The Council is Gone

The next morning, when Rhodes woke up, the sun was already shining brightly.

He had made quite a ruckus the previous night and only managed two or three hours of sleep. The exhaustion from yesterday still weighed heavily on him, and even now, he felt like he could doze off again if he just closed his eyes.

Mira was already up and dressed, wearing a pajama set similar in design to Erza's, though in a different color. When she saw Rhodes's dazed and sleepy expression, her heart ached a little.

"Want to sleep in a bit more?" she asked gently.

Rhodes sat up on the bed and rubbed his face to wake himself. "No... I've got too much to deal with today."

He started listing the responsibilities weighing on him: There was the issue with the Three Ravens—although they were dangerous criminals, he'd gone a bit overboard with his attacks and would need to explain himself. He also needed to dispatch one of his crabs back to the Tower of Heaven to survey the scene and possibly search for any traces of Jellal.

Then there was the matter of the Magic Council. They'd likely show up today, so it might be better to take the initiative and file a report himself—especially about the usage of Etherion and the traitor's involvement. And finally, there was the issue of what to do about Erza's former companions.

Just thinking about it all gave Rhodes a headache. He held out his arms and said playfully, "Where's my good morning kiss?"

"I already gave it to you," Mira said with a wink. "While you were still asleep."

"That doesn't count! That's sneaky—you kissed me in secret! I want to return the kiss!"

"You're so childish," Mira teased, walking over and placing a light kiss on his forehead.

Rhodes pulled her into a hug, resting his head against her waist with a contented sigh before finally dragging himself up to wash and get ready. The two left the room together.

"You're heading out already?" Erza asked when she saw them in the hallway. "Simon and the others left earlier by boat."

"Already?" Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "When?"

"Not long after the feast," Erza said. Though there was a touch of melancholy in her voice, she didn't seem heartbroken. "They spent most of their lives inside that tower. Now they want to see the world with their own eyes before deciding how they want to live from now on."

Mira glanced at Erza with concern. "Are you okay with that?"

Erza smiled gently. "I saw them off properly. They're strong people—I believe they'll be fine."

Rhodes, however, thought to himself that they should've at least taken a crash course in literacy and basic survival skills. Still, this was the kind of world where mages often dove into action before planning things out. Very few were as cautious as he was.

Then again, they were all mages. They'd survive.

"What about Simon?" Rhodes asked. "Didn't he want to stay the most? I thought we agreed to help him heal his eye and wounds."

"Simon had his reasons for leaving," Erza explained. "He's still searching for his missing sister. And Wally has a brother as well."

But the truth ran deeper. They'd decided that staying close might only bring back painful memories for Erza. Giving her space—and giving themselves time to find their own paths was their way of moving forward.

Mira tilted her head. "Wouldn't it be easier to ask everyone to help with the search?"

Erza shook her head. "They want to learn to stand on their own now. Not live for others or rely on others, at least until they've figured out their new way of life. That's the 'freedom' they're seeking."

Rhodes sighed inwardly. It was probably the aftermath of being manipulated and controlled for so many years. Maybe they were reacting out of trauma. Time would heal that... or maybe they'd need real therapy. Either way, all he could do now was wish them the best.

Though he didn't feel hungry, Rhodes ate something simple before heading to talk to the hotel manager about compensation for the damages caused.

That's when he learned it wasn't just Mira's room that needed repairs. Apparently, the underground amusement hall had also taken quite a beating.

Simon and his companions had broken a few things during their mission to rescue Erza.

Shō had used his Card Magic to seal the tourists and staff present into playing cards, which caused a fair amount of panic at the time. All of that needed to be addressed now—apologies had to be made one by one. Fortunately, a few of the tourists didn't file complaints, likely because a certain blonde mage had offered them something... comforting while she herself had been tied up.

"Lucy, I never imagined you'd go to such great lengths for the guild," Rhodes said with a dramatic sniff, placing a hand over his heart. "Truly moving. You have my vote for Best Newcomer of the Year."

Lucy covered her face in embarrassment. "Can we not talk about that again? It's humiliating!"

Gray, standing nearby with a serious face, said bluntly, "It was reckless to let that many people see you like that."

"You are the last person who gets to talk about being dressed appropriately!" Lucy yelled, pointing at him. "At least put a shirt on first!"

Juvia narrowed her eyes at Lucy. "To think you'd go so far just to get Gray-sama's attention... how indecent."

Lucy flushed and shouted back, "I wasn't trying anything like that! Take it up with him!"

Rhodes had already grown used to this kind of daily chaos. He left the others to bicker and wandered down to the beach. There, he began flattening the hill he'd built the day before and released his summoned crabs back into the sea.

He spent most of the morning dealing with little tasks—tidying up, apologizing to staff, and coordinating repairs. By midday, the group finally took a break and began preparing for lunch.

That's when Makarov returned—hurried and unusually grim.

"Master, how did it go?" Rhodes asked.

Makarov had taken Rhodes's advice to proactively contact the Magic Council. But judging by the look on his face now, the outcome hadn't been good.

The old man didn't sugarcoat it. "Pack your bags. We're heading back to the guild. Immediately."

"What the heck, old man?!" Natsu shouted. "We've only used one day of our three-day vacation voucher!"

Lucy also looked disappointed but didn't dare argue out loud.

"Did the Council hold us responsible?" Erza asked seriously.

Makarov's expression turned grave. "No. The Council's headquarters… was destroyed."

Everyone froze.

"What?! But… the Etherion blast happened yesterday!" Lucy exclaimed.

Erza's mind immediately jumped to the prime suspect. "Siegrain… no—Jellal. Was it him? Did he really go that far?"

Makarov shook his head. "We don't have the details yet. But the situation is severe. There are casualties. Some council members have been seriously injured."

The mood turned heavy. Even Natsu had gone quiet.

Makarov continued, issuing firm instructions. "Erza, Mira—take everyone back to the guild right away. Until I return, I'm entrusting the guild to you two."

"Yes, Master," Erza nodded immediately. Mira followed suit with a reassuring smile.

Makarov looked toward Gray next. "You'll help with Juvia's formal registration. Show her around the guild and help her get settled."

"Yeah." Gray scratched his head, clearly thinking this was going to be a hassle, but with Makarov staring him, there was no way he could refuse.

"Rhodes, you're coming with me. The regional guild alliance is calling an emergency meeting. We'll head over directly."

"Got it," Rhodes replied simply, no need for more words.

The destruction of the Magic Council's headquarters wasn't just another scandal, it was a catastrophic incident, the likes of which hadn't been seen in years. It could shake the entire foundation of the magic world.

Rhodes had always found the Council to be rigid and frustrating. They often acted high and mighty, their judgments seemingly out of touch. Sometimes, it felt like their interventions caused more harm than good.

But even so—those were isolated cases. On the whole, the Council had done far more good.

They were the ones who fought tirelessly to eliminate Dark Guilds, Black Magic cults, and criminal syndicates. In fact, among all forces in the magical world, it was the Council that drew the most hatred from underground factions, not even regular guilds attracted that much malice.

And the Council endured that pressure in silence.

With their headquarters now obliterated, chaos was inevitable. The ripple effects wouldn't just shake the upper echelons of the magic world. Ordinary citizens, those far removed from the politics and power struggles would suffer the most from the instability.

To make things worse, one of the main suspects behind the attack was a Councilor himself.

Several other members might now face scrutiny. Internal investigations would be unavoidable. The reformation and selection of new Councilors would require extreme caution and likely take a long time.

Then there was the problem of the Ten Wizard Saints, the Ten Holy Mages. This honorary title was meant to distinguish the ten most powerful wizards on the entire continent of Ishgar.

But now... two of those ten—Jose Porla of Phantom Lord and the man once known as Siegrain, who was actually Jellal, had revealed themselves to be dangerous individuals. That alone was enough to severely damage the reputation of the title and everything it stood for.

Jose had started a guild war without Council permission, risking countless innocent lives. In many ways, his recklessness was no less dangerous than Jellal's deception and destruction.

Until the Magic Council could regain its footing, the responsibility of maintaining order would fall to the local guild alliances.

They would have to act quickly, responsibly, and decisively to prevent further collapse.

...

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