After some effort, Ankh finally convinced the Council that the Magic Flute had vanished from the world for good.
Truthfully, Ankh didn't feel he owed these bureaucratic fossils any explanations whatsoever.
He answered them partially to silence their prying, but mostly out of respect for Yajima, the only man in that room who actually cared about the guild's well-being.
As for the rest of them? They were like grasshoppers chirping in late autumn—noisy, annoying, and unaware that their winter was fast approaching.
Their days were numbered, and Ankh paid their posturing ass no mind.
Leaving the suffocating atmosphere of the Council headquarters behind, Ankh quickly return quickly to the guild.
The moment he pushed open the heavy wooden doors of Fairy Tail, the heavy gloom that had settled over the hall vanished instantly.
He was immediately swarmed by the "little fairies," their expressions shifting from depression to relief.
Erza was the first to approach, her armored boots clanking on the floorboards.
She frowned anxiously, scanning him for injuries.
"Brother, they didn't target you, did they? If they tried anything underhanded..."
Ankh smirked, waving his hand dismissively. "No. If anything, I almost targeted them. The air in there is thinner than their patience."
Mirajane leaned over the counter, her blue eyes searching his face.
She pursed her red lips thoughtfully. "Did they try to pry into guild secrets? Or perhaps try to bribe you into leaving us?"
"No," Ankh scoffed. "That would've been pure delusion on their part. They know better."
"Did they beat you up?!" Natsu suddenly roared, leaping onto a table with flames spurting from his mouth.
"I bet they did! Let's go back and teach them a lesson! I'm all fired up!"
"No... and get lost!"
With a casual flick of his wrist, Ankh delivered a swift slap that sent the Fire Dragon Slayer flying across the room.
Natsu crashed into a pile of barrels with a satisfied groan, finally putting everyone at ease.
Only Makarov remained sitting gloomily on a table in the corner.
He watched the scene with droopy eyes, muttering to himself like a lonely old man who had been ignored by his grandchildren.
"I told you," the Master grumbled into his tankard. "Ankh was just there to answer a few questions. Nothing would happen... What are you all afraid of, anyway? Does nobody listen to the Master anymore?"
Ignoring the old man's complaints, Ankh quietly walked over to his usual spot and took a seat.
The adrenaline of the confrontation was fading, leaving him wanting a drink.
Mirajane seemed to sense that despite his bravado, something was weighing on his mind.
She walked out from behind the bar and sat down closely beside him.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice soft and soothing amidst the guild's noise.
"What are you worried about?"
Mirajane slipped her soft, cotton-like hand into Ankh's palm.
He gently rubbed her fingertips with his thumb, appreciating the warmth, and offered a reassuring smile.
"Nothing serious," he lied smoothly. "Just thinking about some troublesome matters regarding the future."
"Stop thinking about it, brother."
Erza took the seat on Ankh's other side.
Mimicking Mirajane, she took his other hand, holding it firmly.
She leaned in, whispering so only he could hear.
"No matter how powerful the Council is, they won't turn against us now. We are together."
Holding their delicate hands—one gentle, one calloused from the sword—Ankh felt considerably more at ease.
However, his mind continued to race.
After meeting with Jellal at the Council, Ankh increasingly recognized just how dangerous that man was.
The timeline was moving.
From this point onward in the original story, the enemies Fairy Tail faced would grow increasingly formidable, escalating from simple demons to world-ending threats.
He couldn't just rely on the guild's plot armor.
He needed to devote more thought to developing his own hidden assets.
His mind began to map out a recruitment strategy.
With Ultear already secured as a foundational piece, he could manipulate Jellal's own plans to locate the ancient magic, Nirvana.
Once that arc began, the dark guild Oración Seis would emerge.
Except for their Guild Master, Brain, every member of the Oración Seis was a uniquely talented Mage.
Midnight's reflector magic, Cobra's poison dragon slaying, Angel's celestial spirits—Ankh could try to recruit a few of them before they were incarcerated.
Then there was the Grimoire Heart arc.
There was Meredy, the child Ultear had taken in.
She was a user of Maguilty Sense, a powerful Lost Magic.
She was a must-recruit!
Ankh wanted to gather as many capable individuals and treasures as possible.
He knew the nature of this world better than anyone.
Given the original author's tendencies, who knew what kind of monstrous enemies or new dark guilds might be written into existence to oppose him?
Having more resources never hurt.
Moreover, his philosophy differed from the guild's strongest active mage.
Unlike Gildarts, who preferred the life of a lone wolf, staying away for years and quietly taking missions, Ankh intended to develop his own paramilitary force.
He wanted to be a Kingpin, not a wanderer.
Recruiting from among the "villains" of the original storyline was the best approach.
They were powerful, outcast, and looking for purpose.
Speaking of which...
Ankh gazed at the two beauties beside him.
Mirajane, the demon with the face of an angel, and Erza, the queen of fairies.
Each had a distinct style, yet both were equally breathtaking.
He squeezed their hands gently and couldn't help feeling smug.
'This,' he thought, 'is truly the life of a winner.'
Just as Ankh was basking in his satisfaction, a barely noticeable ripple passed through the air.
A heavy, magical drowsiness washed over the guild hall.
Ankh's eyes narrowed, but a weariness surfaced in them that had nothing to do with exhaustion.
"Oh... this feeling again," Ankh clicked his tongue, fighting the urge to yawn.
He muttered under his breath, "Couldn't he change the method? It's so dramatic."
Simultaneously, Erza's eyelids began drooping heavily.
She swayed in her seat.
"This feeling..." she murmured drowsily, her grip on his hand slackening.
Mirajane also struggled to keep her sapphire eyes open.
A cute yawn escaped her lips, and she turned her sleepy face toward Ankh.
He immediately understood.
Ankh skillfully opened his arms and gently drew both girls close.
The moment Mirajane sank into his warm embrace, she immediately fell into a deep sleep, her head resting on his shoulder.
Erza did the same on the other side.
Ankh adjusted his position to make them comfortable.
Fortunately, Erza was unusually casual today and was not wearing her Heart Kreuz armor.
If she had been, Ankh would have been hugging a cold sheet of metal; instead, he held the soft, warm form of the master swordswoman.
It wasn't just Ankh's group; the spell swept through the entire hall like a tidal wave.
Natsu, who had been loudly slurping the guild's special "Flame" drink, suddenly tilted his head back, eyes rolling up, and passed out instantly.
Thud.
Gray inexplicably stripped off his shirt in his daze before collapsing unconscious in seconds.
At the bar, Cana hugged her wine barrel like a teddy bear, muttering incoherently about booze as she slid to the floor.
Lucy, who had been chatting with Levy, dropped mid-sentence into a deep sleep.
Elfman, who was boasting to Loke about "manliness," crashed to the ground with a decidedly unmanly squeak.
Even the minor members, Alzack and Bisca, fell fast asleep while leaning affectionately against each other.
Only Makarov remained somewhat upright.
He leaned heavily on his staff, his eyes heavy while murmuring softly.
"Here we go again. That boy..."
When nearly everyone in the guild had collapsed into a slumbering pile, the previously closed main doors swung open.
A figure entered, shrouded in mystery.
He wore a dark blue outfit, a mask covering the lower half of his face, and a hood pulled low.
He was wrapped up so tightly in layers of cloth he looked like a walking mummy.
The contrast in the room was striking.
Ankh sat like a rogue king, lounging on a bench with his legs crossed, arms draped around two sleeping beauties, the very picture of a dissipated gang leader enjoying the spoils of war.
The newcomer, Mystogan, walked with a stiff, purposeful gait, carrying a bundle of staves on his back.
With the soft, fragrant warmth of the girls in his embrace, Ankh watched the person entering through the door and broke the silence.
"Mystogan," Ankh drawled, his voice echoing in the quiet hall. "Can't you just walk in openly for once? You're going to give the old man a heart attack."
Mystogan paused for a fraction of a second, shaking his head.
He barely responded to Ankh's words, intent on his mission.
The masked mage walked into the center of the guild, but instead of going upstairs to the S-Class floor, he headed straight for the quest board on the first level.
He scanned the papers quickly.
His hand shot out, tearing off a specific subjugation request with clear intent.
He turned on his heel to leave immediately.
Seeing him about to depart without fixing the mess he made, Ankh called out.
"Mystogan. Remember to lift the Sleep Magic before you go. I'm not carrying everyone to bed."
Mystogan stopped at the door.
He nodded once, glancing back at the contented Ankh sandwiched between the guild's top two women.
Under his mask, he might have smiled, or perhaps grimaced at Ankh's shamelessness.
He walked out of the guild, his voice drifting back as he murmured a countdown:
"Five... four... three... two... one... Awaken."
As his voice faded into the wind, Mystogan vanished from Ankh's sight once more.
At the same time, the spell broke.
The people in the guild stirred, groaning as they gradually began to wake up from the forced nap.
"Dammit, this feeling..." Gray clutched his head, sitting up and realizing he was half-naked again.
"Is it Mystogan again? Why does he always do that?"
"What happened?"
Lucy shook her head, her golden locks flying wildly.
She looked around at the groggy guildmates with a dazed expression.
"What does 'Mystogan' mean? Does our falling asleep have something to do with him? I felt like I just blacked out!"
Gritting his teeth, Gray stood up and grabbed his clothes.
"Yeah. Mystogan is a mysterious guy. Whenever he comes to the guild to take on a quest, he always puts everyone to sleep so they can't see him."
Mirajane stirred in Ankh's arms.
Her face flushed a bright red as she realized her intimate position, and she quickly—but somewhat reluctantly—crawled out of Ankh's embrace to fix her dress.
She looked at the confused celestial mage and added, "Besides that, Lucy... Mystogan, like Ankh, is an S-Class Mage and one of the candidates for the strongest in Fairy Tail."
"Like Ankh!"
Lucy, who was still marveling at the terrifying power Ankh had displayed against Lullaby, was startled once more.
Her jaw dropped. "You mean... there's another monster like him in this guild?"
Erza sat up from her chair while rubbing her temples to clear the fog.
She looked at the door where the masked man had vanished and spoke seriously.
"I heard from the Master that he's an extremely shy person and values his privacy above all else," Erza explained.
"So, aside from Ankh and the Master, no one in the guild has ever actually seen Mystogan's true face."