Chương 308: A Danger Like no Other Approaches
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Tenrou Island.
December 16, x784.
Despite the battle with Grimoire Heart not offering much in the way of a challenge for the members of Fairy Tail, all the wizards on Tenrou Island decided to call it a night early after the episode. Even Alfonzo and his girls went straight to sleep instead of engaging in bedroom activities to celebrate Cana's promotion.
However, things were not as calm as one would think while the wizards of Fiore's strongest guild were asleep. Instead, just after the clock struck midnight, a silhouette could be seen moving between the tents in the Fairy Tail base camp.
If anyone were awake to see him, they would know that he was not a member of Fairy Tail. Instead, he was the young man, Zeref, who had been resting on Tenrou Island.
"Those fools have no idea what they have brought to this island." Zeref said in a cold tone. "Because of their actions and forcing Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayers to show their might, they have summoned almost certain demise upon everyone on this island."
As he muttered to himself, Zeref continued walking through the camp. Then, when he reached a certain tent that was a little further away from the rest of the camp, he paused for a moment before entering.
Upon entering the tent, despite the darkness, Zeref saw the captured higher-ups of Grimoire Heart, Hades, Bluenote Stinger, who was captured without the chance to put up a fight, Himiko Toga, Rustyrose, and Kain Hikaru. As for the low-ranking members of the guild, they were all imprisoned in Grimoire Heart's airship's cargo hold.
"Who's there?" Hades, who was awakened from his slumber by the noise of Zeref's entry, asked in a weak tone.
In the last few hours, though Hades already appeared to be an old man in his mid-seventies, because of the loss of his Demon's Heart, he began aging rapidly to match his actual age of over a hundred twenty years. As such, his body was beginning to give out rapidly as well.
"The one you've been seeking." Zeref replied coldly.
Hearing that, Hades visible eye opened wide as he tried to rise to a knee. Unfortunately, thanks to the injuries he received during his fight with Alfonzo, and the deterioration of his physique, the most he could do was writhe on the floor of the tent.
"Lord Zeref… have you come to save us?" Hades asked with expectation in his eyes. "And will you allow us to join you as you transform this world into a magical utopia?"
Instead of responding, Zeref only glared at Hades coldly. Then, after a few moments of tense silence, Zeref shook his head.
"It seems you are unaware of the danger you have brought to this island with your foolish ideals." Zeref said, finally breaking the silence. "Not that you will live long enough to witness it."
"What are you talking about?" Hades asked in a tone mixed with both confusion and anger. Confusion because he was truly unaware of any danger he may have caused for this island. And anger at the fact that his ideal world, a magical utopia, was called foolish.
"Because of you, in less than a days' time, a threat that no one, not even I can face will befall this island." Zeref explained. "And it will up to the luck and fate of those on this island whether or not they will survive. Well, everyone except for you, that is."
As he spoke the last part, Zeref approached Hades, who lay prone on the tent floor. Then, he knelt in front of the elderly man and placed his right index finger on Hades' forehead.
"For you will not see the coming dawn." Zeref continued.
Knowing that he would die before his goal was achieved, Hades was mortified. But his curiosity over the approaching danger was even stronger. On top of that, knowing that some of those who defeated his guild would be joining him on his trip to the afterlife excited him just as much.
"What is this danger you speak of?" Hades asked weakly, yet his eye sparkled brightly.
"Acnologia…" Zeref replied.
Hearing the name of the Dragon King of the Apocalypse, Hades' visible eye widened in shock. Before he could respond to Zeref's claim, however the light vanished from his eye has his head fell lifelessly to the tent's floor.
A moment later, Zeref exited the tent. Surprisingly, no one else in the camp, not even the other four sharing a tent with Hades, woke up while he was there. Then he looked in the direction of a certain tent.
"Live through this, Natsu." Zeref muttered quietly. "I'm counting on you to grant my deepest wish, after all."
With that, Zeref vanished from the Fairy Tail base camp and returned to the place where he belonged, upon the throne of the Alvarez Empire on the Alakitasia continent.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Era.
Several hours after Zeref made his appearance at the Fairy Tail base camp, just after the sun began peaking over the eastern horizon, an airship bearing the mark of the Magic Council landed in Era. Naturally, this was Gran Doma's airship.
"Have my orders to convene a meeting of all the members of the council been delivered?" Gran Doma asked as he disembarked from the airship.
"Sir, yes, Sir!" A Rune Knight saluted as he replied. "All the Councilors are waiting for your arrival in the meeting hall."
"Very good." Gran Doma replied with a nod as he began walking towards the Magic Council's meeting room with steady, firm steps.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Councilors were seated in their usual seats while they awaited Gran Doma's arrival.
"So, do any of you know why the Chairman ordered us to gather on such short notice?" Belno asked curiously while letting her gaze wander around the room.
While all the Councilors she looked at wore uncertain expressions, she noticed that Org's expression looked quite bad. But after attributing it to having been woken up at such an early hour, she stopped paying attention to it.
Org, on the other hand, was having a full-blown mental panic attack at the moment.
'Why is he here?' Org question in his head. 'Gran Doma isn't supposed to return until tomorrow. With this, he will definitely be present when Lahar and Doranbolt return to give their reports. And although everything I did was for the prosperity of the Magic Council and the continent of Ishgar, I know he won't see it that way. Instead, he will only look at the laws I've broken for the greater good. That self-righteous fool.'
As that thought passed, Org shook his head forcefully to drive away the panic he was feeling. Then, he started concentrating on how he could get out of this while taking the least damage. As he was fully aware that he would be punished in some fashion for what he did.
Before Org could think about it for too long, however, the sound of the meeting room's door being pushed open echoed across the hall.
"Chairman." All the Councilors, even Org, greeted in unison.
"Be at ease." Gran Doma replied while making his way over to his seat. "Though I am sorry to call all of you at such an early hour, I have grave news to report."
With that as a starting point, Gran Doma explained what he had heard from the king of Fiore about Grimoire Heart moving towards Tenrou Island. As well as the reason why he took so long to report this information, which he received around sun set. And the reason was simple, both Toma E. Fiore and Gran Doma were waiting for the information to be confirmed.
Also, Gran Doma dared not report this information back to Era using their normal means of communication as he was fairly certain there were several spies lurking within the Magic Council. Though, he did not know who they were. But if they intercepted the information, things might end up even worse.
"But what I really would like to know is, why did we not know about this sooner?" Gran Doma asked while sweeping his gaze over the rest of the members of the Council. "Have the spies we managed to plant in Grimoire Heart been discovered? If so, when did we receive the last reports from them?"
In response to Gran Doma's questions the Councilors could only look at each other in confusion, hoping that one of their colleagues had the answer Gran Doma was looking for. Meanwhile, Org's panic attack was growing in scale.
'It's okay, Org. Just calm down.' Org said to himself in an attempt to quell his anxiety. "Although I did not have the reports about Grimoire Heart's attack on Fairy Tail destroyed, I did hide them very well. And once this whole mess blows over, I'll return them to where they should have been all along. And no one will know it was me that did it.'
Seeing the confusion in his colleagues eyes, Gran Doma could do little more than let out a frustrated sigh. But instead of dwelling on the loss of the crucial information, he decided to move on. He could investigate this later on.
"It would seem that no one knows anything." Gran Doma said while casting a skeptical gaze at all of his colleagues. "No matter, for now. We can get to the bottom of this later. Currently we have to send aid to Fairy Tail."
Immediately, almost ninety percent of those in the meeting hall had their expressions turned contemptuous. Still, as this was the Chairman's order, they did not argue.
With that, Gran Doma called a communications officer into the meeting hall to relay his orders. But when Org saw who the officer was, his face paled immediately.
As it turned out, the communications officer who responded to Gran Doma's call was the same one who had been keeping Org up to date with the fleet's reports.
"Reporting, Sir." The communications officer said with a salute upon entering the meeting hall.
"Relay my orders." Gran Doma said in an authoritative tone. "Order the naval fleet to prepare as quickly as possible and set sail for Tenrou Island. Upon arrival, if a battle is ongoing, they are to aid Fairy Tail to the best of their abilities."
After Gran Doma gave his orders, the meeting hall fell into an awkward silence. And what made the silence so awkward was the fac that the communications officer did not respond to his orders immediately. Instead, he wore a confused expression while looking at Gran Doma blankly.
"Is there a problem with my orders, Officer?' Gran Doma asked in a much harsher tone while narrowing his eyes dangerously.
Still, even with Gran Doma asking the officer what was wrong, he did not reply immediately. Instead, he slowly turned his head towards Org with confusion and a certain question written all over his face.
'Why is the Chairman asking me to relay an order that is similar to, yet contradictory to, an order he already gave?'
While Org felt the world closing in on him thanks to the situation he found himself in, all the Councilors, including Gran Doma followed the officer's line of sight to see the pale faced Org sweating profusely.
At this point, the Councilors started putting two and two together. The reason why none of them had received an advance report about Grimoire Heart's attack on Fairy Tail was becoming quite clear. While most of them could not wait to question Org about what he had done, Gran Doma's gaze shifted back to the communications officer.
"Officer!" Gran Doma shouted, shocking everyone in the meeting hall while simultaneously drawing all their attention back to himself. "I gave you an order, which you did not immediately respond to. Then, I asked you a question that you have yet to answer. So, I will ask you once more…"
When he reached that point, an immense magic power washed over the meeting hall, surprising all those present, while simultaneously putting immense pressure on them. Despite having few accolades for his ability as a wizard, one does not gain such a reputation for upholding justice without having the power to do so.
"… Was there an issue with my orders, Officer?" Gran Doma asked while focusing his magic power pressure on the communications officer.
*Thud!*
Not even a second later, the communications officer fell to his knees with cold sweat dripping down his forehead and a shortness of breath. Yet, he found the strength to answer Gran Doma's question.
"Sir… Those orders… are similar to… while also contradicting… orders I have previously… received." The communications officer wheezed out.
Having finally received an answer to his question, Gran Doma finally let up with his pressure. Though, he did not dismiss it entirely. Instead, he focused the pressure he had retracted on Org, who he had noticed wanted to say something after the communications officer finished speaking.
"And what exactly were these orders, Officer?' Gran Doma asked as the rest of the meeting hall remained silent.
"*Pant* *Pant* The orders were to deploy the naval fleet and the Fourth Custody Enforcement Unit to the seas near Tenrou Island." The communications officer replied after getting his breathing under control. "And once they arrived, they were to observe the battle between Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart. Then, once the battle ended, they were to do all in their power to detain the surviving members of Grimoire Heart."
Hearing that order was enough for the Councilors to know that Org had been tampering with the information flow. And that immediately led to the suspicion that he was a spy for Grimoire Heart. And there were two reasons for that assumption.
First of all, the fact that he hid the Dark Guild's movements after their location was finally confirmed was treacherous enough. But sending an entire fleet of some of their best men was even worse.
Because despite the fact that Grimoire Heart would more than likely be weakened after the battle, they had no one strong enough to contend with them, even in a weakened state.
Once again, while the other Councilors were ready to send Org to the gallows, Gran Doma, who, somehow, managed to remain calm, asked another question.
"Have there been any reports on the outcome of the battle?" Gran Doma asked solemnly, expecting the worst.
"Yes, Sir." The communications officer replied. "The battle has ended. And Fairy Tail came out victorious."
Hearing that, the Councilors, other than Org, were both surprised and relieved. Though, they all expected that Fairy Tail had obtained a pyrrhic victory, at best.
"*Sigh* And what of the casualties?" Gran Doma asked.
"None, Sir." The communications officer replied.
That response caused all the members of the Council to fall into stunned silence.
"Wait, are you telling me that Fairy Tail, with only the members participating in the S-Class Promotion Exam, their S-Class wizards, and their guild master, were able to defeat Grimoire Heart with zero casualties? Impossible." Belno retorted after letting the information sink in for a moment."
"I'm only relaying the report from Doranbolt, Ma'am." The communications officer replied after flinching at Belno's glare.
"And this was why I advocated to disband Fairy Tail so fervently.!" Org shouted, noticing that his colleagues were uncomfortable because of Fairy Tail's supposed strength. "They are much more dangerous than we expected. They should be disband immediately and made to serve the magic council or face imprisonment!"
"Silence!" Gran Doma shouted before Org's obsession could take hold in the other members of the Council.
At the same time, he pressed the entirety of his magical pressure on Org, forcing his upper body to slump down on his desk. Then, Gran Doma turned his attention back to the communications officer to ask his final question.
"Officer, you mentioned that you had received similar, yet conflicting, orders a moment ago. As I am the only one who may deploy the naval fleet, who was it that gave you your orders?" Gran Doma asked solemnly.
This time flinching due to Gran Doma's presence, the communications officer swallowed a mouthful of saliva before he replied.
"It was Lord Org who handed us a document with your seal on it, Sir." The communications officer said before immediately bowing his head.
At that moment, Gran Doma's magic power was released in full, causing the entire Magic Council building to quake violently. At the same time, he glared at Org with the desire to execute such an unjust man with his bare hands. Yet, after only a moment, Gran Doma reigned in his magic power, releasing all those present from his pressure.
"His magic power..." One of the Councilors muttered in shock.
"It's on the same level as a Wizard Saint…" Belno muttered, as well, finishing the first Councilor's sentence.
"Guards!" Gran Doma shouted, his magic power enhancing the volume of his voice.
Less than ten seconds later, four, heavily armored Rune Knights entered the meeting hall in response to Gran Doma's call.
"Sir!" The four Rune Knights greeted in unison.
"Take that man away on charges of treason." Gran Doma said while pointing at Org.
At first, the Rune Knights were thoroughly confused by the order. However, after seeing the glint in Gran Doma's eyes, they immediately swarmed around Org before putting him in anti-magic cuffs. Meanwhile, Org simply hung his head in regret as the Rune Knights escorted him out of the meeting hall.
Naturally, Org did not regret his actions. Instead, he regretted the fact that he did not plan to get rid of the ruffians from Fairy Tail much sooner, when they were much weaker.
"Org…" Gran Doma said in allow tone just before Org was brought out of the meeting hall, which caused Org and the Rune Knights to stop at the entrance.
"Your actions may have doomed the Magic Council." Gran Doma said solemnly after the group of five came to a stop. "So, I pray that the wizards from Fairy Tail did not manage to spot the fleet, for the Council's sake. Because either way, you will more than likely lose your head at the gallows for the stunt you pulled."
After speaking his piece, Gran Doma gestured for the Rune Knights to continue.
With that, the meeting hall fell silent again. Then, after a few minutes, the silence was finally broken by an unlikely source.
"Sir, do you have new orders for the fleet?" The communications officer asked.
Before Gran Doma could respond, however, the door to the meeting hall was opened once again. This time, however, it was by a second communications officer with panic in his eyes.
"You better have a good reason for barging in like that!" Belno shouted.
Ignoring Belno's shouts, the second communications officer looked Gran Doma in the eyes and gave his reports.
"Reporting!" The new communications officer shouted. "We've reports of a giant, black dragon with white, feathered wings flying over the Kingdom of Fiore."
Hearing that, the entire room began to panic, even Gran Doma.
"And the projected destination is… Tenrou Island." The second communications officer reported, concluding his report.
"Relay my orders!" Gran Doma shouted while looking towards the first communications officer. "Order the fleet to move away from Tenrou Island. As far as they can, while still able to monitor the situation on the island. As much as I want to offer aid to the wizards of fairy Tail, if only to make up for Org's foolish mistake, no one on this planet is equipped to deal with that monster."
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SixthSense1029
SixthSense1029 I've fallen behind on Patr3on again. But I'll have caught up by the end of the day.
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