Ben, Makarov and Bella go to the Magic Council together like they planned. They head there in Ben's car even though the Council offered to take them there in their airship. It was a nice offer, but Ben can't ride in a airship because of his picky motion sickness.
But even without the airship, they can reach the National Branch in 15 minutes, a lot faster than riding the airship. Ben converted Light Runner to flight mode because it's the fastest mode. Light Runner turned into a jet in this mode and it can move even faster than the airship.
He doesn't really like to fly in his car because it's not that fun for him. It also used a lot more energy than the normal mode or even the boat mode. But he needed to be fast now, so he uses it, and it really saved a lot of time.
"I think we need to be slower on the way back. This speed is not good for my old heart." Makarov said, rather pale.
"We'll use the land route then. I'm also not fond of the flight mode because I can't enjoy the ride. Bella, you need to be quiet, alright? I will give you a lot of milk if you do that." Ben said as he put Light Runner in his storage space.
"Kay." Bella agreed to keep quiet the whole time.
After Makarov regained their composure, they head into the Council building. It had been rebuilt after Jellal and Ultear destroyed it a few months ago. They made it a lot bigger than the previous building and some were still under construction.
A Council member was waiting for them and Ben was surprised to see him. It's Geld, the man he always met in the past when there was business with the Council. It had been so long since Ben had last seen him that he almost forgot about him.
"It's been a long time Sir Ben, Master Makarov." Geld said.
"Sir? You just called me Sir? Are you really the Geld I know?" Ben asked in disbelief.
"Ha ha ha of course I am. It's just that you're a candidate for the position of Wizard Saint, so I need to be polite, right?" Geld asked.
"Ugh, just act like you normally do, dude. I don't like being treated like someone important." Ben groaned.
"Well, I can do that, but not right now. This is an official matter, so I need to follow protocol. Anyway, I am here to guide you, so please follow me." Geld said while extending his hand to the door politely.
Ben sighed and forgot about it. He and Makarov follow Geld inside the building and head to the meeting room. To kill some time, Geld informed them about the places they would pass along the way like it was a tour.
Soon, they reach the meeting room which looked more like a courtroom. Some high-ranked officials and some Wizard Saints were sitting on the chairs placed in rather high positions. There are also some screens for people from other nations that couldn't attend the meeting.
Ben is asked to stand in front of everyone while Makarov sat in one of the chairs. Soon, all the involved officials come be it physically or virtually. Ben looked at them and only knew a few like Jura from Lamia Scale.
*Tok tok tok*
An old man with a long beard banged the hammer a few times to gather everyone's attention. He announced that the meeting will start and lists the ones attending it. It's just a formality to start the meeting.
There are 10 high-ranked officials and 6 Wizard Saints who attend it including Makarov. Ben looked at the Wizard Saints, he doesn't care about the Council officials. Only Makarov and Jura are in the room while the other Wizard Saints join the meeting virtually, so Ben can't assess their strength.
'Draculous Hyberion and Wolfheim, they're ranked 2nd and 3rd among the Wizard Saints, so they're included in the Gods of Ishgar. God Serena and Warrod Sequen aren't here, huh? Meh, really doesn't matter.' Ben thought.
Ben also looked at the other 2 Wizard Saints that joined the meeting virtually. There is a middle-aged man and a woman that looks to be in her 30s. The man has long blonde hair and a rough face, his name is Ancelot. The woman has black hair and red eyes, her name is Tiara.
These 2 Wizard Saints weren't from Fiore so they didn't attend the meeting in person. They are ranked 6th and 7th, just below Makarov who is ranked 5th but above Jura who is ranked 8th. But that's the current rank because there are currently two vacant spots.
"Well then, this meeting will start. As everyone knows, this person here is a candidate for one of the 2 remaining spots of the 10 Wizard Saints. His name is Ben Cooper and he has completed many S-Class jobs since he was 13 years old. Now he is 17 years old, so he must've gotten a lot stronger and we think he has sufficient strength to be a Wizard Saint."
"He also has contributed a lot to Ishgar. One of his contributions was the new engine model for the magic vehicle that uses lacrima instead of a mage's magic power. It has improved not only our transportation, but also other industries and other sectors. Of course, his strength is still the main reason we chose him." The old man said.
The long-bearded old man briefly explained the reason they chose Ben. But Ben felt that explanation didn't explain the most important factor of a Wizard Saint, his strength.
Ancelot also thought the same thing.
"That doesn't explain anything about his strength. Many mages have done and completed S-Class jobs too, even more than him. So I don't think that's a good enough reason." He said.
"Yes, I understand, that's why we'll ask Mr. Jura Neekis to give his testimony. He has seen Mr. Ben's strength with his own eyes when they were fighting the Oracion Seis." An old councilwoman said.
Everyone looked at Jura.
"Certainly. I can say that he has the required strength, and not without reason. During that job, he destroyed Nirvana by himself and not through a normal method, he melted it completely. Furthermore, he defeated Brain who transformed into Zero with ease. I think that's enough to prove his strength." He said.
They all start to murmur and think about what Jura just said. Ben was starting to get impatient.
"Do you mind if we get to the main point?" He asked.
Everyone looked at him strangely.
"What do you mean?" The old man with the long beard asked.
"There's no reason to act like that. I'm sure you've known about that for a while. There's no way you would choose a candidate without everyone's approval. Even if it was only the Council officials who decided it, you must've sent the data to the Wizard Saints. Besides, I'm sure you've been investigating me since you know I'm a candidate, right? Let's stop beating around the bush. What do you want from me and what do you have to offer me?" Ben asked without batting an eye.
Makarov held his head and sighed because he never thought Ben would act like this. Jura, Ancelot and Tiara grin while Draculos and Wolfheim have neutral expressions. The Council officials on the other hand were angry.
"He is right. Let us not waste time." Draculous agreed with him.
The old man with the long beard became nervous.
"Y-yes Chairman. Ben Cooper, we will give you the same benefits as the other Wizard Saints and will even give you some special treatment. But we need you to leave Fairy Tail because 2 Wizard Saints can't be in the same guild." He said.
"Figures." Ben said with a smirk.