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When Noah announced he was personally going to the Exceed Kingdom, General Erza was the first to object. "The situation is far from requiring a prince to negotiate in person. Prince Noah, please maintain your dignity."
Noah showed a hint of amusement. "Negotiate? Erza, have you misunderstood something? Why would I negotiate with those cats?"
"I'm going to inform them."
"If they don't behave, Extalia and the Exceed will fall into the abyss together."
Extalia, the most unique of all the floating islands, was located directly above the Human Kingdom and was where the Exceed race had lived for generations—the so-called Exceed Kingdom.
Having known Noah for so long, General Erza had never seen him display such a destructive attitude.
Like father, like son. King Faust had also planned to make Extalia fall, an act considered treasonous by the world, and the probability of success was very high.
For a slacker prince who usually didn't care about anything and just watched from the sidelines to be like this, it seemed he was truly displeased with the Exceed Kingdom.
Seeing that Noah had made up his mind, General Erza no longer tried to dissuade him. Although the Second Prince was usually accustomed to being carefree, when he was serious about something, it meant he had absolute certainty and confidence to accomplish it.
It's truly enviable that he possesses real magic without relying on external objects.
Cheese, the little snow cat, landed on Noah's shoulder, its round eyes looking at him expectantly. "Noah, are you going to the cat kingdom? Cheese wants to go too."
Shirayuki also squeaked twice in agreement.
Noah, of course, didn't mind bringing his companions. Before he could even agree, he was interrupted by a sudden uproar outside the guild.
"Release the angels!"
"Release the angels!"
"Release the angels!"
The uniform shouts outside the guild left everyone bewildered.
Makarov gave Jet a meaningful look, and the latter immediately understood, paused his fawning over Levy, activated his High Speed magic, and went out for a quick reconnaissance.
With the high-speed movement of High Speed, Jet returned in less than two minutes with the information he'd gathered from outside.
"It's bad, everyone!"
Jet's tone was tense. "Those people outside somehow found out that Happy and the others are here. They think that Fairy Tail kidnapped the 'angels,' and they're all shouting for us to release them."
"Some extremists are even gathering people, wanting to storm our guild!"
Hearing that someone wanted to attack them, Guild Master Lucy and Levy the Mechanic, both hot-headed, couldn't sit still. The same went for Natsu and the other members of the Earth Land Fairy Tail.
Everyone knew that Exceed were worshipped in this world, but to attack a magic guild for a few cats was a bit brainless. The people of this world weren't fools either.
So this matter was likely instigated by someone with ulterior motives, pushing the crowd from behind.
Noah allowed Cheese to perch on his shoulder and walked directly out of the guild.
The others exchanged glances and followed him.
The guild doors opened, and the combined hundred-plus members of both Fairy Tail guilds far outnumbered the troublemakers. The sheer numerical advantage immediately quieted the scene.
Of course, the main reason was that the manager and guardian of Border Town, Second Magic War Division Commander Erza, also stood with Fairy Tail.
In terms of giving off an aura of authority and oppression, General Erza was far more imposing than Pantherlily.
"Who is the instigator? Step forward."
General Erza's voice was so cold that a circle immediately formed in the crowd, isolating the person who had incited the protest.
The betrayal of the surrounding turncoats made Brain break out in a cold sweat. He knew that if he didn't do something soon, he would definitely be arrested and enjoy seaweed egg drop soup in jail.
"Er... Erza-sama, Fairy Tail actually dared to capture the Exceed-sama. You cannot shelter them."
"What if the gods become angry because of this and our Border Town is ruined by them!"
Brain, fearing his sophistry wasn't enough, pointed to the surrounding crowd. "My Lady, you also see that everyone is worried about the safety of the Exceed-sama. You cannot disregard the will of the people!"
Hmph, so he's even using public opinion now.
Noah couldn't help but want to laugh. Through his Malice Perception ability, he found that the malice from the protesting crowd toward his side was pitifully small.
They were blocking the street outside Fairy Tail's door, shouting slogans, yet the vast majority had no ill will. So what exactly were these people here for?
Were they just bored?
But soon, someone answered Noah's question.
Amidst the crowd, a random citizen raised his hand and loudly declared, "Erza-sama, don't listen to his nonsense. Brain said that if we followed him to the street and shouted a few slogans, we'd get five hundred Jewels. That's why everyone came."
"Yeah, it's all because of Brain!"
"Also, Brain said he'd pay half the deposit beforehand, but he didn't give it to anyone. Erza-sama, you must uphold justice for us! That's everyone's hard-earned money."
Hard-earned money... how could they say that?
Noah almost couldn't keep a straight face. He had truly underestimated Border Town. The people here were all talented, and they spoke so well.
Brain watched as his secrets were exposed by the crowd, one after another. Even several of his accomplices were dragged out by "enthusiastic citizens."
In a mix of shock and anger, Brain's face turned from green to white, and he couldn't help but curse.
"Damn it! You money-grubbing bastards!"
"What good does selling me out do you? Where else will you get those five hundred Jewels?!"
However, Brain's outburst didn't make a ripple.
The citizen who was the first to report him: "Why risk your life for a few hundred Jewels?"
Another citizen: "Exactly, exactly. He wouldn't think five hundred Jewels is a lot, would he?"
A third citizen: "What an idiot. Doesn't he know everyone is just here for fun?"
The special ability of Border Town to move had given its residents various experiences and insights. The worship of Exceed was actually not that important to them.
Sometimes, a flying cat in the sky was less interesting to the residents of Border Town than the old man next door climbing five stories naked with his bare hands.
These damned commoners!!
I should have done some research before causing trouble!
Brain was filled with endless regret. He really hadn't expected the residents of Border Town to be different from those in other cities, with so many eccentrics. But now, regretting it was useless; the priority was to escape quickly.
He pulled out an arm-length magic staff from under his clothes. This was Brain's trump card, a magical tool that could release a massive amount of smoke.
"Erza, Fairy Tail, and you commoners, remember this! I will repay today's humiliation with double interest in the future!"
After uttering his threats, Brain immediately activated the magic staff, and a large amount of thick smoke billowed out, instantly engulfing the street and rapidly spreading to the surroundings.
Listening to the panicked sounds of the crowd, Brain, whose figure was hidden, revealed a triumphant smile.
Unless there's a magical tool that can instantly disperse this thick fog, even the famous General Erza won't be able to stop me from leaving immediately!
This is my way of escaping!
Take this!
Brain didn't dare to linger and immediately chose a direction to break through. However, before he had run a few meters, he was tripped by a foot that suddenly appeared in the thick fog.
A gentle breeze blew, sweeping the thick fog into the sky.
Noah looked down at Brain, whose face was pale.
"No matter which world it is, you're always so despicable."