When it came to Cubellios, Cobra became quite irrational.
But his only true wish was to hear the voice of his one and only friend. This was a significant breakthrough for Raizel.
"Good. Afterwards, you'll help the Council complete some tasks. Jura will directly oversee your squad, and our Guild Master and Ur will also keep an eye on things to ensure you aren't treated as disposable tools."
"Alright. I still need to speak with Racer and Midnight. I'll take my leave now," Raizel nodded.
After saying this, Raizel turned to leave.
As he locked the cell door, Cobra looked into Raizel's eyes.
"Thank you..." Cobra muttered sincerely.
Then, feeling somewhat embarrassed by his own vulnerability, he stubbornly turned his head away.
"No need to be polite. I look forward to our next meeting being outside these walls," Raizel smiled.
Down the hall, Richard and Wally had finally stopped crying. Sorano, however, still seemed unwilling to accept her sister.
"I don't have any sister... I don't know you. You've mistaken me for someone else. You don't have a sister burdened with sin," Sorano whispered, refusing to turn around.
"No mistake! You are my sister Sorano!" Yukino cried, reaching out.
"My sister should live in a righteous, bright world. Her sister cannot be a branded sinner," Sorano argued.
She kept her back turned, unable to face Yukino's pleading gaze.
Clenching her fists, her body trembled slightly, her voice shook, and tears continuously fell onto the stone floor.
"Sigh..." Ur let out a soft sigh and entered Sorano's cell to intervene.
Raizel turned and walked down to the cells of Racer and Midnight. Racer and Midnight were more difficult to handle psychologically.
After all, Racer's only wish was to be faster than anyone else, and Midnight simply wished to sleep peacefully in a quiet place.
This made it hard for Raizel to find an emotional opening to leverage.
However, Racer was simpler than Raizel had imagined.
After Raizel said just a few practical words about running missions on the outside, he agreed.
After all, Racer possessed enhanced hearing and had heard everything Raizel said to Cobra, as well as the tearful conversation between Richard and Sorano.
But Midnight was rather unyielding.
No matter what Raizel said or offered, the dark mage just kept sleeping on his cot.
"Fine. If you change your mind, you can tell the others. I think the Council would be happy to see you cooperate," Raizel said, locking the door.
He didn't want to waste more words.
His main targets for redemption were actually Richard, Sorano, and Cobra.
He had more appreciation for those three.
The other two were just incidental additions to the squad.
Raizel had done his best.
Whether they reformed or not was up to them and had nothing to do with him anymore.
"Raizel-san," Richard called out as Raizel passed his open cell. "Thank you... thank you..."
Tears streaming down his square face, Richard bowed deeply to Raizel, repeating his thanks over and over.
"No need for that, Richard. I wish you an early reunion with Wally on the outside," Raizel nodded.
"I will. I will definitely earn my freedom as soon as possible," Richard vowed.
He had learned from Jura that serving the Council's black-ops team would eventually lead to a full pardon.
As for Sorano, Ur was still gently persuading her.
Actually, Ur had originally just come along to observe the politics.
But seeing how deeply conflicted Sorano was, Ur remembered the agonizing pain of how she had once 'lost' her daughter, Ultear.
Watching Sorano struggle so much with her self-worth, Ur couldn't stand by.
With someone who had been through similar dark experiences offering maternal advice, Ur even spoke openly about how she felt when she failed Ultear.
Perhaps it was empathy, or perhaps Ur was simply a skilled, comforting storyteller, but the effect was profound.
In the end, with tearful persuasion from both Ur and Yukino, Sorano's walls crumbled, and she agreed to the deal.
"I will wait until we're outside... Only when my record is clean will it be time for us to truly recognize each other as sisters..." Sorano finally allowed Yukino to hug her tightly, though she didn't return the embrace.
She felt her sin-stained hands shouldn't be holding her pure younger sister at this moment.
But Sorano had another practical concern.
"But I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage. Now that the Council confiscated my golden keys, aside from my base magic power, I'm no different from an ordinary person. I can't fight for them."
"That's simple. Learn this instead," Raizel said, walking in and handing her a heavy, leather-bound book.
"Angel Magic...?" Sorano fell silent as she looked at the ancient magic tome.
"You wanted to become an angel, didn't you? This suits your aesthetic quite well."
This Angel Magic book was one Raizel had brought from the restricted underground library of Fairy Tail.
The spellcraft had been significantly improved by Mavis and August at Raizel's request, transformed into a rare summoner magic that uses gold coins as mediums to summon various powerful angels for battle.
By using certain amounts of gold coins, one could summon the Angel of Strength, Kysiria, the Angel of Victory, Barachiel; the Angel of Sunlight, Shamshiel; and the Angel of Performance, Raguel.
It was extremely powerful, with no magical drawbacks except being financially expensive to cast.
Since the book might not be returned to the library for a long time, Raizel had sought Makarov's permission before taking it.
Makarov immediately stated it was just a dusty book, and if the knowledge inside could help a misguided girl onto the right path, even if the book were destroyed in battle, it wouldn't matter.
"Thank you..." Sorano hugged the Angel Magic book to her chest as she expressed her gratitude.
"Can I come visit you often from now on, nee-san?" Yukino asked hopefully.
"No... Let's wait until that day when we're outside..." Sorano paused, then ultimately shook her head firmly. She needed to focus on her atonement.
"That's fine too. As long as nee-san is alive, we'll definitely meet again." Yukino wiped tears from the corner of her eyes and nodded bravely.
Raizel added from the side, "I don't think your pardon will take years. As long as you truly reform and complete the missions, since you were originally kidnapped by Brain as children, it can't really be argued in court that you willingly fell into darkness."
"I mentioned this mitigating factor to the Council members earlier too, and they didn't refute it. I think they understand the political situation clearly. Do your best. If you encounter any problems with the handlers, you can contact me or Jura."
"Thank you..." Sorano didn't know what else to say.
She opened her mouth but ultimately only managed another quiet thank you.
"Indeed. Whether it's Richard or any of you, as long as you're willing to turn over a new leaf, I, Jura Neekis, am willing to consider you friends and help you overcome any difficulties," Jura nodded with a serious, dependable expression.
"Can you let me see Cubellios...? Kinana...?" Cobra asked quietly from his cell.
"I'll try. She's lost her memories, but I'll ask her. If she's willing to see you, I can bring her for a visit," Raizel offered.
"...Never mind," Cobra somewhat dejectedly lowered his head, not wanting to scare her.
"Don't say never mind. I'll ask her for you. Whether it works out or not, I'll give you an answer next time."
"Alright, we should be going now," Raizel checked his pocket watch; the supervised visit had lasted long enough.
"Lets go back now, Wally," Richard patted Wally's head through the bars and gently pushed him outward.
"Goodbye, nee-san!" Yukino held Ur's hand with one hand and waved with the other.
"I'll take good care of her, don't worry," Ur smiled, lifting Yukino's hand and giving it a gentle shake.
Sorano and Richard didn't sit back down on their cots until they watched Raizel's group disappear from sight down the dark corridor.
Cobra and Racer leaned against the wall pretending to sleep, appearing disdainful of the emotional display, but the small smiles at the corners of their mouths betrayed their renewed hope.
Midnight only opened his eyes after Raizel had left.
He gazed at the thin sliver of sunlight streaming through the barred window, then closed them again, leaving no one knowing what he was thinking.
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