"We are not the Lucy and Natsu you know, but we are the Fairy Tail of this world. We only appeared here because of a mission."
"Lucy" said this, and the others understood, just like the "Erza" from earlier.
As they were about to ask questions, "Lucy" paused and added, "It's Rhode's mission, he's your companion, right?"
"Is that guy here too?"
"Rhode!"
"Have you seen him?!"
The three were increasingly anxious, and even Mirajane, who was originally drained of energy, released Elfman and grabbed "Lucy's" arm.
It hurt a bit, and "Lucy" frowned, looking at Mirajane's anxious expression, thinking that it seems that man wasn't lying.
"It's Lucy! The number one wanted criminal of Fairy Tail, Lucy!"
"Fireball Natsu is here too!"
"Looking closely, that's Mirajane and the weakest of Fairy Tail, Elfman?"
"And that annoying little gossip reporter!"
"It really is a plot by Fairy Tail, arrest them!"
The soldiers regrouped, spears and shields raised, moving forward.
"Lucy" and Mirajane were taken aback, both sides felt they were adding trouble to each other, and both blamed the other.
Inside the car, "Natsu" urged, "Stop dawdling, get in the car quickly!"
Given the situation, there was no time for detailed explanations. "Lucy" sat in the front passenger seat, while Mirajane and Elfman entered the back.
Gajeel tossed Li Li into Elfman's arms, filling the backseat, while he jumped onto the car roof.
"Natsu" adjusted his goggles and shouted, "Hold on tight, especially the one on the roof! Ready—GO!"
This vehicle was more a war chariot than a magic four-wheeled vehicle; engines roared to life, and the vehicle immediately charged straight at the soldiers.
"FIRE!!!" "Natsu" yelled excitedly, seemingly pressing a switch that ignited the wheels in roaring flames.
The intense heat made the soldiers hesitate, avoiding it.
Some attempted to block the chariot with shields but were knocked down, flames catching on their bodies.
Their teammates hurriedly helped extinguish the fires.
The chariot sped away, trailing long fiery streaks, heading straight out of the Royal Capital.
Throughout, "Lucy" wasn't idle, swinging a magic whip to snatch equipment from fallen soldiers nearby.
She skillfully dismantled the magic crystals, keeping some as spares, and tossing others into the chariot's power chamber.
Occasionally, Gajeel spotted someone attempting an ambush from the roadside, stretching out his hand to clear the path with the Iron Dragon Sword.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the city.
In contrast to the chaotic streets, the Royal Palace remained silent.
King Faust sat on the throne, with several cats hovering mid-air with spread wings.
Among them, four were evidently guards, strong and muscular, while the leader was a black and white cat with a long neck, its right paw waving like a lucky cat.
This cat looked peculiar but held a prestigious identity as Nadi, the Minister of State of Extalia.
In this world, his status is second only to the Queen and the Four Great Elders.
"Regarding the incident where Captain Erza Knightwalker of the Second Magic Combat Team launched a sneak attack on our Guard Corps and abducted the Guard Corps Commander Two Nights, an explanation must be given. Otherwise, Queen Shargate will strike divine retribution."
The old king tightly gripped his scepter, not looking up. After pondering, he spoke in a deep voice:
"I understand. I will immediately order Erza's arrest and provide an account to Extalia."
"…" Nadi did not expect the matter to be resolved so smoothly.
Though he appeared firm, he actually intended to test the human attitude, prepared for a verbal confrontation and… other preparations.
Yet King Faust seemed overly compliant today. Was the incident too significant? Or was the king angered by his subordinates' actions?
Nadi couldn't fathom, but it indicated the Queen's intimidation worked, ensuring everyone's peace of mind.
"Then we shall take our leave."
Without waiting for Faust's response, Nadi and his guards flew out of the hall and left the Royal Palace, returning to Extalia.
Faust banged his scepter heavily on the floor, causing tiny cracks to appear on the tiles.
The outside soldiers heard the noise and promptly entered to await orders.
"Arrest Erza, prepare the flying ship."
"Yes!" The soldiers, though surprised, could only follow orders and depart.
…
Elsewhere, Rhode and others prepared to head to the Royal Capital, though everyone seemed weary.
Partly due to yesterday's efforts for the Moon's Drop, followed by battles and escapes leaving them exhausted.
On the other hand, it was due to Rhode himself.
Yesterday, they captured the Guard Corps Commander Two Nights from Extalia.
Rhode figured this guy, being a high-ranking officer, must possess valuable intel.
At the very least, they should uncover the nature of Carla and Hapi's 'mission,' as well as the magic transmitting information to Carla from afar.
Thus, after Lucy recovered, he asked Gemini for assistance.
As a result, the information uncovered was somewhat unexpected.
This Mister Two Nights held a status comparable to Minister of State Nadi, thus possessing numerous secrets.
The first secret was that there was never a 'kill the Dragon Slayer Mages' mission.
This was something Carla couldn't believe.
Hapi's parents couldn't believe it either; they witnessed their egg being taken by troops six years ago, only to later learn that 100 eggs were released into Aslan.
Back then, it was indeed said it was to defeat the terrifying monsters of the Otherworld.
But Gemini extracted Two Nights' memory, explaining:
"That's because the Queen prophesied Extalia's destruction by humans, and unable to contend with them, they used the plan as a pretext to secretly send 100 children away."
Lucy asked, perplexed, "Isn't the Queen said to control the life and death of others? How could she not defeat humans?"
"Because that's false. The Queen's ability is merely divination magic. While Transcenders possess magic power, they are still significantly weaker compared to humans' military might, initially even hunted due to their magic power.
"Thus, many years ago, the Four Great Elders devised a plan, using Shargate's prophecy to feign powerful magic, making humans treat her and the entire Transcender race as gods, allowing them to live peacefully."
Everyone fell silent. From the Transcenders' perspective, Queen Shargate and the Four Great Elders' actions… referring to them as impressive would be an understatement.
Turning the fate of the entire race with mere few individuals' power, calling them heroes would not be too much.
However, they subsequently did nothing to genuinely strengthen their race, maintaining their status through deceit, with severe consequences should the truth be unveiled.
The predicted Extalia destruction would likely be a result of exposure.
Carla frowned, asking, "If there was no such mission, why do I always have these visions of Edolas?"
Gemini, as Two Nights, replied, "Extalia doesn't have magic for transmitting information over distances, nor do they implant memories in eggs.
"But from your description, it resembles the Queen's divination magic. Could it be you interpreted some prophesied elements as implanted memories?"