"Impossible! Who said that?"
"Yes, it must be that King Caesar heard it wrong."
"How is that possible?"
"Don't insult someone's innocence for no reason!"
"That's absolutely not the case!"
Caesar leaned against the door, watching the nervous reviewers, and sneered inwardly.
The Magic Council had started with good intentions, but with the accumulation of power, desire always began to devour some people.
Forget it. There's no point in being angry with a bunch of doomed fools.
In Caesar's eyes, once this group was wiped out, a new, purer Council would rise from their ashes.
Founded by the Ten Wizard Saints, they would be strong enough to solve their own problems without blaming others.
As for whether Caesar would join them?
No chance. He could barely be bothered to manage an empire, and they expected him to sit in the Council?
At most, he'd lend them his name, like the Alvarez Empire.
"Cough, cough."
Gulan cleared his throat and quickly brought the meeting back to order. "I wonder why Heavenly King Caesar has come here today?"
"Fez."
That one word made several people instantly stand up in alarm.
Fez, the magic pulse bomb, was one of the Council's secret weapons. Only a few high-ranking members knew of it, a remnant known as the White Heritage.
Caesar silently studied those who had stood up. It seemed they all knew about Fez.
Gulan frowned and asked, "What do you want to know about Fez?"
"The biological connection seal," Caesar said calmly. "I know someone's planning to activate it. Rather than trust you all, I'd rather take care of it myself. Tell me who's involved, and I'll protect you."
His words struck like thunder. Those who knew Fez's secret broke into a cold sweat.
Even Gulan wiped his forehead nervously and said, "I'll tell you, but you have to share what you know too."
"Forget it," Caesar replied. "I'm just warning you. If anything goes wrong, I'll handle it myself. I don't need your information."
He shrugged and turned to leave.
Seeing Caesar walk away so decisively, Gulan panicked.
Wait—didn't he want to negotiate?
At least try to bargain!
As Caesar got farther away, sweat poured down Gulan's face. He suddenly realized the truth.
No matter how powerful your position is, without real strength, you're nothing.
If you can't even protect your own life, how can you ever feel safe?
"Wait! King Caesar! We can talk this through! I'll tell you the list!"
Gulan rushed after him, calling out anxiously.
Caesar looked at the desperate man and smirked inwardly. So his guess was right.
Gulan leaned close and whispered three names. "Beruno, Gulan, Yuri."
Just as Caesar thought, Gulan himself was one of those connected by the biological seal. Otherwise, he never would have made it to Speaker.
"Give me your authority," Caesar said.
"Give, give, it's all yours," Gulan stammered.
He wanted to get rid of this cursed responsibility as soon as possible. Better in someone else's hands than his own.
Caesar wasn't worried. Even though he knew in the original events the three dragons destroyed Fez, he had already changed the timeline. He couldn't take that gamble.
Fez's power to erase all magic across the continent could still restrain him greatly.
After all, no matter how powerful he was, his strength still relied on magic.
If magic vanished, the Philosopher's Stone alone wouldn't be enough.
So, the safest place for the seal was within himself.
As long as he lived, Fez could never be activated.
And if Crawford ever tried to transfer the authority, Caesar would be the first to kill him.
Besides, by tracing the connection, he could locate the Gate of the Underworld, destroy it, and use it to strengthen Mirajane.
Following Gulan to a secret chamber under the Council Hall, Gulan activated a magic circle and told Caesar to place his hand on it. He did the same.
Within seconds, the authority had been fully transferred.
This kind of transfer was quick, requiring both parties' cooperation. There was no need to drag it out like Crawford once did.
With the authority in his hands, Caesar felt at ease. He casually mentioned to Gulan that the problem might involve the Gate of the Underworld.
Gulan immediately understood and ordered a full-scale investigation to find the Gate.
That was exactly what Caesar wanted.
After all, searching alone would take too long.
With the Council's help, it would definitely be faster.
If even then it couldn't be found, he'd just wait for the plot to unfold naturally.
...
After finishing with the Fez issue, Caesar didn't stay long. He went straight to Crocus, the capital of Fiore.
The Tenrou Island arc was about to begin, and he wanted to tie up some loose ends before anything unexpected happened.
Wearing his cloak of authority, Caesar walked toward the royal palace.
The meeting with King Thomas E. Fiore went smoothly.
"Welcome, Heavenly King Caesar," said Thomas politely. He was still in his prime and respectful toward one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar.
"Your Majesty Fiore," Caesar replied, bowing slightly. "Forgive me for arriving unannounced."
"You are too polite, Lord Caesar. May I ask why you're here?" Thomas smiled calmly.
"The Eclipse Gate," Caesar said.
Thomas's smile instantly froze.
Seeing his expression change, Caesar sighed. "The Eclipse Gate is a device created by the dark mage Zeref to travel through time. I came to warn you. Don't meddle with it. If something happens, wait for me. Don't try to handle it yourselves."
Thomas frowned deeply.
Caesar said no more. He bowed slightly once again. "That's all. I'll be leaving now."
With that, he vanished, leaving Thomas alone in heavy silence.
"Father, what's wrong?"
Jadeite E. Fiore entered the hall, noticing his father's troubled look.
"It's nothing," Thomas said, shaking his head. But his eyes were clouded.
Who could he trust now?
That was the question.