Chapter 294

Chapter 294: Chapter 294

"WHAT?! Mest, you’re actually from the Magic Council?! You bastard! How dare you lie to me?!"

Although Natsu had already exhausted nearly all his Magic Power, he somehow still had enough energy to shout at the top of his lungs.

By the time Fairy Tail returned to Tenrou Island, practically every defeated member of Grimoire Heart had been captured and restrained.

Apparently, while the others were busy fighting Hades, Mest had taken the opportunity to contact the Magic Council and summon its personnel to handle the aftermath.

The Council’s people were naturally delighted. After all, the defeat and capture of one of the most notorious Dark Guilds in Ishgar represented an enormous achievement, even if Fairy Tail had done nearly all the actual fighting.

Fairy Tail’s members were fairly pleased with the arrangement too.

Someone had volunteered to take responsibility for the prisoners and clean up the aftermath of their battle, saving them a great deal of unnecessary work.

The only person who wasn’t particularly happy was Makarov.

Right now, the old man desperately wanted to crack Mest’s skull open and see whether his brain had been replaced with animal feed.

There was no denying that Mest was a truly extraordinary idiot.

Even Marshall had never managed to understand why the guy was so obsessed with repeatedly erasing and altering his own memories.

Perhaps the thought processes of someone that strange simply operated on a level ordinary people couldn’t comprehend.

Unfortunately, Mest’s little stunt had created a rather awkward situation.

Makarov had never intended to let the Magic Council discover Hades’s true identity.

The revelation that the Master of Grimoire Heart was actually Fairy Tail’s former Second Master would bring the guild nothing but trouble.

Opportunistic politicians and people with grudges against Fairy Tail could easily use that connection to question the guild’s legitimacy or attack its reputation.

Makarov had absolutely no desire to waste his time arguing with those Council members.

Besides, he still had some affection for the former Second Master.

Precht had certainly changed over the years, and not for the better, but Makarov couldn’t simply forget the man who had once taught him Magic.

Regardless of what Precht had become, he couldn’t bring himself to hand his old teacher over to the Council without a second thought.

After considering the problem, Makarov decided that the most appropriate solution was to make Mest clean up the mess he’d created himself.

"Ahem... Young man from the Magic Council, these prisoners can all be handed over to you. However, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you privately. Come along."

Mest followed him with an expression of unwavering righteousness.

"Let me make one thing clear, Master Makarov. If you’re planning to bribe me or buy my cooperation, you can forget it. I won’t fall for that sort of thing."

Makarov resisted the urge to smack him.

Once they were somewhere private, the old man immediately undid Mest’s Memory Magic and restored his original memories.

He then explained the entire situation concerning Hades and the true identity of Grimoire Heart’s Master.

This time, it was Mest’s turn to develop a headache.

"WHAT?! The leader of that Dark Guild is actually our Second Master?!"

He looked genuinely horrified.

"If the Magic Council interrogates him and discovers that connection, they’ll never leave Fairy Tail alone!"

"Exactly." Makarov sighed. "There probably aren’t many people inside Grimoire Heart who know his real identity, but we absolutely cannot hand the Second Master over to the Council like this."

He gave Mest a meaningful look.

"You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?"

Mest inhaled sharply and began thinking.

After a few moments, his eyes lit up.

"In that case, we could find an unconscious prisoner and use Magic to make him resemble the Second Master. The Council can arrest the substitute for now, and once we’re away from Tenrou Island, I’ll undo the transformation and report that Grimoire Heart’s actual Master escaped during the operation."

He looked toward Makarov.

"What do you think?"

"Excellent, excellent!"

Makarov nodded approvingly.

"As expected of you youngsters. Your minds really do work quickly."

"Then what about the remaining prisoners?"

"Take all of them. The others aren’t important."

The two reached an agreement almost immediately.

When they returned to the others, Makarov quietly arranged for Precht to be hidden away.

The remaining Grimoire Heart prisoners were then transferred aboard the Magic Council’s vessel, including the unfortunate unconscious fellow selected to serve as the substitute Master.

The Council personnel departed soon afterward.

There was little reason for them to remain on Tenrou Island, especially when the island was Fairy Tail’s sacred territory and its owners clearly weren’t interested in entertaining government officials any longer than necessary.

Marshall watched the Council’s ship leave with a faint sense of regret.

Mest’s sudden involvement had complicated another matter.

Ultear and Meredy had both been members of Grimoire Heart, and Marshall had originally intended to help them leave the Dark Guild behind and establish legitimate identities.

With the Magic Council now officially taking charge of Grimoire Heart’s captured members, arranging a clean transition might require considerably more effort.

Still, it wasn’t an especially serious problem.

Worst came to worst, they could simply spend the rest of their lives working as his maids.

There were certainly worse futures.

...

Once the Magic Council departed, Fairy Tail’s members returned to the campsite, intending to resume the beach party that had been so rudely interrupted.

The atmosphere quickly became lively again.

Natsu, who had recovered just enough strength to start causing trouble, immediately began circling Makarov.

"Gramps! What about this year’s S-Class exam?! I’m definitely the one getting promoted, right?!"

He pointed enthusiastically at himself.

"I’m the one who knocked out the enemy’s Master!"

"Knock it off!"

Someone immediately objected.

"You were using all our Magic Power! That means we deserve credit too! Why should you be the only one promoted?"

"What?!"

Natsu whipped around indignantly.

"I was the one doing all the attacking! I dealt the damage! If you’ve got a problem with that, then come fight me again!"

The argument immediately threatened to turn into another brawl.

Makarov could already feel a headache coming on.

"All right, enough! Stop arguing!"

He waved his hands to silence them.

"We’ll discuss the results properly before making a decision. The S-Class promotions will be announced in a few days, so just wait until then."

Only after hearing that did everyone reluctantly settle down.

Around this time, Precht finally regained consciousness.

He slowly opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.

After noticing that all his subordinates had disappeared, he seemed to understand what had happened while he was unconscious.

His gaze settled on Makarov.

"Brat..."

His voice was low and hoarse.

"Why didn’t you kill me?"

Makarov remained silent for a moment before answering.

"Second Master... I learned a great deal from you."

He sighed.

"I’m only human. I can’t simply forget the kindness you’ve shown me or everything you taught me in the past. Whatever else has happened, those memories are still important to me."

Makarov looked at his former teacher with a complicated expression.

"So this time, I’m going to turn a blind eye to what you’ve done. Once everything here is settled, you can leave on your own."

Precht gave a quiet, mocking chuckle.

"Heh. You’re going to let me go?"

He shook his head.

"How naive, Makarov. You’ll regret that decision. The next time we meet, I might genuinely destroy your guild."

Makarov sighed again.

"...Our guild, isn’t it?"

Precht fell silent.

"And you’ve already seen the children of this generation," Makarov continued. "You’re no longer strong enough to defeat them. Even if you return someday, I believe they’ll have grown beyond your reach by then."

His expression remained firm.

"I’ve always believed in them, and I always will."

Precht’s face darkened.

"...I only lost because my Heart was destroyed."

Neither man spoke for a while afterward.

There were many things they could have said to each other, but their silence seemed to convey more than another argument would have accomplished.

Eventually, Makarov asked the question that had been troubling him since discovering Hades’s identity.

"Why did you descend into darkness, Second Master?"

Precht lowered his gaze.

"Haven’t I already explained that?"

He spoke slowly, as though remembering the path he had followed for so many years.

"After leaving Fairy Tail, I continued exploring the mysteries of Magic. The deeper I ventured into the magical arts, the more I began to understand the true nature of this world."

His expression became bitter.

"And what I discovered was that this world is false. Only within Zeref’s Great Magic World can I find the genuine One Magic."

Precht clenched his hand.

"I was so close... Just a little more, and I would have succeeded."

"Even if you found something like that, it wouldn’t change anything."

Makarov’s reply was quiet but unwavering.

Precht looked up.

"What does it matter whether Magic is light or darkness?" Makarov continued. "Everyone understands Magic differently. To one person, Magic might represent light; to another, darkness. It could even be blue or red, depending on how someone chooses to perceive it."

The old Master’s expression softened slightly.

"Magic is something that continues to exist and evolve alongside the people who use it. It changes with the times, develops in new directions, and grows through the efforts of every generation."

He looked directly at Precht.

"Those are all things I learned from you, Second Master. So why have you abandoned the very lessons you once taught me?"

Precht didn’t answer.

Makarov turned away.

"Even if the One Magic truly exists, I refuse to believe it can only be realized through someone who should have been left behind in the dust of history centuries ago."

He paused before leaving.

"You’ve taken the wrong path, Precht."

With that, Makarov walked away, leaving his former teacher alone with his thoughts.

...

The moment Makarov rounded the corner, an enormous blue-and-white robot suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Nicely said, old man!"

Marshall’s electronically synthesized voice rang out from inside the Gundam.

"When it comes to understanding the nature of Magic, I’m willing to acknowledge you as number one!"

"Stop trying to flatter me!"

Makarov immediately scowled.

"You little bastard, why are you still talking to people from inside that metal contraption? Why won’t you come here in person?"

His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You haven’t gotten yourself mixed up in some enormous mess, have you?"

"Uh..."

Marshall hesitated.

"Well, actually, I’ve still got something to take care of, so I’ll be logging off now!"

Before Makarov could demand an explanation, the Gundam’s glowing eyes suddenly dimmed.

The enormous machine fell silent, as though someone had simply switched off its power.

Makarov stared at it.

"..."

Of course, Marshall hadn’t actually disconnected.

He had merely left the Gundam idling on Tenrou Island while turning most of his attention back to his laboratory, where he was busy replying to Ultear.

Earlier, Ultear had voluntarily confessed everything she’d done after finding Zeref.

She hadn’t attempted to hide the fact that she’d approached the Black Mage against Marshall’s instructions, and she’d also passed along every piece of information she had managed to obtain from their conversation.

Marshall examined her report with considerable interest.

"The more you value life, the more life the curse takes away..."

He leaned back thoughtfully.

"And if you stop recognizing the importance of life, you can suppress the curse?"

He rubbed his chin.

"Interesting."

Marshall certainly wasn’t prepared to accept Zeref’s explanation as absolute truth.

After all, he had already developed his own theories about the Curse of Ankhseram, and there were still far too many aspects of its operation that he didn’t understand.

Nevertheless, Zeref had lived under the curse for several hundred years.

Even if his interpretation wasn’t entirely correct, the observations of someone with that much experience were valuable and deserved serious consideration.

As for Ultear sneaking off to meet Zeref without permission...

Marshall could only say that he’d expected something like this from the beginning.

Otherwise, why would he have specifically ordered Greed to follow her and Meredy?

He knew Ultear well enough to suspect she wouldn’t simply abandon an opportunity to investigate something that might help him, no matter how dangerous the situation became.

Marshall opened her message thread and began composing a reply.

He was just about to warn the disobedient woman that she’d better start worrying about the safety of her backside when an alarm suddenly sounded through the Gundam’s remote monitoring system on Tenrou Island.

[WARNING! An enormous magical presence exceeding normal parameters is approaching!]

[DANGER! EXTREME DANGER!]

[WARNING! EXTREME DANGER!]

Marshall froze.

"...???"