"Master, I have good news."
"Phantom Lord is finished, and Master Jose has also gone missing because of a few unfortunate accidents."
"As for our guild, only a handful of people suffered minor injuries."
"In short, Fairy Tail won a complete victory."
As he spoke, Kabe tilted the crystal so Makarov could see the surroundings on his side.
Inside the ruined castle, Fairy Tail's members were busy rounding up prisoners.
When they noticed the master in the crystal, they all waved cheerfully at him with bright, excited faces.
Seeing that the children were all safe, Makarov let out a breath of relief, but at the same time his heart could not help trembling slightly.
How much time had even passed since Erza and Kabe contacted him and decided to launch a counterattack against Phantom Lord?
And yet Phantom Lord had already been taken down.
In terms of magical power, Jose had never been much weaker than he was.
Deep down, Makarov had even believed that if Jose had chosen the right path, then given enough time, he might have surpassed him.
And yet someone like that had ended up lost to "an accident" at Kabe's hands.
Makarov was an adult.
He naturally understood what that so called accident really meant.
If it had been him, he probably would have spared Jose's life.
But Kabe was still young.
It was normal for the young to strike too hard sometimes.
Who had not been young once?
Makarov was not about to condemn him over killing an enemy who had harmed the guild.
"What a truly remarkable child."
"If he grows for another two years, perhaps he really could take over for me and protect Fairy Tail in my place."
The thought had only just formed when Makarov was about to praise Kabe and the others...
Gray suddenly shoved his way in, pushing Makarov's shiny bald head aside.
"Hold on, what are you even saying?"
"What do you mean Phantom Lord is finished and the war is over?!"
"Kabe, you bastard, what exactly did you do while I was gone?!"
"Yo, if it is not Gray."
"I heard you went abroad."
"Must have been rough..."
Kabe grinned and waved at Gray, who was practically breathing fire into the crystal.
Gray simply snatched the crystal ball away, pressing his face so close against it that it looked like he wanted to shove his whole head inside.
His voice was full of grief and outrage.
"Idiot, stop saying all that useless crap!"
"A chance to beat up Phantom Lord and you did not wait for me to get back?"
"I am going to kill you!"
"Heh, if you can manage it, then go ahead and try."
"Besides, it was only Phantom Lord."
"There was no need for you to come rushing back from a thousand miles away."
"And Natsu missed it too, so you are not the only one who lost out."
"I lost everything, damn it!!!"
Just imagining himself drinking cold mountain wind in the middle of nowhere while Kabe led everyone to beat down Phantom Lord made Gray feel like he had missed out on ten billion jewels.
Even knowing that Natsu the idiot had not made it back either, Gray still felt as though his soul had been torn out.
If he had known the Council would be this useless and this good at dragging everyone down, he would never have come to this godforsaken place no matter what.
And now that he thought about it, was not the one who suggested he come out here to help capture Brain... Kabe?
Once that clicked, the resentment in Gray's chest only grew heavier.
In the end, it all condensed into one simple sentence.
"Kabe, you bastard really deserve to die!"
"Have you said enough, brat?"
"How dare you treat your guild master so roughly."
"When we get back, you are copying the guild rules a hundred times!"
Makarov snatched the crystal ball back and scolded Gray soundly.
But Gray had already lost all vitality.
He looked like his soul had left his body.
He had no reaction at all to Makarov's words, only muttering over and over things like "bastard Kabe" and "I am going to fight you to the death".
Then, as if every bit of life had drained from him, he collapsed face first onto the table.
Makarov ignored the idiot and turned back to Kabe in the crystal, giving his instructions.
"Since everything has been settled, report it to the Council."
"Even if we are in the right, a battle between legal guilds still violates the rules."
"Keep an eye on those brats' emotions and make sure they cooperate with the Council's investigation."
"Do not make things harder for Yajima."
Little Ya was Makarov's nickname for Councilor Yajima.
Kabe naturally understood what the old man meant and immediately nodded.
"Got it."
"I will keep everyone in line."
"Old man, Gray, Sorano, Lyon, you all stay careful too."
"Do not let Brain catch you off guard."
"Honestly, I almost wish he would actually show up and try."
Makarov grumbled with a sour expression.
Then, before Kabe could ask more, he nodded and said,
"That is enough for now."
"I need to contact Yajima too."
"We will talk about the rest after I return."
With that, Makarov ended the communication.
After saying a few words to Sorano and the others, he moved off to contact Yajima.
Seeing that he was busy, Sorano and Lyon did not interrupt him.
Together, they quietly dragged away Gray, whose entire background had already turned gray white from complete emotional collapse, and left the room.