Councilman Siegran

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[X784, Fiore Branch Council Headquarters]

— Dannis Martell —

Dannis took a long, unhurried drag from his cigarette as he strode through the grand halls of the Magic Council's branch headquarters in Fiore. Soft thunking sounds could be heard behind him, courtesy of the unconscious Erigor, who he dragged behind him by a rope. His face was now completely bruised, especially after repeatedly bouncing off the floor and stairs as Dannis made his way through the building.

Dannis ignored the whispers that propped up among the staff and workers around him. They could only sweatdrop at his casual dismissal of prisoner safety and continue in their work. 

Dannis mentally chuckled to himself. 'Fairy Tail is famous for our unconventional methods. I guess it isn't too much of a stretch for them to just chalk this as a weird trait and move on.'

He adjusted his dark cloak and continued forward, knowing full well that his impromptu request for an audience had stirred the council chambers into a frenzy. Normally, an S-Class mage like himself wouldn't have the authority to summon such an urgent meeting, but exceptions were made considering current circumstances. It also helped to have a Guildmaster who was a Wizard Saint. 

It wasn't always like this. Dannis remembered the days when whispers of distrust had followed him wherever he went. Being a Darkness Magic user hadn't earned him many friends in the beginning. But that had long since passed.

Ever since Dannis became a widespread name across Fiore, he had earned the fame and adoration of the general public, especially once his exploits were spread by those he saved. Add in his power, good looks, and what Mira used to call the 'strong and mysterious' persona, he instantly became a favourite of the citizens of Fiore.

The old distrust and danger that people used to point him with became non-existent. The darkness that used to scare a lot of people became a source of comfort as people identified it as a place of safety and surety that whatever the mission was, it would always be completed as long as the Dark Swordsman and Devil Slayer were on the case.

He had even earned a new epithet since then. The Black Blade of Fairy Tail.

There are even some that call the current generation as the Golden Age of mages, as powerful mages of the next generation showed up all over Ishgar. Including himself, some household names included Iron Rock Jura, Ichiya the Maestro, Thunder God Laxus, Titania, She-Devil, Mystogan, Aria of the Great Sky, and Bacchus the Drunk Falcon.

Even non-S-Class mages like Natsu "Salamander" Dragneel were beginning to make waves. 'Quite the time to be alive.' he thought idly.

That was when he felt a threatening presence behind him. Unsheathing his blade in a quick motion, he whirled around and pointed it to where the person was.

What appeared behind him was a person his age, with blue hair and a tattoo that spanned the right side of his face. Seeing the sword that was just an inch away from his neck, the man smiled.

"To think that you would sense my presence just as I manifested. You truly are impressive, Dannis Martell."

'A thought projection,' He recognized. He detected no soul present in the person in front of him. Dannis held his blade there for a second, there was a quiet intensity behind his eyes before he resheathed his blade. "Councilman Siegran. What business do you have where you felt the need to stop me before I made it to the council room?"

"I merely wanted to meet the mage whose name has spread far and wide across Fiore. Your reputation certainly precedes you." Siegran said. "Not only you, but Fairy Tail as a whole continues to impress me. Titania, Salamander, She-Devil. Makarov truly has an eye for talent, doesn't he?"

Dannis' heterochromic eyes narrowed. "What do you want, Siegran?" 

Dannis didn't really know what it was, but something about the councilman just felt off to him. He felt like he couldn't let his guard down around him.

Sensing the hostility, Siegran chuckled while raising both arms in a placating manner. "Relax. Do forgive me if I spooked you by the sudden appearance." He then glanced at the bound Erigor. "I assume this is your reason for requesting the meeting? I truly can't wait to hear what you have to say. See you inside, Martell." Those were his last words before his form disappeared.

Sighing a breath of smoke, Dannis put that encounter to the back of his mind as he approached the council chambers.

The guards at the entrance gave him curt nods, stepping aside as Dannis pushed open the massive double doors.

The council room was massive, with pedestals situated in an oval shape overlooking a lowered area in the center. Members of the council each sat atop each pedestal, looking down on whoever or whatever has business to conduct with them. Like Siegran, none of them were actually here, but merely present as thought projections sent from the main headquarters of the council in Era.

All discussion came to a grinding halt as Dannis entered, casually dragging Erigor behind him. The councilors eyed his approach with differing looks. Yajima gave him a grandfatherly smile, while Michello regarded with barely concealed annoyance. Ultear's smile had a bit of a sultry undertone, while Siegran had an intrigued and amused smirk on his face.

"Martell." Councilman Org welcomed. "What business do you have for requesting a meeting like this?"

"One that I'm sure would put away the headache you've all been having the past few weeks." Dannis shrugged before giving the rope a sharp tug, pulling Erigor into view. "This is Erigor, the Grim Reaper. I believe he's been causing you some trouble lately."

Widened eyes could be seen among their number, aside from the audible chuckles from Yajima and Ultear's giggles.

Org's brow furrowed. "How did you come to know of this incident?"

"Rumors travel fast if you know where to listen," Dannis replied smoothly. "Turns out my guildmates were already on the trail. The arrests in Onibus? That was them."

"That aligns with our reports of Fairy Tail mages causing... disturbances," Belno muttered, though there was a note of relief in her voice.

She palmed a runic script on her table as it glowed. A few seconds later, rune knights entered the room and secured Erigor with an anti-magic cuff before taking him away from the room.

"And what of Lullaby itself? What happened to the flute?" Siegran questioned as held his chin on top of his palm in a lazy manner.

"I sent the flute back to my guild to be studied. A few members of Fairy Tail are quite proficient in studying magical artifacts." Dannis said, knowing that Mavis, Levy and Mystogan has that handled. "Master Makarov will personally oversee their study to make sure nothing happens."

"Insolent brat! That artifact belongs to the Scientific and Research Division of the council!" Michello spat.

"In case you didn't realize, Fairy Tail was the one who apprehended Erigor and took down the entirety of Eisenwald." Dannis countered. "According to the Guild Law for Mages, section 21, part 3b, if members of an established guild were to discover magical artifacts in missions that were previously sanctioned by the Guildmaster, thereby making it a legal mission signed by the council, then those artifacts in question belong to the guild that found it. In this case, Lullaby, by all accounts, belongs to us now."

"How presumptuous! There is no way—"

"Be quiet, Michello." Crawford Seam, the Chairman of the Council, who till now remained quiet, finally spoke up. "The young man is right. Those statutes and laws were written by our forefathers and predecessors. We are in no position to fight Young Dannis for it." Michello looked affronted by the public reprimand, to which Crawford expertly ignored. "But we do hope that whatever discoveries that Fairy Tail makes shall be shared with the council. It is also our hope to learn all we can of Zeref's artifacts."

Dannis nodded, "I'll pass the message along. In the meantime, I trust the payment for this mission will be in my account by day's end. Until next time, honored councilmen." 

Without waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and strode out of the chamber, his cloak billowing behind him.

The room fell silent until Michello's outraged voice broke the stillness. "That bastard! How dare he act so arrogantly towards the council!" Michello raged in his seat. The rest of the councillors merely rolled their eyes, already annoyed by the man's incessant grumbling. It didn't leave their notice that Michello began his rant the moment that Dannis had gone out of earshot.

"On the contrary, he was actually quite amiable for a member of Fairy Tail. I remember when Gildarts used to be Makarov's spokesperson whenever Fairy Tail had business with the council. I swear that man likes to poke fun at everything." Org sighed.

Ultear laughed softly, her eyes glinting with amusement. "I find him rather charming. Strong, composed... a man like that is hard to ignore."

Belno just shook her head at the younger woman's antics, while Yajima chuckled. Glad to see the others shed some positive light for Fairy Tail. 

However, there was one man who hid his true feelings behind a guise of nonchalance. Siegran's mind worked overtime as he gazed at the door that Dannis just exited through.

When he encountered Dannis outside the council room, Siegran thought that something was eerily familiar with the man. It took him a while, but he recognized the feeling after being exposed to the R-System for the past decade.

'That man.' Siegran thought. 'He has traces of Zeref's magic within him.' 

While Siegran was quite confident in his power as a member of the Ten Wizard Saints, there was no telling what such an unpredictable factor such as the Dark Swordsman could do to his plans. He made it a point to keep an eye on him, just to make sure that nothing stood in his way of achieving his dream of paradise.

Unseen by everyone, Ultear's smile grew.

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AN: Jellal remains to be one of the most underrated characters in all of anime. The man had the perfect blend of tragic backstory, compelling villain, beautiful redemption arc, and sheer badassery all in one.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter

Cheers lads.