It all happened very quickly. One second, Mira was almost going to release her spell, and the next second, she found herself facing a very potent killing intent.
The killing intent only lasted for less than a fraction of a second, yet that time felt like an hour to Mira.
The look Kazu had given made her mind go blank.
Before Mira knew it, her eyes widened. The sphere in her hand went out of control due to the sudden distraction.
Her heart almost came out of her chest as she saw it enlarging, deto—
"My bad. I shouldn't have done that." Kazu appeared in front of her as he made multiple barriers to contain the spell.
Dark blue ethernano poured out of his fists as he held the sphere through the barrier.
'This is troublesome.' Unlike the previous energy spheres, this one was in a different league. Kazu didn't have enough time to make a barrier strong enough to contain it.
"I am going to get in trouble for this." Kazu sighed as he made an open hole at the top. He gave up on containing the explosion and let it emit from the top.
BOOOM
The ceiling of the tavern was demolished as the beam of energy continued making its way towards the sky.
Kazu held onto the barrier for a few seconds until all the energy was dispersed. "Now, that was something. Guess, I lost." He glanced back at Erza, who was looking at the broken ceiling.
He then turned to Mira, whose legs gave out as she fell on her bottom. Her takeover became undone, returning her to human form.
"You good?" Kazu stretched out her hand. 'That spell gave me the same vibe as the day when I lost her, leading me to lose my composure.'
Mira slowly nodded. However, she didn't take his hand. Kazu didn't know if it was due to her arms being exhausted or if she was afraid of him.
"What's happening here!?" Before Kazu could follow up, the door of the tavern slammed open, and Makarov entered.
Kazu had left him behind in the carriage mid-way as he was bored.
Nobody said anything. They didn't need to. Makarov got the big picture easily.
"It hasn't even been a few minutes, yet you are already destroying things. I didn't expect this from you, of all people, Kazu?"
"..." Kazu didn't know what to say in his defence. He didn't actually expect the battle to reach a point where the tavern would get destroyed.
"And you seem to be bullying new members?" Makarov glanced at Mira's limbs, which were trembling.
"Hey! This was just a friendly spar. I wasn't bullying her or anything." Kazu finally defended himself. The old man was going far with his framing.
"Right?" He turned to Mira for confirmation.
"...Y—yeah?" Mira stammered. Her reply seemed more like a question rather than an answer.
'Wait, did he actually bully her?' Makarov was caught off guard by Mira's reaction. He wasn't earnest with his statement, but now I might need to reconsider.'
"Kazu, meet me in my office once you are done with fixing the ceiling."
"...Fine," Kazu grunted. He glanced one last time at Mira before immediately starting to repair the ceiling.
'Fuck, did she get affected by my killing intent? I would have to talk to her later.' Kazu made a mental note.
Makarov made his way upstairs. Everyone started chattering about the fight they saw, breaking the earlier peace that had lasted.
"I will help!" Erza said as she looked at Kazu.
"It's fine. It was technically my fault as I told both of you to go all out." Kazu waved his hand. He didn't mind rebuilding the ceiling as it won't take too long, and he rarely broke things. So, it was a rare event for him.
"But..." Erza wanted to protest, but didn't find any point to do so.
"How about you patch Mira in the infirmary. She seems to need that." Kazu suggested
Both Erza and Mira's faces morphed into a frown.
"I am fine."
"She seems fine to me."
Both of them said at the same time, before glaring at each other.
"Uhh...Well, suit yourselves." Kazu shrugged.
---
"Master, I am here." Kazu entered the office.
"Yes. Take a seat." Makarov pointed at the chair in front of him. He was currently sitting on top of the table while holding a piece of paper.
Kazu promptly did that.
"Is this regarding the incident that happened just now?"
"Well, I am curious about that too. But, no. Look at this." Makarov handed the paper to him.
Kazu raised a brow as he scanned the paper immediately.
His eyes widened in shock.
"Veyren...died?"
Makarov didn't say anything. He wordlessly looked at Kazu.
"It was you... Wasn't it?" Makarov finally opened his mouth.
Kazu felt as if his heart broke out of his chest.
His nervousness increased by a few notches, but he didn't show it on his face.
"Why do you think so?" He asked with his neutral face.
"Instincts...Instincts of an old man. Let's say that."
Kazu didn't say anything for a few seconds.
"Yes, master. It was me. I killed him." Kazu released a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Mhm. It must have been at the time when you waited for me after the meeting. So, Veyren escaped within that time?" Makarov didn't have any change in his expression outwardly.
Kazu nodded. "Yup. I predicted that would happen, so I put a spell on him before I brought him to you all, which would release after a certain time. It not only disables his illusion spell for a few moments, but also gives out his location when that happens."
"So, you know that he would escape. It wasn't any accident, but rather you planned to do this from the beginning." Makarov hadn't expected this. He had first thought that Kazu had accidentally met him, not a planned murder.
Kazu nodded again. This time, slowly. "Yes. I had planned to kill him after we got information out of him."
"Why?" Makarov's face betrayed no emotion, but Kazu could see hints of disappointment marring his face.
"He was too dangerous to leave alive. He would have escaped the prison sooner or later, regardless. Not only that, but he had potential to grow. I wouldn't have been surprised that he could have infiltrated a guild like ours without anybody knowing and..." A flicker of black Ethernano was emitted from Kazu's body for a moment.
Makarov frowned. "You still could have consulted me first or other Saints before doing this, no?"
A mocking smile appeared on Kazu's face. "You would have definitely been against this, and I don't trust the other council members to make the right decision. I mean, you can see what just happened last time..."
Makarov's lips turned into a thin line. "You do know that I am also part of the council. And what happened was not the fault of higher-ups."
Kazu waved his hand. "Higher-ups still have to take responsibility. At least the wizard saints that take part in administration."
Makarov made a contemplative expression. He then sighed. "I want to argue, but you seem like you won't change your mind. We are going to have a long talk on this in future."
"In future?" 'He's letting me go?' Kazu didn't think Makarov would let this slide. Killing was one of the controversial things in the guild.
"I think you might not understand what I am trying to say now. Maybe in a year or two. Just make sure that you have a very good reason to kill. This case was fine."
"...I will keep that in mind." Kazu nodded. He got up from the chair.
Makarov suddenly furrowed his eyebrows. "Why didn't you lie when I asked about the murder? With your acting skills, even I would have had difficulty discerning the truth?"
Kazu paused. "I had no reason to lie. I mean, I am not trying to hide anything, master. At least in aspects of my personality. You already know me to a pretty good extent."
"...Right. This was also one of the reasons I felt like you might have done this." Makarov nodded. Kazu had told him in detail about his past before the guild and his motivations and goals for the future.
Moreover, though he hasn't spent as much time with him as his friends, Kazu had often consulted him about his inner conflicts and morally grey decisions in the past.
Kazu nodded. He started walking towards the door.
"Also." Kazu paused. He turned to Makarov.
"There's another thing that I might want to ask you, given that I know you."
"Yes?" 'I have a bad feeling about the next question.' Kazu felt his relaxed heart pacing again.
"Let's say you came across Tracy in a mission. What would you do?"
***
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