bookbashuk Chapter 297 Behind the Tower of Paradise
Chapter 297 Behind the Tower of Paradise
Chapter 297 Behind the Tower of Paradise (Please Subscribe!)
"Is Gerald...dead?"
Looking at the motionless, blood-covered Gerald that Moen was holding in his hands, Erza, Shu, Miliana, Simon, and Woolley, who had finally come forward, asked with complicated expressions.
"Still alive, at least not dead yet."
Moen threw Geral to the ground. The guy's vitality was still very strong. Of course, his magic power was also very strong, otherwise he wouldn't have survived. Although he was on the verge of death, it was already a miracle that he survived under those circumstances.
"If left unattended, it will probably die soon."
Moen added, his gaze sweeping across Erza and the others, observing their attitude towards Jellal.
"What... what exactly happened?"
"Geralt...why did he become like this?"
Xiu, Miliana, and Woolley were completely confused. Unlike Simon, who had sensed something was wrong from the start and firmly believed that Erza wouldn't betray them, the three of them had genuinely believed Geralt's words.
"He's probably distracted by something. He keeps saying something about Zeref, Zeref. You've been here for so many years, have you ever seen Zeref? Or something related to him?"
Moen was not unfamiliar with this situation; classic examples included being "possessed by an evil god" or having one's mind altered.
There must be a reason why a perfectly normal person suddenly turns evil. Jellal's reason is naturally because of that Zeref. No, it's not even certain if it's the real "Zeref." Maybe it's something else impersonating that evil legend.
"Zeref...we can't see it, only Geralt can..."
Simon answered Moen's question directly, which was consistent with what Gerald had said earlier. In fact, this was one of the main reasons why Simon had always been suspicious of Gerald.
Gerald kept talking about Zeref, Zeref, saying that Zeref could give them true freedom, but they couldn't feel the guy's presence at all, not even a little bit.
In Simon's view, Gerald had probably really gone mad, driven insane by the torment of those evil cult members, to the point that he believed resurrecting Zeref could bring them true freedom.
That's the "Founder of Dark Magicians"! An evil being who created countless terrifying demons! The freedom he brought... is it really freedom?
Unfortunately, everyone who had suffered a major blow was deceived by Gerald, and since the ships had already been burned, they had no choice but to stay and continue building the "Tower of Paradise".
They stayed there for eight long years, until Erza and her companions arrived at the Tower of Paradise.
Rescue them.
Simon looked at Erza, whose expression was quite conflicted, but in the end Erza looked up at Moen.
"Mount, what do you think we should do with him?"
Erza was completely at a loss, so she chose to seek help from Moen, the most reliable, trustworthy, and dependable man she relied on the most. If it were Moen, he would surely be able to make the right choice at this moment, right?
"This guy probably still has a lot of secrets. Let's lock him up for now and wait until we've squeezed all the information out of him before handing him over to the Magic Council. They will judge his crimes."
As soon as Erza asked, Moen immediately told her his plan. You could say that Moen was just waiting for Erza to ask.
The facts have proven that Moen's position in Erza's heart is far superior to Jellal's; childhood sweethearts ultimately cannot compete with the arrival of a new C.
Furthermore, they were far from being "childhood sweethearts." The time they spent together was negligible compared to Moen's, and it was all when they were very young—they knew nothing back then.
If we have to say, Moen and Erza are the real childhood sweethearts. From the age of eleven to now, at nineteen, from the beginning of puberty to now being graceful young women, this relationship cannot be changed by Geralt suddenly appearing.
Although Moen had been observing Erza's reactions, he never doubted that Erza would make the wrong choice, and indeed she did, as Erza ultimately stood by his side.
This girl has always been thinking about the Tower of Paradise, Jellal, Shu, Simon, Miliana, and Woolley. More than anything, she feels guilty, guilty for leaving alone and failing to save everyone, even though it wasn't really her fault. Erza, with her strong sense of responsibility, is still torturing herself.
Erza, with her strong sense of responsibility, is indeed prone to putting pressure on herself and sometimes on others.
This is why everyone in the guild is more afraid of Erza than Moen. Moen's methods are much gentler in comparison, and he will also cooperate with Erza, playing the good cop and the bad cop.
Erza, who is serious and responsible, is actually quite adorable, especially since she always leads by example and is always on the front lines.
Everyone in "Fairy Tail" respects her; otherwise, given their personalities, they wouldn't bother with someone who likes to meddle in other people's business.
Now that the Tower of Paradise has been destroyed and her former companions have escaped the "sea of suffering," Erza has finally resolved a knot in her heart and will naturally no longer dwell on this matter.
Simon watched from the side, the light in his eyes gradually dimming. When Erza was confused or vulnerable, she would reflexively turn to Moen for help and trust Moen's advice without question. Clearly, Erza had long since found her support in the outside world.
Most importantly, this reliance was incredibly reliable and had even saved them, leaving Simon with no other options.
Even against an opponent like Moen, Simon didn't think he had much of a chance of winning.
Moen was like the sun that could illuminate Erza, but at best he could only emit the light of a firefly's tail. If Moen stood to the side, Erza could no longer see him.
Is there any way to bring him back to normal?
Looking at Jellal, Erza asked seriously.
It's too pitiful to be a puppet whose mind is manipulated forever. Erza is kind, and even if it weren't Jellal lying here, she would still ask this question.
"It's worth a try, but I can't guarantee what the results will be. It might even be worse, turning him into a complete madman."
After a moment's thought, Moen voiced his concerns. He couldn't guarantee the outcome of using the [Phantom Demon Emperor Fist] on Jellal. Both forces were trying to manipulate Jellal's mind, and it might tear his spirit apart.
"He's like this...it's no different from being dead."
Erza's words made her stance clear.
Erza realized that Jellal had gone completely insane when he recklessly tried to destroy everything.
Although they still wear the same body, the person inside is no longer the same; it's quite apt to say that "it's no different from being dead."
Moen then looked at the others; Xiu, Miliana, Simon, and Woolley all nodded in support.
They felt that Gerald himself must also want to break free from this control and return to his former self.
In this situation, Gerald himself is no different from being dead, so what danger is there to fear? He might as well put himself in a do-or-die situation and try to survive!
"Okay, let's give it a try."
Seeing that several people who were familiar with Gerald agreed, Moen readily agreed to give it a try. Anyway, if he really messed up the guy, he wouldn't take the blame.
Moen gave Gerald some basic first aid to keep him alive; if he died, they wouldn't be able to get any information.
Moen now understands very well that Simon, Xiu, Miliana, and Woolley, though called high-ranking officials, are actually on the periphery. They are usually only responsible for leading people to build towers, and they know very little about other things.
What high-ranking officials? They're basically just migrant worker foremen.
To truly uncover the secrets behind the "Tower of Paradise," we'll need to pry open Jellal's mouth, and that... Ultear.
Ultear, a council member of the Magic Council, rose to prominence alongside Jellal, and apart from not obtaining the title of one of the Ten Wizard Saints, they followed almost the same path.
That guy was Gerald's trusted subordinate, the one who truly understood the story behind the "Tower of Paradise".
Moen's assertion that the "Tower of Paradise" was not so simple was partly due to the fact that Jellal and Ultear were able to infiltrate the "Magic Council" so easily.
Even if the Magic Council is a shoddy operation, it shouldn't be this incompetent, failing to investigate Jellal and Ultear's past at all. The fact that these two could hide so perfectly is something that the Tower of Paradise and the Evil Order couldn't possibly achieve.
After all, that "evil cult" was initially hunted down like stray dogs by the "Magic Council" and was almost completely wiped out. If they really had the ability to infiltrate the "Magic Council" without anyone noticing, they wouldn't have ended up like that.
Therefore, there must be another force helping them behind the "Tower of Paradise" and Gerald. This can be gleaned from the words of Simon, Hugh, Miliana, and Woolley. Someone had come to them to pick people before, and some of their companions were taken away.
"We lacked the talent and were eliminated after only one meeting."
Simon spoke with an embarrassed expression, clearly ashamed of their ignorance. But there was nothing they could do; Gerald wouldn't let them know the core information. That guy really didn't consider them one of his own.
Simon had suspected Gerald's motives from the beginning, so he naturally felt this rejection more intensely, unlike his three companions who were still foolishly believing that Gerald was really doing it for their own good, being excluded from the core without even realizing it.
"Dark skin, white hair, tall stature, wearing a coat, and carrying a wand—this appearance is quite distinctive—"
Listening to Simon's description, Moen thought about it carefully. Dark skin and white hair were indeed distinctive features.
After all, Moen had seen people with white hair and dark skin before. Although they were few, they were not nonexistent. While these could not be considered definitive characteristics, they could serve as key areas for investigation.
"Without knowing their names or origins, it's really difficult for us to investigate. Let's hand this information over to the Magic Council; they have extensive connections, and perhaps they can offer some good news."
Without much thought, Moen decided to leave this difficult problem to the "Magic Council".
After all, the matter of the "Tower of Paradise" should have been handled by the "Magic Council." Fairy Tail's initiative in taking action helped the "Magic Council" solve a major problem, and those guys should also contribute to the subsequent investigation.
The members of the Magic Council are also responsible for sending the rescued laborers home.
Of course, those with homes can return home, and Moen doesn't mind accepting those without homes as his subjects, allowing them to settle down around Magnolia.
"Indeed, some people are no longer here."
Erza noticed this as she looked at the "laborers".
"Actually, that guy only picked off a few people; the rest died during the eight years of construction work."
Simon looked sorrowful. They should have left this place with Erza eight years ago to escape this tragic fate, but because of Gerald, they ended up dying here.
Even though Gerald provided them with shelter and food, and treated them better than when they were slaves, it was inevitable that there would be casualties after eight years of hard work building the city through wind and rain. They should not have had to endure all of this.
Because of Gerald, those who didn't escape, and Erza who left, each of them suffered for another eight years.
If Simon were to say that Gerald deserved to die, even if he was being controlled and even if that wasn't his true intention, would those who lost eight years of their lives, or even their health, because of Gerald all deserve it?
Xiu, Miliana, and Woolley also had complicated expressions. They had been greatly shocked and felt that the past eight years had been a joke, immersing themselves in a false lie without realizing it.
"...It's all my fault, I didn't come sooner."
Erza looked saddened upon hearing this. If she had come to rescue everyone sooner, perhaps fewer people would have fallen ill from overwork.
"No, Erza, it can't be your fault."
Simon, Shu, Miriam, and Woolley immediately refuted Erza's self-blame, arguing that Erza had no obligation to save them, and that she had already saved them once eight years ago, and that they had failed to seize the opportunity.
The four exchanged glances, all realizing that their presence was a constant reminder to Erza of everything about the Tower of Paradise, making her feel guilty and wanting to make amends to them.
But you really don't owe us anything, Erza!
Erza's attitude made Simon and the others feel very uncomfortable, especially Xiu, Miliana, and Woolley. They felt that they had truly let Erza down by not trusting her before, and that they were the ones who owed Erza a debt of gratitude and had let her down.
, 9
Moen watched the group silently from the side. He felt that Erza's four companions were all pretty good people. At least they were grateful and sincere to Erza. Perhaps Jellal was also a good person when he was normal.
Unfortunately, after these eight years, everything is irreversible.
Moen couldn't help but sigh for Gerald. Even if he really helped Gerald break free from control, things could never go back to the way they were before.
It's impossible to pretend that everything that happened in the past eight years didn't exist, and Gerald himself can't pretend that nothing happened either. Making him come to his senses might be a kind of pain.
'Urudia, that mysterious figure, the mastermind behind the Tower of Paradise...'
Moen had many speculations in his mind, and he keenly realized that the suddenly appearing Ultear must be a key figure.
Furthermore, the name Urudia also has a story behind it, as it means "Uru's Tears".
Mo Mu's gaze couldn't help but fall on Gray, who was helping to settle the "laborers." Gray's master, the deceased and powerful mage, was named Uru, which made it hard not to draw connections.
>