Chapter 492: It Appears You Harbor Some Misconceptions
When Noah and the massive pile of Grimoire Heart prisoners reappeared, they found themselves in the center of a wide clearing. They were immediately surrounded by dozens of Magic Council Rune Knights, all pointing their magical staves threateningly in their direction.
Further back, Yajima stood alongside a group of men who were clearly members of the Magic Council's inner circle.
Noah recognized several familiar faces among the councilors. Seeing Noah, the familiar faces offered faint, polite smiles and nodded in acknowledgment.
However, there were also several new faces among the council. These new members glared at Noah, their expressions dark, hostile, and overtly displeased.
Yajima, noticing Noah looking his way, broke into a wide, unrestrained smile.
Noah smiled back and nodded before shifting his gaze to the Rune Knights surrounding him.
Among the knights stood two men Noah knew very well: Lahar and Mest—or rather, Doranbolt, since Noah had officially sealed his memories again regarding Fairy Tail's darkest secrets.
Catching Noah's eye, both Lahar and Doranbolt offered small, grateful smiles.
Noah smiled back, but his attention was quickly drawn to a sudden commotion behind him.
The conscious Grimoire Heart prisoners had finally realized that Jellal had betrayed them. They were currently screaming, cursing, and hurling every insult imaginable at the blue-haired mage.
Jellal didn't back down. He fired right back, giving as good as he got.
Having endured years of brainwashing and spent an agonizingly long time deep undercover, he had built up a massive reservoir of pent-up rage and stress. Now that his cover was blown and they were actively attacking him, he had absolutely no reason to hold back.
The ensuing screaming match was incredibly colorful, completely distracting the surrounding Rune Knights, who stared in bewildered silence, momentarily forgetting their duties.
"Wait... isn't he...?"
Despite the distraction, one of the Rune Knights finally recognized the blue-haired mage. He pointed a trembling finger at Jellal.
The other knights followed his finger. The moment they recognized Jellal, the atmosphere instantly grew tense. Dozens of magical staves were immediately leveled directly at his head.
Lahar and Doranbolt naturally recognized him as well. They harbored a deep, burning hatred for the man who had completely humiliated the Magic Council, infiltrated their ranks, and caused catastrophic destruction.
However, seeing Noah standing calmly in front of Jellal, they forced themselves to remain composed. Through their numerous past collaborations, they understood Noah's character. Noah would provide them with an explanation.
"It's Jellal! Quick! Apprehend him immediately!"
While Lahar and Doranbolt hesitated, the new councilors in the backline began shouting frantically. One councilor, a man wearing a prominent eyepatch, yelled the loudest.
Lahar and Doranbolt shot Noah an apologetic glance before ordering their men to move in.
Noah didn't interfere; they were simply following orders.
However, Noah did turn his gaze toward the shouting councilors. Seeing Noah look their way, the new councilors scowled and glared back with blatant hostility.
Noah ignored them, turning his attention back to the Rune Knights cautiously approaching Jellal. They moved in a tight formation, clearly terrified of the former Wizard Saint.
Seeing them approach, Jellal calmly raised his hands, offering his wrists to be cuffed.
Only when the heavy magical suppression cuffs clicked shut did the knights finally let out a collective sigh of relief. Given the apocalyptic scale of Jellal's past crimes, their terror was entirely justified.
A few Grimoire Heart prisoners attempted to use the distraction to resist or escape, but Noah casually slapped them back into unconsciousness without even breaking a sweat.
Once every single Grimoire Heart member was securely cuffed, Noah signaled Lahar to momentarily delay taking Jellal away. He then walked purposefully toward the group of councilors.
"Every single member of Grimoire Heart who participated in the invasion of our holy ground, Tenrou Island, is right here. The only exception is their Guild Master, Hades. He was incredibly strong, and he managed to escape," Noah reported calmly.
"Excellent work. Another pillar of the Balam Alliance has been completely dismantled," Yajima was the first to speak, nodding approvingly.
"Hmph. Why is it that Dark Guilds are always attacking your guild specifically?" the eyepatch-wearing councilor sneered, his tone dripping with venomous implication.
"Huh? How should I know? I'm not mentally unhinged like the masters of those Dark Guilds, so I can't exactly comprehend their insane logic. Are you implying that you understand how they think? Wow, you have my deepest sympathies," Noah replied, looking at the councilor with an expression of profound pity.
The councilor's face instantly flushed beet red. Not from embarrassment, but from sheer, unadulterated fury. Noah had just indirectly called him mentally unhinged.
"Alright, alright. The councilor has simply been overworked recently and is a bit irritable," Yajima quickly intervened, stepping between them. "Now, I believe you have something else to discuss with us?"
"I do. The entire incident regarding the destruction of the previous Magic Council and the firing of the Etherion cannon... was orchestrated entirely by Hades, the Master of Grimoire Heart. Jellal was acting under extreme, long-term magical brainwashing and manipulation by Hades," Noah stated clearly, addressing the entire group.
"WHAT?!"
The councilors gasped in unison, staring at Noah in utter shock.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Jellal was an esteemed Wizard Saint! How could someone of his caliber be brainwashed?!" the eyepatch councilor barked, aggressively dismissing the claim. "Are you just covering for him because you're friends?! I always knew Fairy Tail was a guild full of problematic degenerates, but to think you'd openly harbor and cover for a war criminal!"
"I know you're in a rush to be angry, but just calm down and listen," Noah replied coolly. "I have a mountain of irrefutable evidence. Not just testimonies from Jellal himself, but comprehensive data and magical logs I personally investigated. They definitively prove that Jellal was under deep, continuous psychological manipulation long before he even joined the Council.
"In fact, if I hadn't accidentally shattered the manipulation spell placed upon him four years ago, Hades's true plan would have resulted in significantly higher casualties for the Magic Council."
Noah pulled a thick, magically sealed folder of documents from his coat and held it out.
The eyepatch councilor reached out to snatch it, but recognizing the man who had been glaring at him since he arrived, Noah swiftly pulled the folder back. Instead, he handed it directly to Yajima and the older, familiar councilor standing beside him.
The eyepatch councilor's eyes bugged out in fury, glaring daggers at Noah. Noah completely ignored him.
"Indeed... this evidence is incredibly thorough. It clearly details the specific mind-control magics utilized..." Yajima and the older councilor quickly scanned through the documents. The intel was meticulous, aligning perfectly with several previously unexplained anomalies surrounding the Tower of Heaven incident. It undeniably proved Jellal's innocence regarding his intent.
Furthermore, reading the details of Hades's original, unabridged plan to annihilate the entire Magic Council to harvest a massive amount of life force sent a cold sweat down the councilors' spines. If Hades's plan had succeeded, the Council would have been wiped out entirely.
"Wait a minute!"
Having snatched a few pages from Yajima, the eyepatch councilor skimmed them rapidly before pointing an accusing finger at Noah.
"These documents state that your attack began breaking the brainwashing four years ago, and that he was completely free of it a year ago! If he was free, why didn't he surrender himself to the Council immediately?! Why did he remain with Grimoire Heart?! This proves he actively chose to remain a criminal!"
"Did you even read the documents properly, or are you just illiterate?" Noah sighed in exasperation. "The only reason Jellal managed to infiltrate the Council at such a young age and attain the rank of Wizard Saint in the first place was because Hades had highly placed moles within the Magic Council itself.
"Turn himself in? And risk being immediately recaptured and re-brainwashed by Hades's spies?
"Wait..." Noah paused, placing a hand on his chin, adopting an expression of deep, exaggerated thought. "Are you one of Hades's spies? Is that why you're so desperate to execute him without a trial? Now that I think about it, that makes perfect sense."
Noah had intentionally kept Yajima in the dark back then precisely because of the moles. If Yajima had investigated, he would have painted a massive target on his own back. Noah hadn't wanted to risk the older man's life.
"Y-You...!" The eyepatch councilor sputtered, so apoplectic with rage he couldn't even form a coherent sentence.
"If he remained hidden for so long to avoid the moles, why is he willingly surrendering now?"
A stern, commanding voice cut through the bickering. An imposing man holding a serpent-headed staff, wearing a tall hat and a heavy cloak, stepped forward, glaring at Noah.
"This is the newly appointed Chairman of the Magic Council, Gran Doma," Yajima introduced him quietly.
"The only reason Jellal remained with Grimoire Heart after breaking the manipulation was to act as an inside operative to help dismantle them," Noah explained calmly. "Now that the entirety of Grimoire Heart's main fighting force has been defeated and captured, his mission is complete. He wishes to stand trial, accept whatever punishment is deemed appropriate for the actions he committed while under manipulation, and eventually start a new life."
"Hmph! He actually thinks he'll ever see the outside of a prison cell again?" Gran Doma scoffed coldly.
"The documents I just handed you contain years of highly classified, meticulously gathered intelligence regarding Grimoire Heart's operations, illegal activities, and the exact coordinates of every single one of their hidden bases across the continent. Furthermore, it was largely due to his crucial inside intelligence that Fairy Tail was able to completely neutralize their main army with minimal casualties," Noah stated, staring directly into the Chairman's eyes.
"Given the monumental scale of his contributions, reducing his sentence is standard judicial procedure. What? Is the current Magic Council so corrupt and tyrannical that it refuses to grant a path to redemption for someone who was literally a victim of brainwashing?"
Gran Doma met Noah's gaze, intending to intimidate the young mage, but found himself unnerved by the absolute, icy intensity in Noah's eyes. The Chairman subconsciously averted his gaze, refusing to maintain eye contact.
A second later, realizing he had just flinched away from a mere guild mage, Gran Doma's face flushed with embarrassed fury, but he still didn't dare look back into Noah's eyes.
"You claim Grimoire Heart was defeated, yet you admit their Guild Master, Hades, escaped. If you had notified the Council of their attack beforehand, we could have mobilized the army and prevented his escape," Gran Doma retorted, trying to regain his authority.
Noah looked at the new Chairman. It was painfully obvious the man harbored a deep, inherent disdain for Fairy Tail and Noah himself. In fact, Gran Doma was one of the men who had been glaring at Noah from the very beginning.
"It appears that because our guild managed to crush Grimoire Heart's main army so efficiently, you harbor some gross misconceptions regarding the true strength of Grimoire Heart and Hades himself," Noah smiled, though his eyes remained entirely devoid of warmth.
"Allow me to offer you a brief demonstration of Hades's power."
"What do you think you're doing?!" Gran Doma tightened his grip on his staff, his voice rising in alarm.
"Rune Knights! Restrain him immediately!" the eyepatch councilor shrieked.
Lahar and Doranbolt quickly led their squads to surround Noah, but they made no move to attack or restrain him. They simply formed a loose perimeter.
"Don't panic. As I said, this is merely a demonstration," Noah waved his hand dismissively.
Instantly, his magic power boiled over. The air grew terrifyingly heavy, and the ground began to tremble violently. An absolutely crushing, suffocating wave of magical pressure descended upon the entire clearing.
"QUICK! STOP HIM!" the eyepatch councilor screamed at Lahar.
Lahar ignored him. While he took his duties as Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit very seriously, he deeply disliked these newly appointed councilors. Because of Jellal's infiltration during the previous administration, the new Council was constantly overcompensating, acting hyper-aggressive and reckless in a desperate bid to regain public trust. However, they were still his superiors, so openly defying them was problematic.
Doranbolt was even less inclined to act. He had zero desire to ever clash with Fairy Tail again.
They didn't have to debate for long, because Noah escalated immediately.
His aura exploded outward. A terrifying, blinding pillar of golden magic shot into the sky. Dark, ominous storm clouds instantly gathered overhead, blocking out the sun. The sky turned pitch black, and deafening thunder rolled through the heavens.
The Rune Knights surrounding Noah groaned, their knees buckling under the sheer, incomprehensible weight of his magic. Many were forced to use their magical staves as crutches just to keep from collapsing onto the dirt.
The new councilors—who were the specific targets of Noah's oppressive aura—were physically incapable of speaking. The sheer pressure was suffocating them.
BOOM!
Noah's magic grew even more violent. The bedrock beneath his feet spider-webbed with massive cracks before completely disintegrating into fine dust that blew away in the howling wind. A massive crater formed beneath him, yet Noah remained perfectly suspended in the air.
Violent, gale-force winds mixed with dust blasted outward, blinding the councilors and forcing them to shield their faces.
The Rune Knights finally succumbed, dropping to the ground, entirely unable to withstand the pressure.
However, they weren't the primary targets. The true targets were the hostile councilors standing near the back.
Yajima and the older, friendlier councilors had been subtly shielded from the pressure by Noah's precise magical control.
The hostile councilors, however, were gritting their teeth so hard they thought their jaws would shatter, fighting a desperate, agonizing battle just to stay on their feet.
Gran Doma leaned his entire body weight onto his serpent staff, his knuckles turning white as he desperately fought against the crushing gravity. He stared up at the levitating Noah, his eyes wide with absolute, primal terror as cold sweat poured down his face.
Calculating the exact limit before they would suffer permanent physical damage, Noah instantly retracted his magic.
The suffocating, world-ending pressure vanished entirely. A collective, ragged gasp echoed across the clearing as everyone sucked in frantic breaths of air.
The hostile councilors swayed dangerously, nearly collapsing in a heap. They only barely managed to stay upright, though their clothes were completely drenched in cold sweat, and they were panting like they had just run a marathon.
"The magical pressure I just released is roughly one-tenth of the aura Hades was outputting during our fight. I stopped there to avoid causing permanent structural damage to the area," Noah stated calmly, hovering gently back down to the ground. He locked eyes with Gran Doma.
"So, don't let our victory fool you into thinking Grimoire Heart was weak. We paid a massive price to take them down, and many of our members suffered severe injuries. It was only because our guild is genuinely strong—and because we had Jellal's crucial inside intelligence—that we managed to capture their main force.
"Hades escaping had absolutely nothing to do with a lack of preparation. He escaped purely because his personal strength is so overwhelmingly monstrous that keeping him contained was an impossibility."
Noah stared down the terrified Chairman.
Gran Doma understood the underlying threat perfectly. Noah was essentially saying: If you pathetic bureaucrats can't even remain standing under one-tenth of Hades's power, what delusional fantasy makes you think your little army wouldn't have been completely slaughtered if you had tried to intervene?
Gran Doma and the hostile councilors flushed a brilliant, humiliated red. However, still completely winded and trembling from the terrifying display of power, they were physically incapable of uttering a single word of rebuttal.
~~~
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