Su Mo's voice rang out, loud and clear.
Everyone heard him— the soldiers of the Magic Council. The crowd gathered around them.
The people began to murmur among themselves, remembering the many recent cases of missing persons. Whispers turned into discussions, and discussions soon turned into unrest.
One by one, angry gazes began to fall upon the soldiers of the Magic Council.
Yes— Such a massive crime, repeated again and again over the years. And the Magic Council knew nothing? It was the mages of the Fairy Tail guild who uncovered the truth and brought it to light.
If not for them, this human trafficking ring might have continued unnoticed for years.
And now—after all that—these Council soldiers were still trying to arrest the ones who had saved everyone?
Outrageous.
Commander Lahar, leading the troops, could see it clearly in the eyes of the people—
He could not delay this any longer.
"Tyrant Su Mo," Lahar said at last, his tone restrained. "We request that the criminal Bora be handed over to us. The Magic Council will ensure he is judged and sentenced accordingly."
Under normal procedure, a formal written record would be required, but this was clearly not the time for protocol. The crowd was agitated, and their anger could explode at any moment. If the Council insisted on red tape, they'd be the ones torn apart.
So Lahar opted for compromise—to defuse the situation for now.
But in response—
"Hand over the criminal?" Su Mo sneered.
"You mean let this scum receive one of your so-called 'humane trials,' serve a few months in prison, and then walk free with all his sins wiped clean?"
"Have any of you ever spared a thought for the people who were already sold to those desolate lands over the years? Do you know what kind of life they're living now?" "Or maybe you don't care that their vengeful spirits are watching you right this moment!"
Lahar fell silent.
Because the truth was—Su Mo wasn't wrong.
By the Magic Council's procedures, that was exactly what would happen. The sentence would be light. Corporal punishment? Forbidden. In essence, justice was often a farce.
And while Lahar's duty was to take custody of the criminal, even he knew he couldn't justify it.
By this time, the women Su Mo had rescued were already disembarking from the ship, rushing into the arms of their families. As they cried and recounted what had happened, their loved ones were consumed by fury.
Their gaze toward the Council soldiers changed completely. How could they accept such a lenient "trial" after what their daughters had nearly suffered?
The crowd began to roar in anger. Even the soldiers of the Magic Council—many of them born as commoners—were clearly unsettled. They didn't agree with the idea of letting such a monster off lightly either.
Seeing this shift, Su Mo walked over and dragged Bora and the other traffickers out from the holding room. Their bodies were battered, barely clinging to life after whatever "interrogation" Su Mo had conducted.
"It seems the people don't trust the Magic Council's judgment," Su Mo said coldly.
"In that case—why not let the people judge instead?"
With a casual flick, he tossed Bora and the others straight into the crowd—
Right into the group of victims' families.
The next moment— Bora and his companions were swallowed by the enraged mob.
Their screams didn't last long.
Their fate was obvious.
Lahar's face darkened instantly.
"Tyrant Su Mo! This is contempt for the authority of the Magic Council!"
"No."
Su Mo shook his head.
"What I did was affirm the authority of the Magic Council."
"And if you think your so-called 'authority' is more important than the people's right to justice—then maybe your Council isn't worth keeping at all."
"…"
Lahar had no words. Deep down—he agreed.
He was one of the few in the Council who still held on to a sense of justice. That's why he had rushed over the moment he received Su Mo's message.
Seeing Lahar's hesitation, Su Mo handed him a thick notebook.
"This contains the evidence I extracted through interrogation—along with a full record of the trafficking network. With your resources, you should be able to rescue quite a few victims."
"If you still believe in justice, then make sure the clean-up is done right."
With that, Su Mo turned and left— Lucy and the others following him boldly, heads held high.
Not a single soldier dared stop them.
They all stepped aside, one by one.
....
....
It didn't take long for word of this incident to reach the upper chambers of the Magic Council.
The Council was in the middle of a routine meeting when the news came in—and it exploded like a bomb.
"Damn that Fairy Tail!" one of the Council members shouted. "They dare to defy the authority of the Council?!"
Council Chairman Crawford raged, his hair practically standing on end. "They dared to stir public dissent right in front of our men—as if we don't matter at all!"
Another member, Lahar's superior, added with venom, "I've had enough of that guild for a long time. This is just the latest provocation!"
"Heh…"
A light laugh came from across the table.
It was Siegrain.
His chuckle drew glares from several elder members, but he quickly offered an explanation.
"I actually think this 'Tyrant' still holds a certain respect for the Magic Council," he said calmly.
"Otherwise, why would he hand over the clean-up operation to us at all?"
Crawford's face twisted in fury.
"Respect?! You call that respect? He steals all the credit, then dumps the mess on us?!"
"'Mess,' is it…"
Siegrain's tone softened. He shook his head and said nothing more.
But the look he gave Crawford grew colder, more disdainful.
A summer insect cannot comprehend the winter's frost. To call the rescue of enslaved citizens a burden? This man was the Chairman of the Magic Council—and yet this was how he thought.
No wonder the Council had grown so rotten.
But in a way, this decay was convenient…
It would make it easier for Siegrain to carry out his own plans.