Obviously, Chairman Crawford Seam was unwilling to believe the contents of the "Invitation."
He didn't believe Jellal and Ultear were enemies, didn't believe they were Dark Mages who had infiltrated the "Magic Council."
He was unwilling to face this reality.
"It's all nonsense! That old thing Makarov! It seems we've been far too indulgent with 'Fairy Tail'! So much so that he's become this bold, wanting to use this kind of thing to shake the authority of the Magic Council! We absolutely cannot allow them to continue acting recklessly like this! Otherwise, where will the Magic Council's dignity lie?!"
Seeing everyone silent, Chairman Crawford Seam continued to roar.
Usually known for his emotional stability and keeping a straight face in front of many issues, he had completely lost his composure at this moment.
Everyone knew why.
Because if these things were true, others might still have hope of staying, but Crawford Seam, the Chairman, would definitely have to resign taking the blame.
For such a thing to happen in the "Magic Council" was absolutely a huge dereliction of duty by the Chairman.
He would never gain everyone's trust again.
Having been Chairman for so many years, how could Crawford Seam bear to give up this power?
That was why he was so frantic.
"Chairman Crawford, please calm down a little. There's nothing we can do right now except wait. Wait for them to come to our door. Whether it's true or false will be clear at a glance then."
Seeing Chairman Crawford Seam getting more and more agitated, targeting "Fairy Tail" at every turn, Yajima had to step forward to persuade him.
"Yajima! Don't make sarcastic remarks from the sidelines! You speak for 'Fairy Tail' in the council every day, so Makarov naturally won't target you! Of course you can rest easy!"
Hearing Yajima speak, Crawford Seam's fire immediately shifted to him, pointing fingers right away.
This stunned Yajima.
Chairman Crawford Seam had changed too much, hadn't he? Was he dropping the act completely in the face of disaster?
"Those appeasement policies, concession policies, policies of preferential treatment for powerful mage guilds—weren't they all passed by you, Chairman? How come it's all pinned on my head in the end?"
Crawford Seam's power-hungry appearance really annoyed Yajima.
He wasn't willing to be the scapegoat, so he asked back directly.
The one who indulged "Fairy Tail" the most was Chairman Crawford Seam himself; he was unwilling to have any confrontation with powerful mage guilds.
"I'll speak plainly today. If everything Makarov says is true, then I will definitely resign from my position as a council member voluntarily. Having been with Siegrain and Ultear for so long without discovering their problems is my dereliction of duty."
Looking at Crawford Seam, Yajima's words were resonant.
This power-hungry Chairman was clinging to his position.
To keep his seat, he had even started talking nonsense, turning black into white.
This made Yajima despise him greatly.
Regardless of others, if what Makarov said was true, Yajima himself would definitely resign decisively.
Even if asked to stay, he wouldn't have the face to. Being played like a fiddle by Dark Mages, what face did he have left to be a council member?
"..."
Yajima's tough response shocked everyone present. After all, this matter had just come to their attention. This was the time for everyone to consider the impact and weigh the pros and cons.
The extreme behaviors of Crawford Seam and Yajima suddenly threw everyone off rhythm.
"Calm down, calm down. As Yajima said, the matter hasn't been confirmed yet. All we need to do now is wait. Facts are the only standard for judgment. If it's false, we can naturally punish 'Fairy Tail.' But if it's true, then we definitely have to take responsibility for this matter. This is something we can't avoid no matter what."
Org, the second seat of the council, stepped forward to speak.
He was clearly still rational and could recognize reality.
Although he usually liked to pick on "Fairy Tail," he wouldn't let those factors interfere in such a major event.
"'Fairy Tail,' Makarov... even if they are unreliable, they definitely wouldn't joke about this kind of thing."
Org looked at Yajima, expressing his thoughts.
He could see that Yajima obviously knew nothing beforehand, but Yajima's trust in "Fairy Tail" and Makarov made him not doubt the issue at all.
"Think about how to explain this to everyone first."
Yajima sighed and offered one last piece of advice.
After all, they were colleagues.
He hoped everyone could exit gracefully. If some wanted to stay, they should think about their value first, and also think about how to distance themselves a bit.
After offering his last advice, Yajima left the meeting directly. Whoever wanted to be a council member could do it; he wasn't doing it anymore.
"Yajima!"
Seeing Yajima leave so directly, Chairman Crawford Seam shouted angrily.
He hadn't announced the dismissal yet!
This guy completely disregarded him now?!
"'Fairy Tail' must be severely punished! Label them a Dark Guild!"
The furious Chairman Crawford Seam seemed to have lost his mind. His words directly stunned the other council members.
"Objection!"
"Objection!"
"Objection!"
The council members spoke up one after another.
Not a single one agreed.
Even Org, who targeted "Fairy Tail" the most, didn't hesitate.
Org targeted "Fairy Tail" usually because it was business; "Fairy Tail" did have many small problems.
But in this current situation, he had to defend "Fairy Tail."
Crawford Seam was going crazy!
"I think this council meeting should just be adjourned. Let's suspend the meeting until Makarov and the others arrive."
Belno, a gentle and kind female council member, spoke up.
She didn't want to play along with this crazy Chairman anymore.
"Good! Let's do that!"
Belno's suggestion immediately received everyone's support.
Before long, only Chairman Crawford Seam was left in the entire conference room.
Although he was the Chairman, he couldn't just issue orders alone casually. So no matter how angry he was, he could only rage impotently by himself.
...
Soon, the day chosen by Makarov arrived, and the trio from "Fairy Tail" arrived at the location of the "Magic Council."
By this time, a large number of mages had gathered here. It could be said to be extremely lively.
Marco touched the card in his pocket.
Jellal was imprisoned within it, behaving very honestly. This was the "King Bomb" he was going to release later.
"Makarov! What exactly is going on?!"
As Makarov, the core figure of this "Grand Gathering," arrived on the scene, he immediately attracted the attention of a bunch of guild masters.
Goldmine and Bob, two old acquaintances, immediately leaned in.
Both looked shocked.
Although the "Invitation" had explained clearly, they still couldn't help but ask.
"It's just as written in the letter sent to you." Makarov looked solemn.
His gaze turned towards the headquarters building of the "Magic Council."
He knew that once the bow was drawn, there was no turning back.