Chapter 118
"Back then, Jellal was the one who led all of us. He had such a strong sense of justice, and I admired him more than anyone."
Erza lowered her eyes.
"But for some reason, he suddenly became someone I didn’t recognize at all. If a person can turn into a demon... then that’s what happened to Jellal."
She told Marshall everything from the beginning.
How she and the other children from her village had been abducted by a cult of dark Mages.
How they had been taken to the Tower of Heaven.
How she met the kind, courageous Jellal there—and how he had given her the surname Scarlet because of her hair.
They endured countless hardships together inside the tower.
Then Jellal killed one of their companions while trying to save her.
When Erza eventually led the slaves in rebellion, Rob sacrificed himself so she could escape the cult.
But at the very moment she believed they had finally won, Jellal changed.
He betrayed her.
"He forced me off the island and threatened me."
Erza’s voice trembled.
"He said that if I ever exposed his secret, he would kill everyone still trapped inside the Tower of Heaven."
"And he really would do it."
"I had no choice..."
At that moment, Erza no longer resembled Fairy Tail’s strong, fearless, and gallant knight.
She looked just like the ordinary little girl who had once hidden herself away to cry.
After all these years, she had never escaped that nightmare. She had simply endured it in silence, carrying everything alone.
’Jellal...’
’You truly deserve to die!’
Marshall took a deep breath.
Seeing Erza like this made his heart ache.
At the same time, he couldn’t help blaming himself.
Perhaps he should have asked her about this much earlier.
Had he uncovered the truth sooner and dealt with it then, Erza wouldn’t have spent so many years tormenting herself with guilt that never belonged to her.
"Erza, you never needed to hide this."
Marshall looked at her steadily.
"Whether you told me or Master, neither of us would ever allow something like that to continue."
"Marshall, you don’t understand."
Erza shook her head.
"The people inside the Tower of Heaven... none of them are innocent anymore. They’re all—"
"That’s only an excuse Jellal fed you!"
Marshall interrupted her firmly.
"Erza, I will never betray you."
The certainty in his gaze left no room for doubt.
In truth, Marshall didn’t care much about the people inside the Tower of Heaven.
He cared about Erza.
If destroying the tower, Jellal, and everyone inside with a single blast of Heat Vision would allow Erza to move on, he would do it without hesitation.
But that clearly wouldn’t work.
Erza was too kind.
She still cared about the companions she had left behind and wanted to save every one of them.
Marshall needed a solution that would resolve everything perfectly.
And by "perfectly," he didn’t merely mean rescuing everyone in the tower.
He needed Erza to lose every remaining illusion she held about Jellal.
She had finally opened her heart to him. All the trust Marshall had built over the years hadn’t been wasted.
His place in Erza’s heart clearly outweighed that of a certain blue-haired, tattooed bastard who had done nothing worthy of her feelings.
The source of her conflict was equally obvious.
She couldn’t understand how the righteous Jellal she once knew had transformed into someone so cruel.
The answer was simple.
He had been corrupted—or perhaps possessed—by what he believed to be the spirit of the Black Mage Zeref.
Jellal was only a pawn.
The person manipulating him from behind the scenes was the true culprit.
Marshall would help Erza bring this matter to a complete end.
Even if Jellal still had to answer for the crimes he had committed, Marshall would first drag the mastermind into the open and beat them to death with his own hands.
And as for what had caused Jellal’s sudden change...
Marshall might already have an idea.
Erza finally remembered the question she had meant to ask.
"Marshall, were you able to tell whether Siegrain was lying?"
She looked at him anxiously.
"Do you really believe Jellal has a twin brother?"
Marshall didn’t answer directly.
Instead, he took out a photograph and handed it to her.
"Who do you think this is, Erza?"
Erza’s eyes widened.
"That’s... Jellal!"
"No."
Marshall shook his head.
"That’s Mystogan."
"What?!"
Erza stared at the photograph in disbelief.
Why were there so many people with Jellal’s face?
Was he somehow just remarkably ordinary-looking?
"The Jellal you saw—or rather, the version of Jellal currently moving around in this world—is using another identity to accomplish something he doesn’t want anyone to know about."
Erza clenched her teeth.
"Then I have to stop him!"
"Are you certain?"
Marshall’s gaze sharpened.
"If you reveal that you’ve confirmed his identity, do you think Jellal will spare the Tower of Heaven?"
Erza froze.
"That..."
Her hands curled into fists.
"Damn him!"
She looked helplessly toward Marshall.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"If you trust me, leave everything to me."
Marshall’s voice softened.
"I’ll handle it."
He would uncover the entire truth.
In his own way.
...
When Ultear regained consciousness, she found herself inside a pitch-black room.
There were no windows. The only illumination came from a few magical crystals emitting a faint, ghostly glow.
Chains held her against a large wooden frame with her arms and legs spread apart. Her magic had been completely sealed, leaving her unable to move.
She had been captured!
And whoever had done it had brought her here without her noticing anything.
"Yes."
Marshall sat cross-legged on the floor, looking up at the restrained Ultear with an amused glint in his eyes.
"Hanna?!"
Ultear’s eyes widened.
"It’s you!"
"What is the meaning of this? Why did you capture me?"
"Let me go! Aren’t we friends?"
She had initially been alarmed, but after realizing that her kidnapper was "Hanna," she felt strangely reassured.
For some reason, she was no longer quite as frightened.
"First, stop calling me by that name."
Marshall raised one finger.
"My real name is Marshall. Hanna was merely a false identity I used while attending the Magic Academy."
He raised a second.
"Second, we aren’t friends, so stop trying to act familiar with me."
Then a third.
"And third, you now know my greatest secret."
His smile became deeply unpleasant.
"You can forget about ever leaving this room."
"Prepare to experience true despair!"
Marshall delivered the thoroughly irresponsible threat in a light, almost playful tone.
"Wait!"
Ultear began struggling against the chains.
"I don’t want to become your enemy!"
"Why are you being so scary?"
"Marshall, have you forgotten all the time we spent together at the academy?"
"We were best friends!"
Her gaze fell on the whip in Marshall’s hand, its surface glowing ominously in the darkness.
Ultear immediately curled as far inward as the restraints allowed.
"Enough shouting."
Marshall rose to his feet.
"No sound can escape this room."
"You can scream until your throat gives out, and no one will come to save you."
He flicked the whip through the air.
Crack!
The sharp sound echoed through the chamber, perfectly completing the atmosphere.
"Now then."
Marshall smiled.
"The next part belongs to the two of us."
"I ask the questions. You answer them."
"If your answers satisfy me, perhaps I’ll be in a good enough mood to let you go."
"Understood?"
"Yes! Of course!"
Ultear nodded rapidly.
"I’ll tell you anything I know!"
"Good."
Marshall’s expression turned cold.
"You and Jellal have infiltrated the Magic Council."
"What exactly are you plotting?"
"Tell me everything."
"..."
Ultear’s expression shifted repeatedly.
After a long struggle, she stiffened her neck and turned her head away.
"Guh..."
"Just... kill me."