Chapitre 335: The Trial of the Century: Fairy Tail Vs. The Magic Council Begins

Earth Land, Ishgar, kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

March, x785.

Just like when Alfonzo learned the name of his [Soul Armaments], Elicia's also underwent a change. Now, instead of simple needles of varying lengths and thicknesses, they all took on a golden hue. On top of that, the eye of each needle was in the shape of a dragon's head with a piercing blue eye. Meanwhile the eye of the needle was now the space between the dragon's jaws.

One thing that was unlike the change in Alfonzo's [Soul Armament], however, was the fact that Elicia's change did not go completely unnoticed.

["Hey, I think you should go check on Lici."] Riot said from Alfonzo's inner world.

'Hmm? Did something happen?' Alfonzo asked while chopping vegetables for the stir fry he was planning to make for dinner.

["Just hurry and go check on her, Asshole!"] Riot shouted angrily.

["It wouldn't kill you to give him a little more information, would it?"] Bedlam asked. ["Well, what was I expecting from someone like you. Let me tell you what's going on, as there's probably no one better for the job than me."]

["Grr!"] Riot growled in rage.

["Anyway, it feels like her [Soul Armament] went through a change."] Bedlam explained. ["And I'm sure you really want to be the first one to see it, right?"]

With that, Alfonzo's movements came to an immediate stop. Then, after a moment, he calmly laid his knife down on the cutting board before casually walking out of the kitchen.

Naturally, this drew the attention of the girls at the kitchen table.

"Hey, Fonzie, what's wrong?" Marin asked curiously.

"It's nothing, I just got a feeling about something." Alfonzo replied without stopping his steps. "And I'm going to check it out."

This answer only led the girls to be even more confused. Still, they decided to let him be… for now.

Meanwhile, Alfonzo had made his way to the entrance of the living room. And just as Bedlam said, he saw a change in Elicia's [Soul Armament].

"I guess she's been doing quite a bit of soul searching since this whole mess started, huh?" Alfonzo whispered not to disturb Elicia's meditation session.

["Well, that tends to happen when you do something that nearly ruins all your relationships."] Bedlam replied.

["You two are way too hard on her."] Riot interjected. ["She deserves a second chance. So, just let it go."]

In response, both Alfonzo and Bedlam rolled their eyes. Though, Alfonzo agreed with Riot on a subconscious level.

Meanwhile, in Elicia's inner world.

"Oh, so your name is Scylla?" Elicia said with a smile.

"Yeah. But you can think about that later." Scylla replied. "For now, you should go back outside. There's someone waiting for you to wake up."

Hearing that, Elicia was slightly confused. Still, she returned her consciousness to her body just as Scylla said.

A moment later, Elicia slowly opened her eyes. And when she did, the first thing she saw was Alfonzo sitting on the couch opposite her. And he was smiling at her. Smiling very gently.

"Congratulations." Alfonzo said when he saw Elicia open her eyes.

Instead of replying immediately, Elicia's expression changed from serene to upset. Then, tears began to drip from her eyes.

"Fonzie!" Elicia shouted as she leapt off the couch she was sitting on and lunged at Alfonzo.

Reacting quickly, Alfonzo opened his arms and caught Elicia, who wrapped him in a tight hug as she began crying loudly.

"Fonzie! I'm sorry!" Elicia shouted as she cried. "I'm so sorry! I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to hurt anyone! And I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I promise I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you!"

In response, Alfonzo, who was not expecting this kind of reaction, wore a confused expression at first. However, a moment later, he wrapped his arms around Elicia and started combing his fingers through her hair.

["Don't just sit there in silence, forgive her already!"] Riot Shouted.

["Simp."] Bedlam muttered.

Ignoring Riot's shouting and Bedlam's jabs at Riot, Alfonzo continued to hold Elicia in silence while she vented her emotions.

A few moments later, the other girls also came running to the living room after hearing Elicia's cries. However, after seeing Alfonzo holding her while she repeatedly apologized, no one knew what to say. Nor did they wish to interrupt the moment.

Eventually, Elicia cried herself to sleep. Then, Alfonzo lifted her and carried her out of the living room to put her to bed. Meanwhile, the other girls simply watched Alfonzo leave.

"I guess we never noticed just how much she hurt herself with her actions, huh?" Marin asked.

"Well, we weren't exactly looking for it, either." Ultear replied.

"Was punishing her really the right thing to do?" Sun asked, feeling sorry for Elicia after seeing her cry the way she did.

"Definitely." Cana and Erza replied simultaneously.

"They're right, you know." Mirajane added as she started patting Sun on the head. "Even if we don't' want to punish her, it has to be done. She really did do something wrong this time."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Sun replied while lowering her head.

"Anyway, let's go back to the kitchen." Cana said. "Once Fonzie puts her to bed, he'll come back and finish cooking dinner."

In response, the other girls nodded before they all returned to the kitchen table. And when Alfonzo eventually returned to the kitchen, no one spoke of what just happened. They simply enjoyed dinner before heading to bed themselves.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.

April 18, x785.

After the night Elicia released the seal on her [Soul Armament], things went back to normal. And the following day, the guests from Mermaid Heel left after finalizing the deal for the training rooms. After that, Alfonzo and Ur focused on the upcoming trial against the magic council.

And during that time, they tried to get as much support for their case as they could from other guilds. As well as the support of former Magic Councilor, Yajima.

On top of all that, they even managed to pull the former chairman of the Magic Council, Crawford Seam, into the trial to be judged for his actions.

Now, some people would say that the fact that Crawford Seam lost his position as Magic Council Chairman should be punishment enough. But Alfonzo begged to differ. After all, Crawford Seam was not fired from his position. Rather, he was given the opportunity to resign. And to Alfonzo, that sounded less like punishment and more like retirement.

And finally, with all their preparations made, Alfonzo and Ur, who would be representing Fairy Tail in this trial, were standing outside the Royal Castle in Crocus, where the trial would be held. On top of that, the several of the nations of Ishgar were in attendance to act as the panel of judges in this case.

Not only the rulers, but most of the Ten Wizard Saints were in attendance as well. However, the rank one of the Wizard Saints, God Serena, claimed that he could not be bothered with such a trifling matter and refused to participate.

"*Sigh* Our words would have more ewghit behind them if God Serena had decided to show up." Ur grumbled as she and Alfonzo were led through the halls of the castle.

"Man, fuck that guy." Alfonzo replied. "Just because people started calling him the strongest wizard on Ishgar, he started thinking he was above it all. Just wait… As soon as I get the chance, I'll challenge him to a duel for his position and whoop his ass."

'Plus, the mother fucker is a traitor.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'And the way Acnologia basically one shotted him in the series was too quick a death for an arrogant, treacherous asshole like that.'

["I agree."] Bedlam replied from Alfonzo's inner world. ["People like that deserve a slow, painful death."]

["Hell yeah, make that son of a bitch beg for death."] Riot added excitedly.

'Oh, we will.' Alfonzo muttered darkly to his [Soul Armament Spirits]. 'We definitely will.'

"Sounds like you don't have the best impression of the rank one of the Ten Wizard Saints." Ur said with a grin.

"Not really." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "It's not like he really had to work for his level of power, after all. I mean, hell, if you stuck eight dragon lacrima in anyone else, they would probably be dumb strong, too. Yet, because of that, he got arrogant."

"Hahaha! And to think, there was a time when a lot of us thought you were arrogant, too." Ur said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I could see that." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "I never hid the fact that I was proud of what I had accomplished. Hell, I still don't. But I know that in no way does that make me better than anyone else. And the only time I ever look down on someone is when they're utterly irredeemable douchebags."

Before the conversation could continue, however, the knight who was leading them to the room where the trial would be held signaled that they had arrived.

"Well, it's about that time." Alfonzo said as he straightened his tie.

Today, as the occasion would dictate, Alfonzo wore a black business suit with a light grey vest, a white dress shirt, a black tie, and black leather shoes. Naturally, the ensemble was designed and sewn by Elicia.

Meanwhile, Ur was wearing a dark blue, form-fitting business suit with a matching skirt, a white collared shirt, a dark blue tie, a pair of pantyhose, and black heels.

Then after a nod to the knight, signaling they were ready for entry, the knight opened the large double doors leading to the court room. And when they entered, the first thing they noticed were the rulers of Fiore, Caelum, and Isvan sitting on a raised platform. The next thing they noticed were the members of the Wizard Saints sitting on a slightly lower platform.

After that, they saw that the members of the Magic Council were seated to the right side of the raised platforms while the members of Fairy Tail were seated to the left. Lastly, they saw that the witnesses were seated on either side of the room, just waiting to be called to testify.

Another thing to take note of was the fact that Crawford Seam was seated with the members of the Magic Council while Gran Doma, the current Magic Council Chairman, was seated with the witnesses.

After checking the room's layout, Alfonzo and Ur exchanged glances before nodding at each other and making their way over to Fairy Tails side of the room.

*Bang!*

A moment later, the double doors to the room were closed.

"Are all in attendance?" Toma E. Fiore, the King of Fiore, asked in a booming voice that did not seem to fit his small stature. Then, after receiving nods to his question, he continued. "Then, let us start the proceedings. Today, we are here to bear witness and pass judgement on the trial of Fairy Tail Vs. the Magic Council. Plaintiff, Fairy Tail, you may make your opening Statement."

Once again, Alfonzo and Ur exchanged glances. Then, after receiving a nod from Ur, Alfonzo stood from his seat and adjusted his tie before walking to the center of the court room.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Alfonzo said in a sonorous tone. "I am Alfonzo Marcus, an S-Class wizard of the Legal Guild, Fairy Tail. And I'm sure you are all aware that our guild has not always had the best reputation. As we were prone to acts of public property damage in the past."

When Alfonzo reached this point, everyone, other than the wizards from Fairy Tail, who flushed in embarrassment, nodded their heads in agreement.

On a side note, Team Natsu, the wizards in the guild most likely to cause property damage, were ou ton a quest. So, they could not attend the trial… Or make a mess of Alfonzo and Ur's plans.

"Yet, in the last few years, our guild has done no more damage to public property than any other guild on Ishgar." Alfonzo continued. "However, despite our change in behavior, the Magic Council has always been bias against us. And on two occasions, they have taken actions that would seriously damage our guild had they succeeded, claiming their actions were for the greater good."

Hearing that, many of the members of the Magic Council frowned. Meanwhile, the others showed very little in terms of expression.

"One example would be when they fired the Etherion on a small, unnamed island off the coast of Caelum." Alfonzo said. "I know all of you are aware of that incident. The Council was briefly disbanded because of it, after all. But what you may not know… Or rather what you most-likely do not know is that myself along with four other promising wizards from Fairy Tail were on that island at the time the Etherion was launched. On top of that, the Council was aware of that fact, as we had submitted a report before heading over there to stop the Tower of Heaven from being utilized."

That last piece of information was enough to gain the members of the Magic Council a few inquisitive looks, as they had not reported the fact that there were people other than dark wizards on the island.

"Even more recently, Fairy Tail held its annual S-Class Promotion Exams on our holy ground, Tenrou Island." Alfonzo continued. "And just as the exam was completed, the island was attacked by the Dark Guild, Grimoire Heart. Yet the Magic Council, whose naval fleet was anchored a short distance from the island, did not give the order to assist us. Luckily, we were able to emerge victorious against such a daunting foe."

At that point, the gazes the Magic Council received grew colder as time went by.

"On top of that, we came to find out that an officer employed by the Council had also infiltrated our guild, using methods unknown to us." Alfonzo said, glaring at Doranbolt as he spoke. "I suspect it to be some kind of [Memory Control Magic]. Though, without the chance to analyze it, I'm only speculating. Yet, everyone in our guild seemed to have memories of him. Just under a different name."

This time, all the cold gazes in the room were shifted to Doranbolt, who began to sweat under the pressure.

"In conclusion, the Magic Council has schemed against Fairy Tail to weaken us in the hopes of disbanding us." Alfonzo said passionately with anger in his tone. "They wish to harm us, who have completed tasks for the continent such as killing Deliora in Isvan, eliminating many harmful Dark Guilds, including both Grimoire Heart and the Oración Seis, and bringing in a pair of dangerous rogue scientists from the Bureau of Magical Development."

At this point, Alfonzo paused to catch his breath and scan the expressions of everyone in the court room. And to his surprise, many of those involved in giving a verdict on this case seemed to be moved by his passionate speech.

"Thus, for the Magic Council's transgressions, Fairy Tail seeks the maximum sentence for their crimes." Alfonzo said, bringing his opening statement to an end with a bow to the rulers seated at the highest position in the room.

L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS
SixthSense1029

For those who are intersted, I added pictures of Scylla to the last chapter's paragraph comments and the Pictures of the OCs Auxiliary Chapter.

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Comments, Reviews, and Power Stones are always appreciated.

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Chapitre 336: The Trial Continues

Earth land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.

April 18, x785.

Shortly after he finished his opening statement, Alfonzo took his seat. However, the man representing the Magic Council in this trial took his time to get up. And when the people in the court room saw his face, it was obvious to see why.

Apparently, he was not told of all the things the Magic Council had done to wrong Fairy Tail. Or rather, the more likely truth was that he was told a watered down version of the events.

Still, he eventually stood up and made his opening statement, as well. Though, it was clearly not as impactful as Alfonzo's.

Then, after the opening statements were made, Fairy Tail was given the right to summon their first witness, Yajima. And everything went downhill from the Magic Council for there.

Alfonzo asked Yajima about the incident when the Magic Council fired the Etherion on the island off the coast of Caelum. In response, Yajima explained that the idea was put forth by Jellal Fernandes, who was going by the name Siegrain at the time. He explained that he was against the firing of the Etherion from the start, and how he voted against it when it came to that, as well.

Yajima also explained that out of all the members of the Council, that he was the only one who voted against firing the Etherion. He also went on to mention that because he was a former member of Fairy Tail, his opinions on most matters were often dismissed without getting much in the way of consideration.

Then, when Alfonzo was done with his questions, the Magic Council's representative cross referenced him. And honestly, there was not much to ask. Especially since there were reports about everything that Yajima said submitted as evidence. So, after a few meaningless questions, Yajima was allowed to leave the stand.

The questioning of all the other witnesses Alfonzo called followed a similar pattern. Alfonzo would ask some questions, the witness would reply with answers backed up by evidence, and the defense would ask a few questions that had little to no effect on the trial's outcome.

Eventually, Alfonzo called Gran Doma to the stand. And after he was sworn in, Alfonzo asked his first question.

"Chairman Gran Doma, please tell us, why were the naval fleet and the Fourth Custody Enforcement Unit anchored off the coast of Tenrou Island during the most recent S-Class Promotion Exam." Alfonzo requested.

Before answering, Gran Doma took a deep breath, then he shot a glare at Org, who was seated among the rest of the members of the Magic Council. Though, they were also glaring at him contemptuously.

"*Sigh* It's because not even the Magic Council was made aware of Grimoire Heart's attack on Fairy Tail until the day of the attack." Gran Doma replied, sounding ashamed of what he just said.

Hearing Gran Doma's response, Alfonzo could not help but feel anger bubbling up to the surface. Of course, he had seen the evidence the Magic Council side submitted. So, he knew that Org had taken it upon himself to hide the information about Grimoire Heart's attack. And that meant that Org had jumped straight to the top of his shit list.

"If that's the case, then why were the naval fleet and the Custody Enforcement Unit anchored there?" Alfonzo asked.

"Because they were ordered to do so by Org, who had hidden the information away from the rest of the Magic Council." Gran Doma replied.

"I see…" Alfonzo replied with suppressed rage. "Then, I guess we'll have to wait until Org comes up to the stand to get the full story."

Though Alfonzo wanted to question Gran Doma about it, the last thing he wanted to hear was "Objection! Hearsay!" from the other side of the court room. Especially since he had yet to have the chance to shout "Objection!" himself.

Then, after a few more questions, the defense was allowed to cross examine Gran Doma, which ended like the other witnesses did, with little to help their case.

After that, Alfonzo questioned all the guild masters and former guild masters in attendance as character witnesses, which painted a rather bad image of the Magic Council. Basically, they stated that the magic Council never really took the complaints from the guilds seriously. Instead, they threatened to disband any guild that made too much of a ruckus about a ruling or law that they found unfair.

And like before, the Magic Council's representative could not do much to prove otherwise.

"The Prosecution rests." Alfonzo said after all the witnesses from his side had been called.

"Very well." Toma said from his spot on the high platform. "Then, we'll use this opportunity as a chance to break for lunch. Report back here in an hour. At which point, we will resume the proceedings."

With that, the trial went into recess. However, nothing of note took place during the break. So, after an hour, everyone reassembled in the court room.

"The defense may call its first witness." Toma declared, officially resuming the trial.

From that point, the man representing the Magic Council called forth his witnesses, which were all members of the Magic Council, former and present. And during his questioning, he asked questions that painted the Council in a positive light.

However, when Alfonzo got his chance to cross examine, his questions highlighted the Council's incompetence. For example, with every witness, he asked the same question.

"How is it that one man, by himself, could stem the information flow about a group of the most wanted criminals on the continent?"

Needless to say, none of the members of the Magic Council had a proper answer to that question. Which led the people present in the court room to believe Alfonzo's claim that the Magic Council, as an organization, was incompetent and corrupt.

Then, as the last witness, Org was called to the stand. No one was sure why he was called. But they all guessed that it was in an attempt to paint his actions in a different light. Unfortunately, because Org had been imprisoned in the Magic Council's prison for the last four months, he was less than cooperative. As a result, it only made the Magic Council's standing in the people's eyes even worse.

Eventually, the Magic Council's representative ended the questioning early to cut his losses. And naturally, that gave Alfonzo the opportunity to cross examine Org.

To everyone's surprise, however, as soon as Alfonzo stood in front of Org, the man lost it.

"Damn it!" Org shouted. "None of this would have happened if your group of ruffians had simply allowed yourselves to be disbanded!"

Org's hysterical shouting naturally caught everyone off guard. Especially since most people could not understand exactly why Org had been so against Fairy Tail despite the fact that they had cleaned up their act over the past few years.

"And what gives your guild the right to have a wizard like the Maiden of the Sky?" Org continued. "With a wizard like her as one of my subordinates, so much more good could have been done for Ishgar. And I and the rest of the Council would have been able to remain healthy longer to continue serving the continent."

At that point, Doranbolt, who had been tasked with kidnapping Wendy during the S-Class Promotion Exam, had the opportunity presented itself, blanched. From what Org told him, she was to be saved from losing her life during the Grimoire Heart attack so that she could be sent to give relief to those hurt in disasters, whether natural or manmade. But it seemed that org only wanted to keep her as a personal healer for himself and the Council.

Meanwhile, Ur, who had taken Wendy in after the truth about Cait Shelter was revealed, was seething. Her loss of emotional stability was even causing the temperature in the court room to drop drastically.

"Mom, calm down." Ultear whispered in hre mother's ear while wrapping her in a tight hug. "Thee's no way Alfonzo is going to let that guy off the hook for that."

Still, Org, as if he were unaffected by the fluctuations in temperature, continued ranting.

"And you!" Org shouted while pointing at Alfonzo. "Why couldn't you just die? You're like a cockroach. Not even the Etherion or Grimoire Heart could kill you. If it had, those patents would have been the Magic Council's. And they would have been put to much better use than to line the pockets of a ruffian from a ruffian gild! But no---"

After reaching that point, the room was washed over by a potent killing intent, causing Org to finally faulter. But not only Org, but almost everyone in the room was also affected in one way or another by the killing intent. And when they finally tracked it to its source, they found Elicia glaring at Org with the promise of death in her eyes.

"Calm down, Elicia." Alfonzo, the only person not affected by Elicia's killing intent, said calmly. "He's going to get what's coming to him. And there's no way around it. Not after that outburst."

Hearing that, Elicia's killing intent slowly receded. However, she continued to glare at Org with hatred.

"So, you're telling me that because I had no next of kin, you had been targeting me for my patents." Alfonzo asked, seemingly unbothered by everything that just happened.

However, Org remained silent, refusing to answer Alfonzo's question. As it turned out, Elicia's killing intent was enough to bring him out of his madness. Unfortunately, it was too late.

"Well, I guess the prosecution rests." Alfonzo said as he turned away from Org. "Since he basically answered all my questions before I had the chance to ask them."

With that, Org was allowed to leave the stand. And he did so with his head lowered. Meanwhile, the rest of the Council looked at him as if they were disgusted that they shared positions in the same organization.

And with Org's testimony, the defense had no more witnesses to call to the stand. As a result, Toma called for another break in the proceedings to have dinner. Then, after another hour, the court reconvened.

And with the trial commencing once again, both sides were given the opportunity to give a closing statement, with the Magic Council representative going first. Though, he really did not have much he could say to save his clients.

Then, once the magic Council's representative was finished, Alfonzo once against stood from his seat, straightened his tie, and strode to the center of the court room.

'Damn it, we've been at this all day.' Alfonzo grumbled internally. 'And I didn't get the chance to shout Objection even once.'

["Quit crying and just bring this shit show to an end!"] riot shouted in annoyance.

["For once I agree with the kid."] Bedlam added. ["Just end this so we can put that old man to work. Hehehe."]

["Who the hell are you calling a kid?"] Riot growled.

["Who else?"] Bedlam replied with a chuckle.

["I'll kill you!"] Riot Shouted angrily.

Ignoring his [Soul Armament Spirits'] usual antics, Alfonzo continued walking towards the center of the room without changing his expression.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Alfonzo said as he reached the center of the room. "I'm sure I don't need to say much more about the Magic Council's apparent incompetence, as they said enough about it for themselves. But that's not why I'm here, anyway. For now, at least. Instead, I'm here to seek justice on behalf of my guild."

With the beginning of his speech, Alfonzo quickly gained the undivided attention of everyone in the room.

"In firing the Etherion on that island, the members of the Magic Council who voted in favor committed no less than five counts of attempted murder." Alfonzo continued. "And that only refers to myself and the four other wizards that accompanied me to stop the atrocities that were taking place on that island. But if we consider all the innocent people who were forced into slavery to complete the tower, that number grows exponentially."

Immediately, the members of the Magic Council along with Crawford Seam's expressions fell. When the crime was just dereliction of duty and incompetence, they were not too worried about the punishment they would receive. At the very worst, they would be heavily fined and dishonorably removed from their positions.

But when terms like "attempted murder" were thrown around, things became much more serious. And if they were convicted, fines would be the least of their worries, as prison time would be what they were looking forward to.

"And as I said before, Fairy Tail seeks the maximum sentence allowed under the law." Alfonzo said in a firm tone. "And I hope that you take into account that Crawford Seam, the former chairman of the Magic Council's punishment should be heavier than the rest in this matter, as he should be held to a higher standard than the rest of the Council as its chairman."

Hearing that, Crawford Seam paled even further. AS a former chairman of the Magic Council, he was quite clear about what kind of punishment he should receive for not stopping the Etherion.

"As for Org." Alfonzo continued while shooting a disgusted glare at the man in question.

At the same time, Alfonzo thought he heard the sound of excited female panting while he glared, but he decided to write it off as a figment of his imagination.

"On top of taking part in those cases of attempted murder, he also engaged in the attempted kidnapping of a minor, colluding with a Dark Guild, and attempted coercion." Alfonzo continued after tearing his gaze away from Org. "And I implore you to take that into consideration while deliberating his punishment."

Again, Alfonzo finished his speech with a bow to the rulers sitting on the highest platform before returning to his seat.

"And with that, today's proceedings have come to an end." Toma announced once Alfonzo had taken his seat. "I as well as the King of Caelum and the Prime Minister of Isvan will take the evening to deliberate on this case. Then, we will all gather once again tomorrow at noon for the verdict. Until then, dismissed."

L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS
SixthSense1029

I know this chapter may feel pretty underwhelming. But I'm not a good enough writer to make a court case compelling, yet. On top of that, I really did not want to spend too much time on the trial itself.

Shout out to my new Patr3ons!

Jacky Chen

Reiaru

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Comments, Reviews, and Power Stones are always appreciated.

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