His palm slammed down on the table with a thunderous bang, and he roared:
"So my kid was wrong, was he?! Tell me, Org!"
Org's momentum stalled. He let out a long sigh, closed his eyes, and stopped speaking.
Makarov released his full pressure, his sharp gaze sweeping around the room like a blade.
Everyone, including Crawford, instinctively lowered their heads, not daring to meet the Wizard Saint's eyes.
"Today, at least one of you will retire and take responsibility for this."
"And if the Council makes another idiotic mistake like this again."
"I will join hands with the other Wizard Saints and the representatives of every major guild, and we will initiate a joint vote to strip every last one of you of your positions."
"I mean what I say!"
"What? That is not in accordance with procedure!"
"Makarov, you have no right to make demands of the Council!"
"Our Councilor seats are backed by the unified endorsement of many guilds. Do not think you can threaten us with this!"
The room erupted with furious objections and noisy insults.
Makarov, without warning, slammed his palm down and shattered the conference table in one blow.
"I am not bargaining with you."
He jumped down from his chair, his cold eyes raking over the stunned faces around him.
"I am going back to convene a regional guild meeting."
"You have three days to think it through and choose who will take responsibility."
"Otherwise, I do not mind adding the names of my fellow Wizard Saints to the invitation list."
With that, he turned and strode out without looking back.
Kabe chuckled softly and rose to follow.
Their thinking was simple.
If you want to talk properly, we sit down and talk.
If you want to throw attitude, then we blow this up into a storm so big it crushes you.
Fairy Tail has backing. Fairy Tail has connections. And they were done pretending otherwise.
Yajima shut his eyes with a weary sigh. He had done what he could.
If these idiots insisted on refusing a lifeline, then whatever happened next was none of his business.
Crawford had not expected that because of a single snort from Michello, the two of them would simply walk away like this, no hesitation, no retreat.
Thinking of how he had just forced himself into that low, conciliatory posture, he felt his cheeks burn as if they had been slapped.
Michello, meanwhile, exploded in fury. He completely lost his reason and bellowed toward the doorway.
"Makarov! You dare threaten Councilors in public?! Guards! Go arrest the two of them!"
At his command, the mage squad stationed outside immediately moved, staffs snapping up as they aimed at the two who had just stepped out.
Inside the meeting room, Org, Belno, and several other Councilors all changed expression and rushed to stop it.
"Stop! Let them go!"
"Stand down. Councilor Michello is… drunk."
The mage squad exchanged glances, then silently backed off and lowered their staffs.
Kabe let out a quiet laugh. Then, without warning, he grabbed Makarov and tossed him onto his back.
A second later, he rammed straight through the Council's ceiling and flew off into the distance.
Down below, Crawford stared at the shattered table in front of him and the brand-new hole in the ceiling above.
Finally, he completely snapped.
He hopped in place and screamed curses after them, voice cracking with rage.
Up in the air, Kabe looked down at the solemn Council headquarters. A hint of regret flickered in his eyes.
"They did not even chase. Cowards. They do not even have the guts of a toad."
Makarov snorted from Kabe's back.
"These idiots. I gave them too much credit."
"Come on. Take me straight to Blue Pegasus. This time I want to have a serious talk with Bob and the others."
Kabe muttered with clear dissatisfaction.
"Dragging down one or two is boring. It would be way more fun if I fired off a Ki blast and just blew this whole place up."
Makarov immediately slapped the back of Kabe's head, hard.
"Stop saying stupid things. Yajima is still in there. What if you hurt him?"
"And besides, other than Crawford and Michello and a handful of trash like them… the rest of the Councilors are, well… mostly human."
Kabe fell silent for a beat.
"…That is a weirdly specific evaluation."
Makarov barked back.
"Less nonsense. Move. Blue Pegasus!"
One thing worth mentioning was that the Council headquarters was not even inside Fiore. It was not close either.
If you traveled normally by train from Magnolia, it would take several days. There was no way you could arrive in time.
But Fairy Tail had Kabe, a top-tier aerial unit.
At his current speed, from the guild to the Council was under an hour.
And Blue Pegasus was even closer.
It took only a bit more than half an hour before the two of them arrived at the gates of Blue Pegasus, right in front of Guild Master Bob's place.
"Yah, little Kabe, it's been so long. You've become even more handsome."
The moment they met, the overly enthusiastic Guild Master Bob flung his arms wide and charged straight at Kabe.
Kabe's soul almost left his body.
He instantly used "Substitution Technique."
He swapped the frostbitten Makarov, cheeks pale from the cold wind, into his own place, forcing him to take the full brunt of Bob's affection.
Bob hugged Makarov and rubbed against him wildly, like he was polishing him.
Only after rubbing so hard the wrinkles felt like they had been sanded off did Bob finally realize something was wrong with the texture against his face.
He turned his head and saw the person in his arms was Makarov, eyes rolling back, foam already bubbling at his lips.
"Yah! Little Makarov, what's wrong?! Are you hurt?! Quick, come inside, I'll check you right away!"
Bob scooped him up and sprinted into the guild building like his life depended on it.
Kabe patted his chest, still shaken.
"Dangerous. If I'd been one step slower, I'd be the one foaming at the mouth."
He took a few deep breaths to steady himself.
Then he lifted his leg and stepped through the doors with practiced familiarity, entering the Wizard Guild, Blue Pegasus.
"Welcome, handsome little guy. Would you like a companion drinking service?"
The moment he walked in, a blonde girl he did not recognize linked her arm around his left arm with cheerful boldness.
Kabe swept his eyes over her pretty face… and the exaggerated chest muscles on display.
He was just about to agree on the spot.
Then, from the distance, Makarov's furious roar thundered through the guild.
"Kabe, you little brat, get over here right now!"
With his guild master calling, Kabe could not dodge.
He smoothly lifted a hand, gently tilting the girl's chin up, and smiled at her.
"Wait for me, sweetheart. And do not run off, alright?"
Kabe's looks at this point could easily be called model-tier.
Even in Blue Pegasus, where handsome men were everywhere, the girl still blanked out for a moment, then nodded instinctively.