"Sorry, I have urgent business."
Faced with Doranbolt’s questioning, Jellal tugged at the hood of his cloak and spoke in a low voice, attempting to slip past him.
However, Doranbolt quickly reached out, gripping his shoulder firmly and preventing him from moving.
"That won’t do." Doranbolt’s expression was stern as he fixed his gaze on Jellal.
Then, in a sudden motion, before Jellal could react, he reached out and pulled back the hood.
"Who are you really?!"
As the hood fell, Jellal’s face was instantly exposed to everyone.
"Damn it!!" Jellal’s expression tensed the moment his disguise was removed, and a chilling realization sank into his heart.
"Jellal!!" Lahar shouted in shock upon recognizing his face.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
Everyone present was momentarily stunned, their minds struggling to process the sheer impact of encountering a wanted fugitive right in the middle of the Grand Magic Games.
Just then, breaking the heavy tension, a clear and calm voice rang out.
"Oh, so you’re here, Mystogan."
The sudden remark caught everyone’s attention, and they instinctively turned toward the source of the voice.
Not far away, Noel approached with a relaxed smile, his presence disrupting the tense atmosphere.
"Noel-san!" Doranbolt called out.
Noel walked up to them with a composed expression, casually running a hand through his silver hair with a slightly apologetic look.
"Sorry, sorry. Did I scare you guys?"
He then glanced at Lahar and Doranbolt before continuing smoothly, "Now you understand why Mystogan usually keeps his face covered, don’t you?"
"Huh?" Lahar and Doranbolt were both slightly taken aback.
"Our guild’s Mystogan," Noel explained with a smile, "unfortunately happens to have the same face as Jellal."
He continued, "This matter has already been reported to the Council, but to avoid unnecessary trouble, he usually keeps his face covered. I hope you can be a little understanding?"
"He’s not the real one?" Lahar said in surprise.
Seizing the moment of Lahar’s shock, Noel quickly glanced at Doranbolt.
When he noticed the latter hesitating slightly before giving a barely perceptible nod, the smile on Noel’s lips deepened.
He then continued, "Have you heard of a world called Edolas?"
"Yes... I’ve heard about it from my subordinates," Lahar nodded slightly.
"That world is connected to this one, and there exist people over there who look exactly the same as the ones here..."
Hearing this, Lahar gradually understood and turned to Jellal. "So, you’re from Edolas?"
"...Yes," Jellal nodded.
............
Coincidentally, not far from Noel and the others, among the dispersing crowd, the members of Mermaid Heel were also preparing to leave through the same exit.
As the leader of Mermaid Heel, Kagura suddenly sensed the commotion nearby.
She shifted her gaze slightly toward the source of the disturbance—only to see Jellal standing at the center of the crowd.
Kagura abruptly stopped in her tracks. "Jellal?!"
"Kagura, why did you stop?" one of the Mermaid Heel members following behind her asked curiously.
With a solemn expression, Kagura shook her head and softly called out, "Millianna."
"Huh?" Surprised at being called, Millianna tilted her head in confusion.
Then, following Kagura’s gaze, she, too, saw Jellal’s face.
"Jellal!!" Millianna’s expression changed the moment she saw that familiar face.
She clenched her teeth slightly, her emotions surging.
Just as she was about to rush forward, Kagura swiftly grabbed her arm and shook her head. "Calm down."
"But... he’s right there...!"
"I know," Kagura interrupted, her sharp gaze unwavering.
"But have you forgotten what my brother once said?"
Millianna hesitated for a moment, then, though unwilling, she eventually nodded.
"I understand."
"This debt will be settled sooner or later... but now is not the time," Kagura murmured, casting a glance at Jellal and Noel, who stood beside him.
"Don’t worry. It looks like Fairy Tail has some leads. Once the Grand Magic Games are over, we’ll deal with this matter properly."
..............
"Thank you very much for your understanding," Jellal said to Lahar.
"No... we were the ones who failed to grasp the full situation. That was our mistake," Lahar apologized.
As Jellal pulled his hood back up, he added, "Jellal is an evil existence to me as well. If I find him, I will report to you immediately. Farewell."
"Well then, we’ll be on our way," Noel said with a light smile.
He gave a casual wave to Lahar and Doranbolt before grabbing Jellal’s arm and turning away.
Once Noel and Jellal had disappeared from sight, the smile on Lahar’s face slowly faded.
In a low voice, he muttered, "That was the real one. For now, I’ll let him go out of respect for Saint Wizard Noel... but I won’t allow him to escape forever."
.............
(Lost track of it?)
As Jellal stepped out of Crocus, he scanned the crowd before sighing helplessly.
"That strange magic... it felt like darkness, but also somewhat peculiar... Just who could it be?"
"Hey..."
Noel, who had been quietly following beside him, suddenly stopped and grabbed Jellal’s shoulder.
Under Jellal’s puzzled gaze, Noel asked softly, "Isn’t it about time you told me what you’re looking for?"
Jellal’s pupils shrank slightly as he hesitated before replying, "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"Don’t play dumb." Noel clicked his tongue and stared at Jellal calmly.
"A man like you, wanted by the Magic Council, wouldn’t risk exposing his identity just to watch a tournament. Are you insulting my intelligence? If I’m not mistaken, Lahar has already figured out who you really are—he just held back because of the situation. And from the way you’re acting, it’s obvious you’re searching for something."
"...."
Jellal remained silent, unable to refute Noel’s words.
Seeing Jellal’s stubborn expression, Noel sighed and said, "If I’m not mistaken, you’re looking for a dark magic source, aren’t you? And that expression on your face—like ’How do you know?’—has already exposed you, Jellal. My magic is especially sensitive to darkness, you know."
Looking at Noel’s confident demeanor, Jellal’s lips finally curled into a bitter smile.
(Sorry, Erza... looks like I won’t be able to keep this a secret after all.)
--------------
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