"It's been taken care of." Su Mo nodded slightly and spoke.
"The super magic spell that the Guild Master passed on to me worked perfectly. The plan went off without a hitch."
Truth be told, if Makarov hadn't been guiding him the entire time, Su Mo wouldn't have been able to master elementalization so quickly. And without that speed, the plan wouldn't have unfolded so flawlessly.
To think—he had managed to attain power that could rival that of a god in the blink of an eye.
"Phew, that's good to hear." Makarov didn't press further. He simply let out a sigh of relief. He cared more about Su Mo's safety than the secrets he might be hiding.
As long as Su Mo was alright, that was enough.
Seeing the expression on Makarov's face, Su Mo felt a warmth in his heart. But he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he gently shifted the conversation.
"By the way, Guild Master, what do you think of my proposal from before?"
"You know—the idea to reform the Magic Council? Make them less of a nuisance and actually useful to the public?"
"The way they are now—always scrambling for power, terrified of accountability—they're a ticking time bomb."
And wasn't that the truth?
If the Council had been functioning properly, how could they have so recklessly authorized the release of Etherion, a spell powerful enough to wipe out entire islands—or even nations—based solely on Jellal's word?
Worse still, two of their so-called elite members turned out to be spies from a dark guild. That alone was enough to turn the whole organization into a laughingstock.
Their screening process was simply far too lax.
But when Makarov heard Su Mo's suggestion, he just shook his head.
"There's no need for that. I have old friends on the Council—and we've got Fairy Tail people in there too."
"If anything comes up that might harm us, we'll hear about it before it happens."
"Reforming the Magic Council is just too risky. If anyone catches wind of it, the other guilds might start seeing us as a threat."
To Makarov, the current arrangement was manageable. Sudden changes might bring unforeseen chaos. After all, the most the Council ever did was nag him. At worst, they'd summon this old man for a scolding. There was no real punishment. As long as he could shoulder that burden, things weren't so bad.
"…Alright then." Su Mo nodded.
He wasn't surprised by Makarov's conservative stance.
But—
Some things couldn't be preserved just because one person wished them to remain unchanged.
If things played out the way they did in the original story, then once Jellal's true identity was exposed—
And the Council's infiltration by two dark guild agents came to light— Their credibility would plummet straight into the abyss.
Su Mo wanted to insert his own people into the Magic Council and reshape it according to his vision.
Honestly, it wouldn't even be that difficult.
All he needed was to follow the momentum—it was just a matter of seizing the opportunity.
With that thought, Su Mo didn't say anything more to Makarov. He decided he would handle it himself.
...
...
After finishing his conversation with Makarov, evening had already descended.
It was around this time that Lucy realized something important: She didn't actually have a place to stay.
Just as she was about to head toward an inn, Su Mo called out to her.
"If you don't mind, you can stay at my place. It's pretty spacious."
"—! R-Really?!"
Lucy's face flushed a deep red.
"It's true!" Mira suddenly appeared beside them, smiling sweetly as she added,
"Su Mo bought a really big house. There are dozens of empty rooms. Lisanna and I are renting a couple of them. Erza too. The rent is really cheap!"
"…Oh, I see."
Only then did Lucy understand what Su Mo meant.
He was offering her a place to rent—along with the other female members of the guild.
"Hm? From your tone, you sound a little disappointed?"
Mira leaned closer, teasing with a grin.
"N-No! Not at all!"
Lucy waved her hands frantically. For some reason, she felt a faint chill run down her spine. Was it her imagination?
....
....
When they arrived at Su Mo's house…
Lucy finally realized what Mira meant by "really big."
It was massive—far more extravagant than the Western-style mansion she used to live in. No wonder Mira said there were dozens of vacant rooms.
After inspecting her assigned room, Lucy was more than satisfied.
Given the size and quality of the place, the rent Mira mentioned wouldn't even cover maintenance costs. Clearly, this was Su Mo's way of giving back to his guildmates.
Realizing this, Lucy couldn't help but ask out of curiosity: "If the rent is so cheap, why is it just you guys living here?" Weren't people like Natsu and Gray interested in moving in?
Upon hearing the question, Mira gave her a strange look and shook her head.
"Su Mo only accepts girls as housemates. That's why Natsu and the others never had a chance."
"Only girls, huh…" Lucy touched her cheek thoughtfully, then nodded.
"Well, I guess that does make things easier for us."
She could lounge around in a towel after a shower, wear relaxed home clothes, and not have to worry about guys peeking in.
It made things more comfortable, for sure.
"Su Mo's still a guy, you know."
Mira reminded her, unable to resist.
"Oh!" Lucy nodded, but didn't seem too concerned.
"If it's just Senior Su Mo, it should be fine as long as we're careful. He's trustworthy."
"Emmm…" It's not him I'm worried about—it's you possibly seducing him that scares me… Mira thought to herself but chose not to say it aloud.
After helping Lucy settle in, Mira glanced at the time and headed toward the courtyard.
"It's already this late, Mira-san still has things to do?" Lucy asked curiously.
"Yeah," Mira nodded. "Su Mo and I agreed to start his training in Take-Over magic. It's time for our lesson."
"Oh!" Lucy responded, a little envious, but she decided not to follow and interrupt.