The people of Fairy Tail were in disbelief. They hadn't expected Tartaros to be so bold as to attack the Magic Council and kill so many Magic Council Members. This was undoubtedly a major incident.
"What is their goal in doing this?"
"It must be revenge."
"Or maybe it's just a terrorist attack meant to show off their power?"
...
Everyone in the guild was talking at once, speculating on the reason for Tartaros' actions.
"Regardless of the reason, the Magic World is about to fall into chaos." Makarov was deeply worried.
With the Council Members of the Magic Council killed, the Magic Council would be unable to function. Without the deterrent of the Magic Council, there was no telling what ambitious individuals might do.
"We can't look after the entire continent, but we can't let Tartaros run wild here in the Kingdom of Fiore." Makarov said in a heavy voice.
"But we have no idea what their goal is. Moreover, Tartaros is too mysterious, no one knows where their guild is located."
"Yeah, that's a big problem."
Takeshi was also helpless regarding this, he didn't know the location of Tartaros either.
"It would be easy if we could just capture one of their members."
Takeshi wasn't in a hurry. As long as he was in Fairy Tail, he would naturally cross paths with Tartaros.
—
Tartaros.
"Hahahaha! As expected of Jackal, your technique is truly magnificent. How much are the lives of nine Council Members worth? How much are they worth?! How much are they worth?!" Franmalth shouted excitedly.
"Franmalth, don't laugh so vulgarly. It damages our guild's dignity." Torafuzar was somewhat dissatisfied with Franmalth's laughter.
"What 'dignity' do demons have? You must let me go next time, Kyoka. I want to hurry up and kill all the humans." Ezel was a bit hyper, he also wanted to go on a killing spree.
Seilah put down the book in her hand and said elegantly, "Ezel, every story has a beginning and an end. This is just the prologue—no, it should be called the foreword."
Kyoka smiled and said, "That's right. Ezel, don't be impatient. You have your own responsibilities."
"My body... my body aches! It's always Jackal and Tempester. It's so unfair." Ezel was still grumbling indignantly.
Kyoka said, "Hell has only just begun to activate. Everything is for our Master, for Zeref. Let the hammer of demons fall upon humanity."
—
8-Island.
This was a restaurant opened by Yajima, a former Magic Council Member, after his retirement.
"This incident is truly tragic."
Yajima looked at the newspaper with a very heavy expression. He had previously been a Council Member of the Magic Council, and many of those who perished this time were his former colleagues.
"The Council was bombed." Freed glanced over from the side, seeing the report in the newspaper.
"It seems all nine Council Members have perished." Bickslow also saw the report.
These nine Council Members could be said to be the nine highest-ranking people in the Magic World. Their deaths would naturally have a significant impact.
"Not only that, the death toll has reached 119. It's absolutely horrific."
Bickslow teased, "It's a good thing you resigned from your Council Member job early, otherwise you'd be finished too, haha."
Yajima said dissatisfiedly, "You big idiot, don't be so loose-lipped."
Yajima didn't actually bear any responsibility for the Jellal and Ultear incident, he had voted against them from start to finish. It was just that he felt he had failed to discover Jellal and Ultear's conspiracy and resigned out of guilt. If he hadn't resigned, he could have still held the position of Magic Council Member.
"However, this can be considered a blessing in disguise." Freed said.
Compared to other Magic Council Members, Yajima was a good friend of Makarov. Because of this, when Fairy Tail caused a lot of trouble, Yajima would speak up for them, which saved them from many punishments.
Yajima said, "Hmm... this matter is definitely not that simple."
"What are you referring to?"
Yajima explained, "I'm referring to Era, of course. The Council headquarters, Era, is the key to controlling the numerous guilds across the continent, that is, controlling all Mages. It must possess precise judgment and strong decisiveness. I was originally one of them and believe I worked very hard to fulfill my duties."
"But it's also an undeniable fact that there were various problems with the way it operated. Sometimes it made wrong judgments, and sometimes it pushed unreasonable policies. Later, people like me gradually lost power. When I resigned as a Council Member and opened this restaurant, I could finally lay down that heavy burden."
"Although I did lay down the heavy burden, I feel like something is still stuck in my heart. Under powerful authority, there will inevitably be a backlash. That's human nature, especially under that system where everything was handled so forcefully."
"I had a premonition that something would happen one day, but regardless, this is just too much."
When he was in office, the Magic Council mainly turned a blind eye, and the relationship between legal guilds and Dark Guilds was relatively harmonious. Despite some inaction, the Magic World was stable.
After he left, the actions of the new Council were somewhat aggressive, causing resentment in many people. With old and new grudges combined, it wasn't impossible for the other side to take extreme actions. His own past might even play a role in this.
"You guys, even if there are few customers, you should still work seriously." Evergreen walked over wearing a waitress outfit.
Bickslow quipped, "I'm telling you, that outfit doesn't suit you at all."
Freed nodded in agreement.
The two of them were familiar with Evergreen, and the sexiness she deliberately exuded just made them feel uncomfortable all over.
Evergreen said, "You guys have no right to talk about me. Honestly, I can't take it. We won the Grand Magic Games, but it resulted in us constantly getting heavy labor jobs. It's thanks to my complaining that you guys found this easy job."
Bickslow said, "Don't be silly, working in a restaurant isn't easy."
Freed said, "Cooking is my best skill."
Freed cooked with ease. Cooking was Freed's greatest hobby, and working in a restaurant was something he could handle with his eyes closed.
"Plating is what I'm best at! BABY!" Bickslow skillfully plated the food.
Evergreen said, "Exuding sexiness is my domain of expertise."
Yajima asked, "By the way, why hasn't Laxus come back yet?"
Bickslow guessed, "Could he have gotten lost?"
Freed laughed. "He can't even handle running an errand, I really don't know what to do with him."
Creak!
The sound of a door opening.
Evergreen thought Laxus had returned and turned to look at the door, only to see a stranger walking in.