Tike blinked and asked curiously, "Then did you learn Space Magic, Big Sis?"
Ultear shook her head, a trace of regret appearing on her face.
"I only learned a tiny bit of basic application."
She reached out, swiping gently in the air, and pulled a crystal-clear crystal ball out of thin air, holding it in her palm.
"I can't perform long-distance teleportation like you did when you took me to Brago, so I can't really say I could use it to find you. Compared to this half-baked Space Magic, I'm better at the Arc of Time."
"Arc of Time? What kind of magic is that? What's it used for?"
"A type of Time Magic," Ultear explained. "The Arc of Time can fast-forward or rewind time, but it's limited to use on non-living objects."
Saying this, Ultear tossed the crystal ball in her hand toward the opposite wall.
The crystal ball traced a graceful arc in the air, speeding up more and more until it smashed directly through the wall with a bang, leaving a bowl-sized hole.
In the next instant, the crystal ball appeared in Ultear's hand again. The hole in the wall also began to restore at an astonishing speed. The shattered bricks and stones reaggregated, the cracks healed rapidly, and finally, it was restored to its original state.
Watching such a magical operation, Tike's eyes lit up instantly.
"Then if I have leftovers after eating in the future, can Big Sis use magic to rewind time so I can eat forever?"
"Food... The Arc of Time is also ineffective on such things that are equivalent to dead organisms." Ultear was amused by Tike's innocent question. "Besides, can't you create food yourself?"
"That's true too!"
With a thought, Tike raised his hand again. Magic power surged, and a shiny, greasy roast goose appeared out of thin air.
"This is Qiankun Roast Goose!" Tike greeted enthusiastically. "Come on, Big Sis, let's eat together!"
Ultear hesitated for a moment but finally decided to enjoy this long-awaited meal with Tike.
After eating, Ultear stood up, patted the dust off her clothes, and said to Tike, "I'm leaving. You wait for me with Mom."
Hearing Ultear was leaving, Tike immediately stood up, wanting to follow.
"I'll go with you! If that old man doesn't let you quit, I can help!"
Ultear gently patted Tike's shoulder, signaling him to be at ease.
"No need. Trust your Big Sis; I'm not so incompetent that I can't even handle a small matter like this."
Saying this, Ultear's expression became somewhat subtle.
"Now... does Tike still like the scent on me?"
"Still the same as before." Tike gave this answer decisively.
"Is that so..." Ultear smiled with relief.
"By the way, take her with you."
Suddenly remembering something, Tike activated Water Mirror magic and pulled Blake, who was sipping black tea on the ship, over.
Blake stumbled and nearly fell to the ground, spilling most of the black tea in her hand onto her dress.
When she saw both Ultear and Tike were here, her heart skipped a beat, and a chill instantly shot up her spine from the soles of her feet.
(Does this little ancestor think I'm useless now and plans to kill me here to silence me?)
Ignoring Blake's reaction, Tike commanded directly, "Go quit Grimoire Heart with Big Sis. If that old man named Hades refuses to let Big Sis leave, you bring up the rear for Big Sis, or... anyway, you listen to everything Big Sis arranges."
Blake immediately lowered her head, expressing her absolute obedience in the most humble posture: "Yes, this lowly one obeys."
Watching Blake's submissive appearance, Ultear couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.
Blake, who was always high and mighty in the guild and whom no one but the master could handle, had completely lost her usual arrogance at this moment.
(Serves her right. Who told her to attack Tike?)
Ultear thought gloatingly in her heart, the corner of her mouth even curling into a mocking arc.
Tike felt equally pleased.
He might feel guilty treating others like this, but with Blake, he only enjoyed this sense of domination.
He tilted his head and looked at Ultear.
"Not going down to say goodbye to Mom Ur?"
"No. After I finish dealing with matters over there, there will be plenty of time to get along with Mom properly."
After speaking, Ultear took out a deep purple magic orb and crushed it. The space behind her began to distort, creating a black vortex identical to the one Brain used.
Just before stepping into the vortex, Blake asked cautiously, "Um... may I ask Lord Tike, what will you do with my sister Lucia?"
"As long as you fulfill my request properly, then both Lucia and you can survive."
Tike's tone softened slightly, no longer as cold and commanding as before.
Blake bowed her head deeply again, expressing that she would do her utmost to complete Tike's orders. Then, she followed closely behind Ultear, disappearing together into the pitch-black vortex.
Standing alone at the edge of the tower top, facing the biting cold wind, Tike watched the direction where the black vortex disappeared, hoping in his heart for Ultear's early return.
"Let's go down first to tell Mom Ur about Big Sis."
Tike leaned back, his body falling straight down the tower.
During the rapid descent, a circular water ring portal opened in mid-air. The boy's figure passed through it, and when he reappeared, he had already fallen into Ur's arms.
Ur froze slightly. Feeling the familiar temperature and breath in her arms, she realized it was Tike who had returned and immediately asked urgently, "Tike, where's Tear? Where is she?"
Tike looked up and flashed a bright smile at Ur.
"Mom, Big Sis said she has to go resign from her job over there first and then she'll come back. She told us to go back and wait for her."
Tike didn't mention the words "Grimoire Heart," nor did he mention that Ultear had joined a dark guild all these years.
But even if he didn't say it, Ur wasn't completely ignorant.
Ultear's sudden appearance at the Tower of Heaven was full of suspicious points in itself.
If she wasn't captured and brought here, then she could only be associated with those guys in the darkness.
And judging from her daughter's current performance, it was highly probable she belonged to the latter.
"Tear... will she really come back?"
"Big Sis didn't lie. She will definitely come back."
Gazing into Tike's earnest eyes, Ur revealed a slightly stiff yet hope-filled smile and responded with difficulty.
Alice flew in front of Tike and reminded him timely, "Tike, weren't you looking for that Jellal?"
"Ah, almost forgot."
Tike looked again at the place where Brain had just disappeared.
Since Ultear was here, her matters were naturally more important, but Jellal...
According to old man Rob, Jellal was a newcomer who had only been at the Tower of Heaven for a few days. The reason he was locked in confinement was to take the punishment for attempted escape in place of a little boy named Sho.
From this, it could be seen that this Jellal should be a good person.
However, perhaps because the scent on Brain was too strong and foul, or perhaps for some other reason, Tike hadn't smelled the scent of kindness on Jellal back then. Instead, he only smelled a faint scent of lies.
Tike got up from Ur's embrace, pointed to the location of his heart, and said to her, "Mom Ur, stab me once so I can open a spatial passage to there."
Without even thinking, Ur immediately shook her head and rejected Tike's proposal decisively: "No! Absolutely not!"
Seeing Ur disagree, Tike turned to look at Erza beside them. Before he could speak, Erza had already anticipated his intention and spoke first, "No! Tike, I don't agree to do this either!"
Although she didn't know what use this would have, she could never hurt Tike, her benefactor.
Ur grabbed Tike's shoulders tightly, her eyes full of worry.
"Although I'm also very worried about that child named Jellal, I can't let you do such a dangerous thing because of it. Tike, you can't always hurt yourself like this!"
Looking at Ur and Erza's worried expressions, Tike remembered the dispute between Ur and Ultear back in Brago.
If he insisted on doing this, they would also be very sad, right?
"Alright, I'll listen to you this time."
Compared to Jellal, a stranger he had never met and wasn't sure if he liked, they were more important.