Left alone, Crawford Seam trembled with rage.
His fat face instantly turned a deep purple, and he slammed both hands heavily onto the table, sending documents flying.
Crawford Seam stood up abruptly, his beard shaking violently with anger.
He pointed a finger at the council members who had already left their seats one after another and roared.
"You... you bunch of traitors! Is the dignity of the Magic Council to be trampled by you like this?!"
His voice was so shrill it cracked as he kept repeating the word "traitor," as if trying to pour all the authority he had held as Chairman for so many years into his accusation.
However, this behavior only earned him the silent backs of Yajima and the others; no one paid any attention to his frantic barking.
Faced with almost irreversible failure and a situation of utter isolation, fear and despair bred rapidly in Crawford Seam's heart.
He realized that the power and status he had meticulously maintained were about to collapse completely.
He would lose everything he had possessed for so long, and might even be saddled with guilt and punishment.
Crawford Seam shook terribly, barely able to stand by gripping the edge of the table tightly with both hands.
His expensive Chairman's robe was soaked in cold sweat as anger, fear, and despair enveloped him.
"You have the nerve to say others trampled on the dignity of the Magic Council? When it comes to that, you're the one who did it the most."
Crawford Seam's accusations against the other council members left Marco speechless.
This Chairman couldn't see his own problems at all but was very adept at finding fault with others.
"..."
Marco's words echoed repeatedly in Crawford Seam's mind because Marco was right.
Indeed, it was he who had constantly avoided confrontation, letting the authority of the "Magic Council" drain away bit by bit.
Crawford Seam's psychological defenses collapsed completely.
His pupils constricted sharply, and he staggered back, bumping into his chair and collapsing into it.
A rasping gasp escaped his throat, as if he were being choked by an invisible hand.
"Chairman... Crawford, it's over."
Yajima looked at Crawford Seam slumped in his chair with pity.
He continued to persuade him, hoping this Chairman could retain some dignity; resigning on his own was always better than being judged.
Crawford Seam didn't speak.
He just curled up in the chair, his obese body completely sunken into the large seat.
He avoided all gazes, still trying to escape reality.
"Seven council members resigned collectively and are willing to bear the blame, admitting their mistakes with a positive attitude. Yet the Chairman, who has the biggest problem, still clings to his post. Crawford Seam, do you think you are innocent?"
Gran Doma was naturally very satisfied with the current situation.
The reorganization of the "Council" was certainly a good thing for veterans like them.
Being able to cut out the tumor that was Crawford Seam for the "Magic Council" excited him even more.
Looking at Crawford Seam, who still made no statement, and seeing the "Chairman" still holding on, Gran Doma pressed the attack, kicking him while he was down.
"You are unwilling to plead guilty, but we can pronounce judgment directly. Leaving everything else aside, simply allowing Siegrain and Ultear to infiltrate the Council makes you, the Chairman, inescapably guilty of dereliction of duty!"
Gran Doma was very proactive and very serious.
He announced Crawford Seam's various crimes, including but not limited to "appeasement of mage guilds," "punitive measures existing in name only," "inaction leading to deep-seated corruption in institutions at all levels," "inefficiency," "corruption and bribery," "embezzlement," and "severe infiltration by various forces"—a series of serious problems.
In Gran Doma's view, Crawford Seam was simply worthless.
As Chairman, his actions were perverse, depleting resources without achieving anything, dragging the "Magic Council" completely into the ditch.
"..."
Whispers of disdain from the mages below surged like a tide, all complaining about Crawford Seam.
However, many people also looked awkward because they were actually beneficiaries of some of the issues Gran Doma pointed out.
For example, "appeasement" and "punishments limited to verbal or written self-reflection" were obviously beneficial to "Fairy Tail," a point Makarov knew very well.
Of course, Makarov wasn't selfish.
He wouldn't strive to keep Crawford Seam as Chairman just because his tenure benefited Fairy Tail.
Makarov's sense of social responsibility was still very good.
Most importantly, if the "Magic Council" had problems, and the "Ishgar Continent" had problems, "Fairy Tail" couldn't stay out of it alone.
"Now, we will hold a public vote on the proposal to remove Crawford Seam from his position as Chairman of the Magic Council."
Gran Doma continued to preside over the meeting process.
As his voice fell, the entire venue immediately passed the proposal unanimously.
Crawford Seam was removed without a doubt.
The entire core team of the Council resigned collectively.
Now, the Council, symbolizing the Highest Authority of the Ishgar Magic World, was empty.
This obviously wouldn't do.
Therefore, following the removal, an election was imminent; they needed to put forward a new leadership team.
Of course, before that, they also had to assign blame to the ousted old leadership.
Resignation and removal weren't the only punishments.
If mistakes were made, consequences had to be borne.
Making a huge mess and then patting one's butt to go home and be a rich man wouldn't convince the public.
Soon, Crawford Seam was convicted of several crimes: dereliction of duty, bribery, abuse of power, using public office for private gain, and so on.
Gran Doma, who presided over the meeting, simply wished Crawford Seam dead, piling charges onto him one by one.
If circumstances allowed, he would even want to kill Crawford Seam directly!
Of course, since this matter hadn't caused substantial major destruction yet, wanting to kill Crawford Seam directly was impossible; that would be too obvious political persecution.
Moreover, having served as Chairman for so many years, although Crawford Seam focused on appeasement and evasion, he had worked hard even if he hadn't achieved much.
He had a share in the past achievements of the Magic Council.
---------
Read 50 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator