Chapter 45
The journey to the Magic Council Headquarters was uneventful to say the least, Lahar hadn't said anything and it was taking Natsu every ounce of self control to hold himself back from freeing his Spriggan right then and there.
Finally when the group had reached the headquarters Natsu noticed the guards escorting Larcade and the others away as once again he strode forward blocking their path, Lahar was actually getting tired of Natsu's behaviour, when Natsu addressed him "Lahar, the Spriggan have yet to be convicted, where do you think you're taking them…?" he demanded. "Your Majesty, we have been ordered to keep the Spriggan in the Cell, until all the members of the Magic Council have arrived" Lahar stated. "And..do you think I'm going to let you do that…?" Natsu demanded. Lahar sighed as he addressed Natsu "Your Majesty, please we're all just doing our jobs here" he pleaded.
Natsu stepped forward glaring at Lahar "Now…you know exactly how unfair it is to blame the Spriggan for doing their job. Tell Sir Hyberion, that I will stay in the cell, with my Spriggan and this information doesn't have to go out of this place, if that's what your Council wants" Natsu stated. Lahar seemed appalled at Natsu's suggestion as Natsu reassured him "Relax Lahar, I will not hold you or the Magic Knights responsible for any of this, but the Council on the other hand, well let's just say it depends on the way this hearing goes".
Lahar made his way to Hyberion who as usual had Wolfheim,Warrod and Jura all standing there staring at Lahar. "Lahar I told you not to interrupt us until all of us have arrived, what is the meaning of this…?" Hyberion demanded. "Emperor END has some demands" Lahar stated as Hyberion and Wolfheim laughed while Warrod and Jura didn't react, "Demands…does he not understand the meaning of a hearing, that said that boy wasn't the smartest of the bunch of the fairies. Tell Emperor END with all due respect, that we do not take demands on behalf of our prisoners, even from the Emperor of Alvarez" Hyebrion stated.
Jura stepped forward "Sir Hyberion, if I may suggest, the relations between Alvarez and Ishgar are already Fragile and it is certainly essential that Ishgar let's Alvarez know that any action has its consequences" Jura addressed Hyberion. "Sir Jura….you do understand as the Chairman of this Council I have absolute power to do what I deem right, but upon the insistence of the council to have it be a fair trial upon the Spriggan members, I sought the Council to have a hearing" he remarked glaring at Jura.
Warrod interfered "Sir Hyberion, please understand we are not mocking your decision or the Council's but are worried about the current scenario, maybe escalating the situation wouldn't be the right idea, hearing out what the Emperor has demanded is atleast a fair decision to make right now, just a suggestion of mine" Warrod replied as Hyberion glared at him.
Lahar stated what Natsu had demanded and the faces of the Council members turned white as a sheet, "He want's to join the Spriggan in the Cell…?" Wolfheim demanded astonished. "Certainly is something the Salamander of Fairy Tail would do…" Jura replied a snicker escaping his lips as Warrod grinned at him as well. "So…what is your command, Chairman…" Lahar requested. Wolfheim turned to Hyberion "You…know this is a ploy, the boy knows very well, we cannot have the Emperor imprisoned with the others, not everyone on the Council is on our side Hyberion" Wolfheim declared "If news about this travels outside these walls, we will have another war on our hands…" he replied his face white as a sheet.
Warrod moved towards the tea that was placed on a table nearby "And this time around, we probably will not make it…" he replied. "What…are you talking about..?" Hyberion demanded angrily. "With END on their side this time around Ishgar may not be the side coming out of this war as the Victor…" Warrod stated. Hyberion aura rose as Warrod froze his cup falling to the floor, while Wolfheim transformed holding Hyberion back. Lahar felt himself freeze like a stone in the presence of such powerful aura. "Control yourself Hyberion, we cannot fight amongst ourselves right now" Wolfheim demanded as Hyberion let Warrod go as Woflheim relaxed. Jura began to escort Warrod away from Hyberion when Hyberion addressed him "Warrod…you do understand I'm doing this for Ishgar, I just intend to show that Ishgar isn't afraid of Alvarez anymore" he replied. "Maybe you think you're doing this for Ishgar Sir Hyberion or maybe you're doing this to prove to yourself that you're not afraid of Alvarez" Warrod stated as the duo left.
Lahar stood staring at the scene unfold, when Hyberion turned to look at him surprised that he was still there "Your command, Chairman…" Lahar stated again. "As hard as it is to admit, Warrod is right, we cannot instigate Alvarez and the Emperor most certainly wont leave his Spriggan, so keep the Emperor and Spriggan in the waiting area, do not imprison them in the cell, but let the Spriggan still be cuffed, attend to them like our guests" Hyberion commanded as Lahar bowed and left the room.
"Are you sure about this…?" Wolfheim questioned him. "Is…he here…?" Hyberion questioned him in return. "As far as I know not yet" Wolfheim stated. "Well as long as he's not here, we still have a chance" Hyberions replied.
Lahar approached Natsu and the others and led them to the waiting area as they looked at him confused. "The Council has deemed to have you await here, until the trial begins" he stated, but before leaving he turned to address Natsu, "Your Majesty I say this not as a Magic Knight, but rather as a former acquaintance. The Council seems to have made their decision already and this trial is only a formality" he replied as he left the room.
Natsu turned to the others "A formality…what does he mean by a formality…?" he asked the others "It means that this whole trial is basically an act, they have already sentenced us…maybe they'll have us imprisoned for life or maybe they'll execute us in revenge" Brandish growled as she tried to break her sealing cuff. "Stop that right now Brandish…we will not bring disgrace to the Emperor or Alvarez by absconding from this trial and naming ourselves cowards, regardless of what they try to sentence us with, we will stand our ground and defend our actions for our country and the Emperor" Larcade stated.
Natsu turned to Larcade a little embarrassed "I was actually thinking to free you guys and escape from here, once we're back in Alvarez none of these Council members can touch any of us" Natsu declared. "And what about you, Your Majesty…?" Dimaria questioned as Natsu looked at her confused at her question "Would you be willing to be deemed not only a coward, but also destroy the semblance of peace between our Kingdoms, not to mention would you be willing to forgo the opportunity to ever meet Lucy-san again…?" she remarked as Natsu froze understanding what Dimaria was trying to say.
Brandish who had stopped struggling with her cuffs addressed Larcade "I now understand why the two of you have been behaving the way you have, I may not like being cuffed like this or standing trial, but being a Spriggan I realise that we have more than our own pride riding on this trial, I will stand by your side" she replied "For now….". Larcade placed his arm on Brandish shoulder thanking her as she blushed a little "I'm not doing this for you Larcade, I'm doing this as a duty as a Spriggan" she retorted. Natsu stared at them concern etched on his face "Are you guy's sure about this…?" he questioned. The trio nodded their heads in response as Natsu relented sitting along with the others.
Once the Spriggan had been summoned the group approached the hall and Natsu immediately recognised it from when he had interrupted Erza's fake hearing that he had barged into. The Spriggan stood before the Council as Natsu stood infront of them, the Council members stared in shock that the Emperor himself stood infront of them. "Your Majesty if you will, we can arrange for you to be seated during the trial…" Hyberion stated with what felt like force politeness in his voice. "There will be no need of that Sir Hyberion, I am here to represent my Spriggan in their defence, so I will have to decline your offer" Natsu replied as Hyberion didn't react just staring at him. "But…Your Majesty…" Hyberion began as Jura interrupted him "Sir Hyberion, we stated that this hearing will be a fair trial, I think it will be fine allowing the Emperor to represent his Spriggan, unless you have a different opinion…?" he questioned.
Hyberion didn't argue as he sat down and began to convey the reason why he had called for this hearing. "Larcade, Brandish and Dimaria, you have been summoned here on basis of the crimes you commited against this country during the invasion of Alvarez" Hyberion stated. Larcade spoke up as Natsu stood silently staring at the Council like a guard to the Spriggan "If I may ask…Sir Hyberion, what exactly are the charges against us…?" Larcade stated. "Well…you have been charged for the death of one our own Magic Saint Makarov Dreyar, not to mention the countless deaths of our Magic Knights during our battle…" Hyberion stated, Natsu clenched his fists holding himself back when he heard Hyberion mention Master Makarov.
Natsu spoke up instead "Master Makarov sacrificed his life protecting this country, to protect the mages fighting the battle for Isghar to protect the lives of people like you..." he declared. "How do you charge my Spriggan for the sacrifice of a great person, are you belittling his sacrifice…Hyberion…?" Natsu demanded ignoring the honorific. "Your Majesty with all due respect, that wasn't what I meant, but if it were not for the invasion of Alvarez our dear Master Makarov would still be with us…" Hyberion replied.
"The invasion of Alvarez, was the work of the former Emperor of Alvarez, Zeref Dragneel…" Natsu declared as almost all the members present at the Council stared in shock at Natsu at the declaration. "Zeref was your ancestor…?" Jura questioned amazed at the revelation. "No matter Zeref's reasons and intentions, he was a far more peaceful ruler in Alvarez and yet when the time came he paid for his actions" Natsu declared.
At that moment Hisui came bursting through the door Arcadios behind her, "Queen Hisui…" the Council members remarked paying respect to their ruler, as Hisui glared at Hyberion. "What is the meaning of this Sir Hyberion, the Emperor and his Spriggan are our guests" Hisui stated in a commanding tone.
"With all due respect Queen Hisui, the matters of the Magic Council lie beyond your jurisdiction and the Emperor has always been free to go our problem is with the Spriggan members and the pain and loss and destruction they've caused in Ishgar, they will face justice for it" Hyberion stated.
Hisui stood before the Council "The matters of the guild and its Mages may certainly fall under the jurisdiction of the Magic Council, but the matters of diplomacy between our two countries isn't under your jurisdiction Sir Hyberion, with all due respect" she stated firmly. "What do you plan on doing to the Spriggan…members…?" Hisui demanded. "Well I haven't gotten to decide it yet, I was in the process of stating the charges against the Spriggan, before I was interrupted" Hyberion stated.
"You, decide what happens to the Spriggan…?" Hisui questioned staring at Hyberion "Well…as the Chairman of the Council, the final decision lies with me…" Hyberion stated. "Well isn't that a bit unfair that the decision rather than being a combined decision of the Council, the power lies with you, especially in matters of conviction, what happens when things get personal, how can you justify your emotions won't cloud your judgement, what's to say your emotions aren't clouding your judgement right now, Sir Hyberion…?" Hisui questioned.
As Hisui had expected they were murmurings within the Council Members, while Hyberion seemed to be furious at Hisui's suggestion "The Council has run in this manner for Centuries now, so I do not see the point in you questioning my decision, had the Council not have had faith in my decision I wouldn't be standing in the position that I am in…" Hyberion stated.
"Maybe it's time things changed…" Hisui stated "Absolute power resting with one person…has never resulted in justice" she stated. "I have a decree here stating that the Council and the Throne will work together in the conviction and judgements of any cases that come our way wether Magical or Non Magical, if the Council agrees with my decision, then let us please sign this and work together" Hisui stated as the Council looked at each other pondering about it.
"Queen Hisui, I wasn't informed of this and this isn't the place to discuss such matters, I implore you to bring it up after we've dealt with this case" Hyberion stated. "Are…you saying you will not ask the Council what their decision is…?" Hisui demanded as Hyberion felt his temper flare. Hyberion was analyzing a way to proceed with the hearing while avoiding Hisui's decree when every single person in the room suddenly felt an immense aura approaching them, the intensity of the pressure almost suffocating them, but the Spriggan and most of the Council along with Natsu didn't seem to be affected much by it.
Suddenly the doors seemed to disintegrate as a familiar face walked into the hall, to Natsu's surprise. Gildarts stood staring at the scene looking back at the door he scratched his neck a bit embarrassed "Sorry about the door…" he replied sheepishly. "Gildarts, could you control your aura the Queen cannot handle the pressure you're emanating…" Arcadios demanded as Gildarts relaxed controlling his aura as the Queen gasped breathing normally once again.
"Gildarts…we weren't expecting you…" Hyberion stated a little furious at his appearance. "Well I am one of the Ten Magic Saints now aren't i…?" he questioned. "What did you think I would do, when I was summoned for a hearing…?" Gildarts asked Hyberion politely. Natsu's jaw dropped down in astonishment as Gildarts put on a robe and went and sat along with the Council. "Well please proceed, don't stop on my accord…" Gildarts stated winking at Natsu from the seat who grinned back at Gildarts. "We do not have the time to catch you up…Gildarts, the Council is deciding on the fate…" Hyberion began but was interrupted by Queen Hisui.
"We were discussing the Council and the Throne working together from this day forward in the judgement of cases both Magical and Non Magical…" Hisui stated. Before Hyberion could retort Gildarts spoke up, "I do not know what you have been discussing with the Chairman, Queen Hisui but such a decision should be left to all the members of the Council, in my opinion…" Gildarts stated as Hyberion stared at him.
Gildarts continued addressing the Council, "I see that the Queen is adamant on having a decision made before we proceed with the case, maybe we should just pacify the Queen and her demands and make a decision right now, Chairman Hyberion" Gildarts suggested as Hyberion stared between Gildarts and Hisui in frustration.
"Fine, let's get this over with" Hyberion remarked "All those against the decree to join the Council with the Throne…" Hyberion announced as most of the Council including Gildarts raised their hands. Everyone stared at Gildarts in shock as he turned looking at the shocked faces. "Gildarts, if you're playing around I swear…" Hyberion commanded glaring at him. "Are you insinuating that the other Council members are all not serious as well…?, Chairman…?" Gildarts asked him casually. "All im saying is you understand that your decision stands and you cannot go back on this " Hyberion stated as Gildarts didn't respond.
"Well…looks like the Council doesn't agree with the decree My Queen, my deepest apologies" Hyberion replied. "So…now that we are done with that can we come back to the topic on hand…?" Hyberion stated. Gildarts raised his hand as Hyberion raised his eyebrow in question "Do you have something you want to say Gildarts…?". "I would like to ask the Council, why do they think these Spriggan are to be blamed for what happened…?. If it's the battle and its consequences you want to talk about, then I would like to remind you, that this Council not only tried to destroy innocent lives trapped in a tower, but almost destroyed this entire continent on one occasion" he declared as Hyberion realised now why Gildarts had taken his side before.
"The situation demanded that of us…Gildarts" one of the Saints declared as Gildarts glared back at him "Well then whatever the Spriggan are accused of the situation demanded a similar thing from them" Gildarts stated. "It will do you well to remember that neither Face nor Etherion ever hurt any citizens nor the Magic Knights, it was dealt with…" Hyberion stated. Gildarts had a big smirk on his face "And it will do you well to remember Sir Hyberion, that the people responsible on both occassions were the fairies and that man right there infront of us…" Gildarts stated pointing to Natsu who didn't react but was glaring at the Council.
"What are you suggesting now Gildarts…?" Hyberion demanded angrily. Hyberion hoped that Gildarts would act for the Council to vote and this time he knew that he would side with Warrod and the others, atleast causing a tie in the vote, this would then mean that Hyberion could interfere as the Chairman and have his way he thought to himself. "What I'm suggesting is simple the Council decided to enforce Etherion and Face without worrying about the consequences and if the Spriggan are deemed guilty then I think the Council should take responsibility for the Etherion and Face and bear the consequences" Gildarts stated as Hyberion stared at him in shock.
"If the Council is willing to do that then I suggest we can go ahead and give our verdict" Gildarts stated as Warrod and Jura seemed impressed by Gildarts. "And what if the Council decides against listening to you and go ahead and convict the Spriggan…?" Hyberion demanded. "Then I guess it would prove that this Council doesn't stand for Justice, I would quit the Council and stand against you along with the Emperor and we'll be able to determine if I really am worthy to hold the Title of Strongest Mage in Ishgar" Gildarts declared.
Wolfheim stood up glaring at Gildarts, who calmly sat back on his chair as Hyberion held Wolfheim back. Natsu who was silent up until now walked forward as the Council turned to look at him. "I stand before you now as Natsu Dragneel, Salamander of Fairy Tail, I would like to remind you that Ishgar never wanted a part of this war neither did Alvarez, now both of our countries were manipulated by Zeref. Your Queen and I we are trying everything possible to form a peaceful relationship with Alvarez and put all of our history behind us. Ushering our Nations in a new Era" he declared.
"That's all good to hear Natsu, but are you telling me, that if people from Ishgar visited Alvarez, we would be greeted with open and friendly arms, can you guarantee the safety of any Ishgar citizen that visits Alvarez and are you saying that Alvarez has forgotten the past and is ready to move on…?" Hyberion demanded. "I'm telling you Alvarez is ready to take the first step in this alliance" Natsu declared. "And who is going to be foolish enough to risk their lives to prove you right, Your Majesty" Hyberion mocked him.
"Fairy Tail will do it…" Natsu declared. "And..when you realise you're wrong, I would like you to apologise to my Spriggan in person" Natsu demanded. Hyberion grinned as Wolfheim whispered to him "Don't do this…Sir Hyberion". "Trust me Sir Wolfheim, we will enjoy seeing the citizens of Alvarez tear the Fairies to shred, not to mention the Emperor trying his hardest and failing to stop them" Hyberion whispered back to Wolfheim, before he turned addressing Natsu "As you wish your Majesty…" he stated as Natsu freed Larcade, Dimaria and Brandish from their cuffs and they bid farewell to the Council Members as they left.
"See I told you that would go our way…" Larcade declared proudly. "What you should be doing, is thanking the Emperor and Queen Hisui" Brandish declared twisting Larcade's ears as Hisui smiled politely standing closer to Arcadios who was amused at the behaviour of the so called dangerous Spriggan.
"Hey…Natsu…" Gildarts called out to him as Dimaria seemed to get furious Larcade stopped her as he noticed Natsu's face light up. "Sorry I was caught up with the old geezers in the Council, I've heard a lot about you, the way you handled things in Alvarez, you seem to be doing great for yourself" Gildarts stated excitedly. Upon looking at the furious faces of Brandish and Dimaria Gildarts looked around confused at what happened "Address Natsu as Your Majesty…" Hisui whispered to him as Gildarts grin reappeared as he bowed to Natsu "Your Majesty…" he declared. "There's no point when you don't mean it…" Dimaria muttered angrily as Natsu turned to address them "Alright look guy's Gildarts here, is my oldest Rival…" Natsu declared proudly as Gildarts caught him in a chokehold. Dimaria and Brandish immediately tried to move to attack, but Larcade held them back, "The Emperor is no danger, he doesn't even look like he's in pain watch closely…" he told them. "Is that the way you treat me after all the years I took care of you,Natsu…?" Gildarts demanded. Natsu snickered "Years, you were barely there a few days in my life" Natsu replied as Gildarts tightened the choke. Natsu relented "I was just kidding.." he declared as Gildarts reaxed his grip Natsu continued "I'm obviously stronger than you, you can't be my rival anymore" he stated as Gildarts bonked him on his head addressing the Spriggan.
"Don't mind the Emperor, I'm the closest thing this guy has had to a father…" he stated proudly as Natsu's face grew red, "Hey…I had Igneel…" Natsu retorted. "Fine….after Igneel, are you happy…?" he asked Natsu. "Yup…" Natsu replied a big smile on his face. "Shall we leave the two to catch up…?" Arcadios asked the Spriggan as Dimaria hesitated. Larcade reassured Dimaria that the Emperor would be fine as the group left the two Fairy Tail members.
As Natsu caught up with Gildarts and what he was doing, he suddenly stopped and he turned to Gildarts the wildest smile on his face "So…you say they gave you the title of Strongest Mage in Ishgar…?" he questioned. "Well..yes.." Gildarts answered already having an idea where Natsu was going with this. "Well how about we spar and see if you truly deserve that title…?" Natsu asked him eagerly, the excitement dripping from his face.
"Natsu honestly, you're an Emperor…" Gildarts began, "I never knew the Council had turned you into such a wuss, Gildarts" Natsu mocked him. "I don't want to end up hurting you Natsu…" Gildarts stated. "You won't" Natsu responded "Wendy can heal me anyway and who knows maybe you'll be the one needing help when we're done" Natsu stated as Gildarts grinned at him.
"So…what's the plan, we can't go all out here…" Gildarts stated. "Oh don't worry I have a place in mind" Natsu replied as he held onto Gildarts and teleported.
Gildarts could barely feel the Council or the Spriggan even with their strong aura's "How far did you get us…?" he questioned Natsu. "Far enough, now let's do this…" Natsu declared as he took a fighting stance. Gildarts sighed "Fine but I wont go easy Natsu…" he declared.
Gildarts let out his crash magic, but at the last second before it could reach him Natsu teleported sending a flurry of flame cannons at Gildarts, who just used his crash magic to disintegrate the flames, but Natsu stepped through the flames aiming a Phenoix claw right at Gildarts abdomen, Gildarts though predicted his move and released his Crash magic but Natsu was faster teleporting behind him and landing a poweful kick that sent Gildarts sliding a few feet away.
"Physically you're almost as strong as me" Gildarts stated smiling proudly at Natsu. "How about we…get serious now then Natsu…?" Gildarts asked him. "I was wondering when you'd ask…" Natsu replied. The two men let out their aura as Natsu's flames engulfed the ground charring it, while Gildarts magic formed a huge crater in the ground.
The release of the aura was felt all the way back at the Magic Council headquarters and the Fairy Tail members turned sensing the aura Lucy felt her heart stop "Its Natsu and Gildarts…" she remarked. "But why are they fighting…?" Levy questioned worried. "Isn't it obvious, Natsu must have challenged him and to avoid any damage to the headquarters they went a certain distance away" Gray answered. "Who wants to bet Gildarts is going to destroy Salamander…" Gajeel replied as Levy glared at him "Gajeel that's mean…" she admonished him, but the Fairy Tail members were busy placing their bets.
Natsu and Gildarts looked at each as their aura stabilised. Gildarts motioned for Natsu to charge towards him "Let's see who is stronger, the Strongest Mage in Isghar or the Strongest Mage in Alvarez" he declared. "Yosh…I'm all fired up now…" Natsu replied as the two fighters charged at each other.
A/N : Hey everyone, sorry for the long gap, with everything going on i couldnt find the time to post this chapter, but thank you for the likes and favourites and here you go enjoy this chapter and dont forget to leave a Review and tell me your thoughts about it :D