for her life, Erza had just… never connected the dots.
Then, like it was a perfectly ordinary observation, she added, "Also, Ultear's actually really shy, you know."
"Shy?" Shane looked like he'd heard a cat recite poetry. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Ultear?"
"Really!" Erza nodded seriously. "When I said I'd help scrub her back last night, she went stiff. Her face turned red and everything. She wouldn't let me touch her at all."
Shane's mouth slowly fell open.
He immediately pictured it: the usually icy, expressionless Ultear shrinking like a startled animal under Erza's enthusiastic kindness—
…and he couldn't help it.