"To be honest…" Lahar sighed, realizing that in a situation like this, it might be more effective to explain his intentions sincerely than to resort to the usual strong-arm tactics of the Council.
Rather than push these powerful mages to the brink and risk escalating tensions, it was better to speak plainly and hope for understanding.
Sure enough, once Lahar laid out the truth and shared the difficulties he was facing, Jura gave a nod of understanding. He, too, hoped to see the reformed Magic Council earn back its authority and respect, not for prestige or power, but for the sake of ordinary citizens who depended on it for peace and order.
The Council, for all its flaws, was still a pillar of society.
Jura, acting on behalf of Lamia Scale, consulted with Blue Pegasus and Fairy Tail. After gathering their input, he agreed to hand over the captured members of Oración Seis and their affiliated dark guilds to the Council.
As for any legal complications or responsibilities, those would be handled through negotiations between the Council and the local guild alliance at a later stage.
However, while the core members of Oración Seis were accounted for, the remnants of their allied guilds had yet to be rounded up. Lahar and his team would have to find them on their own.
He didn't seem to mind. With the number of Council operatives at his disposal, it would be a simple matter of pinpointing locations and dispatching squads.
Wendy volunteered to guide them, accompanied by Jura and Erza. One by one, the captured members of Oración Seis were brought forward.
"This one is…" Lahar frowned at the sight of a charred, unrecognizable figure.
Jura calmly replied, "That's the guild master of Oración Seis. His codename was 'Zero.'"
"Him?" Lahar instinctively turned to glance at Natsu. The Fire Dragon Slayer was well-known in Council circles, and not always for the best reasons. A mage like him, with fire-based Dragon Slayer Magic, would be more than capable of this level of damage.
But then again… Lahar remembered the two dragons he saw flying across the sky the night before. He doubted even Natsu could have done this.
"Wait a moment," Erza interjected just as Hot Eye was about to be taken away. "Mira, could you lift the sleep enchantment on him?"
Mira blinked in surprise. "Are you sure? He's dangerous."
"It's fine," Erza said with a small shake of her head. "I just need to ask him something."
"Alright." Mira released the sleep magic.
Hot Eye, whose real name was Richard, slowly came to consciousness. He instinctively tried to lift his hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight, but found his arms restrained by the Council's enforcers.
"Richard," Erza called gently, using his real name.
"Erza?"
"I didn't have time to ask you yesterday," she said. "Do you have any message for Wally? If I meet him again, I can pass it along."
Richard paused, thinking it over seriously. At last, he smiled and shook his head.
"No. Just tell him I'm still alive. And if I ever get the chance to atone… I'll go find him myself."
"I see. Then… take care."
"Thank you." Richard gave a quiet nod and followed the Rune Knights without resistance.
Even though Nirvana had been destroyed, Richard had found something more important, a path forward. He believed that through his own effort, he could still fulfill his wish. Someday, he and his brother would meet again.
"Do you know him?" Mira asked Erza, puzzled. "That Wally… is he that Wally?"
She was thinking of the square-faced man they had met at the Tower of Heaven. Come to think of it, Richard's face did have quite a few angular features…
"Yes," Erza confirmed with a small nod. "We learned yesterday that Richard is actually Wally's brother. Several of the Oración Seis were taken from the Tower of Heaven by their guild master."
"They're brothers?!" Mira's eyes widened in disbelief.
It was almost too much to be coincidence.
The two had depended on each other when they were young, but both were taken by the cultists of the Tower of Heaven. Forced into servitude, the brothers were separated, one snatched away by the leader of Oración Seis, the other branded a rebel and "vanished."
Richard's greatest wish was always to find his brother. But the leader, for his own reasons, either never told him where Wally was, or didn't know himself.
Now, just when Richard had finally learned the truth… he was being taken away to prison.
Everyone sympathized, but no one could change his fate. As Richard himself had once said, "Even if you walk toward the light now, the sins of your past don't simply disappear."
Rhodes noticed the distant look in Erza's eyes and quietly asked Lahar about Richard's sentence.
The primary charge would fall on the guild master of Oración Seis. As for Richard and the others, who had acted as accomplices, the sentence would likely range from ten to twenty years, depending on their individual past actions.
For someone like Richard, who had shown remorse and a willingness to change, the sentence could be reduced.
After the handover was complete, Lahar seized the opportunity to approach Rhodes. While answering a few of his questions, Lahar casually asked, "Last night… we saw two dragons from afar. You were closer than we were. Do you have any details?"
Rhodes looked him in the eye. There was no suspicion in Lahar's gaze, only curiosity.
It seemed the Council hadn't yet connected him to the dragons.
Rhodes hesitated for a brief moment before calmly saying, "It's my magic."
Lahar blinked, thinking he must have misheard. Then, with uncertainty clouding his voice, he asked again, "I'm sorry… what did you say?"
"I said," Rhodes repeated clearly, "the two dragons you saw last night, those were part of my magic."
He had already thought this through. So many people had witnessed the dragons during the battle, and it would be impossible to keep their existence hidden. Even if the coalition members tried to keep it under wraps, the Magic Council would eventually connect the dots. It would only take a little digging before suspicion landed squarely on him.
Honestly, Lahar probably would've figured it out sooner if he hadn't been so stunned last night. So Rhodes decided it was better to tell them directly, at least that way, the Council wouldn't waste time chasing shadows and could focus on matters that actually helped civilians.
So, the Council suspected he controlled two dragons?
They were absolutely right.
Lahar's face went blank, his mind clearly trying to process what he'd just heard. Mechanically, he turned his head toward the coalition members, silently pleading for someone, anyone, to contradict Rhodes's claim.
But no one said a word.
Not a single refutation.
So… it was true? The two dragons really belonged to Rhodes?
Lahar recalled an article from Sorcerer Weekly that had claimed Rhodes's powerful summon was a giant wolf. But now… summoning a dragon? Two dragons? That was a leap so enormous, it defied belief.
These weren't ordinary creatures. Dragons were beings of myth, with god-like power and ancient wisdom. Most human wizards could train their whole lives and still never touch the kind of power a dragon wielded effortlessly.
And this man, this unassuming summoner, had formed a contract with them?
How?
Had he raised them from birth? Convinced them through force or kindness? Tamed them in battle?
"Excuse me…" Lahar tried again, struggling to find the right words. His voice faltered, too stunned to form a coherent question.
"One is a fire dragon," Rhodes explained evenly. "The other is an earth dragon. Normally, they stay asleep. They don't roam freely, and they don't pose a threat to the continent's balance. Their strength is exactly what you witnessed last night. You can assess them based on that."
He offered the reassurance plainly, trying to settle Lahar's obvious unease. Whether or not he could actually keep those two dragons in check was a different matter… but at least he sounded convincing.
Rhodes added with a soft smile, "I'm telling you this in good faith to support the Council's work. I'd appreciate it if this information was kept confidential. If needed, you can reference the Personal Information Protection Act."
"..."
Lahar stood in silence, absorbing every word.
He didn't ask any more questions. Truthfully, he couldn't. What he'd heard was already beyond anything he'd expected. But he had the key facts, and now it was up to the Council to decide what to believe.
As a mid-level officer, he could only nod and respond with all the professionalism he could muster. "Understood. I'll report everything to the Council… and thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Rhodes."
...
Bonus