Fairy Tail: You call this Celestial Magic?!

Chapter 305 The End of an Era (Please Subscribe!)
Crawford Himm, left all alone, trembled with rage. His fat face turned a deep purplish-red, and he slammed his hands heavily on the table, sending documents flying everywhere.

Crawford Himm abruptly stood up, his beard trembling violently with rage. He pointed at the departing members of parliament and roared:
"You...you traitors! You have trampled on the dignity of the Magic Council!"

His voice was so sharp it cracked, and he kept repeating the word "traitor," as if he wanted to unleash all the authority he had held as Speaker for so many years in his accusations. But this only earned him the silent backs of Yajima and the others, and no one paid any attention to his raucous barking.

Faced with an almost irreversible defeat and complete isolation, fear and despair quickly took hold in Crawford Himm's heart. He realized that the power and position he had carefully maintained were about to collapse completely, and he would lose everything he had long possessed, and might even be burdened with guilt.

Crawford Himm was trembling violently, barely managing to stand by gripping the edge of the table with both hands. His expensive council robes were soaked with cold sweat, and anger, fear, and despair enveloped him.

"How dare you accuse others of trampling on the dignity of the Magic Council? You yourself have done the most of these things."

Crawford Sim's accusations against the other council members left Moen speechless. The speaker was completely blind to his own problems, but was very good at finding fault with others.

"."

Moen's words echoed repeatedly in Crawford Him's mind, because Moen was right; he had indeed been avoiding confrontation, gradually eroding the authority of the Magic Council.

Crawford Himm's mental defenses completely collapsed. His pupils suddenly contracted, and he staggered backward, crashing into his chair and falling to the ground. He let out a hoarse gasp, as if he were being choked by an invisible hand.

“Speaker Crawford, it’s time to end this.”

Yajima looked at Crawford Himm, who was slumped in his chair, with a pitying gaze. He continued to persuade him, hoping that the speaker would leave some dignity and that his resignation was better than being put on trial.

Crawford Him didn't speak, but just curled up in the chair, his obese body completely sunk into the large chair, avoiding all gazes, still trying to escape reality.

"Seven members of parliament have resigned collectively and are willing to take responsibility, showing a positive and good attitude in admitting their mistakes. Only the Speaker, who has the biggest problem, is still clinging to his post. Crawford Simm, do you think you are innocent?"

Gran Doma was naturally very satisfied with the current situation. The reorganization of the Magic Council was a good thing for them, the veterans, and he was even more excited to be able to remove Crawford Him, a cancerous growth, from the Magic Council.

Seeing that Crawford Himm still remained silent, and that the "Speaker" was still putting on a brave face, Guran Dorma pressed his advantage and ruthlessly attacked the fallen dog.

“You are unwilling to plead guilty, but we can still deliver a verdict directly. Putting everything else aside, just the fact that you, as the speaker, allowed Zik Rein and Urtia to infiltrate the council makes you guilty of dereliction of duty!”

Gran Doma was very proactive and very serious. He listed Crawford Him's various crimes, including but not limited to "appeasement of the Mage Guild", "punishment measures that were almost non-existent", "inaction that led to the deep-seated corruption of various levels of institutions", "inefficiency", "corruption", "embezzlement", and "serious infiltration by various forces".

In Gran Doma's view, Crawford Him was utterly useless. This Speaker was doing things backwards, squandering his wealth, and completely leading the Magic Council astray.

"."

The scornful whispers from the mages below the stage surged like a tide, all criticizing Crawford Him. However, many also looked embarrassed, because they had actually benefited from some of the things Gran Doma said and the problems he pointed out.

For example, "appeasement" and "punishment limited to verbal or written apologies" are obviously beneficial to "Fairy Tail," a fact that Makarov is well aware of.

Of course, Makarov is not a selfish person. He will not protect Crawford Him's position as Speaker just because it benefits Fairy Tail. Makarov's sense of social responsibility is quite good.

Most importantly, the Magic Council is in trouble, the continent of Ishgar is in trouble, and Fairy Tail is not immune to the problems.

"Now, we will hold a public vote on the proposal to remove Crawford Him from his position as president of the Magic Council."

Guran Doma continued to preside over the meeting, and as soon as he finished speaking, the entire room immediately passed the motion unanimously.

Crawford Him was undoubtedly dismissed, and the entire core of the Council resigned en masse. Now, the Council, which symbolizes the highest authority in the magical world of Ishgar, is empty.

This was clearly not acceptable, so after the impeachment, an election was held immediately, and they had to put forward a new leadership team.

Of course, before that, we also need to assign blame to the former leadership team that has already stepped down.

Resignation and dismissal are not the only punishments. If you make a mistake, you must bear the consequences. It is not convincing to think that you can just walk away and live a wealthy life after making a huge blunder.

Soon, Crawford Him was convicted on several charges, including dereliction of duty, embezzlement, bribery, abuse of power, and using his position for personal gain.

Guran Dorma, who was in charge of chairing the meeting, was practically hoping that Crawford Himm would die, and he kept pressing him down with one accusation after another. If the situation allowed, he even wanted to kill Crawford Himm outright.

Of course, since this matter has not yet caused substantial damage, it is impossible to kill Crawford Him directly, as that would be too obvious political persecution.

Moreover, although Crawford Him has served as Speaker for many years, his main approach has been appeasement and evasion. Even if he has no merit, he has worked hard and deserves credit for the past achievements of the Magic Council.

"Sentenced to 15 years in prison, with the possibility of a reduced sentence for good behavior."

After discussion, Guran Dorma finally announced the result, which was neither too harsh nor too lenient. Crawford Himm was not young, and fifteen years was naturally a long time for him, but in comparison, he had been given a second chance at life. Moreover, as long as he behaved well, it wouldn't be a big problem to reduce his sentence by half.

Of course, although he survived, he was forever etched on the pillar of shame, becoming an iconic figure, though Crawford Himm did not want to be that figure.

Of the old core group, only Crawford Simm was punished; the other councilors who resigned voluntarily were not held accountable, and some were even persuaded to stay.

Crawford Him watched all this unfold, ultimately forced to accept it in despair. He made no attempt to resist and was simply led away by the Magic Council's supervisory forces. The era of the Magic Council, belonging to Crawford Him, had come to a complete end.

"Next is the verdict regarding Zeke Rein, also known as Gerald."

After dealing with Crawford Him, everyone's attention turned to Gerald. The blue-haired youth had gradually calmed down. He stopped roaring in pain and instead knelt on the ground, head down, staring blankly at the ground.

"He built the Tower of Paradise with the intention of resurrecting the dark mage Zeref, bought slaves, enslaved laborers resulting in the deaths of many, and infiltrated the Magic Council, causing enormous negative impact!"

Gran Doma summarized the accusations against Jellal. The other accusations were nothing to him, but this last one made Gran Doma particularly angry. Although Jellal caused the reorganization of the Magic Council and gave him a great opportunity to rise to power, Gran Doma would rather the Magic Council not suffer such criticism.

Even if he were to take over now, he would only be cleaning up Crawford Himm's mess. He doesn't know how much effort it would take to restore the Magic Council to its former glory. Therefore, he gritted his teeth whenever Jellal and Ultear were mentioned.

"My suggestion is to execute him outright. We must make an example of him to deter others and prevent future trouble! We must never allow anyone to have the thought of infiltrating the Magic Council again!"

With a grim face, Guran Dorma stated his thoughts, which were quite radical. Crawford Himm, who had committed serious dereliction of duty, was only sentenced to fifteen years in prison, and his sentence could be reduced, but Gerald was to be executed directly.

"I plead guilty, but please help me get revenge."

Just as Gran Doma finished speaking, Gerald, who had been staring blankly at the ground without saying a word, suddenly spoke. His voice became hoarse from the roar, like the sound of a stone scratching glass.

Gerald fully accepted his crimes and the judgment of Guran Dorma. In fact, he didn't know how to atone for his sins except by dying. Those memories tormented him madly, making him suffer unbearable pain.

Most importantly, the power that had been controlling him seemed to be stirring again. He was desperately suppressing that power, which made him very tired. Pain, despair, and exhaustion were all ravaging him. Gerald would rather atone with his death than be controlled again.

"Jeral!"

Erza couldn't help but speak up. She hadn't expected Jellal to confess so readily, but from another perspective, perhaps Jellal had truly returned to normal and become himself again.

"Don't be impulsive, the matter is not yet settled."

Moen reached out and hugged Erza, who was rushing forward impulsively, pulling her into his arms. This startled Erza, but she calmed down and chose to trust Moen.

"Ahem, some of the charges are a bit too harsh."

Gran Dorma's words were too much for Makarov to bear. The old man frowned, glanced at Moen and Erza, and then took the initiative to question it. He also felt that the judgment was inappropriate. Gran Dorma's hatred for Gerald was even greater than his hatred for Crawford Himm, which was obviously influenced by personal emotions.

“That’s right. Although most of these charges are true, we also need to consider that Gerald was controlled to do these things. While we can’t exonerate him on this basis, it’s okay to reduce the severity of the sentence. We shouldn’t increase the sentence.”

Moen, holding Erza, pointed this out first: Jellal was being controlled to do these things, and everyone already understood this, especially given Jellal's current state, which made everyone believe it even more. He was a pitiful person.

"Moreover, there is room for leniency in handling those charges. It is true that many laborers died there, but Gerald did not mistreat them. At least the food and accommodation conditions were not bad. Gerald did infiltrate the Magic Council, but so far, has he done anything inappropriate?"

Moen then spoke up. He wasn't really willing to defend Gerald, but for Erza's sake, he had to say a few words. Besides, the death penalty was indeed too harsh, especially compared to Crawford Him, which seemed disproportionate. The death penalty was indeed hard to convince the public.

If we must say something, Gerald's crimes were committed under duress and without his knowledge, and most of them are currently in the "attempt" stage. Therefore, there are far more reasons for him to be treated leniently than for Crawford Himm.

“That’s right, the death penalty is too much. My suggestion is to also imprison them for fifteen years.”

Goldman chimed in, and Bob immediately voiced his support. Other guild leaders followed suit one after another, showing great unity. In particular, the Mage Guild of the Kingdom of Fiore basically expressed their support unequivocally.

There was no other way; Fairy Tail had brought them tangible benefits. The railway network of Moen and the Heartfilia Foundation had benefited all the mage guilds in the Kingdom of Fiore, and they had also established cooperation, giving them some direct benefits. They could already be considered a community of shared interests.

In this matter, of course, no one would go against Fairy Tail. This is also because Moen's words make sense and are not a case of calling a deer a horse or being unreasonable.

"."

Faced with the opposition of the crowd, Gulan Doma gritted his teeth, but he did not continue to insist. Instead, he rationally chose to comply.

His current identity is unclear; he is merely the Secretary-General of the "Magic Council" headquarters, one of the most powerful people after the councilors. However, it is impossible for him to forcefully enforce the judgment. Moreover, he needs to establish a good image first to facilitate his competition for a higher position later, so he cannot afford to create an awkward atmosphere.

He now occupies the position of the meeting host, which is a great advantage for him, so there's no need for him to ruin a good situation.

"Then let's do as Chairman Goldman said, treat everyone equally, and sentence Gerald to fifteen years in prison as well, hoping that he can reform himself."

Gran Doma, suppressing his dissatisfaction, delivered the final verdict. In his heart, he still believed that Jellal and Ultear, the two who had brought shame to the Magic Council, should be executed.

"."

Jellal didn't speak. He struggled to lift his head and looked toward Fairy Tail. He saw Moen defending him and Erza being held in Moen's arms.

(End of this chapter)