— — — — — —
Sensing that Ur had something important to say, Renzo waved his hand and cast a soundproof barrier around them, isolating Ultear so she couldn't hear their conversation.
Ur gave Renzo a grateful nod before speaking in a hoarse voice, "Renzo... do you know where any of the surviving members of that Magic Institute are?"
She needed revenge.
Otherwise, the weight in her heart would never lift.
She would never be able to forgive herself.
The bastards who lied to her and her daughter, who tortured Ultear like some kind of lab rat—they had to pay. In blood.
She wanted them to suffer the same pain they inflicted on Ultear—every bit of it.
If she didn't do this, she wouldn't be worthy of being called a mother.
"Yeah, I've got a lead or two," Renzo nodded. "Back then, the one pulling the strings was a guy named Brain. He's currently the guild master of one of the Balam Alliance's Dark Guilds—Oración Seis."
"As for where he is now... not entirely sure. But he should still be somewhere down south."
"Once we get to the Kingdom of Fiore in the south, I'll start looking for him. I'll track him down—and anyone else from that damned institute who's still breathing. I'll hand them over to you and Ultear. How does that sound?"
That was about all Renzo could remember.
Brain hadn't started training Jellal yet or gathered the future Oración Seis members like Angel and Midnight.
"Wait... now that I think about it," Renzo muttered, "didn't Ultear manipulate Jellal in the original timeline?"
Then how the hell did Jellal even meet Brain?
"Could it be that Ultear acted as the middleman between them?"
"Yeah... that actually makes a lot of sense."
"And if Ultear could get in contact with Brain, maybe it all traces back to Hades. They're all part of the Balam Alliance after all."
"In the original storyline, Hades used Ultear and Oración Seis to distract the Magic Council."
It was all starting to line up for Renzo.
So, if they wanted to find Brain, the key would be the other Dark Guilds under Oración Seis.
If they could get close to them, they could find Brain—and from there, maybe even dig up the rest of the Magic Research Institute's scum.
"You're thinking something, aren't you?" Ur asked, seeing the distant look on Renzo's face.
"Yeah, here's what I figured..." Renzo nodded, then laid out his deductions for Ur. Of course, he left out any talk of past life or 'original story from the anime'—he just explained everything in a way that made sense in their world.
Ur's eyes lit up with determination. "So basically, if we follow the trail through those Dark Guilds, we can eventually find that bastard Brain and everyone else who hurt my daughter?"
"Exactly."
"Then it's settled! We head for the Kingdom of Fiore!"
Ur made the decision on the spot.
"Sounds good to me," Renzo nodded. He'd been wanting to go to Fiore anyway.
He was more familiar with that place—at least, in the anime version of it.
More importantly, he wanted to study magic there.
"I'll go settle Ultear down for the night. You should rest too, Renzo. You've done more than enough today," Ur said as she picked up the sleeping Ultear and headed to their room.
Renzo also headed upstairs.
"Oi! What's going on? What happened to Master earlier?" Lyon and Gray immediately rushed over.
"Don't ask too much. Just know this—Master and her daughter were both tricked. And because of that, her daughter suffered a lot," Renzo said with a serious tone. "That's a debt we're going to settle someday."
"Also, from now on, be more respectful and kind to Ultear. Got it?"
Renzo wasn't kidding—Ultear had been through hell.
Sure, in the original timeline, she did some terrible things later on, but in the end... she paid a heavy price.
She sacrificed her life—literally aging herself into nothing—to save the world.
You could say she paid for her sins in full.
That part of the story always made Renzo's heart ache.
Now, though, he had a chance to change things.
To save her before she made those mistakes. And that was something he was grateful for.
"I get it," Lyon and Gray nodded seriously.
Gray then added, "So... can you tell us who the enemies are? Once we find them, we'll make them pay!"
"No way we're just gonna sit back after what they did to Master's daughter."
"Yeah! I'm in too!" Lyon chimed in.
"You two?" Renzo gave them a deadpan look. "The main enemy is someone even stronger than Master herself. What are you two gonna do—annoy him to death?"
"Uhh…"
Lyon and Gray both froze on the spot.
Did he really have to crush their confidence like that?
Come on, they were planning to get stronger too!
"Go get some rest," Renzo waved them off. "Starting tomorrow, I'm putting you two through some real training. Better brace yourselves. This isn't something you can just quit halfway."
"Oh—and just a heads-up, we'll probably be heading south to the Kingdom of Fiore soon. So mentally prepare for that, too."
"If you've got any girlfriends or whatever, now's the time to say your goodbyes."
He threw that last line in with a teasing smirk.
"W-We don't have anyone like that!" Gray blurted, his face instantly turning red.
Lyon folded his arms and turned away with a snort. "Tch! Girlfriends only get in the way of being stronger. I don't need one!"
"Oh ho?" Renzo raised an eyebrow. "I'm gonna remember you said that. Can't wait for the day you eat those words! Hahaha!"
In the original series, this guy fell head over heels for Juvia at first sight.
Looking at him now—with those slightly sinister eyes—it was hard to imagine him becoming that pure, love-struck guy in the future.
Exactly why this punk needed some real-life experience and growth in the southern guilds.
Later that night, Renzo took a bath and headed to his room. Lying on his bed, he closed his eyes and let his consciousness enter the shared mind space.
He hadn't been back here in days—too busy traveling after leaving in such a rush.
He wasn't even sure if anyone else would be around right now.
But even if it was just himself—technically, different versions of himself—he still wanted to catch up and talk to the others.
— — —
As soon as he stepped through the mental portal, he saw Eevee sitting on a table, chatting with Uchiha Renzo.
There was also another guy there, wearing clothes with the word "Five" on the back.
Fairy Tail Renzo walked up with a smile and raised a hand in greeting.
Uchiha Renzo looked up right away. "Yo! Newbie! You're finally back! How'd things go on your end?"
Eevee added cheekily, "We were starting to think you kicked the bucket!"
"Heh."
Aizen gave a calm smile. "Let's not exaggerate. With access to all our powers and abilities, there's no way even a demon like Deliora could've truly threatened him."
"Thanks for the concern, everyone," Fairy Renzo smiled as he sat down next to Uchiha Renzo. "Deliora was taken care of a few days ago. Couldn't have done it without the Holy Purification skill—otherwise that unkillable bastard would've been a nightmare to finish off."
"Hero is not around right now?" he asked, genuinely wanting to thank the guy.
"Not at the moment. He was here earlier this afternoon," Uchiha Renzo shook his head. "Now that you're here, show us what you've been up to lately. We're curious!"
He held out his hand, and the others followed suit.
"Sure thing."
Fairy Renzo placed his hand on top, and in an instant, their memories and power flowed together.
Uchiha Renzo chuckled in surprise. "Well, damn! You barely finished off Deliora and already ran into Ultear and Hades?"
Eevee piped up, "And almost took out Hades too! Damn impressive!"
"Indeed," Aizen nodded. "Your timing and tactical coordination were excellent. Especially considering you've only had this power for a few days."
"And as for Ultear," he added, "You handled it beautifully. Watching the anime back in the day, her story always left a sour taste—so much pain and regret."
"But now? It looks like you've given her a chance at a real childhood. Here's hoping she grows up healthy and happy."
Uchiha Renzo and Eevee both nodded in agreement.
"Well done, rookie. You've earned some praise."
.
.
.