While Noah was helping Makarov understand Haki, something of minor importance happened at the Magic Council headquarters.
A Council operative who had infiltrated the dark magic world sent back a report.
The strongest dark guild, Grimoire Heart;
The most mysterious, Tartaros;
And Oración Seis, a guild that had been founded not long ago but had grown rapidly, becoming the third-largest dark guild.
These three dark guilds, which controlled most of the dark magic world, were very likely to form a dark alliance soon.
This posed a serious threat to the order of the magic world. It was undoubtedly a major concern.
Yajima, the sixth-seat councilor, and Laharl, the commander of the Council's Operations Unit, jointly urged Council Chairman Crawford to take the dark guilds' alliance seriously.
However, despite his high position, Chairman Crawford had a narrow outlook. He believed that with the Ten Wizard Saints around, the dark guilds were nothing to worry about.
No matter how powerful their alliance became, everything would be fine as long as the Ten Wizard Saints took action.
In particular, the presence of the new tenth-seat councilor, "Jellal Fernandes," had greatly bolstered the chairman's confidence.
Though the youngest councilor in history was still undergoing the Ten Wizard Saints' assessment, his true strength was already on par with that of a fully recognized Saint. He was a Saint-level powerhouse on the Magic Council's side.
So, in Chairman Crawford's eyes, the possible alliance between the dark guilds was no big deal—just a minor issue worth mentioning in passing.
After the meeting, Laharl said goodbye to the furious Councilor Yajima and returned to the building where the Operations Unit was based.
"Oh, you're back, Laharl."
"From the look on your face, those councilor bigwigs made another stupid decision."
Laharl sighed. There was only one person at the Council headquarters who would speak so disrespectfully about the councilors.
Doranbalt, the Operations Unit's second-in-command, Laharl's most capable aide, and his best friend.
He was a bit of a goofball, and he had an improper relationship with the master of Fairy Tail. His goofy nature suited that guild, too.
Laharl chose to turn a blind eye to it.
Seeing his friend's tired expression, Doranbalt stopped teasing him and placed a priority letter on the desk. "This came from that mage you mentioned last time, Nexus. I think that name sounds more like an alias."
"He doesn't want his real name exposed. After all, he took down a Dark Priest. You know how crazy the people in the Dark Magic Cult can be."
Laharl gave his friend a brief reply, then opened the letter and read it with a furrowed brow.
"Doranbalt, put out an announcement."
"Say that ten days ago, with the help of the mysterious mage 'Nexus,' the Operations Unit eliminated five dark mages who were up to no good on Mount Hakobe."
As Laharl's friend, Doranbalt had naturally read the letter too. He'd also anticipated what Laharl would do, so he'd already prepared the announcement.
After dealing with that, Laharl sat down wearily and pinched the bridge of his nose. "The chairman can turn a blind eye to an alliance between the three great dark guilds, but we're the Operations Unit. We can't sit around doing nothing like the people above us."
Doranbalt raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Laharl sighed. "Have our undercover operative try to gather information on the three dark guilds. But tell him to protect himself at all costs. He has permission to withdraw if necessary."
Laharl cared about every one of his comrades. Infiltrating a dark guild meant putting one's life on the line, and the danger was immense. Even so, Laharl hoped his comrade would make it back safely.
At his friend's words, Doranbalt's smile faded, replaced by a heavy expression.
"Laharl, we've already lost contact with our operative."
"I've prepared a report for triple compensation. It's just waiting for your signature."
A bitter look crossed Laharl's face. Thinking of the comrade who had volunteered to infiltrate the dark forces, he lowered his head.
Evil stirred in the shadows, while the upper ranks responsible for maintaining order were filled with shortsighted fools. Though he commanded the Council's Operations Unit, the orders from above left him unable to do anything.
"This is... a complete disaster."
Quickly composing himself, Laharl signed the compensation report, but changed the original amount from triple to five times the standard sum.
The Council had no shortage of money. He hoped his comrade's family could live well.
"All right, Deputy Commander Doranbalt, you should go carry out your supervisory duties."
"Yes, Commander."
With Laharl alone in his office, a listening Magic Crystal hidden behind a document cabinet against the wall gave off a faint glow.
"Heh, Laharl. What a fine, decent man."
"Too bad the most useless people in this world are good people..."
Beneath his dark blue hair, a mark covered half of his right face. Jellal Fernandes ended his surveillance of Laharl with a look of disdain, then turned to the striking black-haired beauty beside him.
"Ultear, why do you think that mage called Nexus went after the Dark Magic Cult?"
The beautiful woman named Ultear smiled. "Oh? Does he need a reason? The Dark Magic Cult deserves to be wiped out. You hate them too, don't you?"
A trace of bloodlust flashed in Jellal Fernandes's eyes before he could stop it. His expression turned cold. "Ultear, you really know how to bring up the wrong subject."
"But I'll forgive you anyway. Leave."
After sending his subordinate away from his office, Jellal Fernandes took out a blood-red Magic Crystal and called to it. "Teacher, are you there?"
A moment later, a calm reply came through the Magic Crystal. "Jellal, what could be so important that you had to contact me? Don't let yourself be exposed."
"Haha, don't worry, Teacher. The Council's upper ranks are a bunch of fools, and the people below them aren't qualified to get near me."
Jellal Fernandes glanced sideways, full of contempt for his colleagues, and continued:
"Teacher, be careful with your recent dealings with the Dark Magic Cult. A mysterious mage using the alias 'Nexus' seems to have it in for them."
"Don't worry. My dealings with the Dark Magic Cult are over. I gave them the little rat I just caught to play with."
Jellal Fernandes curled his lips, recalling what he'd heard while listening in on Laharl's office earlier. "Heh, someone from the Council—and the Operations Unit, no less—ending up in the Dark Magic Cult's hands. What a miserable fate."
After ending the call, Jellal Fernandes took out a photograph. It showed a red-haired girl in armor, fighting with striking poise.
Looking at the photo, the dark-blue-haired young man wore a complicated expression.
"Erza, you're living such a happy life now... I envy you."
"At most another year, and the Tower will be complete. Then we'll see each other again. And you'll be the perfect sacrifice to resurrect the Black Wizard."
"Don't blame me. This world is to blame!"
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