"Great, that's perfect!" Mystogan replied happily upon hearing this.
If the people nearby could be evacuated, the burden on his shoulders would be significantly lighter.
Even if they ultimately failed, he wouldn't be saddled with a mountain of blood debts.
'Actually, it shouldn't be your responsibility to bear these in the first place,' Marco silently complained in his heart.
No matter how many people died, it had little to do with Mystogan.
This matter had clear culprits—what his father did should be accounted for by his father.
Mystogan, who had come to Earth Land when he was just over ten years old, couldn't have enjoyed the magic brought to Edolas by Anima.
Even if they were to implicate relatives, it wouldn't reach Mystogan.
"Let's head into the city now!"
Having just returned to the post station, Mystogan didn't even have time to warm his seat before he immediately wanted to enter the city to make the necessary preparations in advance.
"That works too." Marco nodded.
He had anticipated that Mystogan would be too impatient to wait before setting things up.
After all, even King Toma was busy, racing against time—there was no reason for Mystogan to sleep soundly.
This blue-haired young man had an exaggerated sense of righteousness and responsibility.
If he were to become king, he would undoubtedly be a fair, incorruptible, and diligent ruler—a stark contrast to King Toma, who usually only wanted to do what he liked.
Without lingering any further, the two headed straight into the City of Flowers, Crocus.
Despite his exhausted state, Mystogan immediately began setting up the magic circle.
Having the time and space to prepare in advance was, of course, the best scenario for him—it would reduce a lot of trouble, increase the success rate, and ensure that the power of Anima wouldn't be unleashed.
"It would be best if it could always be like this in the future." Mystogan voiced his thoughts.
If they could clear the area in advance every time, his tasks would be much easier.
"It's not impossible." Marco pondered for a moment.
In the Fiore Kingdom, his influence was unparalleled, and the king wasn't stubborn—he was willing to listen to advice.
In this country, "clearing the area in advance" should be achievable.
But outside Fiore, although Marco still had considerable fame and some respect among the major guilds, he had no connections with the royal families or governments of other nations.
"They probably won't cooperate so easily without suffering a few losses." Marco thought this wasn't surprising.
After all, evacuating an entire city was no small matter—how could they just comply at a mere suggestion?
"But Anima rarely lands in densely populated cities; most fall in remote wilderness or secluded villages." While setting up the magic circle, Mystogan replied.
It might be a matter of probability—most of the Ishgar continent was sparsely populated, and the range of Anima wasn't large, so the chances of it precisely hitting a city were slim.
This was also why such a dangerous phenomenon as "Anima" hadn't attracted much attention.
If a village in the remote wilderness suddenly disappeared, no one would care—such was the inefficiency of management.
"So, what's the situation this time? "Marco's lips twitched.
This time, it had landed directly in the royal capital of the Fiore Kingdom.
Though Fiore appeared to be an insignificant small country on the edge of the Ishgar continent's peninsula, it was in fact a well-deserved "Magic Kingdom."
One-fifth of all Magic Guilds across Ishgar were located within Fiore, boasting an astonishing density of guilds and a highly developed, rich magical culture.
For such a nation's capital to vanish overnight, one could imagine the uproar it would cause.
It would inevitably draw everyone's attention, making them take this Anima seriously.
"Maybe... it's just a coincidence?" Mystogan wore a helpless expression.
Based on his experience, this "Anima" shouldn't be able to choose its coverage location—it had always been randomly deployed over the years.
Even when it occasionally landed on a city, in war-torn nations, it might simply be mistaken for an attack from an enemy country.
Across the vast Ishgar continent, nations still stood divided.
Not all regions were as peaceful as Fiore; many conflicts continued to erupt.
Fiore was a coastal peninsula, separated from the western continent by sea, naturally isolated and easily defensible.
Since Fiore didn't actively attack others, few bothered to invade it.
Thus, Fiore had remained neutral for over 150 years, staying out of Ishgar's conflicts.
This was likely one reason why Fiore housed so many Magic Guilds.
Most Mages undoubtedly preferred to work and live in a peaceful environment.
"Coincidence..."
Marco couldn't help but recall the last "Anima" that precisely targeted Lisanna.
It really was one coincidence after another—essentially, the "bad luck" or "trouble-magnet" nature of the main characters.
Wherever they went, something had to happen!
'Who caused this mess this time? Hisui? Or Mystogan? It can't be because of me, right?' Marco grumbled inwardly, though he didn't rule out the possibility that he was the cause.
After all, he had likely altered many original storylines, so it was only natural for some butterfly effects to occur.
But it didn't matter.
He didn't know the original course of events anyway—only glimpsing fragments through system tasks, and even those were vague.
He simply had to forge his own path.
....
Marco spent the night with Mystogan setting up magic arrays.
Meanwhile, the entire royal capital of Crocus descended into chaos as King Toma mobilized the military to evacuate civilians.
Such an operation was difficult to manage without large-scale, unified control.
Simply broadcasting warnings would have caused panic.
In fact, even with the army enforcing order, Crocus still fell into disarray.
"In recent days, a terrifying magical attack will strike the royal capital of Crocus! The city is entering a state of war! Residents must follow the military's guidance to evacuate orderly! Crocus faces imminent destruction! All residents must evacuate with the army immediately!"
Magical loudspeakers floated through the sky, broadcasting the message everywhere.
Hearing this news, the citizens of Crocus were stunned.
No one had ever imagined that Crocus would face such a day.
"State of war?"
"The risk of destruction?!"
These terms felt quite distant from the royal capital Crocus.
Many residents still thought it was a joke.
Of course, the military forces that entered the royal capital soon made them realize this was no joke - it was truly happening!
What followed was fear and chaos.
Some people obediently packed their belongings and prepared to leave Crocus with their families - these were mostly those who had little property in the capital.
Others stubbornly refused to leave, demanding that the king fulfill his duty to defend the capital.
Those with all their assets and businesses in the capital naturally couldn't just pick up and leave.
"Leave or stay - it's their choice. Those who won't leave can stay and bear the risk of potential death." Marco expressed his thoughts directly.
Organizing the evacuation was necessary, but you can't force wisdom upon those destined to perish.
If they insisted on staying, there was no need to force them out.
"Good, that's what I think too." King Toma breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been worried that Marco and the others would be stubborn about evacuating every single person from the capital.
It wasn't impossible - he had already mobilized the military.
If they really wanted to clear the city, they could forcibly evacuate everyone.
But that wouldn't look good.
When people were unwilling to leave even at the risk of their lives, forced evacuation could easily lead to conflicts.
"I respect their personal choices." Marco smiled.
They had already done everything possible.
If the military's personal visits couldn't persuade people to leave, then let them stay.
If something happened, they'd have only themselves to blame - they made their own choice.
"This..."
Unlike Marco's attitude of "abandon the savior complex, respect others' fate," Mystogan still wanted to persuade as many people as possible to leave.
Marco didn't stop him.
Mystogan had already completed all his preparations.
If he wanted to try persuading others, he was free to do so.
Marco and King Toma focused their attention on those willing to evacuate.
Since they were cooperating with the evacuation, they needed to be properly settled without any incidents.
This evacuation operation confirmed to Marco that the Fiore Kingdom had indeed enjoyed peace for too long and hadn't undertaken corresponding military development.
The troops' mobility and organizational capabilities were remarkably poor - the evacuation operation was complete chaos.
It could only be said that with Marco's leadership, and with the help of King Toma and several core knight orders, they managed to get the job done somehow.
Marco made public appearances, using his influence and reputation to call on people to evacuate the city.
He had truly done his best.
Therefore, Marco had a clear conscience about those stubborn individuals who refused to leave.
If they died, they'd only get his comment of "serves them right."
.....
One week later, the evacuated royal capital residents had been temporarily settled.
They set up camp near a forest some distance from the royal capital.
Food was fully provided by the state, though living conditions were quite basic, with everyone staying in tents.
"Many people are cutting wood there, apparently planning to build permanent houses. Perhaps that place might develop into a small village, and maybe even grow into a town or city in the future." King Toma spoke with deep emotion about his observations.
These past few days had been quite taxing for him, rushing about on the front lines.
After all, both Marco and Mystogan were at the forefront—one leveraging his influence to rally support, the other persuading stubborn holdouts.
Even Princess Hisui was on the front lines, walking through the camp daily to play music and soothe people's hearts.
"Not bad, actually. It's not too far from the royal capital, so it might develop well," Marco nodded.
Although this would disperse the capital's population, it wouldn't take long to replenish it.
The "City of Flowers," Crocus, would never lack people coming to try their luck.
"Indeed..." King Toma began to speak, but a strange noise cut him off, followed by a dramatic shift in the sky.
The entire "Palace of Lanterns" seemed shrouded in dark clouds—no, it was all of Crocus.
"It's here." Marco narrowed his eyes.
This sensation was somewhat familiar to him, having experienced it twice before—once when he first met Mystogan, and another time when he rescued Lisanna.
"Is this... this is that magic?!" King Toma rushed to the window and gazed at the sky not far away, his face filled with awe.
He finally understood why Marco and Mystogan had urged him to evacuate the citizens of Crocus.
The swirling vortex in the sky emanated a terrifying aura, as if it intended to devour everything in the world.