Hearing Mavis's question, Acnologia felt a bit troubled; this little loli's perception was too sensitive, making it hard to hide anything.
However, he was quite willful, explaining when he wanted and staying silent when he didn't: "You'll understand that question when you meet Zeref; he might tell you."
Mavis's eyes widened. "You've seen Zeref? Are you hurt?"
Zeref's Curse of Contradiction was terrifying; anyone who got close would have their life snatched away unknowingly.
Acnologia smiled. "Not at all. Zeref was on Tenrou Island before, but he left a few days ago."
Mavis let out a sigh of relief. "That's good then!"
Her biggest worry was Zeref clashing with the Fairy Tail Guild; she didn't want to see either side get hurt in a fight.
Mavis felt a slight regret; if she had known Zeref was hiding on Tenrou Island, she would have woken up earlier to meet him. After all, he was her former lover, and she wondered how he was doing now.
Makarov could tell there was a story between the First Master and Zeref, but he was sensible enough not to pry.
He asked, "First Master, we are planning to head back. Will you stay on Tenrou Island, or come back with us?"
Mavis said without hesitation, "I'll go back with you."
Although this was her grave, her physical body was in the crystal coffin beneath the Fairy Tail Guild; staying on Tenrou Island alone was quite boring.
Most importantly, she discovered that in her ghost form, the curse of the Ankhseram God was inactive, so she didn't have to worry about endangering the lives of those around her at all.
"Great! Then let's go back together! I'm sure the people at the guild will be thrilled to see the First Master."
"And your former companion, Senior Warold Sinken, is still alive. He is now one of the Four Gods of Ishgar."
"Warold, huh? It really has been a long time."
...The Magic Council.
"Has it been investigated? Is the news confirmed?"
"Yes. Same names, same magic, even their daughter's name is the same. Furthermore, there's the information sent back by the spies from the former Dragnof Kingdom."
Chairman Gran Doma stood on the second-floor corridor, looking out at the distant sky. Beside him knelt Lahar, the captain of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit.
"The world-ending dragon king and the Scarlet Despair... I didn't expect these two monsters to still be alive, and that they've joined the most troublesome guild, Fairy Tail."
"The King of Fiore returned Magnolia Town to him, so he must have known long ago. He actually kept it from us all this time."
This situation was no different from a town hiding face, the Magic Council's ultimate weapon; if triggered, it could mean the destruction of a nation, or even the world.
The situation could be described as extremely dire. No one knew what those two monsters who ended an era were planning; there must be a massive conspiracy behind it.
Lahar looked tense. "Chairman, should we take action?"
"No! Do not move rashly for now. Keep this information sealed. Don't even tell the other councilors. Loose lips sink ships; it's better if only the two of us know!"
"Next, find a way to scout out Acnologia's power for me. Whether for defense or for future action, we must know his full capabilities."
Lahar pointed at himself in disbelief. "Me?"
He didn't have that kind of ability. Asking him to scout the power of the world-ending dragon king was practically asking him to die.
Gran Doma's expression remained indifferent, looking like he had everything under control. "Don't worry. When necessary, the criminals imprisoned by the Council can be used as pawns to scout the way."
"As the captain of the Council's enforcement unit, you have this responsibility, and you must be prepared to sacrifice yourself for justice at any time."
A cold glint appeared in his eyes. "That kind of world-ending power has already seriously endangered the balance of the magical world. It is necessary to seal or eliminate it."
Lahar was silent for a moment before his gaze turned firm again. "Yes! Chairman, everything for justice!"
Remembering something, he continued, "There's one more thing. Yesterday, members of Grimoire Heart, Ultear and Meredy, along with the former Ten Wizard Saint Siegrain, all came to turn themselves in, stating they are willing to accept the Council's judgment."
"As for the reason... they didn't specify. However, they were at Tenrou Island before, so it should be related to the Fairy Tail Guild."
"Fairy Tail..."
Gran Doma frowned slightly. "Have they defeated another Dark Guild?"
Counting Oración Seis, two of the three leaders of the Balam Alliance were gone, leaving only Tartaros.
Fairy Tail was out front defeating Dark Guilds while the Council was in the back picking up the pieces and making arrests. It made them look like they were doing nothing, which seriously damaged the Council's image in the magical world.
They had to find a way to deal with Tartaros to restore their image; they needed the world to know that the Magic Council was the strongest and most authoritative power in the world.
"Lahar, find a way to recruit those three. Their strength is quite good. Jellal and Ultear were original Council members and Ten Wizard Saints; if they can work for the Council, they would be a fine addition to our strength."
"But the crimes they committed? And..."
Lahar was somewhat worried. Those two former Ten Wizard Saints were traitors and powerful; would they really be that easy to win over?
"It's fine, I'll handle it! Working for the Council and upholding justice will be their atonement!"
"Chairman, I'm worried that those two traitors who betrayed us once will do it a second time."
"Siegrain and Ultear aren't that stupid. Tell them they only have one chance; if they rebel again, there will be no place for them left in the magical world."
"Yes! Councilor!"
...Fiore Royal Palace
King Toma E. Fiore sat on his throne, listening to the report from General Arcadios below.
"Your Majesty, news has arrived that Ultear and Meredy of Grimoire Heart, and the former Ten Wizard Saint Jellal, have gone to the Magic Council to surrender."
"At the same time, the three of them also surrendered to the Kingdom, presenting evidence of their crimes."
King Toma looked puzzled. "What happened?"
"All three returned from Fairy Tail's holy land, Tenrou Island, so it should be related to that."
"Is that so... then that means it's related to those two lords."
"The specifics are unknown, but those two lords were indeed on Tenrou Island. A while ago, Fairy Tail held their S-Class Promotion Trial, and a skirmish broke out with Grimoire Heart."
King Toma nodded slightly. "With those two present, no matter how strong Grimoire Heart was, they couldn't have caused much trouble. It must be related to them."
Arcadios asked respectfully, "Then how should we proceed with the judgment?"
"Let's set it aside for now. We'll wait until we send someone to ascertain the attitude of those two before making a decision."
Arcadios said worriedly, "The Magic Council doesn't know the identity of those two. Should we give them a reminder?"
Whether Jellal and the other two were executed or released wasn't important; what mattered was that those two lords were satisfied. He was worried the Magic Council would cause more trouble.
The Magic Council was an institution for maintaining the stability of the continent's magical world, and its status was slightly higher than that of the Kingdom. However, since the conflict occurred within the Kingdom of Fiore, they also had the right to refuse those people's orders and could even take Jellal's group back for a royal trial.
The stability of a nation, in the end, depends on the Kingdom.
"No need to bother. I've already met those two; they are far more gentle and reasonable than imagined. If the Council wants to be stubborn and knock heads with them, it won't involve us."
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