"So, you are the famous Ice-Make Wizard, Ur?!"
"You came here to find me because you want me to save your daughter, correct?"
Not long after, Brain, the current Chief of the Bureau of Magical Development, appeared before Ide and Ur.
Upon hearing from his subordinate that the renowned Ur from the Kingdom of Iceberg had traveled thousands of miles to seek his help, Brain immediately dropped his work and came out personally to meet them.
Standing before the couple, Brain's gaze first fell on Ide. He scrutinized him for a moment but found nothing noteworthy. He shook his head internally. What a pity. The husband of the famous Ur is just a piece of trash with barely any magic power.
"As for Ur..."
Brain shifted his gaze to Ur. His eyes widened in surprise. "The Ice Wizard Ur lives up to her reputation! Her magic power is likely no weaker than Zero's."
"No!"
"Wait..."
"Ur's magic power is above Zero's."
"This is inconceivable."
Brain was shaken by Ur's immense power. He had never imagined there could be a wizard in this world stronger than his split personality, Zero.
"And Ur's daughter..."
Finally, Brain looked at Ultear. A greedy, feverish light flickered in his eyes.
"Haha."
The descendant of a Wizard Saint-level mage. This is rare and precious research material.
Brain cleared his throat, feigning sympathy. "I am deeply saddened by your daughter's condition. However, fortunately, I do have a way to save her!"
"But there is a condition: you must leave the child here at the research institute for treatment, and you must not interfere with the Bureau's work."
Brain said with false sincerity.
"Really?"
"You can really save my daughter?"
Overwhelmed by sudden joy, Ur didn't notice the deception. She looked at Brain with excitement, seeing him as the embodiment of hope.
"Daughter, you're saved."
Ur whispered softly. She carefully handed the bundled-up Ultear toward Brain, her eyes filled with reluctance.
After all, this was the baby she had carried for ten months. Of course she couldn't bear to let her go.
But this separation was necessary for their future reunion.
"Heh."
Brain sneered inwardly, looking at Ur with disdain.
So what if her power far exceeds mine and Zero's?
She's just a fool who gets played by a single sentence.
As expected, no matter how powerful a wizard is, once they have offspring and weaknesses, they become soft and easily manipulated.
Heh, I will never leave myself with a weakness like that.
Thinking this, Brain reached out his large hand toward the sleeping Ultear.
"Wait."
However, just as Brain's filthy hand was about to touch Ultear, Ide moved.
"Bastard! Get your dirty hands away from my daughter!"
Ide's hand shot out, intercepting Brain's reach. His voice was cold as ice. "Who did you say was 'rare and precious research material' just now?"
"What?!"
"How do you know what I was thinking?!"
Brain's pupils dilated in shock. Damn it, is he a Mind Wizard?
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
Brain panicked for a split second but quickly forced himself to calm down. The situation wasn't the worst-case scenario yet.
Fortunately, the one who discovered his secret was Ur's useless husband, not the monster Ur herself.
In Brain's eyes, Ur's husband was insignificant. As long as Ur didn't find out, he had plenty of ways to smooth things over.
BOOM!
Unfortunately for Brain, before he could formulate a plan, a thunderous roar exploded in his ears. A fist wrapped in pitch-black lightning slammed ruthlessly into his face.
Splurt...
Brain's nose bridge shattered instantly. His body, unable to withstand the overwhelming force, was launched backward like a cannonball.
"Damn it."
"I misjudged him!"
Brain crashed into the ground a hundred meters away, coughing up blood. He stared at Ide in disbelief, realizing he was in trouble.
He thought Ur was the only monster. But it turned out the whole couple were monsters.
Whoosh!
Before Brain could process this, Ide vanished.
"Disappeared?!"
Brain's pupils constricted. "No... that's not it! His speed... it's faster than my eyes can track!"
By the time Brain's thoughts caught up, Ide was already standing over him. A sharp rapier, glinting with cold light, was pressed against his throat.
"Bureau Chief, was it?"
"Now, tell me immediately."
"What exactly is the method to save my daughter?"
Ide demanded coldly, staring down at the fallen Brain.
"Heh."
"You think I'll tell you?"
Brain's face twisted, eventually settling into a smug, triumphant grin despite his predicament. "Go ahead, kill me if you have the guts. But once I die, there will be no one left on this continent who can save your daughter."
"In the Kingdom of Fiore to the west, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Makarov, obtained a Dragon Lacrima for his grandson."
But just as Brain was gloating, Ide—with his Observation Haki fully active—read his surface thoughts instantly.
From the depths of Brain's mind, Ide learned that in a kingdom called Fiore to the west, a powerhouse named Makarov Dreyar had a grandson suffering from the same condition as Ultear.
To help his grandson control the massive magic power, Makarov had spent a fortune to acquire a Lightning Dragon Lacrima, which successfully alleviated the symptoms.
"Damn it."
"Isn't this mind-reading magic a bit too overpowered?!"
Brain's eyes trembled in terror as he realized his thoughts were laid bare. He stammered, "Uhh... if I take back what I said earlier, can we still settle this peacefully?!"
"Are you joking?"
"It's way too late for that."
Ide didn't give Brain a chance to spout any more nonsense. He swung his rapier.
Slash!
Blood sprayed from Brain's neck. The Chief of the Bureau of Magical Development was dead.