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The Throne Hall.
The dome's flowing starlight was beautiful and majestic, and the crystal chandeliers cast a cold light, making the pillars, adorned with wing-shaped reliefs, appear even more exquisite.
Four elderly Exceed Elders stood on either side of the high platform in the center of the hall.
And upon the high platform, a white cat, dressed in luxurious and noble attire, sat on the throne. She was the ruler of the Exceed race—the Exceed Queen, Shagotte.
Having already received news of Noah's entry into Extalia, the Cat Queen's eyes held a faint trace of worry as she looked at an elderly cat below the platform.
"Great Elder, do you think he will believe it?"
"Your Majesty, even if that Human Prince doesn't believe the future you foresaw, it concerns all of Edolas. As a part of this world, he will surely take the initiative to try."
The old cat leaned on her staff, her hoarse and deep voice like a calming pill, slightly easing Shagotte's worries. She smiled and said, "Great Elder, please just call me by my name. Without your trust and the help of the three Elders, I would not have become Queen."
The old cats shook their heads. Although they had elevated Shagotte to the high position of ruler because of her precognitive abilities, their reasons for doing so were all for the sake of the Exceed race.
Shagotte was about to say something else when she heard a commotion outside.
The Cat Queen and the Cat Elders all looked over, only to see Minister Nadi leading a white-haired young man into the hall. His black suit and long trench coat gave the youth a composure beyond his years.
"Your Majesty, the guest has arrived."
Nadi bowed to Shagotte, then introduced the person behind him. "Your Majesty, this is His Highness, the Second Prince of the Human Kingdom."
Only then did the Cat Queen and the Cat Elders notice that there were two small followers behind the white-haired young man. However, they had been obscured by his large trench coat, which was why they hadn't been noticed earlier.
Two small heads peeked out from behind Noah. Seeing that the atmosphere in the hall was not hostile, and there were no other cats besides those on and below the throne, Wendy and Carla walked out with relief.
"It's all your fault, Noah."
As if feeling a bit embarrassed, Carla complained to Noah. "All the way here, you kept telling Wendy and me nonsense about how 'breaking a cup is the signal, and hundreds of ax-wielding assassins will chop us into meat paste to make cat food,' making Wendy and me so nervous."
Wendy's expression was a bit awkward, but she still defended her honorary brother. "Carla, it's not Brother Noah's fault. He was just telling a story. We were just too timid..."
Carla turned her face away, as if disappointed, completely forgetting that she, too, had been fooled by Noah's story just moments before.
The two little ones' voices weren't loud, but in this spacious hall, they were hard to hide. However, the cats on the Exceed side didn't pay much attention.
Except for Queen Shagotte.
The moment she saw Carla, the Cat Queen's pupils on the throne constricted slightly, then returned to normal.
Shagotte thought her fleeting change was well-hidden, but in Noah's eyes, it wasn't enough. And with the reunion of Cheese and the Snow Cat couple before, it was hard for Noah not to make some connections.
For example: Shagotte and Carla are both white cats.
And another example: They both share the surname "Sha"...
Clearing his throat, Noah kicked the random thoughts out of his mind and looked at the Cat Queen on the throne. "I already know who you are, and you should also know my identity, so let's get straight to the point."
"Exceed Queen, how did you know I was coming to Extalia?"
Noah's current action was completely impromptu.
Besides a few acquaintances from Fairy Tail, his old father, and General Erza, no one else knew. Noah also believed they wouldn't reveal his whereabouts.
But Shagotte had Nichiya waiting for Noah's arrival in advance. This advance time wasn't just a few hours or days; Noah learned from Nichiya that he had been waiting for a whole month.
In other words, when Noah was still in Earth Land, the Exceed Queen had already determined that he would come to Extalia.
Facing Noah's direct question, Shagotte's gaze swept over the four Elders. After receiving their supportive looks, the Cat Queen took a deep breath and said, "Some members of our Exceed race are born with a unique ability."
Noah had actually noticed this point long ago.
Cheese's Malice Perception.
Carla's uncontrolled Future Vision.
And Happy's inconspicuous little ability, which even Natsu and Happy himself hadn't discovered—his flying speed when using Aera surpassed that of other cats.
These were all innate talents they possessed from birth.
"So, Cat Queen, your ability is Future Vision."
Noah's directness did not cause any dissatisfaction, neither from the Cat Elders nor Minister Nadi, and even Shagotte herself felt the same.
After all, no matter how grand the Exceed were, they were still cats.
Seeing that Shagotte did not deny it, Noah continued, "Since you're not even hiding something like Future Vision, then Your Majesty probably wouldn't mind if I asked another question."
"For so many years, you have been propagating Exceed supremacy in the Human Kingdoms, equating Exceed with gods, and at the same time, demeaning humans."
"But in this Exceed Kingdom, what I see is a different approach. Can you explain why?"
His words went straight to the heart of the matter. As expected of someone who could accomplish such a world-shaking feat in the future. Shagotte let out a long sigh, then looked at Noah. "Even if you didn't ask about this, I would have revealed the truth later."
As the Cat Queen recounted, the so-called "god" disguise gradually unraveled.
Years ago, Shagotte, who was then just an ordinary Exceed, foresaw a future that would be a catastrophe for the Exceed—the fall of Extalia, the Exceed's homeland.
Shagotte told this prophecy to the four Cat Elders, who, after deliberation, realized that there were only two factors that could cause Extalia to fall.
The first was the complete depletion of the world's Magic Power. Without the support of Magic Power, Extalia would no longer be able to maintain its altitude.
And the second factor was external force; an attack by other powers causing Extalia to fall.
Although Edolas's Magic Power was currently heading toward depletion, there were still at least several decades until it truly ran out. Therefore, the Elders believed that only the second factor aligned with the future Shagotte had seen.
And the only ones capable of doing this were the ultimate war weapons of the Human Kingdoms below, the Dragon Knights.
The Exceed race's combat power could be said to be pitifully low. If they truly had to face those terrifying war weapons, they would only become cannon fodder beneath the Dragon Knights' feet.
Regardless of whether the Human King truly intended to wage war to destroy Extalia, this immense threat alone had already suffocated the Elders and Shagotte.
To protect their people from being bullied by humans, Shagotte and the Elders devised a deception.
Internally, Exceed were forbidden from contacting humans.
Externally, trusted subordinates were sent into the Human Kingdoms, using the claim of being the only race in this world with Magic Power within their bodies, to propagate Exceed supremacy, deifying the Exceed to become the faith of a portion of humanity, thereby forming a religious spread.
However, these two points were not enough. If the King ruling humanity was determined to destroy Extalia, mere religious belief would only be a stumbling block.
But whether it was the natural depletion of Magic Power or the threat from the Human Kingdoms, one day in the future, doomsday would eventually befall the Exceed's homeland.
Shagotte, lacking confidence to prevent the future, proposed a plan to preserve their kind: sending all unhatched Exceed eggs to another world.
Even if Extalia fell and their homeland of countless years was destroyed, those children could continue the Exceed race in Earth Land.
However, the destructive future could not be announced to all their people. A plausible excuse was needed to send away the hope of the Exceed race.
Thus, Shagotte, who had already been elected Queen by the Elders, forcibly sent all unborn Exceed eggs to Earth Land under the pretext of capturing Dragon Slayers.
Goodness, they were truly cunning.
Noah couldn't help but look at the ruling class of the Exceed Kingdom in a new light. Without power, they could only use such methods to protect their homeland.
Casually picking up Carla, who was already in a state of mental shutdown, Noah smiled and dangled her in front of the Cat Queen. "So, this little white cat, who is usually so tsundere, is your kitten, huh?"
"Waaah! Noah, who are you calling a kitten?!"
Carla snapped back to reality. Accustomed to acting like a little adult, she felt insulted and pounced at Noah, flailing her paws, but her small arms and legs couldn't reach him, making the little white cat's face turn red with anger.