◉◉◉◉◉
"B-bait?" Hugh's face turned white in an instant. Remembering the times he had secretly watched that passage with his heart pounding, a wave of fear washed over him. "How do you know that?"
"Instinct and observation."
Reon let go of him and swept his gaze across every uncertain face in the corner.
"That route is too perfect, Perfect in a way that feels wrong, The guards' line of sight always just happens to miss it, and even the gaps during shift changes feel carefully calculated."
"Then... what do we do?"
Millianna's voice trembled as she unconsciously moved a little closer to Erza.
Reon did not answer immediately. Instead, he shifted the topic.
"Tonight is most likely when the new supply ship docks."
That single sentence caught everyone's attention at once. Jellal's eyes sharpened.
"You mean..."
"When the ship comes in, they'll need people to unload supplies. Their manpower will be spread thinner. That gives us a chance to take a ship and get off this island."
Reon lowered his voice.
"I plan to make our move tomorrow at dawn, the moment the overseers blow the whistle and start driving us to work, when their guard is relatively looser."
"Make our move?"
Wally licked his dry lips, nervous and excited at the same time.
"Yes."
Reon's eyes turned sharp.
"They've grown lazy from comfort. At that hour, they'll be the least prepared. And for us, it is the only time of day when we haven't started work yet, which means our bodies and minds are at their strongest. We have to use that moment to seize control of the prison block immediately."
He paused.
"Then we split into two teams."
Crouching down, he quickly sketched a rough diagram on the ground with his finger.
"Team one will be led by Jellal. People trust you here, and you know the situation best. Wally, Hugh, Millianna, you'll go with him."
He pointed to each of them in turn.
"Your job is to stay in the rear, free the other slaves as fast as possible, and organize them."
Jellal nodded grimly. Wally and Hugh clenched their fists. Even though Millianna was frightened, her eyes slowly began to steady.
"The second team..."
Reon's gaze shifted to Simon and Erza.
"You two arrived more recently, so you're still in the best condition. You'll come with me and lead a smaller group forward. We'll create chaos, draw the main guards and the magical troops toward us, and buy time and space for the people behind us."
He paused, his voice so calm it was almost cold.
"It will be extremely dangerous. If you don't want to do it, you can stay in the rear."
Before either of them could answer, Jellal objected immediately and grabbed Reon's arm.
"This is too reckless. Ordinary people can't fight wizards. That's suicide. We should gather all the slaves together and break out as one force."
"This is the most rational split, and it gives us the highest chance of success."
Reon gently pulled free, his tone not wavering in the slightest.
"The more pressure we draw, the safer the rear will be, and the more people you'll be able to save. Once you've freed the prison block, we regroup, and then everyone pushes together toward the coast outside the tower. That's the best plan."
"I have no problem with it."
Simon's answer was short and firm. His mind was fixed on one thing only, finding his sister as fast as possible.
Erza, however, was not so easy to convince.
The Reon she had come to know over these past few days was not someone rash or impulsive.
This plan was too idealistic. The decoy team was practically volunteering for death. She did not believe he would create a plan that was pure suicide.
But after a moment's thought, she still nodded.
"I have no problem with it either."
She chose to trust Reon.
Jellal's brows remained tightly drawn. Reon was one of the few real friends he had made here, and he was genuinely worried. He still wanted to persuade him.
"Drawing all the fire to yourselves is insane. Against magical troops, you barely have any chance at all. I know you've gotten stronger, but..."
"Yeah, Reon."
Hugh grew anxious too.
"Let's just move together."
"No. The rear needs time."
Reon shook his head.
A joint breakout might indeed be safer in one sense, but a larger group also meant a larger target, and he would not be able to cover everyone.
That was what he thought, but looking at the worry in their eyes, he knew they would never feel at ease unless he gave them a real explanation.
And since this was information he planned to reveal later to raise morale anyway, he might as well say it now.
Reon fell silent for a few moments, then slowly rose to his feet. His calm gaze swept over his companions. He drew a deep breath, and when he spoke again, his voice rang out without concealment.
"The risk is real. But some things have to be done by someone."
He paused, then declared with complete openness,
"As for the magical troops, you don't need to worry. The reason I dare take on that role is that..."
"The wizard who appeared before and then vanished... was me."
...
...
Reon's steady voice carried clearly through the entire cell.
For one moment, the air itself seemed to freeze.
"What?!"
After that brief dead silence, gasps erupted from every direction. But they lasted less than an instant before everyone hurriedly clapped their hands over their mouths, eyes filled with disbelief.
"Y-you're joking, right?"
Hugh's chestnut-colored hair practically stood on end from the shock, and his feet took an unconscious step back.
"That's amazing."
Erza's lips parted slightly, and her red hair swayed with the motion. She had guessed that Reon was hiding something, but not this.
Even Jellal, usually so composed, was stunned. One hand went to his forehead as he muttered, "Wait... let me sort this out first..."
It was not just them.
The other slaves nearby had been nailed in place by that single sentence as well.
"He... what did he just say?"
"A w-wizard? There's a wizard... among us?"
"Is that real?"
Someone rubbed their ears as if wondering whether exhaustion had finally made them hallucinate.
Whispers spread through the prisoners like ripples in water. On every face, whether tired, hopeless, or numb, some degree of shock now showed.
Then, as if answering that unrest, a dark-gold light flickered into Reon's hand, and the sacred Noble Phantasm appeared.
The bow shone crimson, faintly luminous like living blood in motion, radiating a calm and steady presence that soothed the heart.
Reon held it quietly in both hands and let everyone see.
In that instant, all doubt vanished.
Every eye in the room, shocked, excited, disbelieving, locked onto him completely.
Reon did not avoid their gaze.
Revealing his identity now was meant to gather all of their strength into one will.
He then laid out the plan he had just discussed with the others, piece by piece, for everyone in the cell to hear.
And as he spoke, one pair of dull eyes after another lit up. They exchanged glances with each other, then turned back toward Reon, looking at him as if he were the only light left in the dark.
"Well? Does anyone have questions? If you do, ask them now while there's still time."
"We're in."
"We'll follow you."
"Get us out of here."
The replies came from every corner, hushed but unwavering.
No one asked what would happen if they failed.
No one said they wanted no part of it.
They had already had enough of the lives they were living now.
"Good. Then rest well, and wait for tomorrow..."
Reon looked at those eyes, now burning with fire, and nodded slowly.
He said nothing more after that. Recalling the Noble Phantasm, he returned to the corner alone and closed his eyes to rest.
But everyone in the cell could feel it clearly.
An invisible killing intent had spread through the prison.
That night, no one truly slept.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!