Chapter 455: What's Going on in the Background
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Margaret.
February, x786.
Returning to the first floor of the Lamia Scale guild hall, Alfonzo, Ultear, Juvia, and Sherria were greeted with the sight of Ooba Babasama standing with Lahar and Doranbolt while the Rune Knights stood in formation behind them.
"Good, you're finally here." Ooba said as she noticed Alfonzo's entrance. "These gentlemen have something to say to you."
Nodding in acknowledgement, Alfonzo continued walking towards the men from the Magic Council. Meanwhile, Ooba took some distance from them while Ultear, Juvia, and Sherria joined her.
"So, what's up?" Alfonzo asked with a casual smile on his face. "The last time I saw this many people from the Magic Council in the same place was during that trial last year. So, do I have to break out my lawyer attire again?"
Hearing that, many of the Rune Knights could be heard gritting their teeth. On top of that, the sound of their armor creaking as they clenched their fists was audible, as well.
'So, I guess they haven't weeded out all the Rune Knights who were loyal to the old Council yet, huh?' Alfonzo thought to himself while his smile widened. 'But it looks like Lahar and Doranbolt don't seem to mind what I have to say.'
As Alfonzo noticed, Lahar's expression did not change in the slightest, which was not all that surprising, especially since Lahar always seemed to act fairly. Doranbolt, on the other hand, wore a guilty expression while avoiding eye contact.
'I guess he realized how bad he was getting played by that old fucker, Org.' Alfonzo said to himself as he examined Doranbolt's facial expression. 'Well, he deserves all that guild he's feeling. He actually took the mission to kidnap a fucking twelve-year-old. Hell, that's some Dark Guild type shit if I've ever seen it.'
"Alfonzo Marcus..." Lahar said, cutting through the awkward atmosphere Alfonzo's words brought with it. "... we have come to inform you that you have been summoned by the Magic Council."
Hearing that, Ultear, Juvia, and all the Lamia Scale wizards were surprised. Meanwhile, Alfonzo, who was also surprised, raised an eyebrow without showing his surprise in his expression.
"Your presence is requested on the fifteenth of March in Era." Lahar continued. "And once you have arrived in front of the Council, they will make an announcement pertaining to you."
"And I guess you won't be telling me what this announcement is about, will you?" Alfonzo asked, his eyebrow still raised as he did so.
"Unfortunately, we were not made privy to the details of the announcement." Lahar replied. "We were only sent to give you the message."
When he finished speaking, Lahar gestured to Doranbolt, who reached into his cloak and pulled out a sealed envelope.
'Another letter, huh?' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'I guess something like this would continue even if I created the internet and cell phones, wouldn't it. The Council needs a way to show its presence to the public, after all.'
Meanwhile, Doranbolt stepped forward until he was standing directly in front of Alfonzo. Then, when he handed Alfonzo the letter, he spoke in a voice quiet enough that only Alfonzo could hear him.
"I'm truly sorry about what I did during the S-Class Exam." Doranbolt said quietly. "As a member of Fairy Tail, I feel sick every time I think about it. Unfortunately, as to not raise suspicion, I can't return to the guild yet."
This time, Alfonzo was unable to hide the shock he was feeling. Before he could say anything, however, Doranbolt turned around and returned to the rest of his entourage.
'Well, damn.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he watched Doranbolt... Or rather, Mest returned to the rest of the Magic Council group. 'I guess Gramps gave him his memories back. I wonder how long he'll remain a member of the Custody Enforcement Unit. And when will the rest of the guild get their memories of Mest back?'
"With that, we have delivered the message." Lahar said in a professional tone. "And now, we bid you all adieu."
Then, without giving anyone present the chance to reply, Lahar turned around and began leaving the guild hall with Mest and the squad of Rune Knights, leaving all the wizards in the guild hall to watch them blankly.
Eventually, Ultear was the first to snap out of her daze. And when she did, she immediately made her way over to Alfonzo's side.
"I wonder what that was about?" Ultear said as she reached Alfonzo's side.
"Who knows." Alfonzo replied while shrugging his shoulders. "But I'm sure Gramps knows what's going on."
"Yeah, he probably does." Ultear said. "But something tells me he won't tell you anything about it if you ask."
"I got the same feeling." Alfonzo replied. "And something is telling me he's up to something. And I have a feeling Jura is in on it, too."
In response, Ultear nodded her head. Meanwhile, Juvia also made her way over to Alfonzo's side, curious to know what all that was about, as well.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Era.
At the same time, Makarov, who was sitting in his office in the Magic Council's headquarters was talking with Ur via a magic projection.
"Lahar and Mest should have relayed the message to him by now." Makarov said with a foxlike grin on his face. "I wonder what he'll do when he finds out why he was summoned to Era next month."
Hearing the name Mest, Ur's expression did not change in the slightest. Makarov made her aware of Mest/Doranbolt's ture identity after she was name the guild master, after all.
"Something tells me things won't go as smoothly as you think, Old Man." Ur replied with a smile of her own. "I mean, you did want him to be the guild master over me, right?"
As she asked her question, Ur narrowed her eyes, clearly discontented about being the second choice for Fairy Tail's fourth guild master.
"*cough* *Cough* Anyway, things won't be as bad as you think, Ur." Makarov said in a blatant attempt to change the subject. "I mean, unless it's for important matters like this, he won't be called on all that often. A perfect example is Jura, who spends most of his time in Margaret. Everyone understands that active wizards don't have as much time to oversee the matters of the Magic Council, after all."
"Uh huh~~~." Ur hummed, though she continued to stare at Makarov with narrowed eyes. "We'll see."
Feeling the sharpness of Ur's gaze, Makarov felt cold sweat beginning to form on the back of his neck.
"Anyway, you can't tell Elicia or the other ladies living with him about this." Makarov said. "We wouldn't want to ruin the surprise now, would we?"
In response, Ur wore an offended expression.
"Just who do you think I am, Old Man?" Ur asked. "Like I'll miss the chance to see the look on the kid's face when he hears the news."
With that, Ur's narrow eyed glare turned into a foxlike smile, similar to the one Makarov wore not too long ago.
"Anyway, I'm gonna get back to work." Ur said. "A few days ago, we got some visitors. And they're potential new members."
"Oh, who are they?" Makarov asked curiously. "And what kind of magic do they use?"
"One is a former member of the Kingdom's Alchemist Knights." Ur replied with a smile. "And the other is his younger brother. A young man who is just as skilled as his older brother when it comes to [Alchemy]. So, I need to work with Maes to convince them to join after their issues are solved."
"Hmm..." Makarov hummed while stroking his mustache. "What was the young man's title in the Alchemist Knights? If I'm not mistaken, they all receive a code name when they join, right?'
"That's right." Ur replied with a nod. "He went by the title of the Fullmetal Alchemist."
"Ah! You must be referring to the Elric Brothers." Makarov said while continuing to stroke his mustache. "They are both quite talented. Hopefully, everything goes well in your attempt to recruit them."
"Yeah, I hope so, too." Ur replied. "But something tells me I won't see any results until Alfonzo gets back."
"Really, why?" Makarov asked curiously.
"According to the Elrics, Alfonzo has an idea how to fix their problems." Ur replied.
"And what problems are they facing?" Makarov asked. "Perhaps I could offer some advice. Though I'm not well versed in [Alchemy] I do know a thing or two."
"If it were as simple enough problem that someone who only dabbles in [Alchemy] could solve, those boys would have figured it out a long time ago, Old Man." Ur replied.
"Then, why would they put faith in Alfonzo, who I've never seen practice [Alchemy] ever since he joined the guild?" Makarov asked, unable to comprehend the decision.
"It probably has something to do with his ability to think outside the box." Ur replied with a shrug. "I mean, you can just look at the guild hall to know that he thinks in a completely different way than anyone else on the continent."
"*Sigh* I can't deny that." Makarov replied. "Anyway, I wish you good luck."
"Thanks." Ur replied. "And I'll see you in March."
With that, Ur ended the projection. And as she did, she wore a mischievous smile, one that Makarov quickly mimicked as he thought about the look on Alfonzo's face when he received the news.
Earth land, Ishgar, kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
As soon as she ended the communication with Makarov, Ur's smile widened.
"Even though seeing the look on Alfonzo's face will be hilarious, I know that won't be the end of it." Ur thought aloud. "There's no doubt in my mind that he'll find a way to get Makarov back for this."
Reaching that point, Ur could not help but shudder.
"He'll want to take revenge on me, too." Ur said with an apprehensive expression on her face. Then, she forcefully shook her head to get rid of those thoughts. "No, he'll never know that I voted for him. But I'm certain that the old man will do everything in his power to bring me down with him, so he'll definitely tell Alfonzo about my vote."
Once again, Ur shook her head. Then, she put a smile back on her face.
"But the old man has no proof." Ur continued. "There were no names on the voting forms. So, as long as I deny everything, I should be fine."
Though she told herself everything would be fine, Ur could not shake the feeling that something would happen.
"Anyway, I should go find Wendy and little Elicia." Ur said as she stood from her desk. "I'm already quite late for their training because of this matter. I shouldn't keep them waiting any longer."
Meanwhile, Edward and Alphonse, who decided to wait for Alfonzo to return in Magnolia, were walking through the town.
"Sor, we're really doing this, huh, Brother?" Alphonse asked.
"Yeah, I can't think of any other way." Edward replied. "Any way without a Philosopher's Stone, anyway. And we both know how we feel about using those."
"Yeah, no matter how much I want my body back, I couldn't use a Philosopher's Stone." Alphonse replied. "Especially after finding out the main ingredient was human souls."
"That's right." Edward said with a nod. "And that's why, even if nothing comes of it, I want to know what that guy thinks. Hell, even if it doesn't work, it could point us in the right direction."
"Yeah." Alphonse replied.
"Oh, hey boys." A familiar male voice said from down the street.
Looking in the direction of the voice, Edward and Alphonse noticed that it was Maes Hughes who called out to them. And from what they could tell, he was heading towards the guild hall. On top of that, he had a bag from the bookstore in his hand.
"Mr. Hughes, didn't expect to see you out here." Alphonse said in a friendly tone.
"Yeah, aren't you usually at the guild hall at this time?" Edward asked.
"*Sigh* Yeah, I'm usually already neck deep in paperwork by now." Maes replied in an exhausted tone. A moment later, however, his exhausted expression turned into one of a doting father. "But my little Elicia asked me if she could have a new book about magical beasts this morning. So, I dropped everything to make a trip to the book store."
Hearing Maes response, the boys could only smile wryly.
"It's good to see that you haven't changed, Mr. Hughes." Edward said with a smile.
"Anyway, what are you boys up to?" Maes asked with curiosity.
"Not much." Edward replied with a shrug. "Basically, we're just killing time until that guy, Alfonzo gets back."
"I see.' Maes replied. "So, do you think he can help you with your... problem?"
While Maes asked his question, he looked around cautiously to make sure no one overheard him.
"Honestly, we have no idea." Alphonse replied.
With that, Alphonse explained the reason, that he just discussed with his brother, why they decided to trust Alfonzo with their secret.
"I see." Maes replied with a nod. "Well, I guess that makes sense. Plus, that guy usually thinks so far outside the box that you probably will have some inspiration, even if it doesn't work."
"Yeah." the Elric Brothers replied in unison.
"By the way, I'm surprised you didn't bring Winry with you." Maes said while waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "I mean, I saw the way you were dancing back at Alfonzo and Lici's wedding. You two looked pretty cozy."
Though Edward blushed bright red, he sighed heavily when Winry was brought up.
"We didn't wanna get her hopes up." Edward said quietly. "I mean, what if it didn't work? She would have probably been even more crushed than we were."
That caused the trio to fall into a tense silence. However, Maes did not allow it to last for very long.
"I guess I can see where you're coming from." Maes said. "Still, I think she would have liked to be here, regardless of the outcome. I mean, you know how much she hates being left out of the loop when it comes to you two. And since you're not doing anything dangerous this time, maybe you should think about telling her."
Once again, the trio fell into silence. This time, however, it was not an awkward silence. Instead, it was because Edward and Alphonse were contemplating Maes' suggestion.
"We'll think about it." Edward replied, breaking the silence.
"Yeah." Alphonse said in agreement. "Besides, if we told her ahead of time, it would ruin the surprise, right?"
"Well, it's your decision." Maes replied with a shrug. "Anyway, if the two of you aren't busy, why don't you come with me to the guild hall? I'll treat you to lunch."
"That would be a much more appealing offer if Alfonzo were the one cooking." Edward replied with a shrug. "But really, we don't have anything better to do."
"Yeah." Alphonse replied. "We would have just walked around for a while before going back to our hotel, otherwise."
"Great, then let's go." Maes said with a great, big smile. "You'll be able to see my little girl's happy smile when I give her the book, too. And that will definitely make your meal taste even better."
As he spoke, Maes wrapped his left arm around Edward's shoulders while he grabbed Alphonse with his right hand. Then, he dragged the brothers along with him while continuously gushing about his wife and daughter.
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