"They… just left?"
The members of the guild watched the Council retreat, quite perplexed.
"That Anselion, he looked like he was ready to fight to the death just now, so why did he leave before the fight was over?"
"Peculiar temper, yet so powerful. The Council really has a troublesome fellow on their hands…" While everyone was still marveling at Anselion's eccentric personality, Ankh suddenly showed a smile of unclear meaning.
Natsu watched the distant Council members, a belly full of anger with nowhere to vent it, and furiously chased after them.
Gray sighed, rubbing his forehead, and also ran after him, wanting to pull him back.
Happy, left behind, held his dried fish and helplessly watched Natsu and Gray chase after them, worriedly asking, "Natsu won't cause trouble, will he?"
Mirajane comforted a frightened Levy and looked worriedly at Ankh.
Ankh silently shook his head and said, "It's fine, they won't catch up."
After speaking, Ankh turned to instruct the members to return to their posts, and everything returned to peace.
Then Ankh looked earnestly into Mirajane's eyes and said, "Mira, in a moment, I have something to say to you privately."
Mirajane's heart trembled, her pretty face immediately flushed pink, and she nodded mechanically.
Happy gnawed on his fish, his innocent big eyes curved into crescent moons, and he cutely trilled, "They're ~ in love!"
Upon hearing this, Mirajane immediately reverted to her original state, furiously grabbing Happy and vigorously rubbing his face.
Ignoring the antics of these clowns, Ankh turned and returned to the guild, heading to the Master's room.
Makarov had been waiting there for a long time, and as soon as he saw Ankh enter, he quickly asked, "How did it go?"
Ankh nodded, "It went smoothly."
Makarov breathed a sigh of relief, muttering with a somewhat complex expression, "I don't know if what we're doing is right or wrong."
Ankh was silent for a moment, then calmly said, "The Council acts too leniently, and when it's time to be firm, they have no solutions, only resorting to special measures. They've been rotten from the root for a long time."
"Now the guild is constantly facing the crisis of dissolution; there's no time to worry about the Council."
What's more, among the current ten Council members, two are undercover agents.
Therefore, whatever methods Ankh and his group use now are not excessive.
Makarov nodded silently, his gaze seemingly reminiscing, "These years, we've been secretly helping Anselion, and finally, today has come…"
"Anselion… no, Ankh, your special thought projection can finally become a Council member."
A confident smile appeared on Ankh's lips; this was his plan with the Master.
As a guild Mage, he couldn't join the Council, which manages guilds.
So Ankh emulated Jellal, creating a thought projection that could exist semi-permanently!
This thought projection, after Seram's modifications, would not affect Ankh's original magical power level, yet possessed sixty to seventy percent of Ankh's peak magic and had re-learned new magic unrelated to Ankh's main body.
Then Anselion was placed outside, joining the Council as a pure Mage with a clean slate, and had been diligently climbing the ranks all these years.
Just creating this thought projection cost Ankh nearly a year of his time, and due to various restrictions, only one could exist at a time.
Fortunately, hard work pays off; Anselion—who is Ankh—really lived up to expectations, growing from a rookie to a high-ranking official capable of becoming a Council member in three years.
Anselion's assassination of the frog-man who bullied Lisanna earlier was primarily to vent Lisanna's anger… As for the battle with Ankh, that was a play Ankh put on with himself.
And the main purpose was to build momentum for Anselion.
A candidate for a Council member, who actually possesses strength comparable to a Ten Wizard Saints.
When this news reaches the ears of those in the Council, they will surely look at Anselion with new eyes, and becoming a Council member will be no problem.
After all, although the Council claims to manage all affairs of the Magic World, and there are many combatants at the grassroots and mid-levels, there are almost no Ten Wizard Saints-level powerhouses.
Oh, those two, Jellal and Ultear, don't count.
Therefore, with an expert like Anselion, cultivated as "one of their own," they naturally have to give him a high position to restrain and bind him.
Ankh casually draped the Ten Wizard Saints' golden-patterned white robe over his shoulder, playing with the Ten Wizard Saints' emblem, his eyes gleaming slightly:
"This title of Ten Wizard Saints is really quite useful."
Makarov looked at the emblem in Ankh's hand, breathed a long sigh of relief, and laughed, "No matter what, our guild has an unprecedented 'one guild, two Ten Wizard Saints'."
Ankh nodded; this would greatly benefit the future development of the guild.
Although in the eyes of peers and the Council, such a Fairy Tail makes them wary.
But for Mages who haven't joined a guild, this increase in reputation is more likely to attract them.
The title of Ten Wizard Saints is forcibly bestowed by the Council upon those who have contributed and possess strength, but it does not mean that these ten people are the strongest on the continent.
While the prerequisite is their strong power, the Council values their resounding reputation or esteemed status more, enough to appease or deter the public.
This effect made Ankh think of a certain organization from a work in his previous life, the Seven Warlords of the Sea… The purpose might not be quite the same, but the effects had many similarities.
So, although the high-level powerhouses are well aware of this, the ordinary Mages below don't know it.
They will only flock to the name of the Ten Wizard Saints, viewing the Ten Wizard Saints as figures from the heavens, and eagerly join their guilds.
After discussing official matters, Makarov's tone relaxed, and he looked at Ankh with concern, saying, "Now that you're back, stay at the guild a bit longer. Erza and the others miss you very much."
Ankh nodded. Whether Erza missed him or not, he didn't know, but the other members of the guild definitely missed him.
After all, Erza's authority was clear; she was a proper guild disciplinary committee member, usually managing everyone to the point of constant complaints.
Only when Ankh was around could Erza act like a little girl.
After leaving the Master's office, Ankh began to look for Mirajane.
The purpose of his hurried return from this business trip, besides receiving the Council's Ten Wizard Saints reward, was also because of Lisanna's matter.
According to Ankh's estimation, that incident was getting closer and closer… Lisanna's "death" was the first and only time all the new generation of Fairy Tail members faced the reality of a comrade's death, causing immense shock, pain, and lessons for everyone.
If possible, Ankh wanted to save Lisanna while also giving a heads-up to the always careless Mirajane.
At this moment, Mirajane hurried back, her cheeks flushed, and she said with a beaming smile, "Ankh, what did you want to tell me?"
Ankh looked at Mirajane, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.
In such a short time, she had already changed into a pink short dress, switching to the sweet and gentle Mirajane mode, looking at Ankh with a charming smile.
That incident hasn't happened yet, and Mira's personality has already changed?
Looking at Mira's expectant eyes, Ankh had a feeling she might have misunderstood something… Ankh cleared his throat and seriously asked, "Have you taken any S-class missions recently?"
Mirajane was stunned for a moment. They had been separated for so long, and Ankh specifically said he wanted to talk to her alone… Wasn't it for a confession?
She had already thought about what posture to adopt to accept it!
And you ask me this question instead?