Ahem.
A cough drew everyone's attention.
Jellal, lying on the ground, had woken up. His eyes were full of resentment as he stared at the sky.
The Paradise Plan had been just one step away from success. He simply couldn't accept his defeat.
"No! It can't end like this! W-Wait for me, Lord Zeref! I will absolutely revive you! I will bring the free Great Magical World to this world!!"
Even though he saw no hope, Jellal still dragged his heavily injured body, crawling bit by bit toward the sea.
"Jellal..." Erza sighed softly.
Perhaps it was because too much time had passed. Or perhaps it was because of Chase's influence.
Watching the man she had once admired now in such a down and out state for some reason, her heart didn't stir much. Her emotions weren't as intense or complex as expected.
All she felt was a little pity and sympathy.
According to Ultear, she had only used Zeref's existence to deliberately channel and amplify the evil thoughts in Jellal's heart. She hadn't directly altered his memories.
That meant everything that had happened at the Tower of Heaven had ultimately been caused by Jellal's own will. He couldn't simply brush it off with the words "I was controlled."
It was all over now. Erza really didn't want to discern whose responsibility it was anymore.
Her body and mind exhausted, all she wanted now was to hurry back to Lucy's house in Magnolia, take a comfortable bath, sleep, and then start a new day of guild life!
"Um... Miss Ultear, isn't there any way to restore him to normal?" The kind-hearted Lucy asked tentatively.
Ultear withdrew her sorrowful gaze and shook her head, her eyes dim. "I've been trying this whole time. But his obsession has already taken deep root. It would take a very long time to have any chance of changing it."
"And... I can't be sure that the person he becomes would still be him."
"The only way... would be to make him lose all his current memories, and then use new experiences to awaken the kind personality inside him..."
After nearly half a month of persuasion, this was the only solution Ultear could think of.
"I see! Why didn't you say so sooner — that's easy!"
Natsu punched his fists together, looking eager. He grinned. "Let me punch his head with my Fire Fist!"
Lucy: "Are you a demon?!"
"A hot head needs an ice pack." Gray's palms emitted waves of cold air.
Lucy: "You're even less reliable than Natsu!"
"Aye~! How about I treat him to my ultimate original-flavor sea fish? Once he eats it, he'll definitely get better!"
"...Are you serious?!" Lucy didn't even know how to complain anymore.
These guys looked more like they wanted to kill Jellal!
"Hey, you three. It's fine when you do this to Lucy usually, but don't butt in at a time like this."
Finally, Chase stepped in. A card flipped between his fingers. "Leave professional matters to the professionals."
The card turned over — it was the Magic Card "Brain Control"!
He was a bit surprised that Ultear had come up with the same amnesia route as in the original story. But that method was too mystical.
Were they supposed to just shove Jellal into the sea and then wait for Oración Seis to fish him out, faithfully recreating the original plot?
Since Jellal had been brainwashed by Ultear in the first place — then just brainwash him back, simple and brutal!
"Wh-What are you doing?!"
Jellal, struggling to escape, noticed Chase slowly walking toward him. His crazy eyes were filled with terror.
In his current state, he had no strength to resist.
Chase couldn't be bothered to waste words. He directly activated the card's effect.
A pair of terrifying demon hands reached out from the lit magic circle, passed through Jellal's skin and flesh, and reached straight for his brain.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Excruciating pain hit. Jellal let out a heart-wrenching scream.
Brainwashing an ordinary person like Jude was one thing. Brainwashing a Ten Wizard Saint was extremely difficult. One slight mistake and it would backfire.
Added to that Jellal's strong resistance, Chase couldn't afford to give him a better experience.
Erza, Lucy, and the other girls looked away, unable to bear watching.
Natsu, Shō, and the others had very dignified expressions.
Everyone trusted Chase. They knew he wouldn't mess around when it came to serious matters.
The miserable screams echoed across the island for nearly a minute before gradually subsiding.
Jellal had passed out again.
"H-How is it?" Ultear asked hurriedly.
Chase raised his hand and wiped the dense beads of sweat from his forehead. "Should be about done. But once he wakes up and regains his magic power, he'll still need some guidance over time. I'll leave that troublesome part to you."
Jellal was just too strong. Unless the Brain Control was kept constantly active, it would be hard to achieve the same immediate effect as with Jude.
Not to mention — Jellal's situation was different from Jude's!
Hearing this, Erza and the others all breathed sighs of relief.
"But, Mr. Chase... I..." Ultear looked troubled.
Jellal would surely be imprisoneded later to face justice.
And she — with her heavy sins — had no right to remain on the Magic Council as a councilor. She wanted to return to Grimoire Heart to save Merudy and settle things with Master Hades once and for all.
"This is the limit of what I can do. You're not expecting me to wipe your ass for you, are you?" Chase raised an eyebrow.
"Y-You misunderstand! I have no such intention!" Ultear quickly waved her hands.
"Not that I couldn't do it... but it'll cost extra." Chase's voice came almost simultaneously.
"Huh?" Ultear was confused.
After a moment, she spoke with a lonely expression. "After doing all this... I... no longer have the right to stay on the Magic Council."
She deliberately avoided mentioning the dark guild Grimoire Heart.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Chase and the others. It was simply that Master Hades was too terrifying — he had reached a realm no human could possibly attain!
Ultear hadn't yet officially returned to Grimoire Heart. She didn't know about Hades' upcoming actions targeting Fairy Tail. She just didn't want her benefactors to have any connection with the extremely dangerous Master Hades.
"That won't do. If you leave the Council now, won't all our efforts have been for nothing?"
Chase's tone brooked no refusal. "Fairy Tail still needs you to watch over it!"
Because of his intervention, the Magic Council hadn't been destroyed and reorganized like in the original story.
From the subsequent development of the original story, Chairman Crawford Seam was just a greedy fool who crved money and power.
And their steadfast supporter, old man Yajima, was probably about to retire.
Wizard guilds were under the Council's jurisdiction. Without someone on the inside, who knew when they might be disbanded?
Under these circumstances, having Ultear become the second supporter would be perfect!
Of course, Ultear had always been close to Siegrain. She would definitely be investigated heavily afterwards.
But Chase had confidence in Ultear's abilities — after all, she had lurked for so many years.
His blunt words left Ultear at a loss for how to respond.
"Don't you want to atone for your sins? Staying on the Council will let you fight evil more effectively!" Mira smiled, revealing Chase's true intention.
She knew Chase too well.
He wasn't doing this solely for the guild's benefit — or rather, not entirely for the guild's benefit.
"Don't worry. We won't say anything about your connection to Jellal." Erza, who had also seen through it, walked over.
With that, she looked up at Simon and the others — especially Shō.
"I... I'll listen to Erza-nee..." Shō turned his head away, saying reluctantly.
The blush on the dark-skinned young man's face said it all.
Simon, Wally, and Millianna had even less objections.
For them, being free from Jellal and reuniting with Erza was already the greatest stroke of luck!
"Ahahaha! Sounds great!"
Natsu laughed heartily. "Utear, I leave future complaints in your hands!"
"You can't just use Ultear's name to do whatever you want! If we break things, we still have to pay compensation!"
Lucy quickly complained. "And before asking someone for a favor, at least say their name right!"
"Hey, Ultear. If any good jobs come up, give us a heads up," Gray said even more directly.
"Gray. Clothes."
"Huh? When did I—?!"
"Gray-sama looks so handsome without clothes too~ Juvia wants to join!"
"Agh! A pervert just emerged from the sea! Ahhh!"
Watching them just arbitrarily decide everything for her, Ultear wanted to speak but hesitated, hesitated but wanted to speak.
In the end, all her words turned into a soft sigh — feeling everyone's goodwill, she finally accepted the reality.
Having made her decision, Ultear pulled out her magic crystal and contacted the Magic Council.
The Tower of Heaven incident involved the Dark Magic Cult and many innocent people. Its impact was quite egregious. They needed to send people to handle various aftermath procedures.
On the other end of the crystal, the councilors who had been investigating the disappearance of the Three Crows and Siegrain were shocked into a cold sweat upon hearing Ultear's report.
They had never imagined that Siegrain — that is, Jellal — had been doing something so dangerous right under their noses!
The R-System — a forbidden thing capable of causing a huge impact on the entire magical world.
If Jellal had actually succeeded, not to mention their current positions — the very authority of the entire Magic Council might have ceased to exist!
So, the moment they received the news, Lahar's Enforcement Unit was dispatched.
Riding the Council's most advanced magical warship, they soon arrived at the small island where the group was.
Everyone — including the guards and laborers released by Chase and Shō — was taken back to the Magic Council for strict investigation.
As the investigation deepened, the councilors grew increasingly horrified, deeply experiencing the feeling of a spine-chilling terror.
Because the Fairy Tail members had stopped this conspiracy, they were undoubtedly loyal retainers.
So, after simply cooperating with the most basic investigation, they were invited to the Council's reception room.
Their host was, naturally, the short-statured Mr. Yajima.
At the tea table, Yajima handed cups of brewed tea to everyone opposite him.
Everyone expressed their thanks. Even Natsu, who usually had no manners, politely took his cup with both hands — he had no favor for the Magic Council, but Mr. Yajima was an exception.
"What you did this time... was truly impressive, Chase."
Recalling the reactions of the other councilors in the internal meeting just now, Yajima couldn't help but smile slightly. "Everyone in the Magic Council owes you a favor."
"Mr. Yajima, you flatter me. I was just lucky."
Chase smiled and scratched his head. "If anything, I've caused you a lot of trouble in the past."
And probably would continue to do so in the future.
When Yajima had free time, he would occasionally visit Fairy Tail to chat with Makarov. Chase had seen him once or twice.
"This isn't something luck alone could accomplish." Yajima sighed heavily.
The fact that Jellal could rank among the Ten Wizard Saints using only a thought projection spoke volumes about his strength.
Looking across all of Ishgar, there were only a handful who could defeat him!
After his sigh, Yajima suddenly changed his tone, excited becoming. "But trouble is right! I'm retiring soon, you brat. Remember to tone it down!"
Chase grunted in acknowledgment, shrinking his head without answering.
Even he couldn't help but curb his usual arrogant nature in front of this little old man who genuinely cared for Fairy Tail.
"Ara ara." Mira covered her mouth with a laugh.
"Haha, I never knew Chase could be like this!" Lucy laughed out loud.
"And you! Newbie Lucy! I've been hearing a lot of rumors about you lately!"
Lucy, suddenly called out, immediately stopped laughing. Her back straightened. She bowed her head in fearful apology. "I'm sorry! I'm really, very sorry!"
"Um... Mr. Yajima... how will the Council deal with Simon and the others? And Jellal..."
Erza couldn't help but ask.
On the way back, she had invited Simon and the others to join Fairy Tail once this was over. But they had declined.
Rather than hold Erza back, they — having been imprisoned for eight years — wanted to see the outside world. If they had the chance.
Hearing this, Yajima's relaxed expression couldn't help but turn serious.
"Simon and the others... you mean those who came back with you? With your testimony, once the detailed investigation confirms they were also victims of the Tower of Heaven, they should be released."
"As for Jellal... no final decision yet. Most likely life imprisonment."
"I see..." Erza quietly stared at the teacup in her hands.
She felt happy for Simon and the others, but also a sense of regret for Jellal.
"More importantly, there's something very important for Fairy Tail. It concerns Chase."
Yajima's closed eyes opened slightly as he looked at Chase. "Just now, we unanimously passed the proposal for you to participate in this year's Ten Wizard Saints qualification."
After his conversation with Makarov, he had kept this matter in mind, but hadn't found the right opportunity.
And the Tower of Heaven incident was the perfect opportunity — Chase had not only proven his sense of responsibility and ability to maintain the stability of the magical world, but had also indirectly saved the councilors' careers and the Council's reputation.
Based on this, even the usual opposition who targeted Fairy Tail had to compromise.
But there was one detail Yajima didn't mention: if Chase successfully became a Ten Wizard Saint, Makarov would have to retire early.
Just like one of Fairy Tail's founders, Warrod Sequen, who had already retired the same guild could not have two Ten Wizard Saints.
Hearing this, the guild members all showed legitimate excitement.
Natsu and Gray were so envious their eyes practically popped out.
But Chase, the person in question, looked completely incredulous. "What? Ten Wizard Saints?!"
Being a Ten Wizard Saint did sound quite prestigious. But having that title meant greater responsibilities and obligations. He could no longer be a simple, free guild member.
He clearly didn't remember ever mentioning this to Makarov. It looked like a completely thankless task!
"Maybe... maybe not, Mr. Yajima. I'm still not qualified," Chase declined decisively.
"Proposing this issue was Makarov's idea. If you have any questions, take them up with him."
Yajima seemed to have guessed Chase's thoughts. He added with a sly smile, "It concerns Fairy Tail's honor. If you participate in the qualification, you'll have to give it your all, you know."
Chase's mouth twitched.
It really was that shit, old Makarov!
No way. He had to hurry back and make him withdraw this proposal.
At the very least, he had to change his name slot to Gildarts!
***
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