Chapter 222: SFDI: Chapter 222
"The Balam Alliance" After using Fairy Law without defeating anyone, Laxus’s defeat was inevitable. Drake only learned the next day, after t
"The Balam Alliance"
After using Fairy Law without defeating anyone, Laxus’s defeat was inevitable.
Drake only learned the next day, after the parade, that Makarov had expelled Laxus from Fairy Tail.
Perhaps everyone had sensed this; otherwise, they wouldn’t have performed the Fairy Tail hand gesture so uniformly during the parade.
But, as Freed had said, they would meet again someday.
Makarov wasn’t defeated by Laxus’s departure; instead, he nearly suffered a fatal heart attack the next day after receiving the damage bill for the cathedral.
Drake, the main culprit, claimed he’d followed Makarov’s instructions and that paying for the damages was absolutely out of the question.
While Makarov was frantically dealing with the aftermath, Drake retreated to the Fairy Tail library for intensive study.
Fairy Tail’s library had been amassed since the very first guild master, Mavis, and contained materials salvaged from the Tenrou Island ruins, as well as collections from the third guild master and various members.
Considering the close relationship between the first guild master, Mavis, and Zeref, Drake suspected the library might even hold items left behind by the infamous dark mage.
Aside from a few facilities under the direct control of the Magic Council, there was probably no other place in this world with such a vast collection of magical knowledge and historical records.
During this period, in addition to his studies, Drake also occasionally took on a few jobs outside the guild.
After all, Drake didn’t have a particularly substantial financial foundation in this world.
He, Drake, the great Drake, who was once known for his casual habit of discarding magic swords after a single use, now found himself in the rather unenviable position of having to work diligently for a living.
Having just completed another mission, Drake returned to the guild and took a seat at the bar, confidently ordering a drink.
Mirajane pushed a glass of his favorite beverage towards Drake. "Hard work!"
Macao chimed in from the side, "We heard you burned down an entire forest while dealing with the Corpse Factory! That’s a bit excessive, don’t you think?"
Drake drained the contents of his glass in a single motion. "Couldn’t be helped. Those guys had made their guild into such a disgusting mess; I just couldn’t hold back, so I blew the whole thing sky-high!"
Drake’s previous job was investigating the dark guild, Corpse Factory. Upon arriving at their guild headquarters, he discovered that even their decorations consisted of decaying corpses.
While Drake wasn’t particularly squeamish, he had no desire to venture anywhere near such a place. Therefore, he unleashed a single, devastating blast of Fire Dragon’s Roar, completely obliterating the Corpse Factory.
The unexpected consequence, however, was the complete incineration of the surrounding forest.
Drake placed his empty glass on the counter. "Speaking of which, the activity of the dark guilds has been increasing lately."
Drake’s assessment was accurate, as evidenced by the growing number of requests posted on the guild’s job board.
During this short period alone, Drake had taken on several jobs related to dark guilds, clearly indicating their recent surge in activity.
Mirajane commented, "Indeed, we’ve received a significant number of reports concerning the increased activity of dark guilds lately. However, it does provide us with more opportunities to take on additional jobs!"
Drake couldn’t help but express his admiration. Truly, Fairy Tail was something else entirely; the dark guilds were acting as if they were about to cause a major disturbance, yet for Fairy Tail, it simply meant an increase in job opportunities!
While the dark guilds in this world weren’t as desperate and clandestine as the Dark Faction he had encountered in the Danmachi world, their capacity for causing trouble wasn’t exactly negligible.
After all, the items and artifacts capable of causing widespread chaos in this world were primarily in the possession of the Magic Council... though the Council itself wasn’t exactly known for its reliability.
Despite this, the plans concocted by the dark guilds, while initially sounding alarming, ultimately proved to be rather ineffective.
"We’re back!"
Natsu and Lucy arrived at the guild before Drake’s lunch even arrived.
In the recent Fairy Tail Miss contest, Erza had, as expected, won the championship for the second year in a row, taking home a substantial prize.
Lucy, while securing a top-three finish, hadn’t received any financial assistance with her rent. Consequently, she had been dragged along by Natsu to take on numerous jobs recently.
Judging by her utterly exhausted and despondent appearance, she had undoubtedly been subjected to Natsu’s rather unorthodox methods of job completion.
Once Natsu and Lucy had settled in, they too began to complain about the recent increase in dark guild activity. Mirajane then proceeded to provide Lucy, who had only recently returned from the magic world, with a comprehensive explanation of the current situation concerning the dark guilds.
Mirajane thoughtfully provided them with a detailed map illustrating the distribution of power among the various dark guilds.
Drake couldn’t help but comment, "Are these dark guilds even deserving of the title ’dark’? How is it that their internal relationships are so incredibly well-known?"
While voicing his amusement, Drake listened attentively to Mirajane’s explanation, treating it as a valuable refresher course on the current state of affairs.
At the very center of the diagram was a circle, and within this circle were only three names.
[Oracion Seis] [Grimoire Heart] and [Tartaros].
These three were the most powerful forces in the dark world, forming the Balam Alliance. All other dark guilds were merely their subordinates.
Consequently, the names of the lesser dark guilds were arranged in a tree-like structure beneath the names of the three major guilds, clearly indicating their subordinate status.
Of course, there were also some independent guilds, such as [Raven Tail], which operated outside the control of the three major guilds, but these were few and far between.
The names of Iron Tail, which Fairy Tail had previously defeated, and Corpse Factory, which Drake had obliterated with a single devastating attack, were also listed on the map, both identified as subordinates of one of the three major guilds.
Drake noticed that the dark guilds that had recently become more active were all under the direct command of Oracion Seis. The only logical explanation for this sudden surge in activity was that their leader, the Oracion Seis, was experiencing some sort of internal conflict or crisis.
This realization prompted Drake to recall the relevant plot points from the original story. Sure enough, Makarov appeared shortly thereafter.
"Concerning Oracion Seis, we shall undertake their extermination!"
Makarov’s announcement immediately sparked a lively discussion among the members of Fairy Tail.
Oracion Seis, after all, represented a significant portion of the dark forces in the world, and the Magic Council would certainly not underestimate their capabilities.
Therefore, the topic of their extermination had been the primary focus of the most recent council meeting.
Makarov, whose luck was notoriously poor, was fortunate this time, as the council had decided to form an alliance of four wizard guilds to prevent any concentrated counterattacks from the dark guilds.
The four guilds participating in this joint operation were Fairy Tail, Sabertooth, Blue Pegasus, and Lamia Scale.
Fairy Tail ultimately decided to send Drake, Erza, Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Lucy.
This lineup represented the strongest force that Fairy Tail could currently deploy.
Oracion Seis, despite consisting of only six members, was a formidable group of wizards who controlled a significant portion of the dark world, and confronting them required utmost caution and preparedness.
Furthermore, joint operations involving four guilds were exceedingly rare, and each guild would strive to make a significant contribution to maintain their respective reputations.
Therefore, Makarov personally selected the members of the team. Before their departure, Makarov, his eyes brimming with tears, grasped Drake’s hand tightly.
Drake understood the weight of Makarov’s emotions and solemnly promised to keep a close eye on the team, ensuring that they wouldn’t cause any unnecessary trouble or complications. Only then did Makarov, waving his handkerchief farewell, send them on their way.
The team, with Happy carrying them, flew towards their designated meeting point—the villa belonging to the guild master of Blue Pegasus.
Upon gazing at the villa, whose windows were all shaped like hearts, Drake felt an overwhelming urge to simply turn around and go back.
While the guild master of Blue Pegasus was undoubtedly a kind and well-meaning individual, his unique personality and preferences were not to everyone’s taste. The villa’s aesthetic design, in particular, left much to be desired.
This reminded Drake of the individual that Blue Pegasus had chosen to send on this mission—a man whom even Erza had openly admitted to finding utterly unbearable!
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