"Lord August, are you joking with us?!"
"This kind of joke cannot be made! Please do not scare us!"
"We cannot withstand this kind of intimidation from you now! The entire Alvarez Empire can no longer withstand this kind of intimidation from you either!"
"Lord August, if you have any opinions about us, just say it directly. Why use this kind of method?!"
"That's right, that's right. How could you possibly be the Guild Master of that Fairy Tail Guild?!"
Jacob Lessio, Wahl Icht, Invel Yura, and Bloodman felt their hearts go cold after hearing August's words.
Immediately afterward, after a brief panic, they looked at each other, then forcefully squeezed out a few smiles on their serious faces and looked at August, asking in panic.
"Hehe..."
Looking at the expressions of the four people before him, August could not help laughing.
"Uh, hehe..."
As August revealed a smile, Jacob Lessio, Wahl Icht, Invel Yura, and Bloodman braced themselves and laughed along with August in the empire's meeting room. They did their best to force smiles for August.
If this scene were seen by other people in the Alvarez Empire, their jaws would definitely drop! The Spriggan 12, who were always high and mighty, never putting others in their eyes, incomparably proud and arrogant, were actually accompanying an old man in laughter. This scene was truly too absurd. But considering that the old man was Magic King August, it seemed much more reasonable for a moment...
"Do I look like I am joking with you?"
However, just as the four laughing people thought the matter would pass like this, the smile on August's face abruptly stopped. As his words changed direction, his expression gradually became serious.
"This..."
As the smile on August's face disappeared and he began to become serious, Jacob Lessio, Wahl Icht, Invel Yura, and Bloodman directly froze in place.
They looked at the Magic King before them, whose joy and anger did not show on his face, as though he wore a poker face, as though he wore a thick mask on his face that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Their hearts were incomparably panicked, and they no longer had their former confidence before the Magic King.
Yes, the reason they had not feared Magic King August before, and even dared to go against August, daring to directly challenge August in front of countless people around them, was because they knew clearly in their hearts that August could do nothing to them!
August, who cared about face, would absolutely not attack these so-called companions and personally deal with them.
But now it was different. The Lord Magic King who had originally stood on their side had quietly become their enemy. In other words, the trump card of the four of them was now useless...
At this moment, facing August, they no longer had their previous confidence. No one could say for sure whether August would make a move against them.
"Uh..."
At this moment, whether it was Jacob Lessio, whose relationship with August had originally been fairly good.
Or Wahl Icht, who had always maintained neutrality and only thought about his own research.
Or Invel Yura, who had originally stood on Larcade's side and constantly thought about going to war with Ishgar, or Bloodman, who, because of his own origin, had been automatically regarded by August as standing on Larcade's side, all of them panicked at this moment.
When August had still been their teammate before, they had not noticed August's terrifying strength.
It was like a ferocious beast inside a zoo. It looked mighty and domineering, but tourists would not be afraid, because they knew that these fierce beasts were locked inside cages and could not hurt them!
But once the cage was opened, when the iron cage that imprisoned the fierce beast could no longer protect the tourists, only then could the tourists understand what fear was...
The current situation was the same. Only when Magic King August became the enemy of the Alvarez Empire, and would truly make a move against them, and would strike hard, did the four of them finally understand just how terrifying it was to confront the man before them...
And the things they had done before, those factions, those acts of exclusion, in the eyes of the man before them, were such foolish things. A group of ants actually thought they could drive away a giant dragon through exclusion? Was that not laughable?
"Do not panic~ What did I say before? I said that as long as you continue to maintain your current state, that will be enough, and I will not do anything to you..."
August sat in his seat. He narrowed his eyes and took in the expressions of the four people before him.
At this moment, August leisurely leaned back in his chair. He had never been this leisurely and relaxed before. Right now was the most relaxed moment he had spent in the empire over these years. As August's gaze swept over the faces of the four people one by one, the mages who possessed the title of Spriggan 12 all lowered their heads.
They also did not know what August was thinking. They only saw August suddenly reveal a smile, and as the corners of his mouth rose, he softly spoke to the Spriggan 12 before him.
"You mean, we should maintain our current state?!"
Jacob Lessio, Wahl Icht, Invel Yura, and Bloodman were all stunned after hearing this. They subconsciously exchanged glances, discussing with each other the intention behind August's words. Unfortunately, no one could understand August's meaning. In the end, helplessly, it was still Jacob Lessio, whose relationship with Magic King August was fairly good, who asked August.
"Yes, continue serving as the Spriggan 12 in the empire. This country still needs the existence of you Spriggan 12."
"Whether it is me, the people of the empire, or the great His Majesty Zeref, all of us hope you can continue to take protecting His Majesty as your duty, continue cultivating newcomers for the empire, provide talents for the empire, and strengthen the empire's power..."
August gently nodded and spoke with a smile.
"This..."
After hearing August's words, everyone frowned and fell into thought. They secretly repeated August's words, trying to figure out what August's words truly meant.
"Why? Is there anything you do not understand?"
August stared at the Spriggan 12 before him with eyes that emitted a dangerous aura and asked.
"We do understand, but we are afraid there may be places where we understand incorrectly..."
After hearing this, the expressions of the four Spriggan 12 members all trembled. They truly could not understand August's intention. After all, August was now their enemy. They did not understand why August still wanted them to continue working hard to become stronger. Wasn't an opponent becoming stronger a troublesome thing? The four could not figure it out. In the end, it was still Jacob Lessio who opened his mouth and asked August.
"Mm! Whatever you do not understand..."
"Or whatever you are afraid of understanding incorrectly, just say it!"
"While I am still here now, ask as much as you want!"
"You must remember, if you do not ask, I will default to assuming you understand what I mean..."
"Once you later show behavior that does not match my meaning, then do not blame me for being merciless!"
August sat in his seat, still appearing amiable and peaceful, but the killing intent carried in his eyes made the surrounding Spriggan 12 members unable to withstand it for a moment.
"It is just that, as you know, in the previous policy of our Alvarez Empire, we have always regarded the continent of Ishgar as a hypothetical enemy. Now that you have already joined the Mage Guild Fairy Tail on the continent of Ishgar and become a member of Fairy Tail, should our policy be changed?"
Jacob Lessio revised the words he had prepared again and again. In the end, he used very carefully considered wording and looked at August as he asked.
"I understand. What you mean is, this war that we, the Alvarez Empire, spent decades preparing for with the strength of the entire nation, all for the sake of attacking Ishgar and fulfilling His Majesty's dream. In the end, should we fight it or not? This is what you all want to ask me, right?"
August finally understood what these people were worried about. Regarding this, he merely smiled lightly.
"Uh..."
As August's words fell, Jacob Lessio and the others immediately became cautious. They were afraid that they would say the wrong thing again.
Among them, Invel Yura's eyes were the most anxious. The issue August was now talking about was exactly the thing he had always worried about. At this moment, his heart was incomparably afraid that with one sentence from August, this war would no longer be fought.
However, Invel Yura knew that his fear was useless, because no matter how one looked at it now, this war could no longer be fought. After all, the strongest mage of their Western Continent, August, had already defected and gone over to the continent of Ishgar.
Aside from August, the continent of Ishgar also had several beings comparable to August.
According to the current comparison of combat power, no matter how one looked at it, if their Alvarez Empire attacked the continent of Ishgar, they would not have any chance of victory. Even if their emperor, the Black Wizard Zeref, returned, he still would not be able to shake their nearly zero winning rate...
Speaking of which, it was interesting. In the original work, the strongest mage on the continent of Ishgar on the surface, the number one of the Ten Wizard Saints, God Serena, betrayed Ishgar and joined the Alvarez Empire. But now, under Evan's efforts and the flapping of the butterfly's wings!
The situation had undergone a huge reversal. In the original work, Serena, who had betrayed the continent of Ishgar and joined the Alvarez Empire, was currently still searching for Dragon Slayer Lacrima on Ishgar~
Meanwhile, the strongest mage on the Western Continent on the surface, Magic King August, had betrayed the Western Continent's Alvarez Empire and joined the Fairy Tail Guild where Evan was located on the continent of Ishgar.
It seemed that with Evan's interference, everything had reversed for a time. Unfortunately, the Alvarez Empire did not have a cheat. They could not burst with potential. If they could not beat them, then they could not beat them...
"The war naturally must be fought. After all, our efforts cannot be wasted."
"But the problem is who we fight, and how we should fight! This is the key we should be considering!"
"You must remember, our enemies are absolutely not the human compatriots of the continent of Ishgar, nor are they those dragons who are willing to be friendly with humans and willing to continue living together with humans! Our enemies are those beings who endanger this world and pose a threat to our great His Majesty Zeref..."
August looked at the four people before him and helplessly shook his head. His gaze toward the four people was filled with disappointment.
One must know that in this world, as a qualified shield, one should learn to distinguish for oneself which existences in this world are threatening and would pose a threat to the target one protects.
And which existences would not pose a threat to the master protected by these shields.
Only in this way could shields with the title of Spriggan better protect their master, the great emperor of the Alvarez Empire, the Black Wizard Zeref.
Obviously, at present, Jacob Lessio, Wahl Icht, Invel Yura, and Bloodman were still unqualified. They had completely failed to reach the level that a shield should reach. The professional abilities of these Four Spriggan Shields before him still needed improvement!
"Could it be that what you mean is?"
Invel Yura froze for a moment. He seemed to have thought of something, and a trace of disbelief appeared in his eyes.
"At present, the true enemy standing in the way of our Alvarez Empire, standing in the way of our great emperor, His Majesty Zeref, and standing in the way of humanity, is not the continent of Ishgar, not the Fairy Tail Guild, and even less those dragons who intend to get along peacefully with humans!"
"Instead, it is those monsters located on the Northern Continent, Guiltina, who endanger the safety of this world and are called God Dragons by countless people in this world! And the gradually insane Demon Dragon of the End recorded in the Book of Apocalypse, the Black Dragon King Acnologia. These are the existences we should defeat!"
August's gaze flickered with seriousness. He looked at the four people around him, his voice sonorous and powerful, completely unlike that of an old man in his eighties.
"You mean, we must change our original target, abandon the attack on the continent of Ishgar, accumulate a large amount of combat power, and then attack the Northern Continent, Guiltina?!"
Invel Yura froze for a moment, then raised his brows. He looked at August with delight and asked.
Invel Yura did not care where they attacked at all. He only wanted to know whether this battle could still be fought. Other than that, everything else had nothing to do with him...
"Still not quite right! Do you know what my identity is?"
August glanced at Invel Yura and asked softly.
"You are Magic King August, the Regent of the Alvarez Empire?"
Invel Yura pursed his lips and asked somewhat uncertainly.
"What else?"
August neither confirmed nor denied it. He looked at Invel Yura and continued asking.
"Hiss..."
After hearing this, Invel Yura sucked in a breath of cold air. He thought of a frightening possibility.
"The Fourth Guild Master of Fairy Tail?"
Invel Yura slightly opened his mouth and stated August's identity.
"Correct!"
August smiled lightly and nodded.
"I am both Magic King August and the Guild Master of the Fairy Tail Guild..."
"Saving the people of Guiltina from suffering and eliminating the Five Dragon Gods has never been a problem of the Western Continent or the continent of Ishgar alone. This is the common responsibility and problem of the people of both our continents! Now is the time for the people to unite..."
August smiled. Whether it was Invel Yura, or Jacob Lessio, Wahl Icht, and Bloodman, who did they think he was? He was the son of the Black Wizard Zeref and the First Guild Master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion. His task was not to manage one or two forces, but to work hard to unite the forces of two continents.
"Unite! Unite together!"
As August's words fell, Jacob Lessio, Wahl Icht, Invel Yura, and Bloodman were greatly shocked. They kept silently repeating the words August had said, their eyes filled with shock.
"You mean, the six dragons who defeated us are actually with us..."
Sweat appeared on Invel Yura's forehead. He had one question that he had to get confirmed by August.
"Comrades."
Of course August knew what Invel Yura was plotting in his heart. He smiled lightly and calmly said two words.
"Hiss..."
As August's words fell, Jacob Lessio, Wahl Icht, Invel Yura, and Bloodman all sucked in a breath of cold air.
"As long as we have those six dragons assisting us, forget the Five Dragon Gods, even eliminating the Black Dragon Acnologia is not impossible..."
Invel Yura's body trembled. Unlike when he had been frightened by August's words before, Invel Yura was trembling from excitement at this moment. When he thought of the warriors of two continents, all under his command, eliminating the dragons of Guiltina that endangered the world, he became incomparably excited.
However, unfortunately, what Invel Yura did not know was that his dream would ultimately fall through. Even if the Alvarez Empire truly cooperated with Fairy Tail, the strategist would not be him.
"Hehe!"
"Since you already know my true identity and the empire's real plan, I will not hide it anymore! Find some time to hang this flag representing Fairy Tail on our empire's flagpole. From now on, our empire will raise two flags!"
As August spoke, he took out the flag of the Fairy Tail Guild. It could be seen that August had prepared this long ago.
The flag of the Alvarez Empire had been personally designed and drawn by his father, the Black Wizard Zeref, while this flag representing the Fairy Tail Guild was something he had obtained from his mother.
Every time his father's flag and his mother's flag rose in the empire, a warm feeling would rise in August's heart, as if his father and mother were still together and silently accompanying him.
At this moment, August had already made up his mind. Even if he had to sacrifice his own life, he would break that damned curse of God Ankhseram and allow his father and mother to openly and happily live together.
"Um, Lord August, isn't this a little too much?"
Invel Yura looked at the flag before him, the corner of his eye twitching slightly. He could not help gently pushing up his glasses, which had slid down from shock, while asking August.
"Is there any problem?"
August froze for a moment and looked at Invel Yura as he asked.
"Does His Majesty know that you are doing this?"
Invel Yura's brows were tightly furrowed. What changing the national flag meant was something everyone present surely understood in their hearts.
"No big problem."
Who knew that after Invel Yura asked August, August merely shrugged indifferently.
"This..."
This time, Jacob Lessio, Wahl Icht, Invel Yura, and Bloodman all panicked.
Changing the national flag was equivalent to changing dynasties. It was no different from treason. What were they supposed to do when Zeref returned?!
"Do you know what relationship the First Guild Master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion, has with our His Majesty?"
August looked at everyone and asked.
"This..."
As August's words fell, the four were all stunned.
"That year, Mavis looked youthful and adorable, beautiful and moving! And our His Majesty's spring heart stirred, his eyes filled only with her..."
August sighed. He raised his head and revealed an expression as though recalling the past, speaking softly.
"We understand!"
There was no need for August to say any more. At this moment, Jacob Lessio, Wahl Icht, Invel Yura, and Bloodman all understood.
"I hope you can keep this matter secret. The relationship between Mavis and His Majesty is His Majesty's taboo and cannot be casually spread!"
August's eyes narrowed slightly. In truth, he had deliberately said this. Not only that, he also wanted the entire kingdom to know about this matter. He wanted to ask his father to give his mother a proper status.
"I understand, I understand."
Jacob Lessio, Wahl Icht, Invel Yura, and Bloodman looked at each other. This involved their emperor's secret, and they did not have heaven-defying magic power and powerful strength like August. How would they dare to ask more? Did they think their lives were too long? They could only keep nodding, expressing that they understood.
From then on, the entire Alvarez Empire fell into August's hands. In front of the imperial palace, besides the imperial flag fluttering in the wind, there was now another flag swaying in the wind, printed with the Fairy Tail mark.
Heh, what Alvarez Empire? It was merely Fairy Tail's Western Continent branch.
At this moment, Zeref still did not know that he had merely gone out traveling, and his home was gone.