Chapter 45: Magic Council!

After arriving at Era, Natsu and the messenger headed toward the council headquarters. It was still as busy as before. Many council members were passing by while discussing various things.

The messenger quickly contacted his superior and took Natsu to a large hall that looked like a courtroom. The messenger gestured for Natsu to go forward. Natsu got on the stand in front of many council members who were sitting comfortably in their seats. It seemed that they were the higher-ups of the council.

Natsu also noticed Ultear and Jellal, or Seigrain, in this case, looking at him with unveiled interest. Seigrain, especially, was paying more attention to Natsu.

Seigrain was dressed in elegant yet simple robes; consisting of a long white frock-coat with black stripes across the edges and on the upper part of the arms, a decorated standing collar, large straps connected to decorated buckles closing the inducement on the front over a dark shirt, and matching pants and shoes. He also sported a ring on his right middle finger and had a medallion attesting to his status as one of the Ten Wizard Saints around his neck, hidden by his jacket's collar.

In the middle of the councilmen was a bearded man seated in a large seat looking at Natsu sternly. He was the chairman of the magic council - Gran Doma.

Gran Doma was a tall and fit elderly man with long graying hair and a long beard. He was moderately clad in fitted armor and had an ornate cape draped over his shoulders. He also sported a stereotypical wizard hat and carried around a large staff with a designed serpent head on it.

"Silence! Now we will start the trial!" Gran Doma shouted in a thunderous voice, making all the councilmen quiet down.

"Defendant Natsu Dragneel, concerning the Eisenwald incident the other day, you are accused of the destruction of the forest around Oshibana Town, as well as the robbery of the arrested guild members. According to the witness's testimony, the culprit was a pink-haired fire mage. What say you in your defense?" Gran Doma formally asked.

Natsu looked at him and smirked, making other council members afraid. He casually said. "I don't agree with those accusations at all. I believe they're bearing false witness. Can you please present those witnesses in front of me. I'll properly remember their faces."

Then Natsu looked at all the councilmen with a nasty smile that sent chills down their smile.

"Unfortunately, they didn't want to be present in your trial," Gran Doma calmly answered.

"Oh, that's fortunate for them. If they were here, I would have properly thanked them for the trouble. Now what? You guys don't have any proper evidence. Let's end this trial already." Natsu said while shrugging his shoulders. All the councilmen present were dissatisfied with his casual behavior.

"Behave yourself! This is the magic council, not your troublesome guild!" Shouted one of the councilmen. Everyone nodded in agreement except Gran Doma, Ultear, Seigrain, and Yajima.

"Why should I? This is just a ridiculous formality. I don't really care what others think, but the next time you waste my time with such petty stuff, I'll destroy this council." Natsu coldly answered while raising his magic level, making the temperature around the hall rise exponentially. Everyone looked uncomfortable due to the sudden increase in heat.

"Cease this at once!" Gran Doma loudly shouted before Natsu dismissed his magic. The temperature quickly returned to normal, allowing all the members of the council to breathe a sigh of relief.

"I'll deliver the sentence now. Natsu Dragneel, for your crimes, you are subjected to a million jewels in fines and sentenced to a day in prison. Case dismissed! Please take him away now!" Gran Doma declared before leaving his seat. Soon, all the councilmen left the area. Ultear also went, but not before giving Natsu a wink while sporting a mischievous smile.

Jellal started at him with an amused smile and left with Ultear. Yajima just shook his head and sighed, then left his seat.

The same frogman as before took Natsu to his prison cell. It was a pretty basic room with a wooden bed, a chair, and a table. Natsu lay down on the bed uncomfortably.

After a while, an alluring voice sounded from outside his cell.

"My my, what do we have here? The mighty dragon slayer inside a prison cell. You're such a bad boy ufufufu~" A feminine voice sounded with a chuckle.

Natsu just sighed and replied. "You don't need to hide, Ultear. Why are you in my cell? Just get to the point already."

"You're so mean. Can't I visit my dear friend without any reason? Why do you make me sound like a despicable woman? I'm so hurt, Natsu." Ultear answered in mock sadness, appearing outside his cell. Seeing her fake distressed expression caused Natsu to roll his eyes at her antics.

"Stop with the act already. Like I would ever believe a woman that fooled the entire world. Just tell me the reason you're here. Is it because of that blue-haired puppet of yours?" Natsu casually asked, making her shocked. She didn't expect Natsu to know about that as well.

"How do you know this? It should be impossible for you to know about Jellal," Ultear asked in disbelief. She entered inside his cell and looked at him sternly.

"It's a secret. Like all you girls, guys also need to keep some secrets sometimes." Natsu answered with a grin, making her feel irritated.

She sighed and seriously spoke. "Jellal asked me to meet up with you and find out whether you're a potential enemy or not."

"So he's already got his eyes on me, huh… Well, it doesn't matter. Just tell him whatever you think is fine." Natsu replied casually.

"Aren't you afraid of him? No matter what, he is still one of the 'Ten Wizard Saints', and he's still hiding his power." Ultear said while curiously looking at him, making Natsu stare at her surprise.

"Why are you telling me all this? Isn't Jellal your partner in crime? You won't gain any benefits by giving information about him to me." Natsu asked in confusion.

"Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't give you all these pieces of information, but something inside me tells me to trust you. I know it sounds weird, but I've always trusted my instincts. Besides, you're such a cute boy, which is a bonus ufufufu~" Ultear replied while teasing him with a mischievous expression.

Natsu felt irked hearing her call him a cute boy. He approached her and pressed her up against the prison cell with his right hands, pushing the wall actively and stared straight at her eyes. "I'm not a cute boy. Do you want me to prove it to you, huh?"

Ultear was surprised by his sudden action and was unable to react. After a while, she regained her bearings and stared right back at him with a sly smirk. "Oho? Then go ahead. Let me see what kind of man you are ufufufu~."

~Edited by Nyanodesu

(A/N: That's it for today. Leave your comments below. Also, don't forget to give me all that power stones ^^)