"Jura..."
"How could it be him?"
"Why is he here?"
Jura Neekis, leaning on his stone magic staff, approached Raizel at a leisurely pace through the Council halls.
Jura had arrived in Crocus yesterday as a backup plan for Raizel.
Raizel had contacted him via Lacrima a few days ago, and after their conversation, Jura immediately set off for the Council branch to wait for him.
Originally, Raizel had said he would contact Jura again before his departure, but after learning from Warrod that there was a real chance to resolve Hoteye's situation, he couldn't wait any longer.
"Chairman Gran Doma, esteemed Council members," Jura nodded in greeting and got straight to the point.
"Compared to Lady Ur, I believe I am more suitable to act as the legal guarantor for the members of the Oración Seis."
"I once participated in the allied operation to subdue the Oración Seis with Raizel-dono, and I had deep, philosophical conversations with one of its members, Hoteye. He has already turned over a new leaf, and I am willing to vouch for him with my title."
The Chairman and the Council members began whispering among themselves again.
Yukino and Wally were both nervous, especially Yukino, who kept anxiously twisting the hem of her new shirt.
"Trust us," Ur gently patted Yukino's head and smiled warmly.
"I will also act as a guarantor alongside Jura," Ur said, standing on the other side of Raizel.
"Count me in too. Although I'm not one of the Ten Wizard Saints, I do have some reputation and capital to leverage," Raizel pinched his thumb and forefinger together, referencing his wealth.
...
With three prominent figures willing to take joint responsibility, there was no political reason for the Council to refuse.
"In that case... let Raizel and Jura give it a try. As for how many members can ultimately be activated for tasks, a formal Council vote will be required to decide," Gran Doma ruled.
"Agreed," Raizel nodded.
The Council seemed quite at ease with the arrangement, not even sending guards to guide or accompany them, allowing Jura to lead the way down into the detention block.
Jura had previously visited this prison multiple times to see Richard, and he led Raizel and the others through the dim stone corridors with practiced ease.
"Are they imprisoned together or separately?" Raizel asked, looking at the heavy iron doors.
"Separately, but the five of them are housed in adjacent cells in this block."
Along the way, Raizel noticed that many standard cells held multiple prisoners, with no individual cells in sight until they reached the high-security ward.
It was unclear whether this isolation was out of respect for Jura's previous requests or due to the wardens' concerns about the sheer difficulty of controlling the Balam Alliance mages if they were kept together.
"We're here," Jura announced.
As soon as he spoke, two figures rushed forward to the iron bars.
"Brother!"
"Sister!"
Wally and Yukino recognized Richard and Sorano immediately and rushed toward their respective cells.
The Council branch in Crocus had given Jura some face, considering his repeated visits to see Richard.
Apart from wearing heavy magic-restraining shackles on their wrists and ankles, the prisoners were neatly dressed in striped uniforms, and their cells were clean, showing no signs of mistreatment.
"Wally!" Richard and Wally clung to each other through the thick iron bars, weeping bitterly.
"Yukino... No, you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not your sister."
For a moment, Sorano had wavered upon seeing Yukino's face, but she quickly closed her eyes and turned away, retreating into the shadows of her cell.
When Raizel had sent her a telepathic message during the battle saying he would help her find her sister, she had been overjoyed at first.
But upon further reflection during her imprisonment, she hesitated.
Would Yukino like the person she had become?
Would she want a sister who had made such grave mistakes and hurt so many people?
Gradually, her heart had grown cold with guilt.
Sorano didn't want Yukino to have an elder sister who was a branded criminal.
Now, seeing the white Fairy Tail guild emblem on Yukino's shoulder, Sorano knew her sister would have a decent, bright future.
This made Sorano even more reluctant to taint her life.
No matter what Yukino said, Sorano turned a deaf ear, even turning her back to the bars to avoid looking at the tearful girl.
In truth, she couldn't bring herself to look—she was afraid her resolve might soften.
Just hearing Yukino's voice made her want to acknowledge their relationship and hug her.
Someone strongly disliked watching such pointless drama—Raizel.
Click!
The heavy cell door swung open as Raizel casually pushed it aside, gesturing for Yukino to enter.
"Go in and talk."
Raizel proceeded to unlock Richard and Sorano's cell doors, using the master keys he had just smoothly persuaded the guards to hand over.
Richard and Wally's reunion wasn't as conflicted—Richard was simply relieved to see Wally alive and well.
The two hadn't exchanged many actual words yet, but had cried enough tears to fill a rain barrel.
"Hey, care to chat? Cobra," Raizel said, opening the next cell door and snapping his fingers at the maroon-haired man leaning against the wall, pretending to sleep.
"You're noisy..." Cobra cracked open one eye, glaring at him.
"You've been awake listening to all that crying next door, and you think I'm noisy?" Raizel smirked.
"What do we have to talk about?" Cobra didn't want to engage with the Fairy mage, glancing at him briefly before closing his eyes again.
"How about Cubellios?" Raizel raised an eyebrow.
"Where is she?!"
The previously indifferent Cobra bolted upright, leaning forward urgently, his chains rattling.
"At our guild."
"Hah~ that's good..." Hearing Cubellios was safe at Fairy Tail, Cobra relaxed against the cold stone wall again.
"Want to see her?"
"How?" Cobra raised his hands, indicating the heavy Magic Shackles restraining both wrists.
"Not so fast. First, let me tell you something else—Cubellios isn't a snake."
"What do you mean?" Cobra frowned in deep confusion.
He had raised Cubellios since childhood.
She had always been a snake, how could she not be?
"When she was about your age... no, slightly younger than you, a Dark Mage used a curse to transform her into a snake. Due to the magical restrictions of the curse, you couldn't hear her human thoughts with your Dragon Slayer hearing."
"And now? What are you implying?" Cobra demanded.
"Exactly what I said. Our Guild Master saved her and dispelled the curse, restoring her original human form. Though she unfortunately lost her memories from when she was a snake."
As he spoke, Raizel waved his hand, projecting a glowing Archive frame revealing an image of Kinana's current appearance.
"Now she goes by Kinana, the name our Guild Master gave her. She works safely as a waitress at our guild."
In the magical image, Kinana was holding a tray of drinks, smiling brightly at the camera.
"It's her... it's really her..." Cobra's sharp eyes filled with profound nostalgia.
His shackled hands instinctively reached out as if to gently pat Kinana's head.
But ultimately, the image remained just an image—like flowers in a mirror or the moon reflected in water, the light shattered at his touch.
Cobra had felt a familiar soul resonance upon first seeing Kinana's image, and with Raizel's calm assurance, he found it hard to disbelieve.
Quickly composing himself, Cobra straightened up and looked at Raizel defensively.
"What do you need me to do?"
"Help the Council with some black-ops tasks to earn a sentence reduction." "Hah!" Cobra scoffed disdainfully, crossing his arms.
"I know you've had major issues with the Council, but that was the previous administration. With me, our Guild Master, Ur, and Jura acting as your mediators, cooperation isn't impossible." Raizel leaned against the bars.
"You don't actually want to stay in prison forever without seeing the light of day, do you? And you wouldn't want Kinana to be swept off her feet by some other guy while you rot in here, right?"
"You...!" At the mention of getting cuckold, Cobra's face flushed bright red from Raizel's teasing.
"I'm just saying, if Kinana gets taken away by someone else, I won't be held responsible."
Cobra responded with a mix of fierce frustration and resignation.
"I'll do it! I'll do it! But let's be clear—I won't do anything for them that costs me my life."