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Chapter 4: Jellal the Wizard Saint

Year X782

Erza walked through the quiet corridors of Era with Jellal at her side. "Where are we going? Did our guild do something wrong?"

Jellal had lately been wearing elegant attire. He usually donned a long black frock-coat with a standing collar. Large straps went below his waist with a buckle that closed in on a dark shirt underneath. His black loose pants were tucked into laced boots of the same colour. She had to admit the outfit suit him well. Nobody else could pull it off as good as Jellal. He laughed at her assumption, perhaps because it was normal for Natsu to pay a visit once in a while.

"No, he did nothing of the sort. We're here for a reason other than submitting an apology to the council."

"And what reason would that be?"

He approached a window, realizing there was a crowd surrounding the headquarters of the Magic Council. Word of his promotion to a Wizard Saint reached fast, and it wouldn't be long before the entirety of Ishgar would revere him as a saint. It was not his ideal objective, gaining a title didn't really change anything about him as a person.

Grand doors opened to a banquet hall full of people chatting. The place was only full of powerful mages and the Fairy Tail guildhall. He recognized some people from Lamia Scale, Twilight Ogre, Quatro Cerberus, and Blue Pegasus. At the banquet hall's front, all the Magic Council members assembled.

Erza gasped, "This was a party, and I didn't know? This shouldn't be a surprise, Jellal. I didn't buy a dress for this occasion!"

Erza got worked over dresses whenever it came to parties, which was adorable. "It's not that formal of a party, but sure. You'll find out in due time."

Makarov was howling loudly with Simon and Millianna, who eyed the two S-Class mages entering.

"My goodness, Jellal! You look great for your coronation." Makarov drank out of a bottle of vodka, littering it on the floor once he drank the contents.

The redhead gawked at him, "You're kidding, right?"

"Oh course not, he's becoming a Wizard Saint!"

"How come nobody told me about this? I would've dressed much nicer for the event!"

She requipped into a white ball gown with a matching lily on the left side of her hair. The dress complimented her well, and now she fit in with everyone. Nevermind Jellal's comment, this coronation screamed extravagant.

Erza turned to her heel, and took a seat beside Mirajane and Cana, who were merrily chatting away. They noticed her anxious behavior, and the two ladies smirked. After Lisanna's death, Mirajane started dressing up more appropriately, and her hairstyle changed. Usually, she tied the front strands up, but today she let them down for the momentous occasion.

Mirajane dreamily observed the guild members enjoying themselves. "I knew Jellal was strong, but I never thought he would become one of the strongest mages in the continent at such a young age."

Erza watched him converse with mages of renowned guilds, who politely bowed before talking with him. They met each other's gaze, and Jellal smiled. She returned the gesture while Mirajane caught Jellal staring off before coming back into focus.

"Master told me I can try drinking at this party. Aw yeah!" Cana yelled, seizing a bottle.

Erza stole it away from her, much to the brunette's dismay. She reached out towards Erza, trying to grab the glass bottle from the S-Class mage. "You need to control your drinking habits, it's not good for you."

"Then take away Wakaba's pipe! That's even worse than my drinking."

Mirajane giggled, "He's over thirty, and you're under eighteen, there's a huge difference Cana."

The brunette girl groaned, eyeing the bottle Erza kept hostage. She was too busy watching Jellal greet the guests.

Cana smirked, "Say, Erza. I bet Jellal needs some help to greet the guests. You should escort him, right Mira?"

Mirajane nodded, "I think it's a good for him to have a chaperone. You never know the things people may plot against Jellal."

Erza smiled, "You're absolutely right, Mira." She stood up with the bottle in her hand, internally debating on what to do with it. Cana knew she would give it back, it was so easy to challenge Erza's pride. She was quick to make irrational decisions for Jellal.

"I don't want Jellal to think I drink alcohol, then again I can't let Cana have this. Mirajane, hold this for me until I get back."

Mirajane held the bottle in her hand, observing the way Cana stared at the item as if it was some glorifying artifact. It was probably meal she was ready to devour. The brunette tried snatching it out of the barmaid's hands, but Mira held it out of arm's reach. "I have to agree with Erza on this one, Cana."

Grumpily, Cana sank back down to her seat. She would convince the guild master somehow. Mirajane caught Laxus grunting as he wore a ceremonial coat to the coronation. He had the potential to become a Wizard Saint had it not been for his temperamental attitude. But then again, Laxus didn't possess extensive knowledge for the magical world like Jellal had. He was angry, that much was notable. It was this one-sided rivalry between Laxus and Jellal that irritated Mirajane. But there was no stopping it, so long as they didn't duel it out, his hatred for Jellal would only grow.

"Accompany me? Sure," Jellal agreed, before giving a gallant smirk. "Are you getting lonely back there?"

She was at a loss for words. She was chatting with Mirajane, but then again it wasn't as fun as being around her best friend. "No! Personally, I believe you need to be protected."

"Protected? If anything, you're the one that needs protecting. Everyone's got their eyes on you, the woman who has the most beautiful hair in the world." He played with some strands of her hair and she flushed, hiding her face. He leaned in, "You're blushing."

"I'm not blushing! I'm just a little embarrassed, that's all." she murmured, before he laughed it off.

"I'm just teasing you. I would appreciate the company tonight, Erza Scarlet."

She loved it when he pronounced her full name. She strolled along with him around the banquet in her large gown. The first person they bumped into was a certain drunk mage. He specialized in Palm magic, and Erza's hair immediately caught his attention.

"Well hello there, Erza Scarlet." He watched her as she stared back at him defiantly.

Erza narrowed her eyes, "What are you doing here, Bacchus?"

"I came to pay my respects to the new Wizard Saint. Speaking of which, if it isn't Jellal. I must say, you have a fine taste in women."

Erza summoned her sword, "How dare you insult the dignity of a woman? Have you no shame, fiend?" Erza quickly drew out a sword and sent him flying when she attacked him, which was unexpected. Jellal blinked, watching her dispose of him easily.

She returned to his side, satisfied by her results. "See, he was secretly getting close to you by using distracting comments."

"I wouldn't say he was after me. I think it wanted your attention, Erza."

"A threat is a threat. I think I do well as a chaperone, let us continue."

She led him to the feast laid out before him. Natsu shamelessly stuffed his mouth with food in a corner alongside Gray and Happy. Another unpleasant surprise appeared, and it was Ichiya and Master Bob from Blue Pegasus.

Master Bob embraced Jellal as if he were a little child compared to the obese guild master. "Darling, I'm so happy for you! You're becoming a Wizard Saint tonight, make me proud on stage!"

"I will, thank you for the kind words." Jellal cautiously felt his neck, which was no longer being strangled. Ichiya came before him and commenced the dance. The S-Class mage wondered if this day could get any worse.

"Men…congratulations on the promotion. My sweet honey and I are proud."

"Ah, and who is this sweet honey of yours?" inquired Jellal, predicting the obvious answer.

"Why, the scarlet-haired beauty who radiates light wherever she goes. Her parfum is so sweet, I wish to sniff it mo-" Erza kicked him away before he could finish his sentence.

"When will those idiots ever learn?!" yelled Erza, pointing to the other members of Blue Pegasus, serving women around the reception.

Jellal paid no mind to the other mages, "Let them have their fun."

"You should also have fun, loosen up, Jellal. This is your party."

He disagreed, "As a future member of the Ten Wizard Saints and the Magic Council, I refuse to loosen up." They walked around for a while until he stopped. He thought about it long and hard, about how with each passing day, he had more duties. There was no time to have fun, and his childhood was never something memorable. It only brought back nightmares of screams and torture.

Erza didn't understand why he stopped, but his body posture stiffened even more. "Erza, do you regret losing your childhood to a cult?"

No response, she gave it a long thought. But as she thought it through, the idea wasn't so bad because of everything that came after that. Her life was a metaphor in the sense after a dark thunderstorm came a rainbow which wouldn't disappear for a long time. "No, not at all."

He studied her indecipherable demeanor, unable to believe his ears. "What?"

"I wouldn't have been able to meet Wally, Sho, Millianna, or Simon. I'd never meet you, and we would've never joined Fairy Tail together. I'm glad I got to meet you Jellal, I can't live in a world without you."

She was right. To be in a world without Erza was unimaginable, but still. "You could've been with your parents, living your life like any normal girl. And I would be a normal boy."

"Honestly, we were never living a normal life. You and I know nothing about our parents, who they are, where they are. Fairy Tail is my home, I have no memory of my biological parents. Apparently some villagers in Rosemary Village found me in a basket."

"I suppose you're right. But from here on out, things just get more difficult."

Erza smiled, "We'll tackle our problems together."

"Yeah, together."

Hastily, Chairman Crawford ran up to the two mages, breathless. "Take your place, we're about to start the coronation!"

Jellal nodded, waving at Erza before following Crawford. She returned to her seat beside Cana and Mirajane, this time Natsu and Gray joined their table with three full plates.

"Have you eaten yet, Erza?" asked Mirajane, offering a second plate she filled with food.

"No. Thank you Mira," she took a bite of the pasta soused with red sauce and shrimp. Erza would definitely take another round at the buffet. The lights dimmed, and in view were the Magic Council members, all eight of them standing in an orderly fashion. There was a young woman with raven hair who stood out, being the only young member on the council. All was quiet when Chairman Crawford entered the hall with graceful footsteps, followed by Jellal who approached the members just as elegantly. He was in front of the intimidating councillors, who had so much power raging underneath their calm demeanor. It seemed the other guilds attended similar coronations because they all stood up on cue. She delayingly stood up, after Mirajane and Cana followed the others.

Crawford spoke, "We're gathered here today, to appoint a fellow Fiore civilian as a Wizard Saint. Jellal Fernandes has shown his keen intellect, immense power, and incredible combat skills. He is a wizard truly deserving of his title. In this we pray," he paused, waiting for everyone else to complete his sentence.

"All hail the saint."

Erza gulped, this sounded like a hypnotic ritual. Jellal wasn't faring any better, he didn't understand why they were chanting prayers.

"May he protect the citizens of Fiore and all of Ishgar. May his vast knowledge be put into good use. In this we pray,"

"All hail the saint."

Erza went along with it, understanding the huge fuss and commotion going on outside. The people outside echoed the prayers. It seemed like all of Fiore came to witness this glorifying spectacle.

Jellal looked down as Belno approached him, fastening a medallion to his coat. She patted his shoulder, whispering polite things to him. She smiled and left without another word. He was sure they would not get along subsequently.

"May he live a long fulfilling life to serve others. In this we pray,"

Erza frowned, so long as he remembered his past, Jellal would never live a fulfilling life.

"All hail the saint."

Laxus disrespectfully sat down, not wanting to take part in the ridiculous ritual. Everyone else took a long moment to reflect in the silence, ignoring Laxus's whining.

"You may be seated," announced the chairman. Everyone watched Jellal as he approached the council members, who were having a private conversation with him. There was a loud applaud from inside the room, startling the councillors.

After what seemed like an hour, Jellal joined his guild, who gathered around him in a huge huddle.

Makarov squeezed through the bodies until he was face-to-face with Jellal. "So, how does it feel to be a Wizard Saint?"

"I feel nothing," replied Jellal.

"Really? When I became a Wizard Saint, I felt wise and strong."

Jellal nodded, maintaining his poker face. He didn't seem happy he became a Wizard Saint, and in all honestly, Jellal couldn't care less about his title.

Another unpleasant mage came to congratulate them, this time being Jose. He venomously shook Jellal's hand, squeezing it as tight as he could. "I never knew you were into the art of magic. I see you've improved throughout the years, and you became a Wizard Saint at a ridiculously young age."

"Really? Hard efforts give great results, I'm not surprised at all."

Jose studied his tranquil demeanor, which was nothing but a front. Jealousy sparked within the Phantom Lord guild master that Makarov had such a talented wizard join Fairy Tail. Not to mention Laxus, Mystogan, Erza, and previously Mirajane. "So I see, indeed the aura emanating from you is rather potent. I shall take my leave, enjoy your new title while it lasts Jellal."

He cackled on his way out, much to Makarov's confusion. From the looks of it, a few members of his guild remained at the banquet. Notably Juvia the Rain Woman, who strolled around the place with supposedly her boyfriend, Bora of Prominence.

Jellal shuffled away from the crowd to find Erza, who was talking with her small group of friends.

Simon remained deadpanned, not really caring about tonight's fuss. Sho began complaining about the ritual that wasn't taught to them beforehand. Most of the Fairy Tail members did not understand what was going on during the prayer. Jellal hated that he was practically being worshipped, he had no interest in such respect or fear.

Millianna frowned, "So…he's going to be too busy to take on any jobs?"

Everyone nodded, that was until Jellal corrected them. "Being a Wizard Saint isn't all that much of work."

Simon coughed, "Your future position as a Magic Council member?"

"I'll still find time to spend time with you guys, don't worry. These things are just titles, there's no significant meaning in a Wizard Saint or a councillor. Rest assured, nothing's going to change."

Erza smiled, that's what she loved most about Jellal. He stayed the same, even if everything around him changed.

If there's one thing that changed about Jellal within the same year, it was the amount and responsibilities he took on since joining the Magic Council. Alvarez had made their move on Ishgar way faster than he expected. The motives of their recent invasion were unknown, but judging by the way Makarov received the news, he knew something about it.

Jellal was still conducting research about the continent and found little to no information. The army was numbered at ten million, and all of them were magic users. Only a quarter of Fiore's population practiced magic, so the attack came at an alarming rate. Thankfully, a mischievous Ultear didn't attend the meeting to promote ludicrous decisions.

The Magic Council members sat at a round table, spending their time looking into the recent intel gathered by navies. They travelled to Alakatasia, but not a single ship returned. Alvarez was using the Rune Knights to threaten the council, or they killed them off to show their superiority to Ishgar.

Belno scattered the recent papers on Alvarez. After a frustrating investigation, she asked, "Nobody's been able to find out who ordered the attack?"

Everyone shook their head, but Jellal hypothesized potential people in Alakatasia's hierarchy. "All the guilds in Alakatasia have recently combined their military power and sworn allegiance to this new empire called Alvarez. Over there, they have one emperor for the whole continent instead of a king for each country. The problem is that this person must have been powerful enough to conquer an entire continent."

Everyone gasped, realizing that the Western Continent was much more powerful than it seemed. Michello breathed deeply, "Can't we just attack them if they attack us? With this many soldiers arriving, the only thing we can do is to wage war against them."

Some members agreed, but others had other ideas. Belno shook her head, "We can't do that, we will lose many lives in a war. Our only option now is to buy some time before they attack us."

Jellal thought deeply about Belno's suggestion and nodded his head. "We can use our most powerful weapons to hold them off. Something like Etherion, or even Face."

Org stared at Jellal in disbelief, "That's absurd! Etherion is a powerful weapon, and we can't even think about using something as devastating as Face. Not a single person will use magic again."

"I understand your concern, but we're only using it to show Alvarez we have a trump card. It's better if they retaliate before a war even begins. Believe me, they will retreat once we threaten them. But once they find out about Face, we'll need to secure it. They will want to destroy Face as soon as possible."

Yajima raised an eyebrow, "How will we do that?"

"The most powerful magic we can use to secure Face is by using magic seals. And this time, we can't write out the seal. It won't take them long to decipher the seal."

Crawford took great interest in listening to Jellal's idea. Young he may have been, his knowledge was off the charts. "You mean to use our bodies as seals? Like Organic Link Magic?"

"Exactly, we need three people here to act as those seals, because nobody will suspect the keys are the Magic Council members."

Belno frowned, "You realize we must keep this information confidential. We will die if any information is to leak."

Chairman Crawford nodded, "Everyone here must keep it a secret. Any other member that hasn't attended today's meeting cannot know about this. Now that's cleared up, I will use my Organic Link Magic to seal away the keys. Any volunteers?"

Nobody except Jellal stepped up, mainly because the others were afraid of endangering their lives. Killing all the members would activate the most deadly weapon in Ishgar.

Belno sighed in disappointment, volunteering alongside Jellal. "I swear, men can be such cowards. Do you honestly prefer your own lives over an entire nation?"

They gulped, and some had the audacity to nod. Belno rolled her eyes, while the Chairman remained neutral. He seemed too calm for a potentially life-threatening situation. "I'll do it too."

Nobody questioned anything, but many of the members wondered why Jellal of all people stepped up. He was only seventeen, and true he might've been a hard person to target, a mage his age wouldn't bother putting their life on the line for other people. Belno admired his selflessness, but pitied him for maturing at a young age. The Tower of Heaven cult stripped his childhood, and few people knew. He hid the skeletons in the closet, afraid to recall his traumatic childhood.

Crawford hammered his gavel on the table. "Meeting dismissed."

It was only a matter of time before Jellal's predictions would come to fruition. Such as the heavy burden a young man carried on his shoulders.

He could feel the seal inside of him burning his innards.