Fiore Branch, Magic Council Headquarters.
Noel's hands were cuffed as he was led by none other than the smug frog-faced messenger from before.
"This place is massive..." Noel muttered, gazing around in quiet awe. "But beneath all this glittering splendor lies nothing but rot. The people here are already decaying inside."
"How dare you speak about the Council like that?!" the frog messenger snapped, enraged.
Noel shot him a cold glare, but the frog remained annoyingly proud of himself.
As they walked deeper into the building, the frog suddenly stopped in his tracks. The cause: a white-and-blue-haired man leaning casually against a pillar.
The frog immediately dropped to his knees in a panic.
Jellal... no, it was Siegrain. He paid the frog no mind and approached Noel.
"Don't worry. This is only a thought projection. The old men behind the door are also just projections. No one would show up in person for something this trivial."
His words were clearly hinting—this was all a formality. But why would this man share such a thing with Noel?
"How's Erza doing lately?" Siegrain asked.
Noel eyed him carefully. He seemed familiar with Erza, but there was something oddly distant about him.
"She's been doing well," Noel replied cautiously.
"I see." Siegrain brushed past him and added, "Don't worry. I've been defending Fairy Tail. But the elders are terrified of taking responsibility, so someone has to bear the blame."
"Why are you telling me this?" Noel asked, frowning.
"Tell Erza—that matter must remain secret." Siegrain said no more and walked away.
The frog messenger, now visibly shaken, turned to Noel and stammered, "Y-You… you actually know someone of that caliber?"
"I don't want anything to do with people like that," Noel said flatly.
Something about this place—this whole council—disgusted him deeply.
Eventually, they reached a large gate.
The Gate of Judgment.
---
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of the judge's gavel rang out three times.
"The Magic Tribunal is now in session," the presiding judge declared.
"Defendant: Noel Manchester."
"Please step forward to the testimony stand."
Noel stepped forward slowly, his eyes scanning the room full of council members without a hint of fear.
"The accused is charged with the following crimes related to the Iron Forest incident and the events at Oshibana Station: willful destruction of public rail infrastructure, aiding the escape of dangerous criminals, and unlawful concealment of the cursed artifact Lullaby. Witnesses identified the suspect as a blond-haired young man with a backpack who uses alchemy."
"Are you kidding me?" Noel sneered. "Isn't the Council the one truly at fault here? Such a major incident, and none of you responded in time. That stinks of pure incompetence."
Bang!
"Silence!" the judge roared.
"You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say may be used as evidence. Do not treat this courtroom with contempt!"
"We will now proceed with questioning. Please cooperate."
---
"Regarding the destruction of Oshibana Station and the railway , what do you have to say?"
"I'll repair it myself, or I can pay the damages. Your pick," Noel replied coolly.
"As for aiding the escape of Iron Forest criminals, what is your defense?"
"You're actually blaming me for that?" Noel snapped.
"Two people appeared out of nowhere and kidnapped them! I was planning to turn them over to the enforcement squad, but no one showed up to help. Who's really to blame here?"
"The Enforcement Division abandoning their post is a major breach of duty, isn't it? I'm sure several of you here had a hand in that."
He smiled mockingly.
A tense silence followed. Many of the councilors clearly had some involvement or at least knowledge of the failure. None of them had expected Noel to throw the blame back at them.
The atmosphere in the courtroom grew awkward. The black-hooded judge seemed eager to wrap things up quickly—this was just supposed to be a formality, not a scandal.
---
"Now, concerning the concealment of Lullaby. What do you say to that?" the judge asked, regaining his composure and authority.
"Concealment? I destroyed the curse on it using a unique method. It's been reduced to ash."
The councilors stirred in shock.
That was Zeref's flute—how could it be destroyed so easily?
"You still stand accused of hiding Lullaby," the judge pressed.
"Then go ahead and check my lab. There should still be some of Lullaby's ashes there. You'll find everything you need."
Bang!
"This tribunal declares that the defendant, Noel Manchester, remains under suspicion and in custody pending further investigation. Should your claims be verified, you will be acquitted and released."
Noel was immediately escorted to the detention wing.
---
The cell was surprisingly decent. A private room with essentials—small, but clean. A desk with parchment, ink, and a quill was even prepared for him.
"Let me out!" a voice screamed from the neighboring cell.
Noel glanced over. "They're not here to let you out," he said matter-of-factly.
"I didn't do anything wrong! Why am I locked up?" the man in the next cell cried, shaking the bars.
"Then what are you in for?" Noel asked, puzzled.
"I live on the western slope of a border village. My family's grown flowers for generations. One day, a man sold me some seeds, said he'd buy the flowers back at 100J apiece. So I planted them like crazy!"
Noel's eyes narrowed.
100J per flower? That's way too suspicious.
"Then the Council came and burned my entire field. They said the flowers were illegal, and dragged me off for interrogation."
"So the problem was with the flowers. Didn't you think something was off?" Noel asked.
"I just thought they were worth a lot… I didn't expect all this," the man replied, full of regret.
"I'm sure the Council will clear your name," Noel said softly.
"I hope so," the man murmured.