"Regardless of Fairy Tail's identity or whatever misdeeds they may have committed, they have always been at the forefront of fighting against Dark Guild forces. Without a doubt, they are the righteous Mages of Ishgar!"
"If we treat them as mere commodities just because they don't meet our ideal behavioral standards, this cannot be called humane!"
Yajima angrily scolded the room once more.
The former second seat of the Council, Org, looked grim as he stepped in to stop the argument between the two factions.
Speaking solemnly to the upper-seated Gran Doma, he said.
"Chairman, Fairy Tail has refused our reasoning. Should we recall the envoy from the Alvarez Empire and withdraw the conditions we offered?"
Gran Doma stared at Org with extremely gloomy eyes, his voice full of quiet threat as he said.
"Org! Decisions made by the Council cannot be interfered with, not even by the Ten Wizard Saints. This is the greatest insult to the Council!"
Org's heart skipped a beat—the Chairman has no intention of revoking the decision?
However, when the Alvarez Empire arrives at Tenrou Island and discovers the Council has given them an empty promise, wouldn't that...
"Perfect timing. We have all reached our limit. It is time to deal with such a lawless guild."
Gran Doma's face darkened as he spoke, his words sending a tremor through every council member.
Since the era of the former Council, voices calling for the abolition and dissolution of Fairy Tail had never ceased.
Yet each time, the matter was ultimately dropped because Fairy Tail managed to maintain a delicate balance between massive merits and property-damaging faults.
Moreover, at that time, the guild had considerable influence within the Council as well.
Anselion furrowed his brow and coldly interrupted, "Council Chairman, such a forceful decision will only create more chaos within Ishgar."
"Without Fairy Tail, this continent would be far more peaceful." Gran Doma glanced at Anselion and snorted.
"Don't think I'm unaware of your stance, Anselion. The eldest daughter of the noble culeiar family who supported your rise to power, is Ankh's business partner, isn't she?"
Gran Doma tore off all pretenses, openly stating what several people present already understood in their hearts.
He could no longer tolerate it.
Since the establishment of the new Council, they had achieved nothing of true merit.
Apart from so-called internal self-inspections and disciplinary reforms—the typical 'new broom sweeps clean' political theater—not a single one of those brooms had actually swept anything clean.
Externally, they held no authority whatsoever.
The Magic Guilds largely looked to Fairy Tail for leadership, and the various kingdoms' respect for the new Council members was declining daily.
These were the tangible damages inflicted upon their pride by Fairy Tail.
A subtle killing intent flashed in Anselion's eyes.
Ignoring the angry sarcasm, he asked, "Then how does the Chairman propose to handle this matter?"
Gran Doma seemed to have already prepared his response and immediately laid out his plan.
"Everyone should be aware by now of Grimoire Heart's recent movements. Within seven days at most, there is a high probability they will land on Tenrou Island."
"I propose we take advantage of Fairy Tail S-Class Exam to order Fairy Tail to bring all their elite members to Tenrou Island and have them directly engage Grimoire Heart in battle!"
From the previous battle with Oración Seis, Gran Doma had accurately assessed Fairy Tail's overall strength.
The strongest: Ankh's team, the corresponding Thunder God Tribe led by Laxus, as well as Gildarts, Mirajane, and Erza...
They were indeed powerful.
Even the Dark Guild Grimoire Heart might not be able to defeat Fairy Tail.
But according to Gran Doma's prediction, if these two guilds were to go all out, even if one side emerged victorious, they would inevitably suffer devastatingly heavy losses!
Org's pupils contracted sharply, and he quickly said, "But that is Grimoire Heart! The strongest Dark Guild in the Balam Alliance! Fairy Tail, they..."
"Org!"
Gran Doma glared angrily at Org, as well as Anselion and Yajima who had spoken earlier, and sneered.
"It is precisely because of your cowardice that the former Council was manipulated by others."
"To establish good relations with the outside world, we must first manage our internal affairs properly. Having Fairy Tail either disband or be suppressed is already a very merciful decision for Ishgar!"
The expressions of the four former council members darkened simultaneously.
Aside from Anselion, they had indeed targeted Fairy Tail in the past.
But since their massive misjudgment during the Tower of Heaven incident, their perspective had shifted after Fairy Tail cleaned up their mess, and they had become the dovish faction in the new Council.
After all, they were merely old-fashioned; their thinking was somewhat sluggish and unable to adapt to the changes of the new era—it didn't mean they were particularly malicious or greedy for political credit.
But... not everyone in the new Council was like them.
Gran Doma, the Chairman of the new Council, harbored his own incredibly dark calculations.
If Grimoire Heart and Fairy Tail went to war, and the former won, it would both eliminate a chaotic cancer in the magic world and fulfill the promise made to the Alvarez Empire.
Moreover, the Council could take the opportunity to eliminate the heavily wounded Grimoire Heart afterward, adding a brilliant first stroke to the new Council's illustrious record.
Conversely, if the latter emerged victorious, the Council would still share in the credit, as it was their plan and arrangement that forced the battle.
Furthermore, by then, the severely weakened Fairy Tail would no longer pose a significant political threat and could be easily controlled—not to mention the ownership of Tenrou Island falling right into their laps.
Seizing merit, eliminating potential threats to consolidate their position, and currying favor with Alvarez—both outcomes achieved three goals at once.
Gran Doma couldn't help but feel incredibly smug about his scheme.
Leiji felt a chill run down his spine and said in a trembling voice, "Why must we go to such lengths? Why are we scheming against Fairy Tail as if they were our sworn enemies?"
Anselion immediately objected.
Slamming the table as he stood up, he rebuked, "This plan is unacceptable! You are using Fairy Tail as disposable cannon fodder to achieve your political goals!"
"That is our objective, the objective of the entire continent! Councilman Anselion, watch your tone!"
Gran Doma's voice remained icy.
He neither acknowledged nor denied the accusation of using them as "cannon fodder."
Yajima looked at Gran Doma and felt an unfamiliar coldness in his heart.
He asked apprehensively, "What if... both Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart remain largely intact and cease fighting in time?"
Gran Doma's eyes were vacant, like an unfeeling judge, as he spoke calmly.
"Grimoire Heart cannot be spared. By then, the Etherion Cannon can also be precisely targeted at Tenrou Island..."
He made no mention of Fairy Tail, but everyone understood Gran Doma's true intention.
At the critical moment, deploy the Etherion Cannon to obliterate everything and everyone on Tenrou Island.
It was the most direct and straightforward method.
Although the Etherion Cannon wouldn't completely destroy Tenrou Island due to its magical nature, it would undoubtedly cause widespread, lethal devastation.
As for handing over a deserted, glassed island, Alvarez's stance would be unpredictable, so Gran Doma regarded this move as a last-resort, inferior trump card.
Anselion stared at Gran Doma.
This chairman, who always claimed to uphold justice and prided himself on being impartial and ruthless, now made even him feel a chilling coldness.
The atmosphere in the council chamber turned deathly silent.
Just as Anselion was about to point at him and curse, someone else beat him to it.
Councilman Org overturned the table in front of him and roared in absolute anger:
"Has the new Council learned nothing from past mistakes?! The Etherion Cannon is not meant to be used against our own! Acting so recklessly will only lead to our self-destruction!"
Gran Doma completely ignored Org's outburst.
He scanned the council members and announced the chairman's final decision, saying.
"Since opinions are divided, let's—put it to a vote!"
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