Gray angrily slammed the table, stood up, and yelled, "Where's Chen Fan?! Where is he now?! Why isn't he here when we need him?! Argh... Say something! Where is he?!"
"Be quiet, Gray! He's not the guild's babysitter. You must be responsible for your own mistakes," Makarov said, opening his eyes slowly.
"But, Master," Mira also said from the side, but Makarov raised a hand to cut her off.
"Let me out! Let me out!" a small lizard yelled from inside a bottle.
"Let you out? You'll just cause more trouble," Makarov said.
"But we've done so many things before, and our boss, Chen Fan, always took care of it for us. Even if Chen Fan doesn't speak for us now, the Council couldn't target Fairy Tail this quickly," Elfman analyzed from the side, showing how smart he had become.
"Of course, there must be a hidden reason behind this," Lucy said, lying on the table.
"Let me out! Let me out!" the small lizard continued to yell, its voice shrill.
"You sure you want me to let you out?" Makarov asked, looking at him with amusement.
"Uh..." The little lizard went silent, speechless.
Suddenly, Makarov waved his hand, and with a flash of light, the bottle shattered. "Bang!" Macao sat on the ground, startled.
"My apologies, I owed Natsu a favor," Macao said, rubbing his head sheepishly.
Everyone was shocked. They didn't expect Natsu to not be in the guild. So where did Natsu go?
Meanwhile, Erza and the frog-faced man were walking down a corridor. Suddenly, Erza saw someone standing by a pillar. Erza jumped in surprise. "Jick Raines!"
She immediately took a defensive stance, while the frog-faced man was already on his knees on the ground.
"Oh, long time no see, Erza. Don't be so tense. This is just a 'Thought Body'," Jick Raines said, his figure transparent like a ghost. "My real body is still at the ERA, and everyone behind that door is also a 'Thought Body'. For a case as small as this, there's no need for everyone to come in person."
Erza looked at Jick Raines seriously. "So this is all your doing?"
"Your words truly sadden me. I'm actually defending Fairy Tail, but those old men are afraid of responsibility, so they had no choice but to find someone to shoulder all the blame. Therefore..." Before he could finish speaking, Erza cut him off.
"Shut up!" Erza turned her head and said.
"Never mind. I came to see you before the trial for no other reason," Jick Raines said, extending his hand towards Erza's face.
Suddenly, a cold voice echoed in Jick Raines's ears, "Try to touch Erza, I dare you." The tone was so cold, it felt like it could freeze the air around it.
Jick Raines's body trembled, and he fell silent. Although his face showed a hint of disgust, his hand stopped.
Erza didn't know what happened to Jick Raines or why his expression changed. She looked at him in confusion.
Jick Raines regained his composure and walked towards the door. "Then I'll wait for you behind that door, as one of the Council Members," he said, and his figure disappeared.
"I didn't expect you to know such an important figure," the frog-faced man said, his expression somewhat frightened.
"Just a bad person, that's all," Erza replied, walking forward towards the courtroom, leaving the confused frog-faced man behind.
Erza pushed the door open. She saw all the Council members seated in their chairs, looking at her. Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure, which made her both happy and a little angry. She glared fiercely at Chen Fan before heading to the defendant's chair.
"Yo, Erza, I'm here too," Chen Fan said, raising his hand to greet Erza, but Erza turned her face away, ignoring him.
"Clang, clang," a gavel's sound rang out. The frog-faced man said, "Silence, please. Do not shout. The Magic Trial is now officially in session. Defendant Erza Scarlet, please come to the witness stand."
"Defendant Erza Scarlet, regarding the partial damage to Obana Station and the destruction of the Sulfur Valley Railway Line during the Cursed Song incident in Iron Forest the other day, you are suspected of committing these acts of destruction. According to eyewitness accounts, the perpetrator was a female Magician in armor." The frog-faced man hadn't even finished reading when Chen Fan cut him off.
"I have something to say," Chen Fan said, raising his hand like a schoolkid. The entire courtroom was startled, unsure what mischief Chen Fan was about to get into.
Like the story? You can read 7 chapters and an exclusive collection at p@treon/Rzzzy!