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39.76% Fairy Tail: Metal and Threads / Chapter 273: The Next Step

章節 273: The Next Step

Edolas, Edolas Continent, Royal Capital.

November, x784.

After rescuing Erza and Marin, the group spent the next two days in the Edolas Gajeel's safe house. During that time, they had not heard from Happy and Carla at all. Meanwhile, the man hunt for them was still going strong.

On top of that, as time went by, keeping Natsu and Wendy calm was becoming more difficult. In fact, there were several times when Alfonzo had to physically restrain Natsu, who wanted to rush out and start looking for Happy. As for Wendy, there were several times when the female members of the group had to calm her down after she started crying due to her worry for Carla.

"*Sigh* Things finally look like they are calming down." The Edolas Gajeel said as he entered the rundown house that was serving as the group's hideout. "And even though I was never seen by the Royal Army, they made me one of their prime suspects for the lacrima's disappearance."

"Sorry for all the trouble." Elicia said. "But we're lucky to have you on our side."

"Don't worry about it." The Edolas Gajeel said, waving off Elicia's apology. "I believe this is the right thing to do. Just because the magic in Edolas is running out, what the royal family is doing is wrong."

"So, what's our next move?" Marin asked curiously. "I mean, we've talked about getting everyone out of that lacrima, but how are we gonna get back home?"

"I'm betting Mystogan should have away." Alfonzo replied, opening his eyes from his meditation.

Saying that Alfonzo was meditating was a bit inaccurate, however. Instead of meditating, he was circulating his magic power through the [Soul Weapon Embryo] he wore around his neck.

In fact, Alfonzo, Elicia, and Erza had all been spending most of their free time trying to cause their [Soul Weapons'] first shift. And although none of them felt that it would happen before they were able to solve the issues in Edolas, they knew it would not be too far off.

"*Sigh*I'm kinda jealous that I don't have a pendant like that, too." Marin said after catching a glimpse of the pendant under Alfonzo's shirt. "Having a weapon like that would be nice."

"Now that I think about it, do you even have your daggers?" Elicia asked curiously.

"*Sigh* No." Marin replied. "I was just relaxing with Erza at the guild hall when everything happened. But my daggers are back in my room at the mansion. We didn't even get to finish our conversation about the new novel we were reading. *Sigh*"

As she had mentioned to Wendy after returning from the quest to Karakura, Marin had moved into Alfonzo's house shortly after she returned. And naturally, all her belongings were moved along with her. Unfortunately, having not expected a situation like this, she was not carrying her daggers with her.

"Oh, I didn't think about that." Alfonzo said as he held his hands out in Marin's direction. In the next instant, a pair of daggers, nearly identical to Marin's main weapons, appeared in his hands. Then, he handed them to her with a smile on his face. "Here. I should have made a backup pair for you a long time ago."

Seeing the new pair of daggers in Alfonzo's hands, Marin sighed in relief. She did not like being in hostile territory without a way to protect herself, after all.

Accepting the new daggers, Marin, since she did not have sheaths for them, [Transformed] them into a pair of bracelets. Then, with a smile, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Alfonzo's neck.

"Thank you, Fonzie." Marin said happily before pecking Alfonzo on the cheek.

Seeing that display of affection, Wendy could not help but blush.

Although he was happy to see Marin smiling so brightly, Alfonzo could not help but twitch his upper lip when he was called "Fonzie." Even though he had gotten used to hearing Elicia and Cana call him that over the years, he never actually liked the nickname. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Those are permanent, right?" Elicia asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Yeah." Alfonzo replied with Marin still nuzzling up against him. "It wouldn't be a good look if they suddenly disappeared mid-battle, after all."

"What about the drain on your magic power?' Erza, who had also just ended her meditation, asked.

"Yeah, you said that making permanent objects uses up a lot more magic power, right?" Lucy asked, also showing concern.

Hearing the other three girls, Marin also just remembered about the extra magic power cost Alfonzo had to endure to make permanent objects.

"Don't worry about it." Alfonzo said, waving off their concerns. "Making a pair of daggers that size isn't an issue."

"Yeah, but what about their ability to change their weight and mass?" Marin asked.

"That has nothing to do with the materials needed to make them." Alfonzo replied while combing his fingers through Marin's hair. "And carving sigils into the daggers doesn't cost any extra magic power. So, there's nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, it's good that Marin has a way to protect herself, now." Natsu said impatiently. "So, can we talk about what we're gonna do next? We need to save Happy and Carla."

"Carla… I hope you're okay." Wendy muttered in a downcast tone.

Seeing Natsu and Wendy like this, the rest of the group felt sorry for them. Unfortunately, Happy and Carla were not on the top of the list of things to do at the moment.

"Before we do anything, we need to find a way to stop the royal family from stealing any more magic power from Earth Land." Alfonzo said. "I doubt they'll stop after only taking Magnolia."

"But what about happy and Carla!?" Natsu shouted indignantly.

"You should let me finish, Natsu." Alfonzo replied calmly.

Though he could see that Natsu was about to lose it, Alfonzo continued to explain what he thought was the best next step in an even tone.

"Of course, this will require us to infiltrate the Royal Castle." Alfonzo continued. "But I think it would be better to keep the number of people going in to a minimum."

"So, who do you think should go inside?' Erza asked with a solemn expression on her face.

"Lici, Erza, Marin, and Lucy." Alfonzo replied.

"Then what will you do?" Elicia asked curiously.

"I'll take Black Steel up to the big lacrima in the sky." Alfonzo replied as he glanced at Gajeel.

"Hell yeah!" Gajeel exclaimed. "I'd love to see the looks on their faces wen another one of their lacrima turns into something else."

In response, Alfonzo shook his head.

"We can't do that this time." Alfonzo said. "If we turn it back to normal here, the whole town and everyone living in it will show up on that island."

"That would cause mass panic among the people of Magnolia." Lucy said with an uncomfortable expression.

"Then, why are we going up there?' Gajeel asked.

"To make sure the royal family can't do anything to the lacrima." Alfonzo replied. "I wouldn't put it past those assholes to use the lacrima against us. I mean, they've probably already figured out who we are, after all. Especially after seeing Lici, Erza, and Marin the other day."

"I guess that makes sense." Gajeel muttered, a little unhappy now that he has to be on guard duty.

"Um…" Wendy hummed while raising her hand to get everyone' attention.

And Wendy succeeded, quickly gaining everyone's attention.

"What's up, Wendy?" Elicia asked gently.

"Um… What are Natsu and I supposed to do?" Wendy asked, her cheeks turning red with everyone staring at her. "I mean… you never… Um… said what you wanted us to do… Alfonzo…"

As she spoke, Wendy's voice lowered in volume as her head lowered along with it. Meanwhile, everyone who saw her behavior could not help thinking the same thing.

'She's so cute.'

"Yeah, what are we supposed to do?" Natsu asked energetically, looking forward to finally getting out of this little house.

Seeing Natsu and Wendy's enthusiasm, though Wendy's was hidden under her shyness, Alfonzo smiled at the both of them.

"Your task is to do the thing you want to do most right now." Alfonzo said, his smile widening. "Go and find Happy and Carla. The only condition is that the two of you have to stay together."

"Really?" Wendy asked, her head snapping up to meet eyes with Alfonzo.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu shouted. "I'm all fired up! Let's go, Wendy!""

After that loud shout, Natsu grabbed Wendy and slung her over his shoulder. Then, he rushed out of the house, kicking the door off the hinges as he left.

"My door…" The Edolas Gajeel muttered as he stared at his safe house's empty doorframe.

"*Sigh* Sorry about that, Gajeel." Alfonzo said as he shook his head at Natsu's actions. "I'll fix that before we leave. Meanwhile, the rest of you should get going, too."

In response, Elicia, Erza, Marin, and Lucy nodded their heads as they, too, left the safe house. Meanwhile, Alfonzo got up and walked to the door that was now laying in the middle of the street. Then, with his [Metal Magic], he repaired the broken hinges and reattached the door. He was just lucky that the door was only pulled away from the hinges instead of the hinges being pulled out of the wall.

"Thanks for that, Alfonzo." The Edolas Gajeel said in a relieved tone. "It would be hard to use this place as a safe house if there were no door, after all. Oh, and while you all are out, I'll do my best to run interference. I'll do what I can to keep the Royal Army off you, even if only for a little bit."

"Thanks." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "Then, we'll get going. Let's go, Black Steel."

Nodding in response, Gajeel followed Alfonzo out of the house. Then, Alfonzo bent the light around the two of them as he flew them up towards the landmass holding the giant lacrima.

A few minutes later, Elicia, Erza, Marin, and Lucy arrived outside the Royal Castle. And with Elicia's [Camouflage Magic], sneaking in undetected went smoothly.

"Now that we're inside, what's the plan?" Marin asked curiously.

"I think it would be in our best interest to split up." Erza replied. "Even though we're concealed with Elicia's magic, moving together in a group would make it easier to be found by the enemy."

"I agree." Elicia replied with a nod.

"then, how are we splitting up?" Lucy asked.

"You and Erza should go that way." Elicia said, pointing down a corridor. Then, she pointed in the opposite direction as she continued. "And Marin and I will go that way."

"Agreed." Erza replied with a nod. "Then, let's be off, Lucy."

"Okay." Lucy replied. Then, she looked at Elicia and Marin. And in a concerned tone, she continued. "You two be careful."

"We will." Marin replied with a smile.

"You two should be careful, too." Elicia added. "Remember, there are at least three Captains running around in he Castle right now. And I won't be able to keep my magic cast on you once we get too far away from each other."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to protect Lucy." Erza said, thumping her fist against her chest plate.

Then, after exchanging a few more words, the four young women split into groups of two and began their search for a way to stop the king from using the Anima to absorb any more magic power from Earth Land.

At the same time, Natsu and Wendy were running around the streets of the Royal Capital.

"Happy~~~~! Carla~~~~! Where are you~~~~!?" Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Um… Natsu… I don't think that's gonna work…" Wendy said hesitantly. "Alfonzo said Happy and Carla were taken to Extalia, remember?"

Immediately after hearing Wendy speak, Natsu, who was still carrying her on his shoulder, came to a sudden stop. Then, with his free hand, he started scratching the side of his head.

"Extalia? Where is that?" Natsu asked in a frustrated tone.

"I don't know." Wendy said, her mood becoming downcast once again. A moment later, however, she raised her head. "I bet the people in the city know, but---"

"That's it!" Natsu shouted happily. "We'll just ask the people around us!"

"Um… Natsu.. I don't think that's--- Kya!" Wendy said, trying to dissuade Natsu from asking the people.

Before she could stop him, however, Wendy screamed when Natsu took off running towards the nearest person.

"Hey!" Natsu shouted as he grabbed a nearby middle-aged man. "How do I get to Extalia?"

"Blasphemy!" The middle-aged man replied, flinging Natsu's hand off his clothing. "You dare to even consider visiting the home of the gods?"

While learning about this world from the Edolas Lucy, she explained that the Exceed were thought of as higher beings by most of Edolas' population due to the fact that they were the only beings who could naturally use magic. Though, it would seem that Natsu had forgotten, if he had even listened in the first place, about that in his panic to find Happy.

Not only the middle-aged man he grabbed, but all the other pedestrians on the street were now looking at Natsu as though he were some kind of sinner. There were even people who ran away to alert the Royal Army to his presence.

"I tried to tell you that wasn't a good idea." Wendy murmured.

Meanwhile, Natsu had already started running from the area. At the same time, he continued to shout for Happy and Carla, hoping they would hear him whenever they returned to the Royal Capital.


創作者的想法
SixthSense1029 SixthSense1029

1/2

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Comments, Reviews, and Power Stones are always appreciated.

章節 274: The King'sCourt

Edolas, Edolas Continent, Royal Capital.

November, x784.

While Elicia, Erza, Marin, and Lucy were searching the Royal Castle, King Faust, along with his captains and chief of staff were meeting in the throne room.

"Has there been any news about the intruders?" King Faust asked in an authoritative tone.

"Unfortunately, over the last two days, we have seen neither hide nor hair of the intruders, Your Majesty." The Chief of Staff, Byro, replied with is head lowered.

Byro was an extremely short, elderly man with a strangely shape nose and large eyes. Other than his horn-shaped eyebrows and the two tufts of hair on the side of his face, he was completely bald with liver spots on his forehead and the sides of his head. Due to his small stature, most of his body is covered by the wide-collared cape he wears with a simple dark colored robe underneath.

"Still, it's pretty amazing that they were able to escape from you, Captain Knightwalker." The Captain of the Third Magic War Division, Hughes, said playfully as his glance flicked in the Edolas Erza's direction. "Have you perhaps lost your touch?"

*Bang!*

"Why don't you follow me to the training ground and find out." The Edolas Erza said angrily as she slammed the butt of her spear into the floor.

"No thanks." Hughes replied with a smile as he waved off the Edolas Erza's words. "But a rain check would be amazing, though."

Hughes was a young man with strange, clock hand-shaped eyebrows and dark purple hair with a single, thick, white lock located on the front-right of his head. Wearing a white uniform with gold trim and a dark green shirt with olive green crisscrossing lines, he exuded a carefree, playful, vibe.

Understanding that now, especially in front of her king, was not the time to make Hughes regret his words, Erza Knightwalker took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. Then, she turned towards Faust with a solemn expression on her face.

"Your Majesty, who were those people who intruded into the Royal Capital?" The Edolas Erza asked respectfully. "I recognized both of their faces. Yet, they were definitely not the people I knew. While one of them should be dead, the other was completely different from the man I know."

"I assume you are referring to the man and woman who destroyed the lacrima in the plaza, correct." Faust asked, not surprised that his Second Division Captain would be curious about the people she confronted. "There was also the young woman who looked like you and the young lady who accompanied her."

"Indeed." The Edolas Erza replied with a nod.

"Before I answer your question, do you have any idea where the magic power we've been acquiring since the natural magic in our lands began to dissipate is coming from?" Faust asked while making brief eye contact with everyone in the room.

Seeing that everyone present, other than Byro, shook their heads in denial, Faust went on to tell them where the magic power was coming from and how it was being obtained. Still, even after hearing the king's explanation, none of them felt there was anything wrong with what the king was doing.

Except for the Captain of the First Magic War Division, Panther Lily, an Exceed taller than most humans with a muscular physique and a head reminiscent of a black panther's. He had a white snout and a scar running down across his left eye. While on his body, he wore a personalized armor with a long cape draped from his shoulders.

"My King." Panther Lily said, stepping forward after Faust finished his explanation. "Is this the right thing to do? Taking magic power from another world is one thing, but to take the lives of its people, unprovoked, where is the honor in that?"

*Swish!*

"Panther Lily, you dare question His Majesty?" The Edolas Erza asked in an enraged tone as she pointed her spear at Panther Lily's throat.

Though Erza Knightwalker's four bladed spear was almost touching his fur, Panther Lily's gaze did not shift away from Faust in the slightest, as eh continued to wait for his response.

Eventually, Faust raised his hand, signaling for Erza to lower her weapon. Then, once Erza had lowered her spear, while making eye contact with Panther Lily, the king answered his captain's question.

"You have to understand, Panther Lily." King Faust said in an even tone. "My first duty is to my people. Although it is regrettable what we must do to the people of that other world, should I forsake my own people for strangers we have no connection with?"

Although Panther Lily gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, he understood Faust's position on the matter. Though, he still didn't agree with the method used to secure magic for Edolas. Before he could retort, however, the sound of hurried , barefoot, footsteps could be heard approaching the throne room.

"Big news! Big news!" A small girl with a distinctively puppy-like appearance with a small nose and a headgear that made it look as if she had a pair of floppy ears shouted as she entered the throne room.

"Coco, calm down." Byro reprimanded. "You are in front of His Majesty."

Upon hearing Byro's voice, the small girl, Coco, came to a stop, the yellow dress she wore over a dark blue body suit that covered everything from her forearms to her calves, fluttering from the sudden stop. Then, she brought her bare feet together and raised one of her gloved hands before performing a salute to King Faust.

"My apologies, Your Majesty." Coco said in a hyperactive manner. "But I have something to report from the soldiers in the city."

"Proceed." Faust replied calmly.

"Yes, sir." Coco said with a nod. "Two of the people who interrupted the presentation of the lacrima fragment have appeared in the city. Currently, they are being pursued by soldiers of the Royal Army."

*Bang!*

"They've finally shown themselves. Was that woman among them?" The Edolas Erza said in a bloodthirsty tone as she, once again, slammed the butt of her spear against the floor of the throne room. "Your Majesty, I will bring them to you to receive punishment."

"Stand down, Knightwalker." Faust replied, not even looking in Erza's direction. "Coco, was there a description of the intruders?"

"Yes, sir." Coco replied. "One was a young man with spiky pink hair. The other was a young girl with long, straight, dark blue hair."

Hearing Coco's descriptions of the two who were being pursued, The Edolas Erza deflated a bit. However, she was still enthusiastic about catching them. If she did, she might be able to force that woman who looked like Elicia Phyllis out of hiding.

Meanwhile, Faust pondered what he had just heard from Coco. Then, he remembered the descriptions he heard from one of Queen Shagotte's prophecies.

"If I'm not mistaken, those two should be the dragon Slayers we've heard about." Faust said while stroking his beard. "The wizards from the other world with unlimited magic power."

"Who will you send after them, Your Majesty?" Byro asked calmly.

"Let the soldiers pursue them. If they were the only ones in the Royal Capital, I would send one of my captains for this." Faust replied. "But there are more of these vermin running around. And we don't know what they are planning to do, other than destroying the lacrima."

"A wise decision, Your Majesty." Byro said with a bow of his head.

"Knightwalker, Hughes, Sugarboy, the three of you shall stay here to protect the castle should they attack." Faust ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The Edolas Erza, Hughes, and Sugarboy, a tall, blue-eyed man with blond hair worn in a pompadour with long side burns and a well featured face with a very prominent cleft chin wearing a light red armor with gold trim and a bronze belt, replied in unison.

"Panther Lily." Faust continued after receiving the responses from the three captains.

"My King." Panther Lily replied while bowing his head respectfully.

"You are to go to the lacrima and guard it." Faust ordered. "The intruders cannot be allowed to do what they did to the lacrima in the plaza."

Although he was hesitant to follow the orders he was given, Panther Lily's loyalty to Edolas won over his honor. So, he stepped forward and thumped his fist on his chest plate as he replied.

"Understood."

"Now, go." Faust ordered before his four captains left the throne room.

A few moments later, only Faust, Byro, and Coco were left in the throne room.

"How dare he question my methods." Faust spat after he was sure that Panther Lily would not be able to hear him. "As a soldier of my army, all he need do is follow my orders."

"Your Majesty, please calm down." Byro said in a placating tone. "Soon, you won't have to worry about him."

"Then, you have completed it?" Faust asked, his eyes lighting up after hearing Byro's words.

"Indeed." Byro replied. "And this last use of the Anima was the proof. We now have the ability to turn those with magic power in their bodies into lacrima for later use."

"Excellent!" Faust said happily. "Well done, Byro. Now, those Exceed will no longer be able to lord themselves above us. Hmph! What gods. Soon, all of them will be no more than the power sources for our magic items."

While Faust and Byro wore excited expressions for finally becoming the dominant species on Edolas, Coco's expression turned into one filled with worry. Although she was the Assistant Chief of Staff and Byro's right hand, the person she was closest to in Edolas was Panther Lily. And hearing that her king and her direct superior were planning to kill her friend was more than she could take. Though, she did not do anything about it immediately, especially because the Captains of the Magic Ware Divisions were still nearby.

Meanwhile, the four War Division Captains, Panther Lily, Erza Knightwalker, Hughes, and Sugarboy strolled through the hall of the castle until they reached a large balcony. While the other three would continue down the hallway, Panther Lily turned towards the balcony. Then, using his [Aera Magic], he sprouted a large pair of white, feathered wings from his back.

"Panther Lily." The Edolas Erza said, stopping Panther Lily just before he could fly away from the castle.

Looking back, Panther Lily saw Erza once again pointing her spear at him from the hallway.

"Don't forget your station." The Edolas Erza said sternly. "His Majesty's orders are not to be questioned. You should remember that well."

"Besides, what His Majesty is doing can't be considered dishonorable, right?" Hughes asked with a smile. "I mean, those people from the other world would probably be overjoyed to know they are helping such an amazing cause, right?"

In response, Panther Lily merely shook his head before turning back towards the balcony and taking off in the direction of the floating landmass where the giant lacrima was being housed. And from his expression, it was clear to see that he did not take Erza's threat seriously. Nor did he agree with what Hughes had to say.

"Hmph!" Erza said, lowering her spear. "If he ever second guesses our king again, I'll cut him down myself."

"Now, now, there's no need to get so worked up, Captain Knightwalker." Hughes said with a smile.

"Indeed." Sugarboy said, speaking for the first time. "Though he may have spoken out of turn, Panther Lily's loyalty is unquestionable. There is no need to point your spear at him."

"We'll see." The Edolas Erza replied, glancing at Panther Lily one last time. "For now, we have our orders to follow. Let's go."

With that, Erza Knightwalker, Hughes, and Sugarboy ran off in different directions to make sure that the intruders had not infiltrated the castle. Unfortunately for them, they would have another problem to deal with less than half an hour later after Coco, who was concerned for her friend's well-being, stole the key that opened the doors to where the Anima was located.


創作者的想法
SixthSense1029 SixthSense1029

2/2

Check out my Patr3on at:

https://patr3on.com/SixthSense1029

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the story.

Comments, Reviews, and Power Stones are always appreciated.

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