Inside the airship's cramped holding cell, a familiar voice echoed for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Let me go! Ugh... Lucy...ugh ~"
"Don't throw up while saying my name," Lucy muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose.
It wasn't that she wasn't anxious, she simply knew anxiety wouldn't help.
She had repeated "I didn't do it" and "I was home all night" until her throat went dry, yet no one believed her.
Arcadios, Commander of the Fiore Kingdom's Knight Order, insisted she had assassinated Princess Hisui.
All Lucy could do now was wait , for Fairy Tail to testify, or for a chance to explain herself directly to the princess.
Two guards stood outside the bars. They weren't particularly tense; both captives wore Magic Sealing Stone handcuffs, escape was impossible.
Only the motion-sick Fire Dragon was noisy. And messy.
"Ugh ~ I hate flying ~" Natsu groaned, collapsing face-first against the cell wall.
Arcadios, meanwhile, stood upon the deck in full armor, the pinnacle of the kingdom's magical engineering.
With this enchanted equipment and the swordsmanship drilled into him since childhood, he was confident he would not lose to any guild wizard.
Even against guild masters, he fancied his chances.
From the lookout tower came a shout:
"Commander! It seems someone's chasing us!"
"Seems?" Arcadios's voice cut through the wind. "Report with certainty!"
The lookout swallowed and peered again.
At first, only a distant black dot shimmered in the sun, but within seconds, it expanded, growing closer at impossible speed.He lifted his binoculars, and froze.
A man with wings. Familiar.
So close now that binoculars were useless.
The instant recognition struck him, the winged figure was already on the deck.
The lookout went pale. If this was an enemy, they were doomed, and even if not, he'd be court-martialed for letting someone board an airship mid-flight.
The soldiers barely had time to react before a thud shook the deck.The airship lurched, steadied, and the intruder stood at its center, wings folding back in a ripple of light.
Every sword and spear rose at once, until Arcadios raised a gloved hand.
"Stand down."
His golden eyes narrowed beneath his helm.
"Mr. Rhodes… or should I address you by title, Your Grace, the Duke?"
Rhodes said nothing. Instead, he flicked his fingers. A soft flash enveloped him, Re-euip Magic.
Gasps rippled through the deck as a Saint Ten cloak appeared upon his shoulders.
Five medals gleamed on his chest:
The Ten Wizard Saints Medal.
The Earl's Medal, for capturing the remnants of the Petrluya Gang.
The Duke's Meritorious Service Medal, for eradicating bandits nationwide.
The Peace Medal.
The Legion of Honor, awarded by Fiore itself to Fairy Tail seven years ago.
Technically, the last two were guild honors meant for the Master to display, but Fairy Tail never cared much for protocol, and Rhodes knew when to use symbolism to full effect.
Arcadios's posture changed instantly. He could dismiss a criminal's accomplice, but not a national hero draped in the kingdom's highest decorations.
Every soldier straightened subconsciously, weapons rising in salute.
Rhodes adjusted the cloak with calm precision, meeting the commander's gaze.
"Address me however you wish. I believe you know why I'm here."
Arcadios's jaw tightened. "For your two companions. Miss Lucy is charged with assassinating Her Highness Hisui, and Mr. Natsu stands accused of assaulting royal troops. I am enforcing the kingdom's law."
"Kingdom law," Rhodes said evenly, "requires evidence."
"Precisely." Arcadios's tone remained respectful yet unyielding. "And it was because the evidence was so decisive that we acted so swiftly."
Rhode's stare was sharp enough to draw blood, but Arcadios didn't flinch.
'Could there really be evidence of Lucy attempting to assassinate the princess?'
Rhode's expression hardened. "Tell me, Commander. If this is some sort of fabrication..."
Arcadios raised a hand, his armor gleaming coldly in the morning light. "The safety of Her Highness is not something I can speak of lightly. But… since it's your request, I'll explain what I can."
He turned and gestured for his subordinates to step back. The soldiers obeyed at once, leaving the two men standing alone on the deck, the wind tugging at their cloaks.
"Miss Lucy Heartfilia," Arcadios began, "is a Celestial Spirit Mage. She holds the keys to two Zodiac Celestial Spirits, Taurus and Cancer, correct?"
Most people, especially non-mages, used "two" as a casual quantifier for Spirit contracts. Rhodes didn't bother correcting him. He only motioned slightly with his eyes for the commander to continue.
Given the Hartfilia family's long ties with the royal court, and Lucy's previous demonstrations of her magic during her father's negotiations with the palace, it wasn't strange that Arcadios would know such details.
Arcadios went on. "Last night, the ones who attacked Her Highness were precisely these two Celestial Spirits, Taurus and Cancer."
"Impossible!" Rhode's reply came before he could think.
But the word died on his lips.
He remembered too clearly the unrest in the Celestial Spirit Realm. The Star Spirit King's warning. The rogue constellations wandering the human world.
Could something have happened to Lucy's contracted Spirits?Had they been corrupted like the abandoned ones, or perhaps manipulated under orders from the King himself to eliminate other Spirits, and somehow Hisui was caught in the crossfire?
His thoughts tangled, branching into dozens of possibilities. None made complete sense.
He forced himself to calm down. "How is the princess? Was she injured?"
Arcadios hesitated, measuring his words. But seeing Rhode's tone soften slightly, he answered honestly.
"Thanks to the intervention of Sergeant Yukino Agria, Her Highness was unharmed."
Rhodes blinked. "That's good to hear…" He nodded in relief, then froze. "Wait. What sergeant?"
Arcadios looked at him, surprised. "Sergeant Yukino Agria. She serves directly under Her Highness as part of her royal guard. She mentioned that she knows you."
Rhodes stared blankly for a moment. Yukino? A royal guard?
When did that happen?
So much chaos in just a few days, the rogue Spirits, the assassinations, the sudden political upheaval, it was all threading together into a single storm.
If Yukino had truly been there, then the assassination attempt itself was no hoax.
Yukino wouldn't participate in a false accusation. And she would never mistake a Celestial Spirit for something else.
That made this worse.
If Lucy's Spirits really were involved, he couldn't let her face this alone.
And if it came to it, if the kingdom insisted she was guilty, then he'd do what Fairy Tail always did.
Fight for family, even against a nation.
Rhode's voice was calm, but his resolve had solidified.
"I want to see Lucy."
Arcadios studied him for a long moment.
After a brief silence, the commander nodded.
"Very well. I will allow it."
...
Stones PLzzz
Read 30+ chapters ahead @keepsmiling 818 P@reon