But faced with her mother's warm gaze, Ultear could no longer keep lying to herself. She gritted her teeth and decided to reveal every secret in one go, holding nothing back.
"Actually... there are still some extremely important things I have to tell you."
Ultear took a deep breath and said gravely,
"My true identity is a core member of the dark guild-Grimoire Heart!"
Her words stunned everyone.
Ur's pupils contracted sharply, and her brow immediately furrowed.
She had never imagined that after escaping the research institute, her daughter would fall straight into a dark guild that was every bit as dangerous. That was no place to be.
Instinctively, she stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders, which were trembling slightly with nerves.
"What?! Isn't Miss Ultear a Council Member? How did she suddenly become a member of a dark guild?!" Lucy asked in panic, her face deathly pale and her jaw practically on the floor.
Ultear lowered her head in shame, her voice low and weak:
"Because... I'm a spy Grimoire Heart planted in the Magic Council. I stayed there to accomplish a secret objective."
Lyon frowned, instinctively looking to Ur for her reaction.
His subordinates, however, barely reacted. They were either independent Wizards or Wizards who had already left their guilds, so they knew very little about the balance of power in the magical world.
By contrast, Gray's expression was especially grave. As a Wizard from a legitimate light guild, he naturally stood opposed to dark guilds. That was an irreconcilable matter of principle.
"What exactly is going on?" Gray asked gravely.
"Um... what kind of guild is Grimoire Heart, exactly?"
Lucy raised her hand to ask. She knew absolutely nothing about dark guilds.
Natsu and Happy dropped their usual goofy grins for once. They