Erza quickly grasped the situation.
Being naturally intelligent, she immediately realized that Jellal had used lies to tarnish her reputation.
Thinking back carefully, Jellal had indeed rambled on about how controlling workers through fear and threats was inefficient.
Now it became clear—his method was deception. He used lies to trick everyone into building the "Tower of Heaven" for him.
Reflecting further, the slaves' current condition seemed much better than before.
At least they no longer appeared malnourished. Perhaps they could now be called workers rather than slaves.
"Deceiving everyone with lies... Jellal." Erza's expression turned complicated.
The person she know before had become utterly unfamiliar.
"So you were all deceived. You believed you were acting voluntarily, but in reality, you were completely fooled by the lies Jellal words." Marco spoke up, standing firmly by Erza's side without hesitation.
"It's actually quite ridiculous. Erza led your rebellion, fought to rescue Jellal, yet you ended up believing his words and labeled her a traitor? Does that make any sense? Without Erza, how could you have gained your freedom? What reason would she have to betray you?"
Marco directed his questioning and sarcasm toward the four individuals.
When Erza first joined the guild, she resembled a wounded, withdrawn young creature.
It was he who gradually drew her out from the shadows, step by step, and he would never allow anyone to drag her back into isolation.
"Marco..."
Gazing at Marco's face, Erza momentarily lost herself in thought.
From her perspective, he seemed to have reverted to his childhood self.
Back then, Marco would stand by her side just as resolutely, always there to protect her.
When she first arrived at the guild, overwhelmed with grief, she would often hide away and cry.
But every time, Marco would silently watch over her, afraid she might do something reckless alone.
She knew—because each time, shortly after she started crying, Marco would "coincidentally" appear, greeting her with a bright, sunny smile.
"What's your name? I'm Marco, Marco Dreyar."
When she first joined the guild, socially awkward and friendless, it was Marco who approached her first, wearing that radiant smile.
Erza remembered clearly—initially, she ignored him.
Not just Marco, but everyone else too.
Later, Mirajane would act exactly the same way when she first arrived.
Back then, others quickly gave up on trying to befriend her due to her cold attitude, and some even grew resentful.
Only Marco never gave up on her.
He continued to smile at her, always trying to warm her heart, helping her integrate into the guild, and even standing up for her when Gray expressed dissatisfaction.
It was also Marco who took her to see Granny Porlyusica, asking the elder to treat her eye.
He accompanied her to the forest cabin every day for treatment, enduring Porlyusica's scolding without ever leaving.
Marco's presence helped her temporarily forget her past and become part of the guild's family.
No one pried into her history—it was as if she had always belonged to Fairy Tail.
Erza understood that she loved Marco, loved Fairy Tail, and loved everyone in the guild.
This had always been the case, never changing.
She had no parents, no family, but Fairy Tail was her home, and her guildmates were her family.
"No, I've always believed in Erza."
Among the four people being questioned and mocked by Marco, one suddenly spoke up—the tall man who had remained silent until now.
He was indeed unique, calmer than the other three from the start.
With his iron jaw and eye patch, his emotions weren't easily discernible.
He had been standing back, observing the situation.
"Simon." Erza looked at the man and spoke his name.
"Simon? Kagura Mikazuchi's brother?"
The name "Simon" immediately made Marco think of Kagura from Mermaid Heel.
After all, the reason the Tower of Heaven incident had been exposed was because Kagura Mikazuchi had stirred Erza's emotions, triggering the system mission.
In a way, it was Simon's sister Kagura who had helped Simon and the others.
Otherwise, the Tower of Heaven incident would have had to wait until the latter half of the year to erupt naturally.
By then, Marco would have had no choice but to react passively, far from taking the initiative as he was now.
"Kagura?! You've seen Kagura?! Is... is she doing well?!"
Marco's mention of Kagura Mikazuchi immediately broke Simon's composure.
Overjoyed, he spoke up.
Clearly, Simon, as an older brother, had always been worried about his sister Kagura.
Although they had gained some status in the Tower of Heaven, it wasn't high—they were merely pawns in Jellal's hands.
Simon didn't dare to seek out his sister.
"She's an excellent Mage in Mermaid Heel, very powerful, and currently living well." Marco replied without beating around the bush.
This Simon was clearly the breakthrough point for the Tower of Heaven.
However, the man's earlier words and tone made Marco uncomfortable.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Simon looked at Erza strangely.
'It couldn't be...'
Marco eyed Simon suspiciously, but the burly man was now solely focused on thoughts of his sister Kagura, so Marco didn't detect anything unusual.
"That's good... that's good..."
After hearing Marco's words, Simon wore a relieved expression.
His sister Kagura's life was far better than he had imagined.
With that, he had nothing left to worry about.
"Simon?! What are you saying?!"
Simon's sudden defection, declaring his belief in Erza, surprised not Erza and Marco's side the most, but his three companions beside him.
The three of them were utterly dumbfounded.
Even if they had been deceived, they had all been deceived together for eight years.
'Simon, you with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, how could you suddenly claim you weren't deceived?! You're making the rest of us look like clowns!'
"I've always believed in Erza, believed she wouldn't betray us. I've also been waiting for the right moment, the moment to end all of this completely."
Much more at ease, Simon took a deep breath and spoke earnestly.
He looked at his three companions with apology in his eyes, but he had no choice but to keep his true feelings hidden.
After all, he wasn't as skilled at deception as Jellal.
He felt his eloquence was average and doubted he could persuade his three companions.
"Now that Erza has finally arrived, bringing so many powerful Mage with her, the time has come to completely end this."
Simon's gaze fell upon Marco and Makarov.
Having spent these years gathering intelligence, he naturally understood who Marco and Makarov were and recognized their immense power.
With these two on their side, he felt certain they could defeat Jellal!
"What exactly happened back then?!" Shou shouted emotionally, always the most excitable one.
Milliana and Wally Buchanan looked equally bewildered, clearly confused by the current situation.
If what Jellal said was false, then what was true?
What had they been clinging to all these eight years?
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