"The Magic Council, huh… This is the first time I've come here because of a job."
Gray walked through the Council grounds with his luggage over one shoulder, watching the uniformed frog officials hurry past.
They had taken this same route plenty of times before, but usually because they had caused trouble and been dragged here for questioning.
Ankh quietly glanced toward the plaza where he had fought God Serena. It had already been completely restored, without a single trace of the battle left behind.
Erza looked at Natsu and Gray, who showed no nervousness whatsoever and even seemed excited, then warned them sternly, "Behave yourselves. We're about to meet some of the most powerful and influential people on the continent."
"What's the big deal?" Natsu said, eagerly looking around at the Council buildings. "Ankh's a Wizard Saint too."
Wendy sounded much less confident. "During the Grand Magic Games, everyone said the Four Gods of Ishgar were mages who had surpassed human limits. Is that really true?"
"It's not quite that dramatic," Ankh replied casually. "No one has managed to replace them for many years, so the title grew larger than life."
Lucy let out a nervous sigh. "I have a feeling this job won't be simple."
Guided by one of the frog officials, the strongest team made their way to a ceremonial side chamber. The moment they opened the door, they saw four familiar faces seated inside.
"Ur!"
Gray's eyes lit up.
Ur, seated at the long table, smiled and raised a hand in greeting.
"Thank you for coming to assist us, mages of Fairy Tail," Draculos Hyberion said in his usual formal manner, welcoming them with perfect courtesy.
The group quickly returned the greeting.
Ankh glanced around the room and asked curiously, "Where's Chairman Serena? Has he still not recovered?"
Wolfheim snorted.
"He isn't recovering from anything. He simply doesn't have the nerve to show his face in front of Fairy Tail."
Ur looked at Ankh with teasing amusement. "Serena is no longer chairman. Hyberion-san is currently serving in his place. When Serena heard you were coming today, he found an excuse not to attend."
Ankh nodded in understanding.
Apparently Serena was more shy than he looked.
The rest of the team listened in complete confusion.
None of them knew that Ankh had already beaten the former strongest of Ishgar into the ground.
The gentle Warrod explained what had happened.
The moment he finished, Natsu slapped Ankh on the back with open admiration.
"Then doesn't that make Ankh the new strongest of the Four Gods of Ishgar?!"
"Theoretically, yes," Hyberion replied calmly, without the slightest embarrassment.
In fact, the Tribunal, the organization above the Magic Council, had already marked Ankh as the leading candidate to become the next chairman.
As for Serena, his punishment included demotion, confinement, and the removal of several privileges.
Once the current Council's term ended, he would also be barred from serving another term.
The Council had only appointed him chairman less than a year ago.
Removing him completely so soon would make the institution look incompetent, so they had decided to let him finish the term as an ordinary Council member before sending him on his way.
Oddly enough, losing five of his eight Dragon Slayer Lacrimas had not ruined Serena as completely as expected.
His overwhelming offensive power had plummeted, but the imbalance in his body had eased, allowing his other abilities to develop more evenly.
After recovering, Serena had sparred with Ur.
He was nowhere near his former level, but he still possessed strength worthy of the upper ranks of the Wizard Saints, so he was at least qualified to remain an ordinary Council member.
After a little casual conversation, everyone took their seats.
Warrod then began explaining the request.
"When I retired from active guild life, I devoted myself to turning deserts into forests. That work took me to many different places, and during one of those journeys, I discovered a village."
"It was called Sun Village, and every one of its residents was a giant taller than a building."
"Giants?" Lucy immediately perked up, always sensitive to anything that sounded like material from a fantasy novel.
"They really exist?"
"I saw them with my own eyes," Warrod said. "Each giant was enormously powerful, like a walking mountain. They worshipped an eternal flame that could never be extinguished, and their resolve was just as strong."
Natsu tilted his head. "A flame that never goes out? I've never seen anything like that."
"That flame exists," Warrod continued gravely. "But now it has been completely frozen, along with the entire village. Whether it was caused by a natural disaster or someone's magic, we still don't know."
"The mountains, rivers, plants, animals, the giants themselves, and even the flame they worship—all of it was sealed in ice. According to my investigation, however, they're still alive."
"They're alive even after being frozen…"
Gray fell into thought.
The level of control required for a spell like that was terrifying.
Against his will, the image of a broad-shouldered man in heavy armor surfaced in his mind.
Natsu lit a flame in his palm and grinned confidently. "Then we just melt all the ice."
Ur folded her arms and sighed. "It isn't ordinary ice. I couldn't break it down with my own magic, and normal flames couldn't melt it."
"My flames aren't normal," Natsu argued at once.
Gray's eyes trembled slightly.
If even Ur believed the ice could not be melted, then it really might have been created by that man.
"There is another matter, Ankh," Hyberion said.
He placed several blurry photographs on the table, his expression turning serious.
"We also discovered signs of a dark guild operating near the village."
Ankh picked up the photographs.
The moment he saw the familiar figure in one of them, he frowned.
"This is…"
"Minerva?" Erza leaned closer and recognized her immediately. "She joined a dark guild?"
Wolfheim nodded. "Succubus Eye, a subordinate guild of Tartaros. As for the man traveling with her, we strongly suspect that he is a genuine demon."
Ankh studied the man in the photograph.
Most of his mouth was covered, yet several sharp fangs still protruded from beneath the cloth.
"With a face like that, he certainly looks the part."
"As you know, we have been unable to locate Tartaros itself," Hyberion said. "Now that one of its subordinate guilds has finally surfaced, we cannot afford to waste the opportunity."
He looked directly at Ankh.
"Fairy Tail has specialists in both fire and ice magic, as well as you—a man who has fought demons several times and survived. That is why we believe no one is better suited for this mission."
Warrod took over, his expression solemn.
"Your assignment is to investigate Sun Village and release it from the ice, which we suspect was created by forces connected to Tartaros. If possible, capture Minerva and the demon traveling with her as well."
"I understand."
Ankh nodded with clear interest.
Natsu eagerly slammed his fists together.
Erza stared at Minerva's photograph, while Gray remained focused on the strange ice surrounding the incident. Each of them had something different on their mind.
Lucy tightened her grip on the strap of her backpack and thought nervously.
'So this is it. We're finally going to face Tartaros's forces head-on.'