Marco sat down.
Although his seat was not overlooking the trial platform from above, it was in the center, flanked by acquaintances. It was the best seat in the audience.
Marco smiled and nodded to the acquaintances on the stage.
The councilors on stage responded to Marco, smiling and greeting him.
An outsider might think these councilors were kind, interacting with the audience, but in reality, they just did not want to offend Marco.
Of course, Marco was not arrogant enough to get angry if they didn't greet him.
It was a matter of reputation. When a person's raw strength reaches a certain level, people attach various legends to them.
Even if you have not made unreasonable demands or done anything terrifying, people will be extra careful around you.
Currently, there were no councilors from "Fairy Tail" within the "Magic Council."
Since Yajima retired, "Fairy Tail" had not arranged for any personnel within the "Magic Council."
It was unnecessary.
Given the current situation, the "Magic Council" had no reason to target them.
Marco's presence, along with the strength and status of "Fairy Tail," made it impossible for the "Magic Council" to act against them.
Unless they wanted a war with the entire Fiore Kingdom, they would not dare cause trouble for "Fairy Tail."
Furthermore, Marco supported, cooperated with, and responded to the "Magic Council's" arrangements.
Besides maintaining some special privileges within his own territory, he asked for nothing more.
Therefore, even without "their own people" among the councilors, Marco did not panic.
Given his strength, status, and performance, these councilors could be considered his people.
They all had to thank him and "Fairy Tail."
Marco and the guild made the greatest contribution to this incident.
Soon, the attending representatives arrived.
The trial began.
The prisoners from the dark guilds were brought up one by one, and their crimes were announced in court.
"The benefit of a clean sweep becomes apparent now. The crimes of these people are written in black and white in their guild's quest logs. It saves us the trouble of investigating."
Marco listened to Jura Neekis the "Iron Rock," who was presiding over the trial.
Jura read a dark mage's crimes in a stern voice.
The detailed, lengthy record made Marco sigh.
Knowing these crimes in such detail was due to the allied forces breaching the dark guilds' headquarters.
During the "Clean Sweep Operation," mages found "quest logs" in the ruins of those dark guilds, or rather, they were instructed to find them.
Just as official mage guilds maintain "quest logs," dark guilds keep detailed records of their missions.
Their operational models shared similarities; the difference lay in the nature of the accepted quests.
After breaching the dark guilds' headquarters, these "quest logs" became death warrants for the dark mages.
They recorded their crimes and served as crucial evidence. Every mission was proof of their guilt.
"Death penalty!"
After reading a long string of mission records, the "Council" announced the verdict.
It was an unquestionable death sentence.
The dark mage on trial had hollow eyes and trembled.
Facing this outcome, he had no power to refute it. His crimes were true, verified by his own people, leaving no room for argument.
The "Magic Council" conducted no further investigation.
The recorded crimes were enough to claim his life.
"Approved."
Marco cast a vote without hesitation.
As the representative for "Fairy Tail," he cast a crucial vote.
In truth, it was a regular vote, his vote was no more important than anyone else's, as representatives from other guilds also held one vote each.
"Approved. Approved. Approved."
Seeing Marco vote, other guild representatives cast their votes.
The "Approved" votes surpassed the majority.
Some voted slower, pondering the choice, but once finished, the death penalty passed with a unanimous vote.
"The jury has finished voting. The verdict is a death sentence, to be executed immediately!"
Seeing the first trial proceed so smoothly, Jura Neekis was pleased and announced the result.
The corners of Marco's mouth curled up.
This first person was chosen on purpose as an "example" the "Council" believed would cause no controversy.
They wanted everyone to adapt to the voting process first.
A case without controversy was the best choice. It was better than having the "jury" argue right away.
The difficult cases were saved for later.
Marco guessed the initial cases would be similar. They were individuals whose crimes were too numerous to record, making people want to kill them.
This approach advanced the trial speed, prioritizing efficiency.
As expected, things unfolded as Marco thought.
Besides the obvious death penalty cases, there were some who had committed minor offenses, doing petty theft in the dark guilds.
Their sentences were lighter, resulting in a few years of imprisonment.
Although considered "lighter," it was a heavy sentence compared to non-guild criminals committing similar acts.
The mere act of "joining a dark guild" was a major felony, making the remaining "petty theft" secondary.
Their current "petty theft" meant they were newcomers who had not adapted and had not yet committed more heinous crimes.
Having joined a dark guild, committing those crimes was a matter of time.
This was a criminal record, the starting sentence for joining would not be light.
Cases like these generated debate.
Votes of "disapproval" emerged. Those who voted "disapprove" received a chance to speak and present their thoughts to persuade the others.
This showed respect for every attending representative.
Since everyone contributed, there had to be an opportunity to hear their thoughts.
After those who voted "disapprove" expressed their views, a re-vote took place.
If the result remained "approved," nothing could be done.
They could only blame the low eloquence and charisma of the dissenters for failing the persuasion check.