Wolfheim was the first to speak, his voice as gruff as ever.
"What's there to discuss about a guild like that? The Seven Kin of Purgatory and the Oración Seis are both made up of dangerous individuals. Nothing good can come from them joining forces. If there's a chance, we should capture them, no hesitation."
"I can't entirely agree with Lord Wolfheim," Jura said calmly, his hands folded within his sleeves. "Among the Oración Seis, there are also those who long for the light. Back then, they were merely children who took a wrong path. After more than seven years of imprisonment, they may have truly repented and might not return to darkness."
He spoke from experience. During the subjugation of the Oración Seis, he had developed a mutual respect with Richard (Hoteye). Perhaps the others, too, had their own reasons and regrets.
If it weren't for his duty as a member of the Council, Jura might have even felt happy for Richard's escape, though he couldn't publicly condone breaking out of prison.
Wolfheim shot him a glare. "If they've really repented, then they should've captured Jellal and those two brats from the Seven Kin of Purgatory! Don't tell me they couldn't manage that."
"Jailbreaking is certainly improper," Bryliens added in a tone that suggested he wasn't used to political discussions. "But… it's probably unrealistic to expect them to surrender voluntarily.
"I've heard they've been targeting Dark Guilds, though, so they can't be classified as ordinary Dark Guilds themselves. Still, we must maintain the necessary caution."
Hyberion nodded slightly. He had a good sense of everyone's stance by now. Turning to Makarov, who was still leisurely eating, he asked, "And what do you think, Mr. Makarov?"
"Hmm?" Makarov looked up mid-bite, hurriedly swallowed, and said, "Ah..Rhodes is right! I agree with his opinion."
"…"
Rhodes blinked. "But I didn't say anything."
Hyberion rubbed his temple, realizing Makarov hadn't been paying attention in the slightest. Still, it was possible to interpret his response as agreement with Rhodes's previously stated view from their guild discussions. For the sake of peace, Hyberion decided to leave it at that.
"In that case," he said, "we'll maintain our current stance, keep an eye on Crime Sorcière, but not devote excessive resources to them. I trust the judgment of Rhodes and Jura."
He paused, then his expression turned serious. "Our greater concerns right now are the Celestial Spirit crisis, and Tartaros, which has begun to stir once more."
At that, he looked toward Rhodes, silently inviting him to speak.
Rhodes nodded and began his report. "About two months ago, I encountered a member of Tartaros. Judging by his strength, he was likely one of their executives. He didn't give his real name, others called him Calamity."
The room grew quiet.
"He was extremely powerful, and the magic he used was… strange. Even after I defeated him, he self-detonated. I barely made it out alive." Rhodes's tone was steady, but his words carried weight. "If any of you ever encounter one of them, be cautious, the important thing is this: he was a demon."
He gave a concise account of the battle, carefully omitting any mention of how he neutralized the poison gas that filled the battlefield afterward. That method was Mira's domain, and if word got out, she might become a direct target for assassination.
The others listened in silence, taking in the implications. Only Makarov reacted audibly.
"You actually ran into Tartaros? And even killed one?!"
Rhodes's eyebrow twitched. "You didn't even read the report we spent weeks compiling, did you?"
"..."
Makarov froze, then scratched his head and let out a sheepish laugh. "Hahaha, been too busy lately! Haven't gotten around to it!"
Rhodes sighed. "Yeah, I believe that."
Jura spoke next, his tone grave. "That's crucial information. But… is there still no trace of Tartaros's whereabouts?"
Rhodes shook his head. "None. I tried tracking by scent afterward, but his self-detonation reduced everything to ash. The area was saturated with toxic gas, it was impossible to find any usable lead."
"Even so," Hyberion said, "compared to our previous ignorance, this is already a major breakthrough. According to what we know of demonic lifeforms, they cannot easily coexist with humans. It stands to reason that the other eight members of the Nine Demon Gates are also demons."
He folded his hands. "From that, we can further infer that Tartaros as a whole is composed entirely of demons, and their purpose cannot possibly be benign. Mr. Rhodes witnessed them slaughter an entire group of bandits. Even if their victims were criminals, such brutality reveals their true nature."
Wolfheim crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, his deep voice rumbling. "Demons… When I hear that word, I can't help but think of one man, the Black Wizard."
"Zeref?"
The moment the name was spoken, the atmosphere in the room changed.
A heavy silence settled over them.
Makarov and Rhodes knew more inside information, but it was not good to speak up, Zeref's reputation was too notorious.
Zeref's infamy was such that the moment his location was even rumored to be confirmed, the Magic Council could authorize the use of its most devastating weapon without hesitation.
And that was under the current regulations, which had grown much stricter.
Seven years ago, they'd fired it merely on a possibility.
It wasn't a topic anyone liked to dwell on. Better to quietly gather information within their own guilds and wait until there was solid evidence, and a clear plan, before taking action.
After circling around Zeref for a while, their discussion gradually shifted toward lighter matters, starting with the Celestial Spirits, then easing into recent rising talents across the major guilds.
Makarov, eager to boast, straightened in his seat… but quickly realized most of Fairy Tail's "talents" were too dazzling to count as "new." They were already legends in their own right, not fresh faces.
Jura, meanwhile, mentioned a few promising youngsters from Lamia Scale. Bryliens chimed in enthusiastically, praising several up-and-comers from his own guild.
Jura chuckled and said, "Ah yes, I've heard of them. Yuka once mentioned your Mr. Locke and Miss Yerul. I believe they performed quite well in last year's Grand Magic Games."
"Not mature enough yet," Bryliens said humbly. "And besides, guilds like Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel didn't even take it seriously, did they?"
"You can't say that," Jura replied kindly. "Yuka and the others worked hard, regardless of the outcome. Speaking of which, will Fairy Tail be competing this year?"
"Of course!" Makarov declared, pounding his chest. "Our goal is thirty million, no, wait, victory!"
Wolfheim frowned. "Wait a second, isn't it a bit much for four of the Saint Ten to get involved in a festival tournament?"
"The Guild Master himself isn't allowed to participate," Jura explained with a sigh. "So only Saint Rhodes and I would be eligible."
"I personally have no interest," Rhodes said, smiling faintly, "but my Guild Master insists we participate this year at least once. So… I'll be joining for the fun of it."
"Then I look forward to crossing paths with you," Jura said warmly.
Rhodes chuckled. "I don't. There's no benefit in fighting you. Hmm...unless you're willing to stake your rank on the outcome?"
Jura straightened his back, his eyes gleaming with conviction. "No problem. Betting on ranking would actually make me look forward to it even more. After all, combat ability is a key standard for a Wizard Saint.
If my strength ever fell short of my title, I would be ashamed to hold it."
"Ha! If you two are that serious, our guilds are in trouble," Bryliens said with a grin. "Seems I'd better go back and invent a few items to counter both Earth magic and Summoning magic."
As soon as he finished speaking, he whipped out a pen and a small notebook from seemingly nowhere and began scribbling furiously:
"For Earth magic, Wind might be effective… or perhaps Speed enchantments? No, no, maybe spatial distortion… ah, but Space magic's too costly in energy, unless I..."
The others watched as he sank instantly into his own research world.
Hyberion, expression unreadable, quietly poured himself another glass of milk.
With everyone suddenly so fired up about the Grand Magic Games, he couldn't help but think, perhaps he'd go watch in person this year.
Maybe he could even get himself invited as a guest judge.