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With Simon stepping in, the farce finally came to an end.
Reon shooed Hugh off toward Wally and went to sit by himself in the corner. With a body as weak as pond scum, all he wanted now was to rest.
Jellal dragged his feet over and sat down beside him, a look of satisfaction on his face.
"I'll give you this, That was well played."
He leaned in slightly, his eyes carrying that unmistakable look of I know exactly what you were doing.
"Just now... You did that on purpose, didn't you? You used that whole act to help them relax and blend in with everyone."
"Did I?" Reon blinked. "Was that my plan?"
To be honest, he had simply gone by experience. Giving someone food usually improved how much they liked you.
For example, right now, his opinion of Grandpa Rob was pretty high. If there were some kind of relationship meter floating over the old man's head, it was probably already above eighty.
"Still pretending."
Jellal laughed softly and gave Reon a light punch on the chest. Then he got up and left him alone to rest, heading over to explain the situation here to Simon and Erza.
This guy has absolutely misunderstood something.
Reon could not help shaking his head. Jellal was thoughtful and observant, but when it came to people and social nuance, he was still a little inexperienced.
Reon closed his eyes, intending to take a short nap, but although his body was tired enough to collapse, his mind was unusually clear. He could still hear the excited chatter from the others around him.
It was a rare day off, and Reon did not want to ruin everyone's mood, so he settled for resting with his eyes closed.
Because of the wound on his back, he could not lean against the wall. He had to sit stiffly upright, hovering awkwardly enough that, at a glance, he almost looked like he was meditating.
A rustling sound came from beside him.
Reon's mouth twitched.
"Hugh, can you let me breathe for five minutes?"
But when he opened his eyes, he found himself looking straight into Erza's curious stare.
This girl was frighteningly strong. From what Reon had seen, the only person in the whole cell who might be stronger than her was Simon.
"Need something?" Reon straightened up a little.
"I heard them say you don't have a family name either."
Erza sat down properly beside him, her tone full of curiosity.
What kind of misunderstanding is this now...
Reon sighed inwardly and explained, "My name is Reon, my family name is Ashborn" In sarcasm.
"Oh..."
Erza's expression dimmed so obviously that it was almost painful to watch. Even her shoulders slumped a little.
Seeing that, Reon could not help asking, "So you don't have a surname of your own?"
"Me? I was born with just one name. I'm Erza, Just Erza."
The girl lowered her head, her voice growing softer and softer.
"If it matters that much to you, why not just choose one yourself?"
"Huh? You can do that?"
Erza jerked her head up, eyes widening slightly.
"Idiot, of course you can't."
Reon's voice stayed flat.
"A surname is the mark of blood and family. It ties a person to a long, invisible line stretching backward through time"
"From the day people first learned to write down their names, a surname became part of what tells the world who you are. Something that important isn't something you just make up on a whim."
"But... you're the one who brought it up."
Erza pressed her lips together, looking faintly aggrieved.
"I was testing you."
Reon gave her a sideways look, then abruptly changed the subject.
"If we ever get out of here, what do you want to do?"
"I don't know."
Erza shook her head, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face.
"Then make your goal finding your surname."
Reon looked past the bars as he spoke. His voice was not loud, but every word reached Erza clearly.
"Find my surname..."
She repeated the phrase under her breath.
No one had ever said something like that to her before.
Whenever people learned she had no surname, they either laughed at her or looked at her with sympathy and offered empty comfort.
Reon was the first person to give her a direction.
"What are you two talking about?"
Hugh, naturally, was the first to come nosing in. As long as Reon kept his eyes shut, Hugh could leave him alone, but the second he saw him awake, over he came.
"We were talking about what we'd do if we ever got out of here," Reon answered.
"If it were me, the great Wally, then once I got out, I'd obviously become the boss."
The topic was interesting enough that Wally jumped in from not far away.
Someone immediately laughed.
"Yeah, right. A runt like you would only end up as someone else's errand boy."
Reon ignored the bickering on that side and turned to Hugh with mild curiosity.
"What about you, Hugh?"
"Me? Isn't it obvious? I'd stick with Jellal, of course."
Hugh answered without even needing to think.
Reon remembered what had happened earlier and put on a wounded expression.
"Wow. And here I thought we had something special."
"Huh? No, that's not... that's completely different..."
Hugh had clearly not been prepared for that and panicked instantly.
"Jellal's always looked out for me, so, so..."
"Stop messing with him."
Jellal could not take it anymore and cut in quietly.
With that reminder, Hugh finally realized what was happening. He caught sight of Reon trying to suppress a grin, and his whole face immediately turned red. Even the tuft of chestnut hair on top of his head seemed ready to explode.
"You did that on purpose."
Seeing that he had pushed just far enough, Reon raised both hands in surrender and smoothly changed the subject.
"What about Simon and Millianna?"
"Millianna wants a whole room full of kitties."
The girl's bright voice rang out from the corner.
"...I just want to find my sister."
Simon's answer came low and heavy.
Those really are completely different dreams.
Reon nodded lightly, then turned to the other two.
"What about you, Grandpa Rob? Jellal?"
"This old man just wants to find somewhere sunny and retire in peace."
"You wouldn't go back to Fairy Tail?"
Reon remembered the way Grandpa Rob had spoken about the guild before. His whole face had softened with memory, and his eyes had lit up.
"I already retired from there."
Rob chuckled.
"You can get tired of looking at the same scenery for too long. If I make it out, I can always go back and visit whenever I feel like it."
"Jellal?"
The boy fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"I don't know. There's nothing I especially want to do... if I had to pick something, I guess I'd still want to learn magic."
The black magic cult had left too deep an impression on him. He did not want to remain helpless forever the way he was now.
Then he lifted his eyes toward the boy beside him.
"What about you? You've gone around asking everyone else. What do you want?"
The moment he heard that, Reon's eyes lit up.
"Me? I'm a greedy person. There are too many things I want to do to count."
He started ticking them off on his fingers.
"Learn magic. Dig into the legend of that dark wizard. Bury myself in a library and read for a whole year..."
The enthusiasm in his voice seemed to carry heat with it. Even the prisoners who had kept mostly silent until now could not help turning to look at him. One of them muttered quietly,
"Talk all you want... It's not like we're getting out."
"So what? We're just talking."
Reon grinned without the slightest concern and tried to lean back casually, only to bare his teeth in pain a second later.
"Besides, what's wrong with imagining it?"
When he said that, someone actually laughed softly.
The dim yellow light trembled overhead, illuminating the smiles on their faces. For that brief moment, the cold prison cell no longer felt like a cage.
It felt more like a group of tired, ordinary people, resting after a long day's work, sitting in some tavern and talking about where they might go tomorrow.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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