"Voldemort… who is this person?"
"I've never heard of him. Dragons hiding in the bodies of Dragon Slayers... could it be true?" one of the judges muttered, perplexed by the idea.
Ultia turned her attention to Makarov, "Mr. Makarov, do you know who he is?"
Makarov shook his head, "Online names are usually aliases. It's hard to know who's behind them."
The judges exchanged puzzled glances. Crawford Shim, the Speaker, finally broke the silence, suggesting, "Why not just ask him?"
But Makarov, engrossed in thought, didn't respond. His mind raced back to Voldemort's mention of "Iron Dragon" Medalikana. He knew there was an Iron Dragon Slayer affiliated with the guild [Phantom Lord]. Could it be that Voldemort was Joseph Pola, the Phantom Lord's master?
Joseph was not only one of the Ten Wizard Saints but also a formidable force, and his guild was highly respected in the Kingdom of Fiore. Still, the idea of Joseph anonymously providing information on the internet seemed unlikely.
"You can always ask," Yajima, the sixth councilor, remarked with a shrug. "You've got nothing to lose."
Makarov sighed, feeling reluctant to reach out to someone he suspected might be an enemy. He opened the chat interface.
Goblin Patriarch: [Who are you?]
...
On the other end, Knight had just finished updating the forum when he noticed the incoming message.
"Goblin Patriarch?" He chuckled to himself, realizing that it was Makarov's online alias. "Of course, it's the guild master. What a fitting name."
However, Knight decided it was better to maintain the mystery surrounding Voldemort's persona. Ignoring the message, he moved on to other tasks.
...
Meanwhile, back at the council chambers, Makarov was staring at the screen, waiting for a reply that never came. His frustration grew as the minutes ticked by in silence.
"Maybe he's from a Dark Guild," Ultia teased with a smirk, her eyes gleaming mischievously.
"Ahem," Crawford Shim interrupted, regaining everyone's attention. "It's time for the council to issue its ruling."
The councilors resumed their seats as Crawford lifted his gavel, speaking authoritatively, "Makarov, once again, your guild members have caused significant damage, this time in Hargeon. The punishment is as follows: you will write an official letter of apology, to be submitted within the week."
Makarov sighed, already accustomed to this routine.
"And as for that internet magic of yours, which you used during this trial... your magic ring is hereby confiscated!"
Makarov rolled his eyes. "The rings are bound to their owners. Confiscating it won't do you any good."
Crawford flushed with embarrassment, realizing his mistake. "Er… in that case, your guild will surrender ten unused rings to the council. Dismissed!"
With a sharp bang of the gavel, the council adjourned.
Ultia leaned in close to Makarov with a sly grin. "So, about those rings… mind sending one my way?"
...
Back in Magnolia, the guild hall was buzzing with activity.
The library had been thoroughly combed over by the guild members, eager to upload all the available books and earn points. By midday, the once full shelves were mostly bare.
Natsu burst through the door, his energy lighting up the room as he hurried to the bar where Knight sat.
"Nate! I know where Igneel is!" he declared excitedly.
"Oh? That's great," Knight replied nonchalantly, not even looking up from his meal.
"A guy named Voldemort told me Igneel is inside my body!" Natsu continued, though his enthusiasm quickly deflated. "But... how do I get him out?"
He slumped over the bar in defeat. Knight, watching his antics, couldn't help but feel amused. Natsu's blind faith in Voldemort's post was both endearing and concerning.
Natsu suddenly sat bolt upright, his face pale with realization. "Did I accidentally swallow Igneel when I was a kid?!" he exclaimed, horrified.
Knight stifled a laugh. "No, Natsu, I'm pretty sure that's not what happened."
Lucy, having overheard the conversation, joined them with a sigh. "I saw that post too. It's not about swallowing anything—it's more like Igneel is... hidden inside you."
Natsu remained unconvinced, his expression still filled with doubt and confusion.
Knight shifted his gaze to Lucy, offering a light-hearted smile. "When did you get here?"
Lucy pouted. "I've been here for a while! Am I that easy to miss?"
"Sorry, didn't notice," Knight chuckled.
Before Lucy could respond, Mirajane chimed in from behind the bar. "Lucy, don't worry too much. You're still new. Get comfortable with the guild and its ways."
Mirajane's eyes lit up as an idea came to her. "Actually, you and Knight should team up for your next commission! You both joined around the same time. It'll be a good learning experience."
Lucy perked up at the suggestion, while Knight quickly waved his hands. "No thanks, I'd rather not."
But before he could fully refuse, the system prompt appeared in his mind:
[Task: Maintain at least 80 active users with an average daily online time of 2 hours for three consecutive days.] [Reward: 1,000 rings.] [Task completed!]
"Huh? Already?" Knight muttered, surprised. He glanced at the task interface, which showed the current number of active users: 93, with an average daily usage of exactly two hours.
He grinned to himself. "Perfect timing."
Knight leaned back, thinking about how to distribute his newly acquired rings. The members of the guild were too enthusiastic for their own good, and giving them more rings would only create more chaos.
"I'll have to come up with a better plan," he mused quietly, knowing that maintaining the momentum of the Magic Internet would take some creativity.
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