Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Meanwhile...

As the guild masters of Fiore Kingdom pushed Jose into the Magic Council, a pair of eyes watched through the slats of a nearby window. Once all the guild masters had entered, the blinds were slowly closed.

The current members of the Magic Council were gathered in a dimly lit room within one of the Council's buildings.

Present were veteran council member Yajima, undercover hero Rob, warden of the BLACKVOX mage prison Toki Anderba, and super genius of celestial magic Jellal Fernandes, considered by many to be Erwan's successor. Also present was the captain of the special task force against dark guilds and acting council member Lahar.

Yes, to ensure they had a majority sympathetic to Fairy Tail, Yajima and others roped in the young Jellal and the relatively inexperienced Lahar into the council. However, Jellal and Lahar refrained from voicing their opinions most of the time.

Most decisions were made by Warrod, Yajima, Rob, and Toki.

The other council members were mostly honorary, either retired or too detached to influence internal council affairs. Ironically, the methods this group had once used against Fairy Tail were now being used against them by Fairy Tail itself, with a vengeance.

"Phew…"

Rob watched as the last guild master entered the Council, leaving the reporters outside, before walking over to the others, puffing on his pipe and filling the room with smoke.

"What do you all think of this situation?" Rob asked, looking at the people seated around the long table.

"This is outrageous, Mr. Rob…"

"These guild masters dare to come here to accuse Fairy Tail. Tomorrow, they might come to accuse the Magic Council itself!"

"If that happens, will the entire continent of Ishgar be governed by us or by Fairy Tail?"

"I believe we must deal with this strictly to uphold justice, maintain social stability, and ensure the peace of the magical community across Ishgar and the world."

Jellal, sitting seriously at the table, spoke forcefully. He was deeply angered by the guild masters' actions, suggesting that all forty-odd guilds involved should be temporarily shut down for reformation. Only if they sincerely reflected on their wrongdoings and understood the council's good intentions could they be allowed to reopen.

"Well said!"

Yajima smiled, pleased with Jellal's conduct and seeing a promising future where Jellal could shoulder many council responsibilities.

"But Jellal, while your points are valid, we need a practical and effective way to handle these guild masters. We are the symbol of justice and cannot arbitrarily accuse guilds without cause."

Yajima tapped the table rhythmically, explaining the necessity of justified actions to maintain the council's reputation among the people and mages of Ishgar.

"I see. I've learned a lot," Jellal nodded, acknowledging the need for practical measures.

"Sip~"

"This isn't easy…"

Rob sipped his tea, pondering. Having seen many corrupt dealings in his years with the council, he was no longer the naive, straightforward hero of old.

"Why make it complicated?"

"I say we throw them all into BLACKVOX for a year or so. That'll teach them."

Toki suggested bluntly.

"But on what grounds can we act against them?"

Lahar, ever the righteous young man, asked

Toki, his face serious.

"That's simple."

"Right now, Warrod is meeting these guild masters alone, correct?"

"We'll say that there was a disagreement, and Jose Porla, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, threatened Warrod with his power. Warrod, being a man of integrity, refused to yield, leading to a confrontation. At the critical moment, a member of Fairy Tail stepped in to prevent a riot."

"We can commend Fairy Tail for their heroic intervention, exemplifying the ideals of righteous mages. As for Jose Porla and the other guild masters involved, we can label Jose as the main culprit while showing leniency to the others since this is their first offense."

"In time, these guild masters will likely disclose who the main instigator was, and they'll keep quiet about the rest."

Toki stroked his chin, contemplating for a moment before presenting his solution.

"This is a good plan!"

"Shifting the blame to a single person will create internal conflict between the main culprit and the others."

"After punishing the main instigator, we can release him, leading to infighting between the 'culprit' and the 'accomplices.' This will ease the pressure on both the Magic Council and Fairy Tail."

Rob's eyes lit up at the cunning plan.

"Phew~"

"What do you all think of this plan?"

Toki asked the group as he lit a cigarette.

"Agreed!"

"I agree too!"

"Let's proceed with this."

The council members expressed their agreement one by one.

"So, it's decided then!"

With the consensus reached, Yajima nodded, making the final decision to implement Toki's plan.

In the dim room, filled with flickering light and swirling smoke, the council members—both young and old—quickly decided on a strategy to handle the guild masters of Fiore. They were, undeniably, all schemers.

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Magic Council, Warrod was hosting the guild masters of Fiore, sitting at the head of the table with a gentle smile.

"That Fairy Tail guild has become increasingly overbearing these past few years!"

"They not only steal our guild's missions but sometimes even attack our members! Their behavior is intolerable!"

One guild master spoke angrily, accusing Fairy Tail of various misdeeds.

Of course, he didn't mention that Fairy Tail's mages only fought back after being provoked by his own guild members.

"That's right! That's right!"

The other guild masters chimed in, echoing his complaints.

"And that Evan, the 'Falling Star,' he drops meteors on mountains for no reason! It's outrageous! I think he needs to be severely punished!"

One guild master even tried to position himself as a council member, harshly criticizing Evan's actions.

In reality, even King Toma of Fiore had a vague stance on Evan's meteor incident. Technically, the mountains belonged to the king, but as long as Evan participated in the Grand Magic Games, the king didn't mind.

"And there's more…"

"Laxus in Fairy Tail is no good either!"

"Erza, Mirajane, none of them are good!"

"Fairy Tail should be disbanded as soon as possible!"

The meeting room turned into a chaotic market with the guild masters shouting their grievances. Warrod simply listened, smiling silently, while Jose kept a wary eye on him, fearing what might happen.

"Is that so? None of Fairy Tail's members are good?"

Warrod's smile grew even brighter.

"Ding~"

Just then, the magic crystal beside Warrod lit up, and after receiving a message, his smile slowly faded.

"You mentioned that Fairy Tail's guild mark looks like this, correct?"

Warrod asked, extending his hand. A small sapling grew from his palm, transforming into the emblem of Fairy Tail.

"Yes, that's it!"

"Chairman, you recognize it too!"

"Please, punish them!"

"Yes, please!"

The guild masters grew more excited.

"Hahaha…"

"So, it's indeed this mark!"

Warrod laughed warmly.

"Chairman Warrod, even someone as busy as you recognizes Fairy Tail's emblem. It shows how notorious they've become."

"Yes, indeed!"

As Warrod laughed, the guild masters flattered him, emphasizing Fairy Tail's alleged misdeeds.

"Haha, no, I've known this mark for a long time."

Warrod smiled at the group.

"Oh? You've known it for a long time? Then Fairy Tail's members have been misbehaving for quite some time!"

One guild master chuckled, but suddenly, his face turned pale. He started sweating as he realized the implication of Warrod's words.

"Wait, Chairman Warrod, did you say you were once in which guild? Please tell me you're joking!"

"I'm not joking."

"I was once a member of Fairy Tail, and I haven't resigned. In fact, I helped design this emblem!"

"Ah, I fondly remember the days with Mavis, Precht, and Yuri, founding the guild. Now, it has passed from Mavis to Precht, and then to Yuri's son, Makarov…"

"By the way, you mentioned Fairy Tail's members were what again? My hearing isn't what it used to be, so could you repeat it?"

Warrod's smile was warm, but his words were chilling.

"So, we've been insulting Fairy Tail in front of its founder for half an hour?!"

The guild masters turned pale, their bodies trembling. It was too late to back out.

"You're not speaking anymore?"

"I'd like to hear more about Fairy Tail's faults."

As Warrod spoke, branches outside the windows closed them tightly, and even the wooden door seemed to come alive, sealing shut.

"Well, if you're not going to speak, let me tell you something!"

Warrod's smile vanished, his eyes glowing with faint golden magic.

"Gulp~"

Jose, who had been silent, looked at Warrod in horror, realizing the worst had happened.

---

In Crocus, the capital of Fiore...

"Extra! Extra! Big news from the council! Huge news! Anyone need a special edition?"

A newsboy ran through the streets with a stack of newspapers.

"Please give me one, thank you."

A young boy with reddish-brown hair bought a paper from the newsboy.

"Thanks for your business!"

"Extra! Extra!"

The newsboy took the money and continued shouting.

"Let's see…"

The boy with reddish-brown hair, Evan, opened the newspaper, his expression changing as he read.

"What? Over forty guild masters attacked the Council? What madness is this?"

Evan's face showed confusion.

"Well, with Warrod and the others there, it shouldn't be a big problem…"

Evan rolled up the newspaper, tossing it into a nearby trash bin. Having read the news, he didn't care what happened next. He had only one task: discussing the matter of Dragon Cry with King Toma of Fiore.