For the next few minutes, Jellal could hear nothing but the rapid thumping of his own heartbeat. Taking a deep breath, he dove beneath the surface. At the bottom of the pool, he spotted Romeo, struggling against something. Initially, Jellal thought it might be a tree branch or a vine entangling his brother's foot. But as he looked closer, he realized someone was trying to drown him. Jellal couldn't identify the assailant, but he had enough clarity to strike the attacker across the face with his knife, forcing them to release Romeo.

With urgency, Jellal grabbed his brother and swam to the surface, keeping Romeo's head above water. By the time they reached the shore, Romeo had gone limp and unconscious, sending Jellal's heart racing like thunder. He laid the boy on his back and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

"Breathe!" It was meant to be a command, but it came out as a desperate plea. "Breathe! Just take a breath! Breathe! Breathe! Breathe, damn it!"

Finally, Romeo coughed and expelled water. After giving him a moment to recover, Jellal wrapped his arms around his brother, feeling a mix of relief and overwhelming emotion.

"Je...Jellal," Romeo choked, instinctively wrapping his arms around his older brother, sobbing into his shoulder.

"You're okay, Romeo," Jellal panted. "You're okay. Everything's alright now. I'm here. I won't let you die. Ever."

For a moment, the brothers sat on the ground, holding each other, trying to recover from the near-death experience. Romeo cried, but it was Jellal who felt the deepest fear. He had almost failed in his duty to protect his younger brother, a responsibility he had taken on when their father was absent.

"Jellal," Romeo finally said, realizing something was amiss. "Where's Wendy?"

It took Jellal a moment to remember. Wendy had run off to investigate a strange sound. With Romeo still in his arms, he quickened his pace, searching for her.

"Wendy!" he called. "Wendy, where are you?"

No response. He moved into the tall grass, scanning the area for any sign of her. But there was nothing. She had vanished without a trace.

Then he noticed something—a set of small footprints, likely belonging to a young girl. He followed the tracks, but they abruptly stopped. Among them lay a torn piece of fabric. Panic surged in his heart as a horrifying realization dawned on him.

"Where is she, Jellal?" Romeo asked, fear creeping into his voice. "Where is she? She ran off to get help, right? Or she hid because she got scared? She's alright, isn't she? Tell me she's alright!"

But Jellal couldn't answer. Wordlessly, he took Romeo home and informed Grandeeney of what had happened. Soon, she had everyone searching the savanna and jungle for Wendy.

"We have to find her," the giantess declared. "She could be hurt. Oh, my poor darling."

Jellal was consumed by guilt.

"Forgive me, Grandeeney," he said, kneeling, unable to meet her gaze. "I should have gone after her the moment she ran off, but Romeo was drowning and—"

And someone had tried to drown him. In the chaos, he had forgotten that detail. It wasn't just a random drowning; someone had deliberately tried to kill his brother, and Wendy had gone missing at the same time. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"Excuse me, Grandeeney, I need to go back and look at something."

"That is not necessary, Jellal," Faust interjected. "You are dismissed from your service to my family."

"What?!"

"Faust, what do you mean?" Grandeeney exclaimed. "You can't dismiss Jellal. He is our greatest warrior and most loyal ally."

"Yet my niece disappeared on his watch."

"But it couldn't be helped, Faust," Grandeeney insisted. "Romeo was drowning."

"He should have ensured my niece's safety before rescuing the boy. The heir's priorities must always come first. There can be no exceptions."

"I understand, sir," Jellal said. "But please, give me a chance to correct my mistake. Allow me to help search for Wendy."

"No. You failed to protect my niece, and we can never trust you again. I never really trusted you with her in the first place."

"What do you mean by that?"

"How safe is Wendy really around you? For all we know, she could have run away to escape you. Maybe she thought you were a threat."

"That's absurd. Why would she think that?"

"I've seen how you look at her, how you touch her. What dirty thoughts have crossed your mind, I wonder?"

Revulsion and rage surged through Jellal.

"What the hell are you implying?!"

"Faust, I will not tolerate this!" Grandeeney cried, horrified. "How dare you accuse Jellal! Apologize—"

Suddenly, Faust struck Grandeeney across the face, knocking her down.

"How dare you address me like that! I am your chief! You will speak to me with respect, you overgrown freak of nature!"

Jellal rushed to Grandeeney's side, helping her to her feet while glaring at Faust with hatred.

"I want you gone, Jellal! And you, Grandeeney, will watch your tongue or you'll be leaving as well!"

"Yes, sir," Grandeeney replied meekly. Normally, she wouldn't accept such abuse, but she couldn't risk losing her position, especially with Wendy's safety at stake.

Jellal said nothing but left as commanded. Yet he refused to abandon his search for Wendy. Dismissed or not, he had made a promise to her father as he lay dying, to protect his daughter at all costs. Jellal swore an oath to guard the future chieftess with his life, and he intended to keep it.

But he had to be clever and discreet. Since Chief Baldur's death, Jellal had suspected treachery within the tribe, and he didn't know who to trust. So he waited until nightfall to slip out of his hut and begin his search.

Armed with his spear, a satchel of essentials, and a lit torch, he returned to the scene of Wendy's disappearance. He examined the footprints in the dirt, noting two sets: one small, clearly Wendy's, and another much larger, likely a man's. The change in Wendy's footprints indicated a struggle. She had been taken.

"I knew it," he muttered.

"Knew what?"

Jellal jumped at the unexpected voice, but his panic subsided when he turned to see it was only Romeo.

"For goodness' sake! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!" Jellal snapped. "What are you doing out here? You should be home in bed!"

"I saw you sneak out. I knew you were going to find Wendy. I want to come with you."

"Go home, Romeo. This is man's work."

"I'm a man."

"No, you're a boy."

"I'm thirteen. Father says that's the beginning of manhood."

"You're still too young for this. I'm taking you home right now—"

"No!" Romeo stamped his foot. "I'm going to find Wendy! She's my fiancée, right? You said to do it myself! Isn't it my duty as her future husband to find her?"

"Romeo, you almost drowned today. You haven't completed training in combat, tracking, or anything related to this. You're not ready."

"I don't care! Wendy is my best friend, and I'm not going to sit around doing nothing! I'll find her, with or without your help! You can take me home and lock me up, but I'll find a way out!"

Jellal could see the determination in his brother's eyes. He realized he had two choices: let Romeo join him, increasing their chances of survival, or forcibly take him home, risking that Romeo would sneak out alone later and endanger himself.

"Fine. You can come with me, for now," Jellal relented. "But you have to do exactly as I say. If you wander off or disobey me, I'll take you straight home and tie you to your bed if I have to."

"Okay," Romeo nodded. "What do you know? What have you found so far?"

"Well, I don't want to alarm you, but I suspect Wendy was abducted. Whoever pulled you underwater likely did so to distract me while someone else grabbed her."

"You don't think..." Romeo paused, fear creeping into his voice. "You don't think they'd hurt Wendy, do you?"

Jellal hesitated, unsure how to answer. He quickly changed the subject.

"Tell me about the person who tried to drown you. Did you see who it was?"

"No. I had my eyes closed the whole time. I was too scared to look."

"Alright, then we'll have to rely on these tracks. They're our only clues." Jellal raised the torch higher so they could see where they walked. "Stay close, Romeo, and pray for her safety."

"Jellal."

"Yes, Romeo?"

"Wendy isn't going to die out here like her father did, right?"

"Don't think like that, Romeo. Just look. Look for any clue or sign of her."

With that, the brothers ventured into the night, seeking their friend and praying from the depths of their hearts that she would be found before it was too late.