Below, in the headquarters academy of the Magic Council.
Siegrain saw an airship passing by and rescued the person, letting out a breath of relief. However, his expression soon turned into feigned disdain as he said, "Useless guy."
"Not even able to block a single move of mine, and yet you dare challenge me."
Being the child of a Level Two councilor of the Magic Council, Siegrain's status here wasn't particularly high. You never really knew which kid was the child of a Level One councilor, or which was a prince from some kingdom.
Yet despite being the offspring of a Level Two councilor, Siegrain had earned the favor and praise of Chairman Crawford Seam, who even claimed the boy might one day become a Ten Wizard Saint. Such exceptional talent naturally bred envy, and ever since his enrollment he had been frequently targeted.
But Siegrain had endured it all, because his body was, after all, a thought form—and once attacked beyond its limits, a thought form would simply dissipate. Adhering to the principle of not stirring up trouble, he devoted himself quietly to studying magic.
However, he couldn't understand whose bidding that fellow was following, as the guy bothered him with magic lessons every day for over half a month. Siegrain had finally reached his limit.
He challenged the intruder to a duel. He had only intended to teach him a light lesson—but this guy turned out to be even weaker than he'd imagined.
He couldn't even withstand one of his blows. Siegrain's expression suddenly shifted, as if he had overestimated the Magic Council. No wonder the Black Magic Order had so many undercover agents.
At such a level, that guy might well become a pillar of the Magic Council in the future. This thought made the usually cautious Siegrain feel like a fool.
Even Chairman Crawford Seam hadn't noticed that his body was merely a thought form. With magic at this level in the Magic Council, what was there to fear?
Siegrain pondered in his mind that perhaps he should alter his plans—his steady, step-by-step growth might be too slow.
At that moment, the airship in the sky landed. Lucas, who piloted the airship, spoke harshly as he carried the terrified child down. Looking at the group of academy kids gathered below, he demanded, "Where are your teachers?"
"What's going on?"
"Who started this fight!"
"Do you have any idea this could be deadly?!"
Had there been a teacher present, Lucas's anger might have been lessened; at least a teacher would have ensured safety. But here there were only a bunch of kids watching the spectacle. With even the most basic safety absent, how could Lucas not be furious? After all, his daughter also studied at the academy. If the environment was like this, he'd surely have a fit wondering what those teachers were doing.
Stepping forward, Siegrain said, "My apologies. It was my fault—it happened by accident. I never expected him to be so weak. He couldn't even withstand one of my blows."
Although his tone was apologetic, his casual attitude only deepened Lucas's frown. "What's your name?"
"I'm Siegrain. Have you heard of me, old man?"
Lucas's eyes flickered at the name. "Are you the one Chairman Crawford Seam praised? The future Ten Wizard Saint?"
Lucas suddenly didn't know what to say—what if offending him caused more trouble? Seeing Lucas's reaction, a slight smirk curled on Siegrain's lips as he replied, "I don't deserve such praise. It's merely a bit of talent."
Lucas frowned. "Even with talent, you shouldn't behave like that. In combat, there should be a teacher watching over you. You're still young and can't control your power. What if something goes wrong? If we hadn't happened to pass by today, could you guarantee he'd land safely?"
Siegrain snorted, "That useless guy. Keeping him around is just…"
Whoosh!
In an instant, Siegrain vanished. Everyone was stunned, and Lucas immediately went on high alert.
Suddenly, from the ship behind Lucas came Gaal's teasing voice: "Oh ho~. Is this the future Ten Wizard Saint? That blue-haired kid isn't bad."
Tsk… Thought form? It looked no different from the real thing.
On Siegrain's side, he was left dumbfounded as Gaal's large hand rubbed his head. The magic power within him could not be summoned at all.
"M-my… can't repair…" Siegrain mumbled, trying to struggle free. But Gaal's enormous hand manipulated his head until he felt utterly dizzy. "Let me go!"
Gaal remained unmoved, his right hand resting on Siegrain's head as he let a small stream of magic power probe within him.
Moments earlier, when Gaal had transferred the child who'd been knocked away onto the ship—and had heard Siegrain's name—something had felt off. And now, upon closer scrutiny, although the magic probe showed nothing unusual, Gaal could sense that with just a slight exertion, Siegrain would shatter and dissipate, much like tearing apart an illusion.
It was an instinct, honed by killing so often that it had become second nature. With a single touch, Gaal already knew how this guy was likely to meet his end.
This thought form was surprisingly robust. Gaal increased the magic power in his palm just a bit more, disturbing Siegrain's thoughts. Seizing the moment of confusion, he marked a spatial imprint on the back of Siegrain's head.
Then he activated Space Magic, transporting him away.
Whoosh!
Dazed, Siegrain appeared on the ground, slumping and struggling to sit up. "M-my! Who are you!"
Lucas, still in shock, looked upward. "Gaal."
Walking to the edge of the railing, Gaal smiled and said, "It's nothing. I just wanted to see how talented this future Ten Wizard Saint really is. Quite impressive—no wonder he earned the Chairman's praise."
The spatial imprint was now in place. Unless a mage proficient in Space Magic conducted a full-body examination of Siegrain, it would go unnoticed. Gaal hadn't expected that after Jellal mysteriously disappeared from the Tower of Heaven, Siegrain would still show up. Evidently, this Siegrain was still Jellal's thought form.
But now, where had Jellal gone? The Black Magic Order? And without Ultear's continuous temptation, had Siegrain's (Jellal's) purpose in joining the council changed? None of that was known yet, but Gaal wasn't in a hurry.
If Jellal were to reclaim this thought form later, the spatial imprint would merge into his body along with it. For now, however, Siegrain clearly hadn't reached that point.
Rubbing his head with a sour expression, Siegrain called out, "Gaal? Fairy Tail mage?"
As Jellal's thought form, he naturally possessed Jellal's memories—and he knew all too well about the destruction at the Tower of Heaven, caused by the conflict between Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart. Needless to say, Siegrain harbored no goodwill toward Gaal.
Nearby, a trainee suddenly shouted, "Gaal? Is that the mage who can wield every kind of magic?!"
"What?"
"Is it for real? A mage who can master all magic?"
"And I heard he can meditate for an entire month!"
"Damn! I couldn't last even half an hour."
Siegrain scoffed, "What a joke. There's no way a mage like that exists. Just listen to his boasting."
After saying this, Siegrain suddenly felt that his own sarcastic remarks didn't quite suit the situation. But for some reason, looking at Gaal's smiling face inexplicably filled him with anger.