章 80: Chapter 80: Upon Entering, They Saw the Fairy Tail Members Beating a Saint Wizard!
"You all..."
"Could it be that you're members of the infamous Dark Mage Guild?!"
On Irene's stunningly beautiful face was a hint of amusement. Her hazel-colored eyes carried an overwhelming presence that made the dark mages before her instinctively ignore everything else in the guild hall, focusing solely on her.
"That's right! I am one of the strongest in the Dark Mage Guild!"
"They call me the Bast of Despair! To tell the truth, my strength is on par with an S-Class mage from your light guilds—I am a true powerhouse..."
The leading figure among these dark mages was a tall, muscular man. He charged ahead to set an example for the others. But as soon as he saw Irene, standing beautifully in Fairy Tail's guild hall, he threw his weapon aside without hesitation. He crossed his arms, striking what he thought was a cool pose, and in a boastful tone, introduced himself loudly to Irene.
"Oh? You call yourself Despair?"
Upon hearing the word "despair," Irene seemed to show a trace of interest in the man before her.
"That's right!"
The man had no idea what was coming. He thought his nickname had intrigued Irene, and he nodded confidently, still wearing an expression brimming with pride.
"Have you ever truly seen despair?"
Irene smiled, her scarlet lips curving into a gentle arc as endless waves of magic power roared out from her seemingly fragile body.
The magic Irene had accumulated over 400 years was simply overwhelming—so much so that it almost seemed to manifest physically in the air.
It was as if, in the very air itself, a scarlet dragon, a hundred meters long, had formed, baring its fangs and roaring at everyone present.
The sheer oppressive force was terrifying…
In the eyes of everyone in the room, what they witnessed was the very essence of despair.
"What… What is this?!"
For a moment, the dark mages were all dumbfounded. None of them could have anticipated that the beautiful woman in front of them, who looked no older than thirty and appeared so delicate, would possess such terrifying power.
"Ah…"
The muscular man, who had proudly dubbed himself "Despair," felt it the most. In his mind, he saw a giant dragon, wings spread wide enough to blot out the sun, soaring through the sky, blocking out the light over half the town, staring at him like prey.
"It's impossible."
"There's no way to win…"
"How could a human possibly defeat a dragon?"
"What kind of joke is this?! How could such a monster even exist in this world?!"
The man's spirit broke, tears streaming from his eyes.
"Answer me…"
"Have you seen real despair?"
The dragon's gigantic maw opened as it questioned the trembling man.
"Ahh!!"
"I don't know, I really don't know…"
"Don't ask me! I know nothing!"
The man's mental state completely collapsed. Tears streamed down his face as he flailed and screamed hysterically before rushing out of the Fairy Tail guild, looking every bit like a madman driven insane by fear.
"Oh my~"
"He couldn't even handle a bit of fun~"
"So quickly driven mad?"
"I hope the rest of you can perform better than that fool."
Irene, sitting at the bar with a wine glass in hand, toyed with her enemies as she sipped the red wine.
"Uh…"
The remaining dark mages were finally filled with despair. Yes, if someone were to ask them if they'd experienced true despair, they would nod vigorously and say, "Yes!" They had indeed seen it. The true despair of this world had a name—"Scarlet."
Five minutes later.
"This is strange. It feels like we blacked out. What happened here?"
The mages of Fairy Tail, who had been passed out drunk on the guild hall's floor, slowly woke up, lifting their heads and seeing several dark mages tied up with ropes, foaming at the mouth, with vacant expressions. Confusion filled their faces.
"These were the guys who tried to attack our guild while you were all passed out drunk," Irene explained, still sounding amused. "They were members from a Dark Mage Guild. But I've already dealt with them... Still, this is only their vanguard. The main force is still out there, so stay alert and prepare for the next battle."
Irene seemed slightly bored. She explained what had happened to the guild mages who were waking up.
"Huh?!"
The Fairy Tail guild erupted in chaos at Irene's words.
"They dared to attack Fairy Tail when we let our guard down?!"
"Do they have a death wish?!"
"No matter what, the battle has begun!"
"Listen up, everyone! Let's show those dark guild bastards that we Fairy Tail mages can do more than just drink!"
Irene's words were like a stone cast into a pond, stirring up waves of anger.
Led by Wakaba and Macao, a group of seemingly washed-up old men, who usually only cared about drinking and gambling, roared in fury. They rolled up their sleeves, ready to make those who had dared to attack Fairy Tail pay.
"Silence!"
Just as the guild descended into a frenzy, the first guild master, Mavis, stood up. She stood barefoot on the guild podium, speaking softly but clearly enough for everyone to hear.
"First Master..."
"But the enemy is here. Are we just supposed to do nothing?!" Natsu protested loudly, clearly dissatisfied.
"Yeah!" Gray and Lyon also seemed ready to rush out and fight.
"Natsu, Gray, Lyon, calm down. Listen to the First Master!"
As Natsu and the others were about to argue, Erza appeared beside them, her voice firm.
"Erza…"
At Erza's words, the trio finally quieted down.
Indeed, Erza commanded a great deal of respect in the guild.
"Ahem…"
"I understand everyone's urgency. But please, don't be so hasty…"
"After all, I promised Makarov I'd keep an eye on all of you and not let you make a mess!"
Mavis smiled gently, her words gradually calming the mages' anger. Then, her tone suddenly changed: "However, that was in normal times—not in a special situation like this, where enemies have attacked us directly! Makarov's wishes don't apply here! If we don't go out and fight back now, it will only embolden these evil forces and create future problems for Fairy Tail. So my request to you all is simple: anyone who dares mess with Fairy Tail—pay them back a hundredfold!!"
"Oh!!"
"Long live the First! Long live the First!!"
The entire guild burst into cheers, their spirits soaring once more.
"I'm fired up!"
Natsu's flames flared as he prepared to rush out and blast the dark mages.
"Let's see…"
"Who can take down more dark mages?!" Gray challenged Natsu.
"A competition?"
"Just what I wanted! I definitely won't lose…"
Natsu's eyes flashed with determination.
"Laxus, Ultear, and Mirajane—let me show you why I passed last year's S-Class Mage Exam at Fairy Tail~"
Erza stretched, her joints cracking as she entered battle mode.
Clap, clap, clap…
"Sister, you're so cool~"
Eresh clapped alongside Erza, cheering her on.
"Heh…"
"Erza, you only passed the exam because you rode your sister's coattails!"
"Don't think that just because you're S-Class, you're above me…"
Mirajane crossed her arms, clearly dissatisfied.
"Hmph~"
As for Laxus, he only snorted without a word, though the crackling thunder around him spoke volumes.
Since last year's S-Class Mage Exam, Laxus had secluded himself in the Magic Development Room in the guild's back mountains, relentlessly training. The long hours had paid off, and Laxus had progressed significantly in magic. He was now confident he could go toe-to-toe with a Saint Ten Wizard.
While he had lost in last year's exam, Laxus wasn't the kind of person to dwell on losses. This year, he aimed for victory—nothing would stand in his way.
But for now, there was a bigger issue at hand: making those who dared attack his beloved Fairy Tail pay a steep price.
Laxus loved Fairy Tail, and he wouldn't allow anyone to belittle or harm it.
"Charge!"
As the guild mages readied themselves for battle, Mavis waved her little hand and shouted.
"Oh!!"
With Mavis's command, Fairy Tail's mages surged out of the guild, rushing toward the dark mages waiting outside to attack.
"Mother, was it you who foresaw the arrival of these dark mages, which is why you put me to sleep earlier?"
Before leaving the guild, Erza turned to Irene and asked.
Erza had always been disciplined and never drank, yet for some reason, she had fallen into a deep sleep just like everyone else, forgetting much of what had happened.
"Haha~"
"You're indeed my daughter, Erza—you figured it out."
Irene smiled, acknowledging it easily.
"Erza, you're all grown up now. You should understand how hard things are for your mother…"
"Since Ian isn't here in Magnolia, it's really boring for me! Unlike in the Alvarez Empire, there are no criminals for me to toy with…"
"It's rare for some fools to come knocking, so of course I wanted to have some fun by myself first~"
Irene spoke with a bright smile, her logic impeccable.
"Sigh…"
"I understand, just be careful."
"This isn't the Alvarez Empire—even if these dark mages are criminals, the Magic Council is here to deal with them…"
Erza reminded her mother to be mindful of the Fiore Kingdom's laws before drawing her sword and heading out.
Of course, Erza herself had no intention of following those laws.
Whoever dared mess with Fairy Tail would pay dearly.
"Oh dear~"
"An angry Erza is quite terrifying…"
"Looks like those dark mages are in trouble~"
Irene whispered, looking at her daughter who now resembled a crimson lioness, her anger clearly evident.
"Still, I didn't expect Erza to guess that I was the mastermind behind all of this."
Irene had thought she had been discreet, but her clever daughter had figured it out.
Yes, the anonymous tip about Fairy Tail's strongest mages being away from Magnolia had come from Irene herself.
Since Irene couldn't leave Magnolia to hunt down unprotected dark mages herself, she had decided to let them come to her. In essence, it made no difference to her—it was all a game to pass the time.
Yes, this was a classic case of entrapment.
Those dark guilds with grudges against Fairy Tail had no chance.
"Oh well…"
"Since Erza has already figured it out, there's nothing I can do. Knowing her, she won't spread the word. After all, little Erza has no evidence, and besides, I'm her mother! I just need to find a scapegoat to take the blame."
Irene thought, making up her mind.
Meanwhile…
At the Magic Council's meeting of the Saint Ten Wizards, Ian suddenly yawned. In his mind, he could hear a faint voice.
"What?"
Ian's expression became serious.
It was Irene's voice, telling him everything that had happened in Fairy Tail after he, Makarov, and others had left—including her theory on the mastermind behind the attack.
"Oh? So it was you causing trouble behind the scenes!"
Ian muttered, his gaze sharpening as he looked across the room at Jose Porla.
"Huh?"
Jose was still oblivious.
"Boom!"
Before Jose could react, Ian had already crossed the room, slamming his fist into Jose's face.
"You scumbag, hiring dark guilds to attack Fairy Tail—disgusting…"
Ian snarled as he kept punching.
"What?! How did you know I planned to use dark guilds against Fairy Tail? Have you mastered mind-reading magic?!"
Jose was stunned. Indeed, he had considered hiring a dark guild to deal with Fairy Tail, but it was only an idea at this point—he hadn't acted on it.
As Jose finally decided to contact the infamous Tartaros Guild after the Saint Ten meeting, Ian had already punched him, causing Jose to blurt out his secret.
It was like Ian had activated a memory-restoring spell on him.
"Heh…"
"So you admit it?"
"You're the one who hired those dark mages attacking Fairy Tail, right?!"
Ian sneered, convinced now that Jose was the mastermind.
"Huh?!"
"No, I haven't done anything yet! I only just thought of it…"
"I didn't hire those dark mages to attack Fairy Tail."
Jose protested, feeling utterly wronged.
"Heh! Still trying to deny it?!"
Ian laughed coldly, his hands wreathed in Dragon Slayer magic, pummeling Jose's face with unrelenting blows.
"It really wasn't me!"
For the first time in his life, Jose felt genuinely wronged.
He had been scared, ashamed, and regretful, but never had he felt such a deep sense of injustice.
He had been a renowned magic prodigy as a child and a Saint Ten Wizard admired by many as an adult.
But today, even though he had done nothing, he was being blamed. It was truly unfair.
"Slap, slap, slap…"
Unfortunately for Jose, Ian's relentless punches were his only response.
Everyone in the room was stunned, even Hyberion and Wolfheim couldn't react in time.
"Creak~"
Not long after, the door to the meeting room opened once more. The plump Chairman of the Magic Council, Crawford Seam, walked in. As the highest authority in the Council, he had planned to make an appearance, just to say a few words.
But Crawford was stunned into silence upon entering.
Before him, Ian was pounding on one of the Saint Ten Wizards—Jose Porla.
"What on earth are you doing, mage of Fairy Tail?!"
"The moment I step into this meeting, I see you beating up a Saint Ten Wizard!"
"Do you have any respect for the Magic Council or the Saint Ten Wizards?!"
"This is outrageous!"
Crawford roared at Ian in fury.
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