"I am following the procedure, Chairman Crawford."
Gran Doma's face was calm, but he gave no respect to Crawford Seam at all, insisting on proceeding according to his own protocol.
This veteran member of the "Magic Council" clearly had his own thoughts.
The look he gave Crawford Seam held no respect whatsoever; in fact, it carried obvious hostility.
To put it simply, the "Magic Council" was the "company" Gran Doma had dedicated most of his life to.
It embodied his ideals.
But now, under Crawford Seam's leadership, the "Magic Council" was on the brink of bankruptcy.
It faced the greatest crisis of trust in its history, with numerous "shareholders" and "clients" coming to the door to cast votes of no confidence against the "Council."
Gran Doma looked at Crawford Seam like he was looking at an enemy; he couldn't wait for Crawford Seam to step down.
"You!"
This infuriated Crawford Seam.
Already fat, he puffed up in anger, looking just like an inflated pufferfish.
"Chairman Crawford, mind your image. Let the meeting proceed normally."
Seeing that Crawford Seam was about to explode, Org, seated in the second chair, held him back, advising him not to make a scene.
Org, wearing a bat ornament on his head and keeping his right eye closed, still held considerable sway.
His stance calmed Chairman Crawford Seam down.
Of course, the increasingly oppressive atmosphere in the room also forced Crawford Seam to compel himself to be calm.
Crawford Seam shut his mouth and stopped talking, which prompted Bacchus to mutter a complaint.
"I thought he was going to replace the host right then and there, but he just let it go. This Chairman doesn't seem very capable."
Bacchus expressed disdain for Crawford Seam's actions. He thought a fight was about to break out, but the Chairman chickened out.
"Violence is something no one wants to see. Don't fill your head with fighting and killing; we are here to solve problems through a meeting."
Marco unclenched his fist and criticized Bacchus.
They were here to reason, not to dismantle the "Magic Council."
Of course, if reason didn't work, Marco also knew a thing or two about fisticuffs; he could give a lecture on "classical mechanics" too.
"..."
Bacchus pursed his lips.
He figured if a fight really broke out, Marco would definitely be the first to charge in.
He didn't believe Marco's words; it wasn't like he didn't know how hard Marco's fists were.
"There's no getting through to your blockhead. Working hard to make your fists tough is so you won't be bullied by others, not so you can bully others."
Marco wagged his finger.
The guys from "Quatro Cerberus" were all battle maniacs who delighted in finding prey. When it came to fighting, they were more eager than anyone.
That brat Natsu would fit this style well.
Of course, the style of "Quatro Cerberus" also originated from "Fairy Tail," and "Blue Pegasus" was the same.
Their styles could all be found within "Fairy Tail."
"Fairy Tail" was a more inclusive collective, while "Quatro Cerberus" and "Blue Pegasus" were specialized subgroups.
If Bacchus and Hibiki Lates were to join "Fairy Tail," they could seamlessly adapt to the "Fairy Tail" atmosphere.
Thinking of this, Marco looked towards Master Bob.
Hibiki hadn't come with Master Bob this time; instead, it was Ichiya who accompanied him.
Ichiya sat behind Master Bob, saying nothing.
His expression was serious, observing the council members on the high platform with intense focus. Clearly, he cared deeply about this matter.
If he didn't care deeply, Ichiya wouldn't have taken this opportunity for experience away from the younger generation.
He sincerely hoped this meeting would make progress and put the "Magic Council" back on the right track.
"Master Makarov, please speak."
Seeing Crawford Seam silenced under the restraint of Org, Michelo, and others, Gran Doma continued to invite Makarov to speak.
Makarov waited for a moment.
Seeing no further objections, he stood up directly on the table in front of him.
He didn't intend to go to the podium but prepared to speak right where he was.
"I have only one goal, and that is to reorganize the Council. The current Chairman and Council Members must take responsibility for the matters regarding Siegrain and Ultear. None of you can escape the blame!"
Standing on the table, Makarov expressed his views straight from the heart.
"We must also rigorously investigate the personnel vetting process and system of the Magic Academy to find the person who allowed Siegrain and Ultear to enroll."
Goldmine added in a low voice for Makarov from the side.
Goldmine had obviously read the "dossier" very carefully.
While the Chairman and Council Members were certainly negligent in allowing Siegrain and Ultear to join the "Council," the problems at the Magic Academy couldn't be ignored either.
The entire "Magic Council" needed to be investigated from top to bottom.
"Exactly. The Magic Academy must also be thoroughly investigated. Some people and some things have been problematic from the root. For the prestige of the Magic Council and for the future of the Ishgar Continent, we must restore order from the source this time and let the Magic Council rediscover its original intention." Makarov continued speaking.
He didn't use a speech draft because at a time like this, emotion was actually more important.
Any carefully prepared speech wouldn't matter as much.
Calm handling was something to consider later; the most important thing now was to make these people face reality.
"You say you captured Siegrain. Where is he?"
At this, Crawford Seam couldn't sit still again.
He immediately chimed in. He had realized that neither Gran Doma, who was speaking, nor the council members sitting beside him seemed to be on his side.
They had all resigned themselves to fate, and some even wanted to fan the flames!
With no other choice, Crawford Seam had to personally step down and confront Makarov.
He still hadn't given up; he still wanted to resist.
He would never easily hand over the power in his hands.
If the other council members weren't constantly holding him back, Crawford Seam was really prepared to make some big moves.
For the sake of power, he could do anything, even if it meant sacrificing some people.
The reason Crawford Seam asked where "Siegrain" was, was naturally because he hadn't seen the guy. The spies he arranged hadn't seen the people of "Fairy Tail" bring "Siegrain" either. This gave Crawford Seam a fantasy; he thought "Fairy Tail" had been lying before.
However, the slap in the face came swiftly. Before Crawford Seam could be happy for even a few seconds, Marco had already responded.
"He is right here."
Marco donned the [Gemini Gold Cloth], took out the card, and released Jellal directly from it.
Jellal appeared in the open space in front of the podium.
Everyone could see him clearly, which prompted whispers throughout the hall.
Evidently, most Guild Masters had seen "Siegrain" before, so they could naturally confirm at a glance that this guy was indeed "Siegrain."
"This might be his twin brother!"
Crawford Seam got desperate, and he immediately made up an excuse.
This gave Marco, Erza, and Makarov strange expressions because Jellal had said this exact same sentence before.
"Twin brother? Then how do you explain this?"
Marco shook his head and laughed.
He directly issued a command, having "Siegrain" demonstrate his "Heavenly Body Magic."
This magic could be said to be "Siegrain's" signature power; no second person on the entire continent had mastered it.
"Buzz!"
Jellal used "Meteor," instantly arriving in front of Crawford Seam, then quickly returning to the front of the podium.
Small magical celestial bodies condensed in his hands.
Several small stars flew around in the solemn Grand Hall before colliding and disappearing.
"Heavenly Body Magic! It's Heavenly Body Magic! It is Siegrain!"
Seeing Jellal's signature "Heavenly Body Magic," Org, Michelo, and several other council members all exclaimed in surprise.
If there were doubts before, now they fully recognized it. The person before them was undoubtedly Siegrain.
"Sigh... what else is there to say? Chairman Crawford, leave yourself some dignity. Continuing this is bad for everyone."
Yajima couldn't help but sigh deeply from the side. He continued to persuade, hoping this matter could conclude smoothly.
"Siegrain's state is not normal! He is being controlled right now! All of this is a conspiracy by 'Fairy Tail'!"
However, Crawford Seam obviously didn't intend to be dignified. He shouted loudly, seizing on this key issue to counterattack.
"That's right, Jellal is indeed being controlled by me now, but this is to save him. He himself was being manipulated by someone else."
Marco was very calm. He took over Makarov's speaking position and began to detail the story behind the "Tower of Heaven," recounting the intelligence obtained from Jellal.
And the involved parties who came along also entered the venue one after another.
Under everyone's gaze, they recounted their experiences and what they had seen.
Zeref, the Balam Alliance, at least two of the three major Dark Guilds involved... a series of intelligence caused an uproar in the venue.
Actually, these things were all written in the manifesto Makarov issued earlier, just not in such detail.
Now that Marco reiterated it, plus Jellal himself and other involved parties supplementing details on the side, everyone naturally had accurate judgment regarding the truth of the matter.
"This doesn't look like it's made up..."
Org stared wide-eyed; even the eye he always kept closed was about to open.
He really hadn't expected the "Tower of Heaven" matter to involve so much and so widely.
He had previously felt "Fairy Tail" was alarmist, deliberately exaggerating the danger of this matter.
But now it seemed the "manifesto" was still too simple.
"One-sided story! Siegrain is being controlled by you. Who knows if these are true? What if you arranged all of this?"
Crawford Seam's body trembled.
He clearly knew that if all of this was true, then as Chairman, he could not escape the blame.
He would likely be ruined, becoming synonymous with incompetence and senility, because he was the person directly responsible.
Other council members might also face criticism, but more accusations and blame would definitely be borne by him, the Chairman. Having enjoyed the power, he naturally had to bear the price.
"Fine, then I will release the control over Jellal right here."
Marco knew Crawford Seam would constantly question him, so he was prepared.
He raised his hand, canceling the control of the [Phantom Demon Emperor Fist], returning Jellal's freedom.
Under everyone's gaze, Jellal's state changed immediately.
At first, it was confusion, then he began to tremble all over, as if frightened by something, as if recalling something terrifying. His whole person began to shake abnormally.
"This guy is also a pitiful person." Marco lamented again.
He could be 100% certain that the current Jellal should have regained his own consciousness after a long time, temporarily breaking free from eight years of control.
And the real Jellal, the one controlled since age twelve, suddenly receiving these eight years of memories... one could imagine what his reaction would be.
For a child who was inherently kind and upright, these eight years of growth and deeds were tantamount to being thrown into hell.
He couldn't face everything in these memories.
Perhaps letting him have amnesia and start over would be better; those memories shouldn't have existed for the real Jellal in the first place.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Jellal held his head and knelt on the ground, letting out a despairing roar.
Tears and snot streamed down his face.
In the entire Grand Hall, only Jellal's roaring and apologies could be heard.
Everyone was looking at him, their expressions very complicated.
After knowing the whole story, they naturally understood Jellal's current state.
"..."
Watching Jellal's performance, Marco couldn't help but think of Emiya Kiritsugu after the "Holy Grail War."
The level of despair should be comparable.
But at least Kiritsugu was an adult, and everything he did was decided by himself.
Unlike Jellal, who was manipulated since he was a child.
"I have decided to resign from my position as Council Member." Yajima's voice broke the atmosphere in the room; he started it off.
"If there are any other responsibilities, I am also willing to bear them. The matters of Siegrain and Ultear are our fault."
Yajima looked solemn.
He was willing to resign and willing to bear the blame.
After Yajima spoke, other council members responded one after another.
Soon, seven council members accepted reality and chose to resign, leaving only Crawford Seam by himself.