Chapter 378: Cornering Crime Sorciere

"STOOOP!"

Erza’s desperate scream tore through the jungle. The chaotic scramble halted instantly. The mages who had been surging forward to attack froze in their tracks.

In the center of it all, Finn merely offered a gentle, entirely unbothered smile.

"So," Finn began, his voice cutting clearly through the tense silence. "Given that you all just attempted to assault me, am I to conclude that Fairy Tail is actively cooperating with the Dark Guild, Crime Sorciere?" He shifted his gaze to Natsu, whose fists were still blazing with fire. "I wonder how Master Makarov will react when he hears his precious guild collaborated with known terrorists to assassinate the Chief of the Magic Council’s Fiore Branch."

"DAMMIT!" Natsu cursed, forced to extinguish his flames.

"And you," Finn drawled, turning his attention to Jellal. The blue-haired fugitive’s fist was hovering mere inches from Finn’s face, halted only by Erza’s scream. "A criminal through and through. I thought your goal was to eradicate Dark Guilds, Jellal Fernandes? Yet here you are, trying to eradicate me."

Finn deliberately leaned in, practically pressing his jaw against Jellal’s trembling fist. "Come on. Kill me. Let’s show everyone your grand sacrifice to save Fairy Tail. You can take the blame for my murder, rot in a cell, and become a tragic martyr in their eyes. Isn’t that your entire script? Go ahead! Do it!"

Jellal couldn’t move. He was boiling with rage yet completely paralyzed by helplessness. He knew exactly what would happen if he threw that punch. He would doom them all.

Finn stared him down. "Bow down. Apologize to me."

"Yes. I am deeply sorry, Master."

Out of nowhere, Virgo materialized in her usual maid outfit. She dropped to her knees, bowing so low her forehead almost brushed Finn’s boots, a deeply flushed, masochistic expression plastered across her face.

A stunned, awkward silence fell over the beach.

Finn stared down at the trembling celestial spirit, utterly derailed.

"I-I’m so sorry!" Lucy panicked, rushing forward to yank Virgo away. In a desperate bid for distraction, she leaned toward Finn, awkwardly arching her back to emphasize her cleavage. Adopting a terribly forced, sultry voice, she pleaded, "C-Can you just let us go? If you do... I can give you something you’ll be happy with for the rest of your life, you know?"

Finn swallowed the sharp threats he had lined up. The intimidating, villainous atmosphere he had masterfully built up had been completely shattered in five seconds by Lucy and her spirit.

Yeah, she really is the protagonist, Finn thought dryly. Natsu might be the fire-breathing muscle, but Lucy possessed the true, chaotic protagonist aura. Still curious, he raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly will you give me?"

"A-A kiss!" Lucy blurted out, her entire face burning red.

Finn just stared at her with dead eyes.

"I-Is that not enough?! Pervert!" she shrieked defensively.

Finn sighed, rubbing his temples. "Can someone with a functioning brain talk to me and pull these idiots away?"

"We’re so sorry," Wendy and Levy chorused, quickly dragging a protesting Lucy and Virgo back into the crowd.

"What do you want?" Erza stepped forward, cutting straight to the chase. She eyed the magical camera in Finn’s hand, her expression deeply troubled. The situation was disastrous, and she knew there was no talking their way out of a recorded confession.

"Thinking about stealing it?" Finn mused.

Erza pursed her lips, refusing to answer.

"Go ahead." Finn casually tossed the camera to her. Erza caught it on reflex, blinking in surprise. "I’ve already transmitted the recording to multiple secure lacrima drives off-site. Destroying that one changes nothing."

"It’s my fault," Jellal interjected, dropping his fists. The resignation was heavy in his voice; he had already accepted that he was going back to prison. "Erza and Fairy Tail have nothing to do with this. I approached them. I take full responsibility. Leave them out of it."

Finn completely ignored him. Jellal held zero political or financial value.

"I BEG YOU!" Jellal shouted, dropping to his knees. The guilt was eating him alive—if he hadn’t selfishly sought them out, Fairy Tail wouldn’t be in this mess.

Finn looked past the kneeling man entirely. "I don’t negotiate with simplistic martyrs. Is there anyone here actually smart enough to talk to me?"

Jellal gritted his teeth in humiliation.

"You want to talk to me, don’t you?" Ultear sighed, stepping out from the shadows, resigning herself to her fate.

Finn finally smiled. "I do like smart women."

Ultear knew Finn’s primary target had always been her, and he had cornered her perfectly. With Fairy Tail’s reputation on the line, she had no choice but to comply with whatever twisted demands he had.

"What are you going to do with her?!" Gray snapped, stepping forward protectively. He refused to let his late master’s daughter be dragged away by this corrupt official.

Finn shot him a freezing glare. "Do you want Fairy Tail classified as a Dark Guild by tomorrow morning?"

Gray choked on his words, his fists shaking. Surrender Ultear, or watch Fairy Tail be destroyed. It was an impossible choice.

But before Gray could do something reckless, a soft, ethereal voice broke the tension. "Can you let them go, Finn?"

Finn turned, completely unfazed as the glowing, ghostly projection of Fairy Tail’s First Master, Mavis Vermillion, materialized on the beach. "First Master," he greeted smoothly. "Overindulging your brats as always, I see."

"They are my children," Mavis replied firmly. "I cannot allow them to be branded as a Dark Guild."

"First Master!" The Fairy Tail mages gasped, shocked by her sudden physical manifestation.

"I will handle this. All of you, stand down and go back. That includes the blue-haired boy," Mavis commanded. She knew perfectly well that the current generation lacked the diplomatic tact to handle a shark like Finn. Jellal appeared calm, but Mavis could sense his martyr complex; smart men often did the most incomprehensibly stupid things when drowning in guilt. If they stayed, they would only make things worse.

"But, First Master..." Erza stepped forward, deeply worried. "Please, let me stay with you."

Finn caught Mavis’s questioning gaze and shrugged. "I don’t mind." Erza was straightforward and bound by honor; she wouldn’t try any underhanded tricks.

"Then I’m going too!" Meredy raised her hand, stepping out from behind Ultear.

"Meredy, no! It’s fine, I can handle this!" Ultear protested, terrified of letting her adopted daughter anywhere near Finn.

"He won’t hurt me. Right, Chief of the Fiore Branch?" Meredy challenged, staring Finn down.

Finn smirked. "I won’t. Unlike the reckless brutes in Fairy Tail or you three underground terrorists, I am a law-abiding government official. I’m the innocent victim here."

A collective, silent groan of disbelief echoed across the beach. They all wanted to scream at him, but infuriatingly, he was technically correct. If any outside observer had stumbled upon this scene, they would have seen a respectable government official being cornered and threatened by a mob of known criminals.

"Come along, then," Finn said, turning his back on the mob and walking away, fully confident his selected guests would follow.

"Wait, Erza! You shouldn’t go, he’s dangerous!" Jellal panicked, reaching out for her.

"I’m sorry, Jellal, but this is for my guild. I have to see this through," Erza replied coldly, shaking him off. She turned a terrifying glare on her guildmates. "Do not mess around while I am gone."

The Fairy Tail mages gulped and nodded stiffly. Meredy and Ultear had already fallen into step behind Finn.

As the small group distanced themselves from the crowd, Finn raised a hand. A thick, localized mist instantly rolled in, enveloping them in a dense labyrinth of fog. Simultaneously, a sound barrier snapped into place. They could still perfectly hear Natsu screaming, "DAMMIT, WHERE ARE THEY?!" from outside, but the mages couldn’t hear or see them, not even with a Dragon Slayer’s enhanced senses.

"You are exceptionally skilled," Mavis noted, floating beside him with a sigh. He was far more powerful than she had initially estimated.

"I’m merely average compared to your lover, First Master," Finn replied casually.

Mavis completely froze.

"Lover?!" Erza, Ultear, and Meredy whipped their heads toward the ghost, absolutely stunned by the lore drop.

Mavis’s ethereal face flushed rapidly. Caught completely off guard, a flurry of conflicted, embarrassed expressions crossed her face before she shut her eyes tightly and yelled, "Anyway! Just do whatever you want, you absolute pervert! You just want to sleep with me like you do with my female guild members, don’t you?! Bring it on!"

Erza, Ultear, and Meredy stared at Mavis, completely paralyzed by second-hand embarrassment.

Finn pinched the bridge of his nose. There were so many things he wanted to say, but mostly, he just wanted to clarify that this entire situation was a massive, insane misunderstanding.

---

By the way, I might have said this before, but I have uploaded my new original story. The title is "Checking Out at 5:15 PM" with the name "OnlyPureLove44," or I might change it to Akikan in the future.

Regardless, there are more than 29 now.

You can check when you want to read more of my work.

Thank you!