Just as Noah was teaching Makarov Haki, a not-so-small incident occurred at the Magic Council headquarters.
An informant from the Council's Custody Enforcement Unit, who was undercover in the Dark Guild world, sent back a piece of intelligence.
The strongest of the Dark Guilds, Grimoire Heart;
The most mysterious, Tartaros;
And Oración Seis, a guild that, despite being recently established, developed rapidly and quickly became the third-largest force in the Dark Guild world.
These three Dark Guilds, which controlled most of the Dark Guild world, were very likely to form a Dark Alliance in the near future.
This posed a great threat to the order of the Magic world and was undoubtedly a major event.
Councilor Yajima and Lahar, the captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit, jointly proposed to Chairman Crawford that the alliance of the Dark Guilds should be taken seriously.
However, Chairman Crawford, despite his high position, was a man of limited vision; he believed that with the existence of the Ten Wizard Saints, the Dark Guilds were not worth mentioning at all.
No matter how powerful the Dark Guild alliance became, as long as the Ten Wizard Saints made a move, everything would be fine.
Especially the presence of the newly appointed Councilor Seigrain greatly increased the Chairman's confidence.
Although this youngest Councilor in history was still in the Ten Wizard Saints assessment period, his true strength was already comparable to that of his official seniors among the Ten Wizard Saints; he was a Ten Wizard Saints powerhouse belonging to the Magic Council.
Therefore, in Chairman Crawford's eyes, the potential alliance of the Dark Guilds was not a big deal at all, merely a trivial matter worth mentioning.
The meeting ended, Lahar bid farewell to the indignant Councilor Yajima, and returned to the building where the Custody Enforcement Unit was located.
"Oh, you're back, Lahar."
"By the looks of it, those Councilor sirs have made another foolish decision."
Lahar sighed; at the Council headquarters, there was only one person who dared to disrespect the Councilors so openly.
Doranbalt, the second-in-command of the Custody Enforcement Unit, Lahar's most capable assistant, and also his best friend.
A somewhat goofy guy who had illicit dealings with the Fairy Tail Guild Master, his goofiness also aligned with the characteristics of that guild.
However, Lahar chose to turn a blind eye to it.
Seeing his friend's tired appearance, Doranbalt stopped teasing him and simply placed a letter on the desk. "This is from that Mage you mentioned last time, Nexus. I think this name sounds more like a code name."
"He just doesn't want to reveal his true name. After all, he killed a Black Priest, and you know how crazy the Black Magic Cult people are."
Lahar briefly replied to his friend, then opened the letter and read its contents with a frown.
"Doranbalt, issue an announcement."
"State that ten days ago, with the help of the mysterious Mage 'Nexus,' the Custody Enforcement Unit eliminated five Dark Mages with ill intentions on Mount Hakobe."
As Lahar's friend, Doranbalt had naturally read the letter and had already anticipated his friend's actions, so he'd prepared the announcement content in advance.
After dealing with this matter, Lahar sat down tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The Chairman can ignore the alliance of the three major Dark Guilds, but as the Custody Enforcement Unit, we cannot do nothing like those above us."
Doranbalt raised an eyebrow. "You mean?"
Sighing, Lahar said, "First, let our undercover agent try to gather intelligence on the three major Dark Guilds, but also make sure he protects himself. He is allowed to withdraw if necessary."
Lahar valued every comrade. Going undercover in a Dark Guild was a life-threatening job with great danger, but Lahar still hoped that comrade could return safely.
Hearing his friend's words, the smile on Doranbalt's face disappeared, replaced by a heavy expression.
"Lahar, we've lost contact with our undercover agent."
"I've already prepared the report for triple compensation; it's just waiting for your signature."
A bitter expression appeared on his face. Remembering the comrade who'd voluntarily gone to infiltrate the Dark Guild world, Lahar bowed his head deeply.
Evil in the dark stirred, but the high-ranking officials of order were occupied by short-sighted individuals. Although he, a Custody Enforcement captain, commanded the Council's main force, he could do nothing due to orders from above.
"This is... terrible."
Quickly composing himself, Lahar signed the compensation report, but changed the original triple amount to quintuple.
The Council had no shortage of money, and he hoped his comrade's family could have a good life.
"Alright, Vice Captain Doranbalt, you should go carry out your supervisory duties."
"Yes, Captain."
In Lahar's office, where only he remained, behind a document cabinet against the wall, a listening Lacrima faintly emitted a glow.
"Heh heh, Lahar, what a truly good person."
"Too bad, the most useless thing in this world is a good person..."
Beneath his deep blue hair was a mark covering half of his right face. Jellal ended his eavesdropping on Lahar with a look of disdain and turned to a curvaceous black-haired beauty beside him.
"Ultear, why do you think that Mage named Nexus would get involved with the Black Magic Cult?"
The beautiful woman named Ultear smiled. "Oh? Does it even need a reason? Everyone wants to eliminate the Black Magic Cult. Don't you hate them too?"
Unconsciously, a hint of bloodlust flashed in Jellal's eyes. His expression turned cold. "Ultear, you really know how to hit a nerve."
"But I'll forgive you anyway. Get out."
After his subordinate left his office, Jellal took out a blood-red Lacrima and called out to it, "Teacher, are you there?"
Soon, a steady reply came from the Lacrima. "Jellal, what's so important that you're contacting me? Don't expose yourself."
"Haha, don't worry, Teacher. The Council's high-ranking officials are all fools, and the lower and middle ranks don't even have the qualifications to get close to me."
Jellal's eyes squinted, full of contempt for his colleagues, and he continued:
"Teacher, you need to be careful with your recent cooperation with the Black Magic Cult. A mysterious Mage with the code name 'Nexus' seems to be targeting them heavily."
"Don't worry, my cooperation with the Black Magic Cult has already ended. I gave them the little mouse I just caught to play with."
Jellal's lips curled into a smile, thinking of the conversation he'd overheard in Lahar's office. "Heh, someone from the Council, and from the Custody Enforcement Unit no less, will have a truly miserable time in the hands of the Black Magic Cult."
Ending the call, Jellal took out a photograph. It showed a red-haired girl in armor, in combat, looking heroic and valiant.
Caressing the photo, the deep blue-haired young man showed a complicated expression.
"Erza, you're living such a happy life now... I envy you."
"In one year at most, that tower will be complete, and we'll meet again. By then, you will be the best sacrifice for me to resurrect the Black Wizard."
"Don't blame me; it's this world that's wrong!"