"We're here," the Toad Messenger said, stopping Kira outside the grand hall's entrance. "The council members are all inside, so you'd better show some respect!"
This place… it's huge. No surprise there—it's the Magic Council's turf, after all.
Knocking before entering is basic manners, and Kira prided himself on being a polite guy.
Knock, knock, knock!
Pushing open the door, Kira's eyes were immediately drawn to the council members seated high above. And by high, he meant physically high. The trial chamber was designed with their seats elevated, as if to hammer home the difference between the judges and the judged.
The ten council members sat solemnly, silently watching Kira as he entered. Below them were two others, probably from the same clan as the Toad Messenger, observing from the sidelines.
With a quick glance, Kira confirmed that the ten figures on the dais weren't their real bodies but thought projections. Made sense—why would the esteemed Magic Council members bother showing up in person for something as minor as the Eisenwald incident?
At the very top sat Chairman Crawford, a slightly plump, elderly man with a long beard and a tall wizard hat covering his bald head. According to Kira's knowledge, Crawford's magic, Super Archive, was an advanced version of Hibiki from Blue Pegasus's Archive magic. As a superior spell, Super Archive could do things regular Archive couldn't, like… well…
Long story short, this chairman had resigned after taking the fall for firing the Etherion during the Tower of Heaven incident. Later, unwilling to let go of his position, he joined Tartaros—only to get taken out when he was no longer useful. What a tragic end!
But as the saying goes, pitiful people often bring it on themselves. With that thought, Kira shot Crawford a look that was half pity, half disdain, leaving the chairman visibly confused.
In the second row sat the second through tenth council members. Among them, Kira was most familiar with Mr. Yajima, who'd known Makarov for years and later opened a restaurant. Despite his small stature, he had a surprising amount of screen time.
As for the others, the second seat, Org, was renowned in the magic world for his vast knowledge and rumored to have collected several Lost Magics.
The cat-like third seat was Michello, whose granddaughter supposedly had some ambiguous connection with Loke.
Including Belno, who'd just entered, Kira recognized two others: Siegrain and Ultear.
Siegrain was Jellal's thought projection, posing as a council member to manipulate the Council's Etherion for the R-System and the Tower of Heaven plan.
Ultear, one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, was here on the surface to aid Jellal's plan, but in reality, she was just diverting the Council's attention from Grimoire Heart.
Thinking about it, Kira couldn't help but admire Ultear. Undercover in the Magic Council for seven or eight years, climbing to the rank of council member? Give her a couple more years, and she might've been chairman!
Kira let out a chuckle.
The council members exchanged puzzled looks. "What's this kid laughing at?"
Kira noticed Ultear glaring at him, her eyes practically burning with malice. He realized she was still holding a grudge over that punch on Galuna Island. Talk about holding a grudge! It'd been ages, and he'd long forgotten about it. Why was she still so hung up on it?
"Ahem… The Magic Council Court is now in session! Defendant Kira Hopelight, please step to the podium."
Wait, Toad Messenger, you're still here? Kira thought you were just sent to fetch him, not handle the court proceedings too.
Kira stepped up to the podium, calmly awaiting the trial.
"Defendant, Kira Hopelight, regarding the recent terrorist incident at Kunugi Station involving the dark guild Eisenwald, according to testimony from a key witness, you are charged with ten counts, including destruction of the station, damaging public property, and illegally possessing dark magic artifacts. Do you plead guilty?"
The moment the Toad Messenger spoke, Kira knew this was no big deal. If they were serious about convicting him, they'd have read the charges and sentenced him immediately instead of asking if he pleaded guilty.
Perfect. Just a formality, then. Same as in the original story—no need to worry.
"I plead guilty!" Kira declared.
Seeing his cooperation, the council members nodded approvingly. Looks like not everyone in Fairy Tail was a reckless hothead. This Kira kid was sharp!
I knew this guy was promising, one council member thought. One look, and he knows to play along. Teachable kid—destined for greatness!
"Then, according to Eisenwald's testimony, you possess Lullaby. We ask that you hand it over to the Council for safekeeping. Such an item cannot remain with any guild!"
"Of course," Kira said, pulling Lullaby from his pocket and respectfully presenting it. Naturally, it was the real one, not the prank wooden flute he'd used as a decoy. "Lullaby is just a modified demon, nothing more. It's not as terrifying as the legends make it out to be. The so-called 'Death Curse' isn't nearly as powerful as rumored…"
"Please, allow me to explain the situation…"
For the next hour, Kira unleashed his silver-tongued charm, spinning a detailed tale for the council members. He described how he'd gathered intel on Eisenwald in Onibus Town, followed leads through deduction, tracked them down, fought through hordes of mages, and ultimately seized Lullaby from hundreds of enemies.
Kira launched into a passionate speech, one he'd rehearsed for days just for this moment.
"…This thing is dangerous, so for the safety of society and its people, I felt it should be personally handed over to the Council instead of the detention team."
Of course, that was a lie. Kira had taken Lullaby to study its demonic essence, hoping to learn more about Zeref's demon modification techniques and see if there was anything he could borrow from them.
Though he hadn't had much time, Lullaby was weak to begin with. After days of research, Kira concluded it had some value, but it paled in comparison to the frozen, shattered remains of Deliora.
The council members exchanged glances. They didn't fully buy Kira's story, but they could sense the genuine dark, demonic aura emanating from Lullaby.
At this point, there wasn't much more to say. He'd handed it over willingly, so there was no need to make things harder for him. At least they wouldn't have to worry about Lullaby anymore.
After a vote, they decided Kira was guilty but would face no punishment. He was to return to Fairy Tail, reflect on his actions, write apologies, and be supervised by Guild Master Makarov.
"What a hassle, making this trip!" Kira groaned.
Back at the guild, Kira regaled everyone with tales of his time at the Council. "You guys wouldn't believe it. Those council members were hanging on my every word, practically in tears, wishing they could've fought alongside me. They were this close to swearing brotherhood with me! If I hadn't turned them down for being too old, we'd probably still be throwing a bonding party."
It was the next day when Kira returned to Fairy Tail. Amid his animated storytelling, the guild broke into its daily routine of brawls and banquets.
After talking his fill, Kira approached Makarov, who was drinking at the bar. "Master, besides handing over Lullaby at the Council, something else happened."
Makarov, who'd been resting his eyes, weary from the guild's chaos, opened them. "Oh? What's that?"
"I ran into a Phantom Lord mage, Gajeel. From our conversation, I learned that Phantom Lord seems to be planning to start a war with Fairy Tail. Should we start preparing for this?"
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