Brian's Madness

After hearing Allen's reply, Makarov fell into thought. After a moment of contemplation, Makarov looked at Allen and said seriously, "Alright, I won't notify the Council for now. You go confirm Brian's stance. However, regarding going to the Northern Continent, I think you need to reconsider. Or, you can contact your grandmother during the day and see what her opinion is. Of course, if you absolutely must go, bring a few people with you. You can't do this alone. We are all family in Fairy Tail. That's all for now, I need to continue thinking about what to do next."

After Makarov hung up the communication, Allen said to Laxus, who was already incredibly excited beside him, "Laxus, are you scared of going to the Northern Continent?"

Laxus waved his fists and shouted excitedly, "Are you kidding me! I'm Laxus! If I don't participate in something like this, it would be the biggest regret of my life!"

Allen smiled and patted Laxus's hand, then returned to his room and said to Caitlin, "Let me ask you another question. About a year ago, did your Serpent's Lair attack a Mage from a Guild called Foxes of the Forest?"

Caitlin vaguely recalled the name Foxes of the Forest. "I think I've heard the name Foxes of the Forest. Some people in the Guild mentioned it. Ah! Right, it was Seo Ramsey's group who did it. When they came back that day, they boasted loudly that the Light Guild's A-Class Mages were nothing, completely unable to withstand a single blow. Seo's group is in the Northern Continent now, but I don't know their exact location. I only know that one of our Guild's outposts in the Northern Continent is in Isban. I don't know anything else."

After saying all this, Caitlin said to Allen, "Hey! I've answered so much, can you unseal my Magic Source?"

Allen ignored Caitlin and simply threw out a sentence, "It will be unlocked naturally after some time. For now, you'd better stay here obediently."

After confirming that the five people couldn't break free from their restraints, Allen took Laxus back to their room in the inn.

In the room, Allen also contacted Yahar and informed him of the news he had just received about the Dark Magic Group and Serpent's Lair operating in the Northern Continent. He also told him to hurry and come to receive the five captives from Rainbow Port, otherwise, they might find a way to escape.

Upon receiving the news, Yahar brought his people and rushed to Rainbow Port overnight. He also wanted Allen to guard the five captives there. Allen directly replied, "I have my own things to do and no time to help you guard captives here."

After saying this, Allen hung up the communication. As soon as dawn broke, he took Laxus and left the inn, preparing to head to Crocas, where the Magic Development Bureau was located.

Allen vaguely remembered that shortly after Ultear was born, she became ill because the Magic Power within her was too immense and she hadn't developed yet, making her unable to control it. Because she knew Brian, Ur sent her to the Magic Development Bureau, hoping to help Ultear control the vast Magic Power within her. Although he didn't know Ultear's birth date, he could go to the Magic Development Bureau and see if Ultear was there. Even if she wasn't, exposing Brian early would be good.

With this thought, Allen and Laxus traveled from Rainbow Port to Crocas, thousands of kilometers away. This time, Allen's luck wasn't very good; he couldn't catch a ride along the way. The two hurried along, and only after half a month did they see the outline of Crocas.

The two successfully entered Crocas. Makarov had already told Allen the location of the Magic Development Bureau, so now Allen just needed to wait for nightfall to sneak into the Magic Development Bureau.

In the evening, Allen and Laxus were eating at a restaurant not far from the Magic Development Bureau. Allen's expression suddenly turned serious because he saw his target—Brian—hurriedly leaving the Magic Development Bureau by car. It seemed Yahar had already received intelligence about the Dark Magic Group in the Northern Continent.

After confirming that Brian had left, Allen and Laxus didn't rush. Instead, they quietly waited for the night.

Night soon fell. Allen and Laxus had already set up personal invisibility magic circles on themselves. If there were Mages skilled in perception in the Magic Development Bureau, this invisibility magic circle might be detected, but it was enough for the two to enter the Magic Development Bureau smoothly.

"Big Brother, where do we go first now?"

Laxus, having successfully entered the Magic Development Bureau, was a bit lost.

Allen, who had a map of the Magic Development Bureau, didn't pause at all. He said as he walked, "First to the archives, then to the research lab, to see where the magic they researched is, and then see if there's anything I want to see."

Laxus blinked and nodded as if he understood but didn't. Although he couldn't fully grasp what Allen was saying at the moment, his years of following Allen told him that as long as he closely followed his Big Brother's footsteps, he wouldn't go wrong.

When they entered the archives, the two were instantly stunned by the dazzling array of magic books and scrolls. Countless bookshelves were neatly arranged, filled with all sorts of magic secrets, as if a treasure trove of knowledge lay before them.

However, unlike Laxus's bewilderment at the sheer number of spells, Allen appeared calm and composed. He calmly raised his right hand, extended his index finger, and pointed forward. Simultaneously, he pointed his left index finger to his head. A powerful surge of Magic Power erupted from his right fingertip, extending forward rapidly like a nimble beam of light. Allen controlled this Magic Power, and it began to scan each magic book and scroll in the archive one by one.

At the same time, Allen's left hand began to receive these scanned magics. Unlike ordinary people, Allen didn't carefully examine each page and line. Instead, relying on his astonishing memory and mental strength, he directly stored them in a specific area of his mind. This way, when he had free time later, he could slowly conduct in-depth research and organization of the collected magics.

It turned out that after deciding to come to the Magic Development Bureau, Allen had specifically asked Makarov to consult with Blue Pegasus Guild Master Bob on how to study ancient script magic. Thanks to Allen's own powerful mental strength, Allen successfully mastered this magical art on his way to Crocas.

Even with Allen's sufficient mental strength and Magic Power, scanning the archive's magic took an hour. After the entire scan was completed, Allen took a deep breath. Although he hadn't examined them closely, the sheer volume of magic left him mentally fatigued.

Laxus stepped forward with some concern. Allen patted his head and waved his hand at him, "I'm fine. Let's go to the research lab. There's no evidence of cooperation between Brian and the Dark Magic Group here."

Allen and Laxus walked towards the research lab. The corridor was so quiet that only their faint footsteps could be heard. Upon reaching the entrance of the research lab, Allen stopped cautiously, signaling Laxus to be careful.

At this moment, the research lab door was tightly shut, and faint fluctuations of Magic Power emanated from its surroundings. Allen cast a detection spell and found that there were complex sensing formations both inside and outside. He took a deep breath, concentrated his energy, and began to decipher the formations. Laxus stood by, observing their surroundings and keeping watch for Allen.

After considerable effort, the magic circle of the research lab was finally broken.

Pushing open the door, they saw various strange instruments and shining magic crystals inside, as well as some experimental semi-finished products. Allen searched for clues everywhere but found nothing of value. Allen didn't believe Brian would leave no evidence, so he and Laxus meticulously searched every nook and cranny of the research lab.

Suddenly, Laxus seemed to sense something and waved at Allen. Allen quickly went over. As expected, there was another secret behind a wall in the research lab.

The two looked for a switch nearby. It was Laxus again; he pressed a decorative item near the wall, and the wall in front of them suddenly opened a door.

The two exchanged an excited glance. Allen didn't hesitate to walk in. As expected, when they entered, they discovered that this place was a world of its own.

However, in just a moment, the excitement on Allen and Laxus's faces vanished without a trace, replaced by endless rage and shock. Because what appeared before them was an outrageous scene—more than a dozen children of varying ages lay quietly unconscious in various corners of the room. Some children lay weakly on the cold ground, while others were placed on eerie experimental tables. Even more heartbreaking was that each child's body was covered in wounds of various sizes and shapes, as if they had undergone extremely cruel torture.

Beside those experimental tables, a rather old notebook was placed. When Allen casually opened the notebook, lines of shocking text met his eyes. It meticulously recorded various evil magics obtained from the Dark Magic Group and related experimental data.

Just then, Allen's gaze was suddenly drawn to a figure. It was a young child who bore a striking resemblance to Ur. Without a doubt, this poor little one should be Ultear. Even though she was unconscious, traces of tears still lingered on her face.

Without any hesitation, Allen quickly took out the communication crystal he carried and decisively contacted Makarov, who was in Magnolia.

In fact, Makarov had been anxiously awaiting news from Allen. When he saw the inhumane scenes through the communication crystal, his uncontrollable rage was about to erupt. His eyes instantly turned blood red, as if they were about to spew fire. He roared at Allen, "First, find a way to treat these innocent children and ensure their safety! At the same time, protect the scene. Absolutely no clues or evidence should be destroyed! I'm leaving now. No matter what, this time I will make that insane Brian pay the price he deserves and send him to a place with no burial ground!"