"If it's about contributing to the stability of the magical world, we're willing. In fact, we've always been doing so." Hyberion placed his goblet on the table and clasped his hands, his gaze steady on Org. "Just in our own preferred ways."
He leaned forward slightly. "So you might as well be direct. At this critical juncture, what exactly does the Council need us to do?"
Org looked at the faces before him. Some old. Some young. All among the most powerful mages on the continent.
He spoke plainly. "I hope that all of you will become the new Council members."
"What?!"
Aside from Warrod, who maintained his usual serene smile, and Hyberion, who looked deeply thoughtful, everyone showed varying degrees of surprise.
They'd considered the possibility on the way here, of course. But the sheer boldness of the proposal was still startling.
Is this what happens when there are fewer people involved in the decision-making?
Org, unaware of their internal reactions, pressed on with sincerity.
"I'm ashamed to admit this. I've served two terms as a Council member. Not out of greed for power, but because I genuinely wanted to accomplish something." He paused. "During my tenure, I not only failed to achieve anything remarkable, I presided over a Council that was attacked and nearly destroyed. Twice."
He let that sit for a moment.
"Take the Balam Alliance. The Council monitored them for years. Investigated them for years. And in the end, not a single one of the three major dark guilds was brought down by us. Every one of them was defeated by independent guilds. Meanwhile, the Council suffered catastrophic losses."
His voice didn't waver, but the weight of honest self-assessment was clear.
"There were objective factors, certainly. But after years of effort producing results like these, I have to acknowledge my own inadequacy. Even setting aside my physical condition, I have no confidence that I could do better going forward. The Council needs new blood. It needs to be rebuilt from the ground up."
A silence settled over the room.
Jura spoke first. "But why us specifically?"
He frowned slightly. "If I recall correctly, after the Jellal incident, the Council became reluctant to recruit powerful mages. Wasn't that the prevailing sentiment?"
Org shook his head. "To be precise, the concern was never about strength itself. The Jellal incident changed the evaluation criteria for the Ten Wizard Saints, yes. But for Council membership, no formal rule barring powerful mages was ever established. Our most recent term was influenced by that sentiment, but it was never codified."
Bryliens spoke up. "There should still be better candidates, shouldn't there? High-ranking officials from the kingdoms, for instance. The highest position among our group is guild master. None of us have experience managing an organization on the scale of the Council."
Org was firm. "Mage affairs must be managed by mages. That principle was established when the Council was founded."
He allowed himself a small smile. "And besides, you're selling yourselves short. Apart from the two guild masters present, isn't there also a Duke among you? A Duke who actually holds territory."
Rhodes blinked, caught off guard by the sudden redirect. Every pair of eyes in the room shifted to him.
He raised a hand. "Don't look at me like that. My territory is a small town and a few surrounding villages. All administrative work is handled by the mayor. I've never interfered. I have zero management experience."
"Exactly." Org chuckled. "Managing a territory doesn't necessarily require hands-on involvement. Knowing how to delegate, how to appoint the right people to the right roles, that is its own skill."
He spread his hands. "Being a Council member is the same. You need to ensure the general direction is correct and have sufficient judgment and decisiveness when emergencies arise. That's the core of it."
Rhodes wanted to point out that he hadn't chosen the mayor either, so the whole "knowing how to delegate" argument didn't really hold up. But there was no point in nitpicking.
The old man had a point. The previous two Council lineups had clearly lacked something in the judgment and decisiveness department. When emergencies struck, forget emergency response. They couldn't even protect themselves.
Seeing the room fall into contemplation, Org pressed his advantage.
"Having been destroyed twice, the Council's reputation and deterrent power have fallen to a dangerous low. At this moment, the new Council members need sufficient prestige to reassure the public, and sufficient strength to deter those who would exploit the vacuum."
His gaze swept across the room one final time.
"There is no one in this world more suited to that role than the people sitting in this room."
Hyberion responded first. "Since you've laid it out this plainly, it would be inappropriate not to lead by example." He picked up his goblet. "I agree. All Ten Wizard Saints should serve as the next Council members."
In truth, Hyberion had considered this idea when the Council was destroyed the first time. But one of the Ten Wizard Saints had been the one who destroyed it. Proposing the idea with Jellal's shadow still hanging over the title would have been tactless.
This time, with the proposal coming from Org and the remaining Council staff, the path was clear.
A look of genuine relief crossed Org's face. His gaze moved immediately to Wolfheim.
This one would be the hardest sell. Stubborn personality. No patience for politics. Org braced himself.
But Wolfheim didn't object. He simply said, bluntly, "Let me make one thing clear upfront. I'm well aware that the Council has internal problems it prefers to keep quiet. If I join, I will not look the other way."
Org nodded without hesitation. "That is precisely the responsibility of a Council member."
Wolfheim turned to Warrod. "Old friend. If you crack a joke right now, I won't forgive you."
"Haha. Don't worry, even I know how to read the room." Warrod laughed easily. "I agree with the proposal as well. Though I should warn you, I've spent the past several decades planting trees. Don't expect my administrative abilities to be particularly sharp."
"You're too modest." Org waved the concern away. "Your experience alone is invaluable."
And he meant it. Warrod had lived since the founding era. He had survived the legendary trade wars over a century ago. A man who had endured that much history couldn't lack for insight, no matter how many years he'd spent among saplings.
Even if his management skills were rusty, his strength certainly wasn't. That terrifyingly powerful magic was no bluff.
"I support the proposal as well." Rhodes paused, then looked around the room. "But there's a practical issue. Among the three seniors, two are independent mages, and Mr. Warrod is retired from guild life. No conflict there. But what about the four of us?"
He gestured between himself, Jura, Makarov, and Bryliens.
Rhodes and Jura were active members of Fairy Tail and Lamia Scale respectively. In principle, sitting guild mages couldn't serve on the Council.
And asking them to leave their guilds for the sake of a government position was something neither could agree to on a personal level.
Makarov and Bryliens had it worse. They were guild masters. Fairy Tail and Shining Sun respectively. Stepping down from guild leadership for a Council seat was an even harder ask.
Bryliens and Jura nodded in agreement with Rhodes's concern.
Makarov muttered something about how he could technically retire.
Though even as he said it, doubt crept across his face. Being a Council member might be an even bigger headache than running a guild.
Especially when most of the problems landing on his desk would be ones his own guild had caused.