The metallic clank of the outer gate snapped Lucy to attention. She braced herself, surely, this would be the start of another interrogation before they reached the capital.
But when the figure stepping through the doorway came into view, her heart leapt.
"Mr. Rhodes!"
Relief flooded her face, and for the first time since her arrest, the weight in her chest eased.
Rhode's gaze swept the cell: Lucy, standing straight and defiant; Natsu, pale and half-collapsed on the floor. It was quite the sorry sight, though he couldn't help but smile a little.
"How are you two?" he asked gently. "Did they hurt you? Any interrogation yet?"
Lucy shook her head. "No. They just slapped on the Magic-Sealing Stone and threw us in here."
Her expression twisted, half-frustration, half-hurt. "I was home all last night, I swear! I didn't assassinate the Princess."
"Of course I believe you," Rhodes said without hesitation. "But they're claiming the assassins were Taurus and Cancer. Have they acted strange lately?"
"How could they!" Lucy protested. "Taurus helped us with the mission a few days ago, and Cancer, he just trimmed my hair this morning!"Her voice trembled slightly, but her conviction was unshaken. "They'd never do something like that."
Emotionally, rationally, magically, Rhodes believed her. If there was one thing Fairy Tail trusted more than power, it was family.
He turned a cold stare on Arcadios.
Was this "evidence" real? Had someone forged it, or forced Yukino to vouch for it?
But Arcadios's tone was firm, the pride of a knight unbending.
"There is no mistake," he said. "The assailants were a bull-man wielding a massive axe and a crab-man brandishing scissors, the latter's favorite word, apparently, was 'Shrimp.'"
Lucy froze. Those descriptions were too precise.
"Impossible…" she whispered, shaken. Even she began to doubt herself.
Rhode's eyes flicked to the Magic-Sealing Stone cuffs. "Then why not summon them here? We can have a face-to-face confrontation."
Arcadios shook his head. "Allowing you to see the suspects already stretches my authority. Until we reach the capital, she is forbidden to use any magic."
Rhodes opened his mouth to argue, but Lucy stopped him.
"Mr. Rhodes," she said softly, "let's just go see the Princess.
Princess Hisui isn't unreasonable. Once we explain everything, she'll understand."
Arcadios nodded slightly. "On that, we agree. His Majesty and Her Highness will judge fairly."
Fiore had no prince, only the one princess. The Queen had long passed, and the King had never remarried.
In other words, Princess Hisui was already the future Queen. Any attempt on her life would shake the entire kingdom.
The air between the three of them relaxed, at least a little. It helped that Natsu was in no condition to shout; if he could speak, they'd probably be arguing again already.
Rhodes, as if the tension didn't exist at all, casually unpacked a small picnic stove from his magic pouch. "None of you have eaten yet, have you? I'll make something quick."
Lucy blinked. "Eh? Here?"
He had already set out ingredients.
"Mr. Rhodes, this is a prison cell," Lucy whispered, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Arcadios's jaw twitched.
"There is prepared food aboard the ship," he said tightly. "Please refrain from making open fire."
A few minutes later, Lucy found herself holding a standard-issue Royal Knight's field ration.
It wasn't exactly delicious, dense bread, dried meat, and tasteless vegetable paste, but the nutritional balance was flawless.
Lucy chewed thoughtfully. "Is this… really prison food?"
Rhodes shrugged. "Knights eat better than some guilds do."
Then he placed another lunchbox in front of Natsu, grinning. "Natsu, breakfast time."
"Ugh..." Natsu clutched his stomach, face turning green. "Don't… make it smell so good…"
Rhodes, deadpan, nudged the box closer to his nose. "Smells great, right?"
Lucy watched the two childish idiots, Rhodes teasing Natsu, Natsu groaning in protest, and couldn't help but laugh.
Even in a prison cell, they somehow made it feel like the Guild.
After thinking for a while, she came to a quiet realization:
The most important thing about Fairy Tail wasn't the building itself, it was these people.
Arcadios, standing off to the side, couldn't understand it.
To him, these were criminals facing the gravest of charges, assassination of the Princess herself.
If convicted, even if Fiore rarely executed prisoners, life imprisonment was guaranteed. Yet these Magicians were so calm, so relaxed, as if utterly certain they could clear their names.
Could it be… that the true culprits really weren't them?
While everyone was lost in thought, the airship glided steadily through the clouds and began its descent. The capital of Fiore came into view, its spires gleaming beneath the morning sun.
With a low hiss of steam, the ship landed roughly three hundred meters from the palace gates.
Two lines of armored soldiers stood at attention along the path.Lucy was escorted down the ramp, walking between them, her wrists still bound by the Magic-Sealing Stone.
Behind her, two soldiers awkwardly carried Natsu, who was too dizzy to walk, while Rhodes strode beside Arcadios.
They weren't taken to the main audience hall but to a side palace heavily guarded on all sides.
Soldiers lined every corridor; even the rooftops had sentries watching with spears in hand.
At the center of the grand side hall stood a raised judgment platform.Lucy was led to stand upon it, her expression calm but her heart pounding.
Natsu had recovered enough to stand, though still pale. And, of course, the first thing he did after regaining strength, was shout.
"I told you already! Lucy didn't assassinate any Princess! Let us go!"
Arcadios turned, his tone perfectly composed.
"That's not for me to decide. Please remain here for now."
He inclined his head politely to Rhodes before stepping out, most likely to invite the King and Princess themselves.
Rhodes had already used Void Vision upon entering the hall.Hidden guards beneath the floors, crossfire positions behind the columns, even strange, rune-etched contraptions placed discreetly on the walls, all likely magical weapons primed for defense.
Entirely normal precautions, given the circumstances.
He rapped Natsu lightly on the head. "Quiet down."
"But we didn't do anything wrong!" Natsu snapped.
"Lucy probably didn't," Rhodes replied dryly. "But you definitely did punch a few royal soldiers. Quite a few, actually."
Natsu blinked, speechless. "That's because they were arresting people for no reason!"
"Mm-hmm," Rhodes said, clearly unconvinced. "We'll talk about that later."
He turned toward Lucy, his expression softening.
"Before things start, there's something you should know."
Rhodes quickly told her about the latest reports from Blue Pegasus and Mermaid Heel, the attacks on Celestial Spirit Mages, the confirmed casualties, and the pattern that was beginning to emerge.
Lucy's face fell. "How could Celestial Spirits… do such things?"
Her eyes were filled with disbelief, and sorrow.
Why would the Spirits, who lived to bond with their Mages, suddenly turn on them?
She looked up at Rhodes, puzzled. "Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because it might all be connected," he said. "Do you still remember Princess Hisui's magic?"
Lucy gasped. "Ah, right! The Princess is also a Celestial Spirit Mage! Then… could the assassination have been done by those rogue Spirits?"
"It's possible," Rhodes said grimly. "But what bothers me is why they'd pretend to be Taurus and Cancer. What could they gain from framing you?"
He studied her quietly. "Have you become so important that even Celestial Spirits have to resort to elaborate tricks to bring you down?"
Lucy flinched under his gaze, flustered. "H-how would I know?!"