CHAPTER 491: HAPPY’S...PARENTS?

The Exceed Kingdom offered no assistance to Edolas.

In their official reply to the royal court, they claimed that such petty matters were beneath the attention of Queen Shagotte. Whether it involved capturing so-called Fallen Angels, hunting Dragon Slayers, or eliminating humans obstructing the Anima Plan, these were all problems the human Kingdom of Edolas could resolve on its own.

Furthermore, the Queen had not yet classified the two Exceed assisting the Earth Land as traitors. In fact, she had altered the original mission directive. The current objective was to lure the Dragon Slayers to the royal capital. From that perspective, aiding the humans in commandeering an airship may have been part of the grander strategy.

Therefore, should the two Exceed be captured, they were to be turned over to Exceed authorities, not punished by human hands.

King Faust showed no anger at the response. He didn’t object, nor did he speak ill of the Exceed’s passive stance. He merely exchanged a glance with his Chief of Staff, a silent understanding passing between them. Then, without pause, he issued a new order.

A second massive magic crystal, similar in size to the one that had been stolen, was to be transported immediately to the capital.

Panther Lily, the Captain of the First Magic War Division, would personally oversee its delivery.

Meanwhile, after a long detour, Rhodes and his companions finally reached the outskirts of Exceed airspace.

To avoid detection, Rhodes and Lisanna had charted a route that completely bypassed all known military zones and fortified cities. Their course added many hours to the journey, so that by the time they arrived, the sun had dipped below the clouds and night was falling across the floating islands.

But this delay suited Rhodes perfectly.

Approaching under the cover of darkness allowed for stealth, and the spell he had in mind could only be cast after sunset.

Lisanna had powered down the acceleration system, and now the ship moved slowly, almost drifting through the sky, pushed forward only by the gentle paddling of the long mechanical oars beneath its hull.

Lisanna had tried to explain the principle behind the oars based on what Edolas Natsu had told her, something about energy conversion and propellant dynamics, but to Rhodes, all he heard was one word: magic.

It was fine. He didn’t need to understand the mechanics. As long as the ship moved silently, that was all that mattered.

After drifting for a while, Happy and Carla returned from their aerial scouting trip.

"Go left," Happy said, fluttering beside the ship. "There’s a big open area—looks like farmland."

"No buildings nearby," Carla added. "Just a small wooden house near the edge of the field."

Rhodes gave a crisp nod. "That’s our spot. Happy, help Lisanna guide us in."

"Aye!"

"Wendy and Lucy, stay on deck and keep watch. If anything happens, protect the others. Carla, take me to that wooden house."

"Got it!" Carla saluted with a flap of her wings.

Wendy asked, "What about Natsu?"

Rhodes turned to glance at the pink-haired Dragon Slayer sprawled across a bench. "Leave him. Even if he gets off the ship, he won’t be able to move much. He’ll need time to recover. He can’t help with what I’m doing."

"I... I can help...!" Natsu groaned and tried to lift his head, only to be lightly tapped on the forehead by Rhodes.

"Rest. I might borrow your magic power later, so save your strength."

Natsu let out a groan and rolled back over, one hand clamped to his spinning head.

Everyone got into position.

Lucy and Wendy stood watch at the railing, alert for movement. Lisanna steered the airship toward the field with Happy guiding her from the air. And Rhodes took to the skies with Carla, gliding silently toward the floating island ahead.

Just as Happy had said, the terrain was open and flat.

Looking closely, one would notice the location was nestled at the base of a steep slope, more of a shallow hollow than a proper valley, tucked away in a remote corner of the Exceed kingdom.

"Look up there," Carla said, pointing ahead for Rhodes to see.

As the dusk deepened, Rhodes spotted a floating island hovering at about the same height as their current position. On that island stood a towering mountain, glowing with a vibrant orange-red hue...

To be precise, it wasn’t a mountain at all, but a massive magic crystal, its surface blazing with the last rays of sunset. It loomed even larger than the floating island beneath it.

From this distance, the details were hard to make out, and the number of troops guarding it remained unknown.

Still, Rhodes immediately recognized what it was.

"That’s where everyone from Magnolia is being held... Mira too, right?"

"Mm," Carla gave a small hum of confirmation, then softly added, "Or maybe... right there."

After all, their friends had been transformed into fragments of the magic crystal. No one knew which part held who.

But that didn’t matter. As long as they could save them all, that was enough.

Right now, they had a more pressing task to handle.

"We’re here," Rhodes said, gazing down at the small wooden house below. "I’ll need your help soon."

"Understood." Carla gently flew him over and set him down on the side of the house without windows, out of sight.

Up close, Rhodes realized this wasn’t an ordinary cabin. It was a two-story structure, though short in stature, with the second floor even shorter than the first.

He quickly understood. The building was clearly designed for Exceed like Carla and Happy. This was their standard size.

A faint whiff of cooking smoke lingered in the air. Judging by the timing, the residents had probably just finished dinner. Rhodes could hear voices clearly through the walls if he tilted his head.

"Drink up! Eat, eat! We’ve got to finish tilling the fields by tomorrow!"

"You’ve worked hard."

"Drink! I still don’t get what those humans are doing. Everything’s been upside down since yesterday!"

"Sigh... not something we need to worry about."

"Drink! Come on, don’t sigh—"

The voices drifting from inside told a simple story. One had a gruff and startled tone, with a peculiar speech habit, most likely a middle-aged male. The other was soft and warm, likely his wife.

They sounded like a couple of hardworking villagers. Rhodes had no intention of stirring trouble, but given the situation, he had no choice but to intrude.

He quietly summoned six wraiths, instructing them to hover above the house, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

He also called forth four Golems, their names he only barely managed to recall, and had them lie low in the surrounding area, disguised as unremarkable boulders.

Then, Rhodes gave Carla a nod.

She fluttered to the front door and gently knocked.

A soft female voice responded from inside, "Who could that be at this hour? Coming~!"

"Wait," the male voice said, wary and cautious.

It sounded like he whispered something to her afterward, but Rhodes couldn’t make out the words.

Nonetheless, the door creaked open a moment later.

Standing there was a blue-furred Exceed, wearing a kerchief and an apron, clearly styled as a middle-aged homemaker.

Beside her stood a white-furred Exceed with a square face and thick whiskers surrounding his mouth. He held a broom like a weapon, eyes sharp with suspicion as he peered outside.

For someone who lived in such a quiet area, a sudden knock at night was understandably alarming.

The white cat did lower his guard, but still wore a stern expression.

"Drink! What’s a little girl doing out this late? Why’s she knocking on our door?"

"Dear, you’re being too harsh," the blue cat scolded her husband gently. She stepped outside and kindly took Carla’s paw. "Sweetheart, are you lost?"

They seemed like kind, simple folk.

"I’m sorry," Carla said softly, pulling her paw away. She spread her wings and floated backward, her expression apologetic.

"Huh?" The blue cat was still trying to process what was happening when...whoosh! Two ghostly figures dropped from the rooftop. One clamped around her from behind, the other silenced her mouth with a spectral hand.

"Drink! Who are you people?!" the white cat roared, grabbing a broom and charging toward the intruders.

But in the blink of an eye, two more ghosts swooped down, restraining him just the same.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!"

The white cat struggled furiously, eyes glaring with rage, but he couldn’t break free. The blue cat, in contrast, was frozen in fear, her face pale.

As Rhodes observed, their reaction seemed to match the intelligence he’d received from Gemini, most ordinary Exceed were just that: ordinary. They could fly, speak, and were a bit stronger than normal animals, but they didn’t wield powerful magic or battle prowess.

"Forgive us," Rhodes said calmly. "We don’t mean to hurt you, but for our own safety, and that of our companions, we can’t take any chances."

He summoned a wolf, which sniffed the area for other scents. Once the wolf confirmed no other Exceed were nearby, Rhodes stepped forward to tie up the two cats himself and gently gag them to prevent further noise.

Meanwhile, in the direction of the farmland, the airship had begun its quiet descent.

Rhodes directed the wraiths to take up guard positions nearby, then began escorting the restrained Exceed back toward the ship.

Carla followed close behind, apologizing to her fellow Exceed in a hushed voice. Though she resented the ones who had burdened her with such a mission, these two were clearly innocent villagers, just a married couple living in peace. Having finally faced her true feelings, Carla would never take out her anger on the innocent.

By now, the others had disembarked. Happy had set Natsu down to rest and flown over to rejoin the group. Lucy and Wendy ran up to meet Rhodes and Carla as they approached.

The two captured cats were stunned at the sight of the new arrivals. Their wide eyes showed a glimmer of recognition, and excitement, but aside from Happy, who stared at them in awe, the rest were discussing next steps.

"Carla, Rhodes, did everything go smoothly?" Lucy asked.

"Very smoothly," Carla replied with a nod.

"What’s next?" Lucy asked eagerly.

"I still need your help," Rhodes said. "You and Natsu witnessed the Moon Drip ritual on Galuna Island, right? And Lyra, your Celestial Spirit, knows the Moon Drip spell."

He silently thanked himself for taking his job as acting assistant to the Guild Master seriously. He’d made a point to collect mission reports from all Fairy Tail members, and Lucy’s detailed retelling of their S-Class trial had proven invaluable.

"Ah! You’re planning to have Lyra help us recreate the Moon Drip spell!" Lucy gasped in realization. "We’ll use Moon Drip to dispel the magic that turned everyone into Lacrima!"

"What do you mean, ’just realizing’? Didn’t I already explain the plan to you?" Rhodes narrowed his eyes at her.

He had even planned for worst-case scenarios, like being captured himself, so everyone would know exactly what to do next.

Lucy gave a guilty laugh. "Ahaha... maybe I wasn’t listening too carefully..."

"Don’t let Natsu rub off on you," Rhodes sighed, shaking his head. He remembered Lucy being mentally sharp. "I thought you were smarter than that."

"Ahaha, oops... So should I summon Lyra now?" she offered quickly, trying to move things along.

"Not yet. The moon isn’t out. First, summon Gemini," Rhodes said, gesturing toward the tied-up Exceed. "We need to gather more intel, where we are, whether anyone else is nearby. Just to be sure."

"Got it." Lucy took out a Celestial Spirit Key. "Open! Gate of the Twins: Gemini!"

"Whirly~ whirly~"

Lucy looked at the twin spirits. "Gemi, Mini, I need your help again. Please be quick, I need to conserve magic to summon Lyra later."

"No problem~!" the twins chimed in unison. They each floated over to the two Exceed, touched them gently, and instantly transformed into mirror copies of the white cat.

Knowing how her spirits could sometimes be a little... unreliable, Lucy warned them sternly, "Say the most important thing first, alright?"

"Got it!" Gemini replied brightly, and without hesitation announced:

"They’re Happy’s father and mother."

Everyone nodded.

Two seconds passed.

Then—

"WHAT?!!!" they all shouted in unison.