As expected, after the "fake-kidnapped" Lucy and the "truly kidnapped" Mirajane finished their testimony,
Totomaru, Juvia, and Gajeel also admitted to Hope's claims one after another as members of Phantom Lord.
Following the script Hope had given them beforehand, they pushed all the responsibility onto Jose, Aria, Sol, and the others, keeping themselves completely clear.
Sol's face turned extremely ugly; Jose had originally persuaded Council Chairman Clowford and bribed a councilor, thinking that no matter what, they would drag Fairy Tail down with them.
But when Juvia's trio appeared on the opposing witness stand, Sol knew they had lost for sure—and it was a crushing defeat where they lost everything.
Council Chairman Clowford rubbed his temples with a bit of a headache; after all, he had taken Jose's benefits, so even if it was useless, he had to at least go through the motions to show Jose he had tried.
"Ahem."
Clowford tried to regain control of the situation, "Fairy Tail representative, even if it was justifiable, the fact remains that such massive destruction was caused..."
"Then the primary responsibility should also lie with Phantom Lord; after all, they were the ones who actively provoked the incident this time."
Hope turned toward the audience, his tone becoming sincere and powerful, "We in Fairy Tail may act impulsively, and we may often cause trouble for everyone during missions, with the rewards we earn barely covering the compensation we pay..."
A wave of awkward coughing came from the Fairy Tail members.
"However, we will never bully the weak, nor will we use the lives of our comrades or the safety of innocent civilians as bargaining chips!"
"Protecting our comrades is Fairy Tail's only and absolute bottom line! Anyone who touches this line, no matter who they are, we will use our fists, our magic, our strength, and our wisdom to tell them—this way is blocked!"
"Well said!!"
The members of Fairy Tail clapped in unison.
Thunderous applause and cheers also erupted from the audience; clearly, Hope's words had won over more people.
Hope pressed his advantage, "An official guild as notorious as Phantom Lord is a hundred times more detestable than some Dark Guilds. Would anyone want a guild in their city that dares to extort clients in broad daylight?!"
"No!"
"Who would want a guild like that!"
"..."
The audience, their emotions stirred, shouted overwhelmingly.
A successful smile flashed across Hope's face for an instant, "Then does everyone think Fairy Tail was wrong to strike back against Phantom Lord?!"
"No!"
"A guild like that should be kicked out of the ranks of official guilds!"
"No! It should be disbanded!"
"Exactly! It should be disbanded!"
"Disband it!"
"..."
Hope didn't even need to continue guiding them; the audience had already taken the action he wanted.
After all, even the most ordinary person knows right from wrong; when seeing or hearing about darkness and injustice, they will more or less feel a sense of righteous indignation.
Clowford looked at the one-sided situation in the court with a headache; as expected, once Fairy Tail was involved, things always became troublesome.
Using the voices of the masses to sway the verdict—this manipulation of hearts was truly brilliant; that young man named Hope was indeed not simple.
He glanced at Siegrain beside him, who was resting with his eyes closed but seemed to have a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth, then looked at the other councilors who were clearly moved by Hope's words, and sighed helplessly.
Clowford discussed in low voices with the councilors for a moment.
Finally, he struck the gavel.
"By unanimous vote of the Council members, this court renders the following verdict!"
"'Phantom Lord' initiated the attack on 'Fairy Tail', inciting a guild war, and utilized a magic gigant equipped with forbidden weapons, threatening civilian safety and taking hostages... these actions are extremely egregious."
"I, the Chairman, hereby declare that, effective immediately, the 'Phantom Lord' guild is forcibly disbanded! And Jose Porla is stripped of his title as one of the 'Ten Wizard Saints'!"
"The Fairy Tail Guild's actions are deemed passive defense and reasonable counterattack; no charges will be filed!"
"However..."
Clowford's tone grew heavier as he gave Hope a deep look, "Given that the battle between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord caused massive damage to public property, a total fine of 10 million J is imposed to compensate the residents of Oak Town for part of their losses."
"Fairy Tail will bear 30%, and the remaining compensation will be paid by Phantom Lord."
"Yeah!!!"
"We won!!"
Upon hearing the verdict, the Fairy Tail members instantly erupted into victory cheers, throwing the fine amount to the back of their minds and completely ignoring the fact that this was a solemn Council trial court.
Natsu and Gray were so excited they didn't even notice they were hugging each other, while the veterans Macao and Wakaba slapped each other's shoulders in excitement.
Some people even felt their noses tingle with emotion.
Fairy Tail had been to the Council's court many times, but whether it was the members or Makarov the Chairman, they were always standing in the defendant's dock being criticized.
They never expected Fairy Tail would have a day where they could hold their heads high in the Council.
Makarov stroked his beard with a gratified smile on his face. A fine? That was nothing! As long as the guild and the children were fine, that's all that mattered.
Hope stepped down from the statement stand and was immediately surrounded by his swarming comrades and tossed into the air.
"Great job, Hope!"
"Now let's see who dares to look down on Fairy Tail!"
"Let's go back and have a party!!!"
"..."
Amidst the festivities, Hope looked at his excited family members, his heart filled with warmth. He looked up at the towering Council building, a faint, imperceptible curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
The other Council members were fine today, but that first councilor was clearly biased toward Phantom Lord, constantly trying to get him to plead guilty. He wondered if the man had taken a bribe from Phantom or was acting under orders.
If it was the latter, then the only one who could order a councilor around would probably be that ball-shaped Council Chairman Clowford.
Amidst the cheers, Erza didn't look particularly happy. She looked up at the young councilor with deep blue short hair sitting on the bench where the councilors were.
Siegrain felt Erza's gaze and gave a warm smile, opening his mouth to say silently to her:
Erza, don't go causing trouble for me.
This is better for "everyone."
What Siegrain didn't know was that a certain fellow being tossed high by his celebrating comrades happened to see this scene, and he... could read lips.
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