Following that broad, solemn gray-white avenue all the way to its end, one would find a domed structure so magnificent it was almost suffocating to behold.
This was the center of power that would decide the future direction of the entire magical world of Ishgar.
The Magic Council Headquarters—ERA.
The Council was made up of one chairman and nine councilors.
They held immense authority, overseeing the actions of the major mage guilds, punishing violators, hunting down dark guilds, and setting the course for the magical world as a whole.
At this moment—
the heavy stone doors that symbolized that authority were shut tight.
Inside the round-table chamber, the atmosphere was grim.
"Everyone."
Seated at the head of the table was a massive old man with a face full of white beard.
He looked like nothing more than an ordinary fat old man, even somewhat kind-hearted.
But every councilor present knew that this was Chairman Crawford Seam, the man who held the highest administrative power in Earth-land.
Crawford swept his gaze across the councilors seated around the circular table, all of them wearing different expressions, and spoke in a low voice:
"The unrest around the world has been getting worse lately. What do you all think about that?"
"Hmph. What's there to think?"
Before the words had even settled, the old man seated to the chairman's left, wearing bat-like decorations on his head, gave a cold snort and opened fire first.
"A bunch of rats hiding in the gutter think they can turn the world upside down just because it's dark out?"
"I propose we immediately issue a mandatory mobilization order and gather legal guilds from every region to carry out a full-scale purge of all known and suspected dark guild hideouts!"
This was Org, one of the Council's most famous hawkish hardliners, known for advocating iron-fisted methods.
"Professor Org, calm down."
Across from him, a female councilor with a gentle face and a warm bearing lightly shook her head.
"This kind of large-scale joint operation isn't something you can just launch on a whim. How many guilds would need to be coordinated? How many supplies would be required? How much social unrest would it cause? You should understand the difficulty of that kind of preparation better than anyone."
Belno, one of the leading representatives of the dove faction, had always favored steady governance.
"But we can't just keep letting this go on!"
Before Org could respond, another elderly councilor—short, catlike in appearance, and visibly impatient—jumped in.
"It's obvious that dark guild activity has started to show signs of organization! If we don't crush them now, while they still haven't fully taken shape, and instead continue letting them grow, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
This was Michello, famous for being rigid and merciless whenever it came to rogue guilds.
"And how many innocent civilians would be caught up in an operation on that scale?"
From the corner, a man in a dark hood, his face hidden from view, replied in a low voice.
"Tearing down the entire house just to catch a few rats is too high a price to pay."
"Leiji, you're as weak as ever."
Org let out a disdainful sneer.
"If caring about the safety of civilians counts as weakness…"
The hooded man named Leiji lifted his head, revealing a pair of completely calm eyes.
"Then I suppose there really is no way for me to communicate with someone like you."
"What did you say?!"
Org shot to his feet so fast that even his beard bristled with anger.
"Do you have any idea how much damage those rats will do to this world if we don't stop them? Do you have any idea how badly they'll damage the Council's reputation and credibility?!"
"Reputation? I think you're just worried about your own face!"
"You—!"
In an instant, the round table descended into chaos.
The hardliners and moderates clashed fiercely, each arguing their own position until their faces went red, and neither side showed the slightest sign of backing down.
Knock. Knock.
A dull rapping sound cut through the noise.
Crawford set down the wooden gavel in his hand and rubbed his brow, looking utterly worn out.
"That's enough. Stop arguing. This is the Council, not a market."
Once the room quieted down, he turned to the small elderly man seated on his right, who had been sitting there with his eyes closed the entire time without saying a word.
"Yajima, you've been quiet. Tell us what you think."
At being called on, Yajima slowly opened his eyes.
As Makarov's close friend, this old man—normally always smiling—had no smile on his face now.
He thought for a while before finally speaking.
"I believe that, rather than launching a major purge…"
"what the current situation needs most is to raise a sufficiently prominent 'standard.'"
"A standard?" Crawford lifted a brow. "What do you mean?"
"One that makes the uncertain stay cautious, makes the people long for it, and makes evil-doers… afraid."
Crawford narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "You mean?"
Yajima's voice was calm and steady:
"If darkness is beginning to stir, then we should light an even brighter flame."
"The seats of the Ten Wizard Saints have been left vacant for far too long—and there are too many empty ones."
"It's time… to appoint new Saints."
The moment he said that, the room fell into brief silence.
Then several councilors began nodding, their expressions showing agreement.
"That's true."
Org stroked his chin and, for once, didn't object.
"If there were powerful mages officially recognized by the Council leading the way, the deterrent force of an individual really would be more effective than a mere army."
"Using the deterrence of top-tier individuals in place of large-scale war really is a good solution that won't harm the public," Leiji also agreed with a nod.
"However…"
Yuri, the most composed and taciturn of the councilors, raised an objection.
"The reason those seats have remained vacant for so long is because there are too few people truly qualified to fill them, isn't that right?"
"This represents the strongest ten people on the continent. It's the face of the Council. We can't just choose people casually to fill the numbers. This affects our credibility."
"That reminds me…"
Michello suddenly cut in.
"That Jose from Phantom Lord… wasn't he beaten a while ago by some kid?"
"How is he now?"
"No news."
The councilor in charge of intelligence flipped through the papers in his hands.
"Apparently he was badly injured and has been hiding in his guild ever since, trying to find a way to restore his ruined limbs."
"Hmph. Useless."
Michello snorted, his face full of contempt.
"That Phantom Lord lot has always been arrogant, lawless, and completely without discipline. And now he got beaten into that state by a brat? He's disgraced the Ten Wizard Saints."
"If you ask me… instead of letting trash like that keep his title, we should strip him of it outright."
He had always despised those kinds of unruly, ruleless guilds, whether it was Phantom Lord or anyone else.
"This…"
The others all looked at one another.
Jose had certainly disgraced himself, but he was still an old veteran among the Ten Saints. Stripping him just like that…
"If we remove him, then who fills the seat?" Yuri asked with a frown.
"Well…"
At that moment, someone suggested:
"Why not let the kid who defeated Jose take the seat?"
"His name is… Azurefall Shane, right?"
"He's been very active lately. Even in the area I oversee, I've heard all sorts of reports about him. Whether it's taking down dark guilds or resolving local unrest, his efficiency is extremely high."
"I second that."
The corner of Yajima's mouth lifted slightly as he seized the moment to help his old friend's guild.
"If he was able to defeat Jose head-on, then his strength is unquestionably sufficient. And he's young, with a very good image. He's perfectly suited to become a symbolic figure for the new era."
"No!!"
Before anyone else could respond, Michello reacted like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, jumping to his feet in opposition.
"Absolutely not!"
"That boy is from Fairy Tail! His way of doing things is exactly like Makarov's old man style! No—worse!"
"Lawless! Destructive! Disrespectful of all rules!"
"If we let a guild like that hold two seats among the Ten Wizard Saints, who knows how much more influence Fairy Tail will gain!"
"And then everyone will start imitating that gang of maniacs. What do you think this world will turn into?!"
As a guardian of order, Michello hated disobedient mages equally, whether they came from Phantom Lord or Fairy Tail.
Faced with Michello's near-hysterical outburst, Yajima remained outwardly calm and merely lifted his teacup to his lips, as if to hide the sigh in his heart.
The truth was, besides that boy Shane, there was another name on his mind too—Ur.
Lately, Fairy Tail had truly been overflowing with talent. Aside from the "monster team" led by Shane, there was now also the legend of an ice mage famous for her bold personality, active all over the land.
Ordinary people might not know who she really was, but given Yajima's relationship with Makarov, he naturally knew this was the legendary mage of the north.
Even he had not expected that Ur had not only successfully defeated one of the immortal demons created by Zeref, but had even survived and gone on to join Fairy Tail in Magnolia.
By both strength and achievements, she had every right to become one of the Ten Wizard Saints.
But… no. That won't work.
Yajima glanced at Michello, red-faced and shouting himself hoarse, then at the other councilors around the table, all wearing complicated expressions, and helplessly shook his head to himself.
Ur was now also a member of Fairy Tail.
If he proposed another Fairy Tail mage now, not only would the motion fail, it might even confirm the fear that Fairy Tail was "trying to infiltrate the Council and monopolize the seats of the Ten Wizard Saints."
It could even bring Makarov far more trouble.
And sure enough, Michello's argument cooled down the councilors who had just begun to lean in Shane's favor.
Letting a single guild hold two seats among the Ten Saints really did create a political imbalance that made people wary.
"When we proposed Gildarts as a replacement before, you used exactly the same argument to oppose it."
Belno, who had been silent for a long while, spoke up suddenly.
Though she was known for her moderate, pacifist style and didn't particularly like Fairy Tail's rough methods, she usually limited herself to verbal warnings and did not carry the same strong prejudice Michello did.
"So what you mean is… because of that prejudice, we should ignore genuine strength?"
"This is not prejudice! This is about maintaining order!"
"..."
Just as the argument looked ready to explode all over again—
"Enough!"
In the end, it was Crawford who brought the debate to an end.
"No more arguing."
As chairman, he quickly made the decision:
"As for Jose…"
"Since he has been defeated, seriously injured, and is no longer able to fulfill the duties of a member of the Ten Wizard Saints—and has, in fact, gravely damaged the prestige of the title—then I agree that his title should be stripped."
"As of today, Jose Porla is formally stripped of his seat among the Ten Wizard Saints. A public announcement will be issued across the continent."
"As for Azurefall Shane…"
Crawford paused, his gaze flickering slightly.
"Although his strength is sufficient, he is still too young, his experience is too shallow, and his temperament still requires observation."
"He will not be granted a seat among the Ten Wizard Saints for now."
"He will be observed as a 'candidate' for a time before we decide further."
"I, too, look forward to seeing whether he can achieve even greater things in the future."
"And furthermore!"
Crawford rose to his feet, bringing the meeting to an end.
"Everyone is to keep an eye out for more qualified candidates. Even proposals will do. We need to fill these empty seats as quickly as possible, so that the world may be warned and deterred."
"At the same time, we will gradually increase the intensity of our campaigns against dark guilds."
"That is all. Meeting adjourned!"
~~~
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