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Brain didn't give Wendy time to think.
Brain raised his hand, and dozens of fallen Cait Shelter members were immediately entangled by vine-like dark chains and hung upside down in mid-air, dark purple patterns appearing on their necks and rapidly spreading across their bodies.
Watching her companions twitching in pain, Wendy's amber eyes welled up with tears, and she let out a suppressed whimper, "No... don't hurt everyone anymore! I promise you..."
"That's right, that's a good child."
Brain held a short skull staff and summoned a ball of black mist that landed at his feet. When the mist dispersed, a person lay on the ground, pale-faced and with weak breathing—clearly on the verge of death.
Brain pointed at the person at his feet and said to Wendy, "Once you heal him, I'll leave."
"But if you can't heal him, I'll make you watch with your own eyes how the skin of that old man behind you and that white cat is completely peeled off."
Facing Brain's threats and inducements, Wendy was terrified and uneasy, but to protect everyone who'd always cared for her, she mustered her courage and walked towards the "injured person."
Seeing the familiar deep blue short hair and the unique mark on his right cheek, Wendy exclaimed, "Big Brother Jellal! How could this happen!"
"You actually know my student?!" A trace of surprise appeared on Brain's face, but he quickly concealed it.
Wendy nodded innocently and recounted how Jellal had taken care of her six years ago.
Six years ago? Wasn't Jellal still in the Tower of Heaven then... Brain immediately concluded that Wendy had mistaken him for someone else, because the time Wendy mentioned was precisely when he was teaching Jellal Magic, and Jellal at that time had no ability to slip away from his supervision.
"So you're Jellal's younger sister? Then I must've made a blunder and hurt one of my own." Brain wouldn't actively clarify the relationship—he was best at deception, especially lies to children.
Brain's greatest achievement in deception was tricking a mother and daughter. Thinking of how their tragic lives were single-handedly orchestrated by his lies, Brain felt secretly pleased.
At this moment, Wendy couldn't distinguish Brain's sincerity from his pretense. Her mind was entirely focused on healing her "brother" whom she hadn't seen in years.
Emerald healing light bloomed in Wendy's palm, and pure healing Magic flowed over Jellal's pale skin. The blue-haired youth's shattered chest rapidly healed visibly, and his faint heart began to beat anew.
Erigor, who'd been obediently acting as Brain's subordinate, was stunned by this scene.
There actually existed Magic in this world that could pull a dying person back from the brink of death—it was simply a miracle!
And all of this was accomplished by an eleven-year-old girl!
Erigor finally understood why the Oración Seis would all come to this unremarkable Cait Shelter, and why their leader, Brain, valued this Sky Maiden so much.
The healing light grew brighter and brighter, and Jellal's injuries healed at an incredible speed, but Wendy was still young, and her Magic Power wasn't enough to fully restore Jellal.
However, Wendy was still able to heal those fatal wounds.
As the little girl's Magic Power was depleted and she stumbled and fell, Jellal—who should've been doomed along with his own sins—awoke.
Hearing the intermittent sobs, Jellal opened his eyes, and what met his gaze was a crying blue-haired little girl. But in Jellal's eyes, it was the figure of a red-haired girl.
Erza... No... Jellal's mind cleared, and he incredulously touched the bones that had been shattered by rocks in the sea. "I... I'm not dead?!"
"Of course you're still alive. I had Cobra fish you out of the sea."
Brain's emotionless voice confirmed to Jellal that he was still alive. He knew very well that he had information in his mind that Brain desperately wanted.
Before getting that information, Brain would try every possible way to save him.
Jellal sat up, looked at Wendy, who was crying and excited, and asked in confusion, "Who is this child? She couldn't be a secret weapon you're cultivating, Teacher, could she?"
"You're wronging me there. Wendy is your 'sister' after all."
"Sister? Teacher, you must be joking. I don't even know her."
Jellal frowned, ignoring the little girl's bewildered gaze, and shakily supported himself to survey his surroundings.
Seeing Jellal's weakened state, Brain was very satisfied. The chess piece that had become powerful and out of control now seemed to be back in his grasp.
"Jellal, you know why I went to such trouble to save you, don't you? Give me the coordinates of Nirvana."
Brain didn't waste any words and went straight to his objective. Jellal's life had been saved, and even if he was unwilling to speak now, Brain had at least ten ways to pry open his mouth.
Jellal nodded. "Teacher, you really found a good place to save me. The sealed location of Nirvana isn't too far from this Cait Shelter."
Brain was overjoyed, not expecting such an unexpected gain, and immediately took Jellal and left.
Outside the village, five figures stood. They were the other five members of the Oración Seis, who'd each found an excuse not to enter the village.
Brain also knew what these five "tools" from the Tower of Heaven were thinking, but he didn't care—they'd long since been pulled into darkness by him.
Only after Brain and his group disappeared into the woods did Wendy breathe a sigh of relief. She didn't understand why her "brother" treated her like a stranger, but the immediate priority was to heal her injured companions.
However, a large scythe suddenly spun and embedded itself in front of Wendy, its sharp blade just a few centimeters from the girl's face.
"No need to save them. You'll die with these wastes soon."
Looking at the little girl with a pale face, Erigor felt great. Being able to personally kill a Magic genius who hadn't grown up yet was incredibly exhilarating!
Bullying the weak—he was best at it!
Wendy looked flustered. As a Healing Mage, she only knew one offensive spell, but with her Magic Power depleted from saving people, she had no ability to resist.
"Wait, that person said he'd leave once Big Brother Jellal was healed."
The little girl's innocence made Erigor burst into laughter. "Hahahahaha, Lord Brain did keep his promise and left, but that doesn't include me."
The arrogant Erigor, the weak and helpless Wendy.
The last person on the scene, Roubaul, the Guild Master of Cait Shelter, stood restlessly, hesitating whether to intervene.
He had little power left—enough to support him for one more action at most—and those people earlier were after Nirvana...
Damn it! Stop, you old fool!
Watching the scythe raised high, the old man, who felt pity for the little girl, decided to use his last bit of strength for the child.
"STOP!!"
Erigor saw the dry and thin Guild Master Roubaul interrupt him and scoffed, "Old man, you say stop and I stop? Do you think you're Makarov?"
"Whether this Guild Master Roubaul can compare to our old man, I don't know, but you certainly can't."
A mocking voice blew past like the wind, and Erigor felt a chill down his spine.