Entrusted

"Come on Erza, I have no interest in monsters. I'm looking for people, people, understand?" On the other side, Mira, still scantily clad, put down her wine glass and said disdainfully.

Erza said, "I suggest you take a look first. It says he can only transform into a monster, but he's still human in reality."

Mira Fox glanced at her suspiciously, as if she didn't quite believe her.

"Show me the arrest warrant."

Erza pulled a yellow piece of paper from her armor and handed it to Mira.

"I want to see this monster..."

Suddenly, Mira fell silent.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Erza asked.

Mira's small hand, clutching the paper, trembled slightly.

"Tick-tock~ Tick-tock~"

Tears streamed down her pretty face, and she covered her mouth with her other hand, weeping silently.

"Still alive... still alive... that's wonderful..."

Mira choked up, but a smile graced her pretty face, as if she were rejoicing over something.

Erza was slightly stunned; it was the first time she had ever seen Mira like this.

From her initial quiet demeanor upon joining the guild to her later outgoing and carefree personality, Mira's character undoubtedly underwent a tremendous transformation. Yet, she had never seen Mira cry before, let alone cry like this.

"This person... must be very important to her..."

The girl's eyes suddenly softened, because she was also thinking about some things from the past.

Although it was full of hardships, she is grateful that there was a period of time when a boy stayed by her side.

"Where is he now?" Mira wiped away her tears, regaining her composed demeanor, and asked.

"It's said... he and a girl from the Dark Guild have been hunted by the Mage Guild for two months now," Erza replied.

"A girl from the Dark Guild..." Mira's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.

"Erza, come with me," Mira said.

"Yes!" Erza nodded emphatically.

Mira glanced at Lisanna and Elfman, who were playing happily with Nazgray and the others in the corner, and hesitated before speaking.

She ultimately didn't tell them because... she wanted to bring Chiba back directly to surprise her younger siblings.

The little old man at the counter slurred, "You... you can go... but... don't cause trouble..."

The two girls walked out of the guild together.

A deserted forest.

This place is indeed sparsely populated, except for a dilapidated little village in front of us, which also looks like it has been uninhabited for many years.

Chiba brought two girls here.

Two months of fleeing had left Chiba utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. He had been responsible for guarding the area, whether traveling or resting, and was the only one of the three capable of doing so.

"Brother Chiba, where is this?" Wendy asked softly, holding Chiba's hand.

Chiba looked around and said, "I don't know either, I've never been here before."

Suddenly, he shuddered, as if he had remembered something.

The outline of the village ahead, and the surrounding environment...

That's right! It should be the location of "The Cait Shelter"!

In the original story, Jellal from another world brought Wendy here and entrusted Wendy to Rob, the former chieftain of the Nirvit Tribe. Wendy told Rob, "Jellal said he would send me to the guild." For Wendy's sake, he created a guild— Cait Shelter.

A guild that exists for one person.

"Is this fate?" Chiba chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Perhaps it was the binding force of the world that led him to bring Wendy here this time.

Whether Jellal brought Wendy here, or Wendy here himself, the outcome remained the same.

He's currently being hunted by members of the Shadow Skull and the Guild Alliance, and with his current strength, he can't absolutely guarantee Wendy's safety. Rather than having Wendy follow him, it's better to entrust her to Rob.

Everything seemed to have been meticulously planned.

He suddenly leaned down and smiled gently, "Wendy, didn't Jellal promise to take you to the guild? It looks like the Mage Guild is just ahead."

"Really? But the village ahead looks quite deserted," Wendy said with some skepticism.

Ultear, standing to the side, was puzzled. She couldn't understand how Chiba knew there was a mage guild ahead. This seemingly ancient and dilapidated village was deserted, with no sounds of people or smoke rising from chimneys. How did he know?

Chiba patted Wendy's head and smiled, "Of course it's true! Shall I take you to the Mage Guild?"

Wendy's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. "Wow! Really? Then Chiba- nii, Ultear- neechan, and Wendy can all stay here together!"

Chiba fell silent.

Wendy seemed to have noticed something, and the smile on her face slowly faded.

"Wendy, listen to me, we and Ultear are being hunted by the Dark Guild, one of the three strongest guilds. You know they're after us? If we stay, we'll cause them a lot of trouble," Chiba said.

"But... but... I don't care, Jellal is gone, I don't want... I don't want Chiba- nii to leave too, I want to go with you." The little girl hugged Chiba's arm tightly and cried.

Chiba said, "Wendy, look into my eyes."

The little girl looked up, her eyes blurry with tears.

Chiba said earnestly, "I promise you, I will never die easily. And I will definitely come back to find you in the future, okay?"

Wendy shook her head frantically. "No, I don't want to leave you."

Chiba smiled helplessly, then his Sharingan instantly materialized. Immediately afterward, the little girl's eyes widened, and she fainted.

Chiba picked her up and carried her toward the small village.

"What did you do to her?" Ultear followed and asked.

"I used my ability to see to hypnotize her," Chiba said. "We can't let her continue following us. Jellal entrusted her to me; I can't let her be in danger."

Ultear opened her mouth, but then hesitated and stopped herself from speaking.

The two entered the village, and just as Chiba and Ultear had expected, it was deserted. There wasn't a single person here, let alone a mage guild.

Chiba was walking through the village with Ultear when suddenly he saw a house. There seemed to be movement inside the house.

He and Ultear stepped inside.

An old man, dressed like a tribal chief, was sitting on the ground. Upon seeing the newcomer, astonishment appeared in his aged eyes.

"Grandpa, we're being chased by the Dark Guild. Please, could you adopt this child?" Chiba asked earnestly, holding Wendy in his arms.

The old man was slightly taken aback, glanced at Wendy in Chiba's arms, and seemed not to have reacted yet. "You can..."

Chiba walked up to him, carefully placed Wendy on the bed, then turned back to look at Wendy deeply before turning and leaving.

In the future, Rob would recall that day and that intriguing young man.

"The child's tone was full of sincerity and something inexplicable, and I couldn't help but agree. But what was most unfathomable was his eyes, as if he saw the future, yet was powerless to resist it."

"I'm leaving." Chiba said softly as she walked out of the house.

He knew that this time it was likely a matter of life and death.

A storm was brewing for him.