Upon returning to the guild hall of "Fairy Tail," Makarov immediately began preparations.
Levy, Lucy, and Hisui were called over.
Two literary girls and a Princess were summoned to write up and summarize the recent events, helping Makarov draft a speech.
It was more accurate to say they were writing a manifesto denouncing the "Magic Council," a declaration of battle, rather than a mere speech.
It was evident that the old man had made up his mind this time.
He was truly going to fight the "Magic Council" fiercely.
In the past, Makarov had never attached such importance to matters concerning the "Magic Council."
Previously, whenever Makarov went to the "Magic Council," he just went through the motions.
He basically never offered any opinions.
When others offered him opinions, they went in one ear and out the other.
He acted as if he hadn't heard anything, his main principle being to do as he pleased.
Makarov's idea was: We "Fairy Tail" won't dictate how you run things, and you "Magic Council" should stop causing trouble for us.
Let's try not to disturb each other while maintaining a baseline.
Although this was hard to achieve completely, both sides had been accommodating each other to some extent.
The punishments the "Magic Council" imposed on "Fairy Tail" generally resulted in a "slap on the wrist."
For the same incidents, other guilds wouldn't have been let off so easily.
As for Makarov himself, he indeed rarely exerted influence on the "Magic Council" or expressed opinions on their affairs.
Even with an old buddy like Yajima as a council member, he only asked his friend to look out for them as much as possible, never asking him to propose anything favorable to them.
But this time, everything would be different.
Makarov would no longer remain silent or play along with tacit understandings.
He would mobilize all his connections and completely blow up at the "Magic Council."
Did they think the tiger was a sick cat because he didn't show his claws?
While Makarov was working hard on his end, Marco and Erza weren't idle either.
Between the two of them, Erza was a victim of the "Tower of Heaven."
She had experienced the entire process of being captured and taken to the "Tower of Heaven," escaping from it, and now leading people back to destroy it.
She was undoubtedly a crucial turning point.
Erza definitely had to attend the "Magic Council" meeting.
And Marco, as the person who truly destroyed the "Tower of Heaven," naturally had to go too.
Moreover, Marco held Jellal, also known as "Siegrain," the ultimate weapon, in his hands.
"Marco, should we wait until after attending the Council meeting to restore Jellal to normal?" Erza asked Marco while organizing the questions she might be asked.
"There's a possibility I might release control over Jellal right there on the spot. After all, people from the Magic Council might suspect that I intentionally controlled Jellal to make him say those things."
Marco thought for a moment and gave an answer with a high probability.
"The people of the Magic Council wouldn't be so unreasonable, would they?"
Erza was visibly stunned, her expression somewhat skeptical.
Could the people of the "Magic Council," those "Council Members," actually claim that they had fabricated this incident?
"When their power is threatened, I wouldn't be surprised by anything they do." Marco looked indifferent.
He was prepared anyway.
He had already started to anticipate the reactions of those people in the "Magic Council" with the utmost malice. They certainly wouldn't sit still and wait for death; they would definitely use very drastic means to defend their power.
Of course, there would surely be council members who would accept it calmly.
After all, some council members within the "Magic Council" didn't have much ambition.
With such a scandal, although they were implicated, they had to accept it.
Someone had to take responsibility for it, for the reputation of the "Magic Council" and the "Council Members."
"I hope they can face reality." Erza sighed.
Compared to attending this so-called "Council Meeting," she would indeed prefer to do some fighting. But she truly couldn't avoid this occasion.
Most importantly, this "Council Meeting" would determine the culpability of Jellal and Ultear, define the nature of this "Tower of Heaven" incident, and discuss how to settle those who were rescued.
These were all topics Erza was very concerned about.
It could be said that this was a meeting Erza had to attend even if she didn't want to.
"Don't be nervous. We still have a few days to prepare." Marco smiled and comforted Erza.
Makarov needed some time to contact various forces, so they probably wouldn't set off for the "Magic Council Headquarters" for a few days.
These few days were perfect for some last-minute preparation.
"I'll do my best. I absolutely won't drag us down!"
Erza was full of fighting spirit, cheering herself on.
"Mm, you can definitely do it."
Marco nodded, focusing on encouragement.
Erza really needed encouragement.
This girl had burdened herself with too many responsibilities, responsibilities that didn't belong to her at all.
Marco was hanging around Erza now, helping with writing and planning, precisely because he was worried about her.
But so far, it seemed Erza was quite rational.
...
A few days later, Makarov had made all the arrangements.
He took Marco and Erza and set off for the "Magic Council."
In these few days, Makarov had sent out "Invitations" far and wide, summoning a great number of mages to head to the "Magic Council" together.
Mages summoned by Makarov naturally weren't incompetent.
Many had considerable fame, and even some of the "Ten Wizard Saints" began their journey to the "Magic Council Headquarters" to attend the meeting under Makarov's call.
As for the "Magic Council," they naturally received the same notification.
Makarov didn't launch a surprise attack but sent the "Invitation" given to other mages to the "Magic Council" as well, making it clear that this time he was going to confront them openly and squarely.
"This... this... this!!!"
Seeing the "Invitation" and "Manifesto" issued by Makarov, Chairman Crawford Seam stammered in fear.
He threw the Invitation out to the other council members, telling everyone to take a good look.
This was the consequence of indulging mage guilds all along—now they were uniting!
"Sigh..."
After reading the "Invitation," Yajima let out a long sigh, momentarily unsure of what to say.
Siegrain and Ultear were indeed absent.
Those two were usually very diligent about "Magic Council" affairs and basically never missed a meeting, yet they just happened to be absent this time.
"Where are Siegrain and Ultear?!"
Chairman Crawford Seam asked angrily.
"..."
everyone fell silent.
Wasn't it written right there in the "Invitation"? Siegrain, also known as Jellal, had been captured and would be coming with "Fairy Tail."
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