Compared to the two fairies, Natsu is truly slaying a dragon!

Looking ahead, Mirajane raised an eyebrow slightly: "This guy's not someone to mess with."

Erza, unusually, agreed with Mirajane's statement.

[He nodded: "Yes, I can tell. He's very calculating; every word he says seems to be part of a scheme..."]

Henna shrugged: "Never mind, let's leave it for now."

[Then he turned to the frogman beside him: "How much longer? We're in a hurry to get back."]

The frog-man then raised his head, and after seeing Ultear disappear, he silently breathed a sigh of relief.

She quickly said, "Soon...soon..."

【…】

[Ta-da!]

The crisp sound of the gavel striking the judge's bench rang out.

A solemn and sacred voice then resounded.

"Silence! The Magical Inquisition is now commencing!"

"The defendant, Erzabel Serion, Miragstrom."

"During the previous Iron Forest incident, you two caused extensive damage to places such as Oshibana Station, the Rusica Canyon Iron Bridge, and the town of Konoba."

"The defendant, Nazdoragani."

"You are accused of burning down over 80 percent of the forest surrounding the town of Konoba, and causing the complete disappearance of a mountain peak."

"These are the specific reasons for the charges against you."

"Do the three of you plead guilty?"

[Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Erza was about to speak when Black Natsu stopped her.]

[Honaz, seated in the defendant's dock, has his arms crossed.]

[His gaze was fixed on the speaker on the judge's bench as he spoke softly.]

"I object."

"We...are innocent."

[“On the contrary, we are the victims!”]

Chapter 196 Our guild's Lucy was so scared she cried, so we must compensate her!

"You?? Victims??"

On the bench, Speaker Crawford's eye twitched violently, a reaction almost driven by a sixth sense.

For some reason, Crawford had a premonition.

This trial... it seems unlikely to proceed as expected.

[Perhaps... trouble will ensue.]

At this moment, not only was Crawford surprised, but the entire council began to discuss the matter the instant Hanatsu spoke.

The sounds of bustling activity were incessant.

However, Henna's expression remained unchanged; he sat calmly in the defendant's dock.

【"Ahem..."】

On the judge's bench, Crawford coughed twice, and the entire Magic Council fell silent.

"You're saying...you're the victims?"

"Yes," Henaz replied, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Could you elaborate on exactly where you are the victim?" Crawford asked.

Hearing this, Haku shrugged: "Isn't this obvious?"

"From beginning to end, we were forced to retaliate."

"Forced to retaliate?" Crawford laughed in exasperation.

He looked down at Hennaz: "According to eyewitnesses, you destroyed over 80 percent of the forest during your battle with Lala Bay. How do you explain that?"

"I had no intention of fighting. As I said, at that time, Lala Bai was about to unleash a spell to take our lives."

"In a life-or-death situation... can't I fight back?" Henaz retorted.

"I didn't say you couldn't resist, the key issue is that the damage you caused was too great..."

Crawford was interrupted by Henna before he could finish speaking.

"What damage? Who damaged it? I only kicked it once, what makes you say I damaged it?"

[Henaz stared directly at Crawford.]

Crawford's eyes widened: "The eyewitness said it was because of your kick!"

Black Natsu laughed dismissively: "The kick I gave?"

"No, no, no, actually, something went wrong inside Lalabai's body. Her magic power swelled to its limit and exploded, even injuring me."

"The destruction of the forest was caused by the Lalabai bombing. I was also a victim of the bombing, so what makes you think I did it?"

"You're just being sophistical!" Even Michelo, the third-ranked councilor, couldn't take it anymore and slammed his cane on the ground.

He roared angrily.

Hearing this, Hänatsu glanced at Mikael and smiled, "What I said is true. Lala Bay's magic flow went awry, and he got incredibly overconfident. You can check it out if you don't believe me."

"Investigate? Easier said than done. The entire Lalabai was blown to pieces. How are we supposed to investigate?"

[Michelo frowned and rebuked.]

"Then what makes you say I did it? Like you said, Lalabai is already in pieces, so how can you be sure it was because of my kick?"

[Henazu turned and looked directly at Mikael.]

"I...I...we have witnesses," Michelo shouted.

"A witness's testimony can only be used as a reference, not as a decisive factor in a conviction. This principle applies to every kingdom," Hanaz replied calmly.

"You want witnesses? I can produce a whole bunch for you in no time, even some at the level of the Ten Saints. For example, Chairman Makarov, as a recognized member of the Ten Saints, their words carry more weight, don't they?"

Mikarov's eyes widened: "You...you...Makarov is your chairman, can you guarantee he won't side with you?"

"Then how can you guarantee that the witnesses you've found are absolutely impartial?"

"Who is he? Was he present? Even if he was, did he have the ability to see through it? Furthermore, did you bribe him privately?"

"You...you...you're insulting the council member!!!"

"No, I was just making an assumption. Could it be... I guessed right?"

Black Natsu looked at Mikael with a half-smile.

At this moment, Mikaello was so angry he was breathless, his trembling finger pointing at Black Natsu, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Not only Michelo, but all the members of Congress, jurors, and others in the room were completely bewildered.

Some lawmakers wanted to object, but upon closer examination, they realized that it made sense.

[Honatsu is absolutely right.]

But... something still feels off.

[Isn't this just... a trial that's supposed to be a mere formality to shirk responsibility and be over? How did it get dragged into all this?]

Mirajane was stunned in the dock.

A pair of large eyes blinked rapidly, staring intently at Black Natsu.

"How can you justify this??"

Even Erza couldn't help but take a deep breath, and after holding it in for a long time, she could only manage to utter one sentence.

"As expected of you!"

On the judge's bench, a man with blue hair and strange patterns around his eyes rested his chin on his hand, watching the debate with great interest.

"Tia, is this the mage you've been keeping an eye on?"

He asked aloud.

"Yes, Lord Chiku," Ultear, a fellow councilor, replied with a smile.

[Her beautiful eyes gazed at Black Natsu below: "I initially thought he was just very strong, but I didn't expect him to be so logical as well."]

"Ha! This is going to be interesting. I wonder how those old men will handle this?"

The man called Zikurein glanced at the council members, who were already furious.

"Um...you two stop for a moment, let's put your matter aside for now."

"Defendant, Erza and Mirajane led a group into the Iron Forest and triggered a large-scale battle. What do you mean by that?"

"It's important to understand that internal strife between guilds is strictly prohibited. Even if the other guild is a dark guild, procedures must be followed and an application submitted. Rashly starting a war could have unpredictable consequences."