"How rude of you to act so tense," Wes Elwin said calmly, full of confidence. "If we fight again, I might accidentally expose your ability to use Ice-Make magic. Funny, though—I heard you were just a 'weak' mage. Care to explain to Lyon why you've been hiding your true strength?"
Ultear clenched her teeth in anger but couldn't show it.
"Damn you… who are you? What do you know?"
"That has nothing to do with you," Wes replied evenly.
"I don't care who you are or what your goal is," Ultear snapped. "But stay out of my business. If you ruin our plan, you won't be able to handle the consequences."
She was trying to threaten him, but Wes only smirked. "Our plan, huh? So there's a whole organization behind you. Now that's interesting."
Feigning realization, he continued, "I knew it. Those kids couldn't possibly have the power to transport Deliora to this island. The island itself and that 'Moon Drip' ritual—they were all prepared long in advance by your organization, weren't they?"
Ultear's pupils contracted sharply. Her anger turned into pure shock.
(Who the hell is this man?)
"But don't worry," Wes went on, his tone almost playful. "I'm not the talkative type. Reviving Deliora sounds like an entertaining event—I'd never dream of stopping it. However…"
He paused deliberately.
Ultear's instincts screamed danger. (So he does have another motive after all.)
"When we fought earlier," Wes said leisurely, "you didn't just use Ice-Make magic—you also used another spell. That was the Lost Magic Arc of Time, wasn't it?"
Ultear staggered back several steps, nearly losing her footing.
"H-how do you know that?"
Lost Magics were called Lost for a reason—their difficulty of mastery was so extreme that each generation produced fewer and fewer users. By now, most mages didn't even know their names.
And yet this man had recognized it instantly. To Ultear, Wes Elwin was becoming more and more unfathomable.
"Teach me how to use Arc of Time, and I'll keep your secret," Wes proposed smoothly.
"In your dreams!" Ultear snapped, refusing without hesitation.
"Oh, really?" Wes tilted his head, pretending to think. "Then I guess I'll just tell Lyon that you're also an Ice-Make mage. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to know there's another disciple of Ur around."
He turned as if to leave.
"Bastard—stop right there!" Ultear shouted, her voice slipping back to her real tone in her anger.
"So you're actually a young lady, huh?" Wes chuckled but didn't stop walking. "Well, I'd better hurry and share this wonderful news with Lyon."
"Damn it, I said STOP!" Ultear yelled furiously, slamming her hands together.
An ice wall instantly surged from the ground, blocking Wes's path. The air temperature plummeted; a thin layer of frost crept over the surrounding grass and trees.
Wes halted and turned around with an amused smile. "Is this really wise? Using Ice-Make magic here… aren't you worried Lyon might notice?"
Ultear froze for a moment, realizing her impulsive mistake. She quickly murmured an incantation and waved her hands—
The ice wall melted and vanished as if it had never existed.
The Arc of Time had quietly erased every trace of its creation.
"No matter how many times I see it, the Arc of Time never fails to amaze me."
Wes Elwin's eyes were locked on Ultear's every move, a trace of regret flickering within him—if only he had something like the Sharingan, he could've copied it on the spot.
But to Ultear, his words of admiration sounded more like open mockery.
"You insolent brat!" she snapped, fury rising as she prepared to teach him a painful lesson.
Just then, Lyon hurried over, his voice full of alarm.
"What's going on here? Why do I sense fluctuations of Ice-Make magic in this area?"
Ultear instantly composed herself, putting on a look of nervous humility.
"It's the Moon Drip, my lord," she said smoothly. "It's taking effect. This is a sign that Ur's seal is beginning to unravel. Lord Lyon, your wish is finally coming true."
Lyon's face lit up with excitement.
"Excellent! It's all thanks to your hard work, Zalty."
"No, my lord—it's all due to your wise leadership." Ultear smiled humbly, her tone dripping with grace and deference.
Watching this shameless display, Wes couldn't help but be impressed.
No wonder she's been able to stay undercover at Lyon's side for so long… even someone like Jellal, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, was fooled by her.
If Wes hadn't already known the story in advance, he might have fallen for this cunning woman's act himself.
"Keep an eye on this man," Lyon ordered before leaving. "Don't let him interfere with our plan."
He left without the slightest doubt in Ultear's loyalty.
Once Lyon's presence faded, Ultear finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
"How cruel," Wes said lightly. "Lyon trusts you so completely."
"Shut up!" Ultear's expression hardened again. "The Arc of Time is not something I'll ever hand over to you. You're not even qualified to wield it."
"Oh, really?" Wes replied calmly.
He knew perfectly well that coaxing the secret of the Arc of Time from her was impossible for now. So he changed his approach.
"Then I want the Moon Drip's magic circle."
Ultear blinked. That request was… acceptable.
Still, a thought crept into her mind. Since he's asking for something, maybe I can use this to get the upper hand…
But Wes wasn't in the mood to play games.
"Give it to me—now. If I find out the magic circle is fake, or even slightly altered, we fight on the spot."
"You bastard!" Ultear's hands clenched tight, rage burning in her chest. She wanted nothing more than to punch that smug look off his face.
But she didn't dare.
Ultear knew Wes's strength. If she fought him, she'd have to go all out—and that risked exposing her true identity and jeopardizing the entire operation.
Personal safety meant nothing to her—but the plan had to succeed. One wrong move could ruin everything.
So she bit back her anger.
"Take it."
Through gritted teeth, Ultear hurled an ancient book at him. Inside was the design of the Moon Drip magic array.
Wes caught it and began to inspect the contents carefully.
Over the past few days, he had been closely observing the array's flow of magic. He already knew every key point of its structure.
After checking several crucial runes and nodes, he confirmed the array was genuine.
Ultear hadn't had enough time to falsify the data.
Satisfied, Wes closed the book with a faint smile. "Good. Then, for now, we won't be at odds."
°°°
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