After the Trade War a century ago, it had become an unspoken understanding that Magic Guilds would not participate in wars between kingdoms or continental wars.
Combined with the clearly stated rule that Magic Guilds were not allowed to fight among themselves, the continent had managed to enjoy a period of peace.
But the Alvarez Empire had taken another path.
After all, if all the guilds were integrated and treated as an army, then if one insisted on arguing the point... it did seem technically possible.
"But doesn't the Magic Council still have Etherion and F.A.C.E.?"
Hibiki of Blue Pegasus raised an objection.
The fact that the Magic Council controlled Etherion and F.A.C.E. had already become common knowledge among the stronger guilds.
"And didn't the invasion in X781 fail precisely because the other side was wary of Etherion?"
Besides, no one could guarantee that the Magic Council truly had no other hidden weapons.
That was what the western continent had always been wary of.
On top of that, their emperor, Spriggan, had not given the order, so they had never acted rashly.
The meeting discussion became extremely heated.
Raizel, however, did not take part for the moment.
Armies and magical warship fleets were secondary.
What Raizel cared about more was the Spriggan 12, and whether God Serena would betray Ishgar.
Regarding that point, Raizel felt there was a very high chance he would.
After all, that turncoat had basically never shown up at meetings after becoming one of the Four Gods of Ishgar.
Clearly, he did not have much sense of belonging toward Ishgar.
Of course, Raizel chose to let things happen naturally.
He was too lazy to stop it.
Raizel did not really like God Serena's arrogant personality since it did not suit his tastes.
Makarov frowned, pressing his lips together in thought.
On the screen, Precht's expression was equally grave.
The two of them vaguely sensed something.
It could not be called only a sixth sense, because it also came from some of the information Mest had secretly passed to Makarov while inside the Council.
The enemy's target might not be the Kingdom of Fiore or Ishgar.
It might be the secret that only Fairy Tail's guild master was supposed to know—Fairy Heart.
But this was only a strange intuition.
They did not have much concrete evidence, and it was not suitable to bring it up in this meeting.
The major guilds raised questions and suggestions, and after nearly two more hours of discussion...
Jellal finally gave a solemn summary.
"Of course, the Alvarez Empire is not preparing to invade yet. The Magic Council will continue monitoring their movements at all times."
"But everyone should remain cautious, and continue training seriously."
...
After the meeting with the Magic Council ended, the members did not leave.
Raizel asked them to stay behind.
Although he did not know whether Alvarez's movements were Zeref's orders or the actions of the Spriggan 12, Raizel felt it was necessary to tell the members.
This was something Raizel had decided during the meeting just now.
Since he could not be certain whether Zeref had already fallen into darkness, it was better to inform them first.
Raizel picked up a Magic pen and began drawing on the crystal screen.
"First, the emperor of the Alvarez Empire, Spriggan, is actually someone everyone knows."
"He is the Black Wizard, Zeref."
"NANIII?!!"
Makarov's mouth nearly fell open.
The Magic Council knew very little about the high-ranking officials of the Alvarez Empire.
At most, they had some surface-level information.
They knew the title Spriggan 12, but knew almost nothing about governors, ministers, or regents.
And Raizel opened with a bombshell.
"The reason the Council couldn't find Zeref is because that guy already returned to the western continent to be the emperor."
"One of the two walls of the Spriggan 12: the Magic King August. The Magic he uses is instant copy Magic. After copying a spell, he permanently masters it. Through this Magic, he knows Magic from ancient times to the present. His Magic Power is, well... vast as the sea. Deep beyond measure."
"Question: how strong is he?" Cana immediately raised her hand.
Erza answered for Raizel.
"Answer: all of Ishgar's Ten Wizard Saints together would not be enough for him to beat with one hand."
That answer was something Raizel had said the first time he and Erza met August, and it had left a deep impression on Erza when she was still young.
Ultear, who had also met August before, added with a calm expression.
"I can say with absolute certainty that Magic King August has the greatest amount of Magic Power of any human I have ever seen."
That statement was true.
First, Ultear had never met Zeref himself.
Second, even Zeref before removing his seal had far less Magic Power than August.
"Including Second Master Precht?" Makarov asked after hearing such an absurd answer.
"He is far below August."
Ultear and Erza nodded at the same time, their tones and eyes completely certain.
"How are we supposed to fight that?! Meeting over, lets go home!" Lucy had already gone soft.
"I haven't finished talking yet. He is strong, yes, but there's no need to worry about him."
Raizel paused slightly.
"I can more or less talk to him."
Mavis had not revealed that August was her son, so for now, Raizel could only explain things vaguely.
"If you encounter him, it's simple. Show him Fairy Tail's guild mark, then be polite. You'll be fine."
Raizel tapped August's name on the screen with the pen.
"But we've never seen him before."
"Deal with that when you meet him."
Next came Irene.
Raizel looked at Erza, and his tone paused for a moment.
"Then there is the other wall: the Scarlet Despair, the mother of Dragon Slayer Magic, the creator of Dragon Slayer Magic and Enchantment Magic—Irene Belserion."
The moment they heard Dragon Slayer Magic, Wendy and Gajeel both perked up.
"Belserion?!!"
The instant that surname was spoken, things like Dragon Slayer Magic and the creator of Enchantment Magic could all be pushed aside.
Everyone's eyes immediately shifted to Erza.
There was no helping it.
Under Raizel's interference, Erza's current surname was Belserion not Scarlet.
"Same surname... Is that a coincidence, or..." Lucy and Cana could not quite tell.
"It's probably just the same surname, right? She's from the western continent, after all," Gajeel said with a shrug.
'No. It is definitely not a coincidence, and it is definitely not just the same surname.'
Ultear, Erza, Mira, and Kagura all understood the look in Raizel's eyes.
Besides, Erza had long had her own suspicions.
The surname Belserion was definitely not simple.
She simply had not been able to figure it out back then, so she had not looked too deeply into it.
After all, Raizel's reason at the time had been far too careless.
So careless that Erza had not even wanted to complain.
He had actually said it was because he liked that wise dragon named Belserion.
But Erza did not have any strong requirements regarding her surname. If Raizel wanted to give her that name, then that was what she used.
A dragon from four hundred years ago had barely any written records.
How was Raizel supposed to like it?
Erza had specifically searched for information on Belserion before.
All she found was that Belserion had been a wise dragon close to humans.
Other information was pitifully scarce.
After that, Raizel roughly introduced the known members of the Spriggan 12.
It was worth mentioning that Brandish, the daughter of Layla's close friend Grammi, had already become one of the Spriggan 12.
Her talent in Magic training truly lived up to August's judgment.
But this one...
They did not need to worry about her either.
Because of their mothers, Lucy and Brandish had stayed in contact from time to time.
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