Rhode said, "My suggestion is to seal it away, and if we truly face a world-ending crisis in the future, we can return now armed with critical intelligence and prepare."
The Minister of State expressed opposition, "But, this kind of magic, if passed down, risks being abused."
"Many magics are risky; even if the Eclipse Gate is destroyed, there's no guarantee future generations won't develop more dangerous magic." Rhode said, "Given that, keeping a practical magic under our control is also a good option.
"Of course, we need to place certain restrictions on the Eclipse Gate, making it less easily activated."
The group fell into thought, "Restrictions?"
Rhode said, "For instance, add a layer of Magic Seal first, then completely entomb it within rock.
"Then, add another layer outside the rock that only Fairy Tail can open with sealing magic, and build a chamber outside that only the Royal Family can open...
"Such layered seals ensure mutual agreement before opening, and we promise not to use it unless the whole nation faces urgent peril, how does that sound?"
The group exchanged looks, and the King nodded slowly, "This is indeed a prudent approach."
As for why it should be between the Kingdom and Fairy Tail rather than some other guild...
Perhaps it's due to trust.
Princess Jade asked, "How should we respond to the Council?"
"It's better not to let the Council know about this magic," Rhode shook his head, "Otherwise, who knows what crazy demands they might make."
The King nodded in agreement, "It would be best if we can keep this secret, as the magic itself is illegal. Once disclosed, the international pressure would be immense."
The group discussed arguments for handling Council inquiries, such as:
Due to the Fairy Tail fighting gathering too many Dragon Slayer Mages, some hidden dragons were disturbed, intending to retaliate.
Why the dragons came from the Royal Palace… because one dragon had spatial abilities, and there were many dragon skeletons beneath the palace, attracting their interest.
Thus, these seven dragons chose the Royal Palace as a teleport point and attack starting point.
The final message to the Council would be, if they don't believe it, they can seek verification from Atlas Frey.
That dragon has a relatively decent temper, as long as the person's attitude isn't too tough, they shouldn't get killed.
Of course, if the evaluators insist, then having Atlas Frey go to the Council for questioning is also possible. Rhode personally expressed willingness to assist them in persuasion efforts.
With that issue brushed aside, the Knight Captain then said, "The soldiers reported that during last night's battle, aside from the substantial help provided by Mr. Rhode, members of Sin of the Witch also repeatedly aided soldiers in distress.
"As Captain, I have the duty to represent the soldiers in expressing gratitude to them, but regarding their identity issues..."
The King said, "Since Sin of the Witch contributed to protecting the Royal Capital, expressing thanks is only right.
"However, I'm aware of their past misdeeds. Given the current situation, we can only provide them with some convenience domestically."
After all, Sin of the Witch was not the main force in resolving last night's problem, they have merit but not enough for Fiore Kingdom to bear criticism and exonerate them completely.
But with the King's words, Fiore's military will surely not make trouble for them in the future, occasionally assisting in hiding their whereabouts isn't impossible either.
Rhode had no objections; if he were King, he might try recruiting them, directly gaining a team of powerful forces.
Yet Toma and Jade still don't trust these people enough, and a bit more leniency is already commendable.
They then discussed some miscellaneous matters, and Rhode felt like he was becoming the Kingdom's chief advisor.
After handling these, Rhode brought up his request, "I hope to use the remaining energy of the Eclipse Gate to send Future Lucy back to her time. As for Future Rogue, there's no reason to keep him here."
"This..." They exchanged glances, surprised that Rhode would request such a thing.
They currently harbored some fear against initiating the Eclipse, hence were somewhat resistant.
Rhode reassured them, "Rest assured, with the current Magic Power of the gate, it's insufficient to do anything extra. You can assign people to monitor the entire process, I assure no strange individuals will emerge from the gate, nor will any surplus entities enter."
After a moment of hesitation, they eventually nodded in agreement.
Rhode's credibility was now high, and his intimidation strong. Since he could candidly propose this, even in a consultative tone, they decided to trust him.
Keeping the two future individuals was indeed inappropriate.
Even if Future Rogue deserved punishment, he should return to his own timeline.
After all, they had decided to conceal the Eclipse, discreetly sending people away was best.
Rhode arranged the time for opening and sealing the Eclipse Gate with them and went back to make preparations.
The King, on his side, was preparing to receive Lahar.
...
On his way back, Rhode saw many busy soldiers, clearing the battlefield, removing debris, preparing for post-war reconstruction.
However, he also frequently encountered groups of soldiers gathered together, discussing loudly.
Rhode heard words like 'impossible', 'ghost', 'miracle'.
After encountering three such groups, his curiosity was piqued and he stepped forward to ask, "Has something happened?"
"Ah, Mr. Rhode!"
The soldiers seemed nervous, instinctively lining up even saluting.
"No need to be so formal, I was just curious about what's happening, would you mind sharing?"
"Yes!" The lead soldier stepped forward, pointing at the street and buildings on either side, "Last night I saw this street get destroyed, tall buildings on both sides fell, and were overrun by those bugs… cough, well, in any case, damaged severely.
"But when we came over to clear the debris, we found everything intact, as if it had never seen battle."
Rhode felt carefully and sensed a faint familiar Magic Power lingering around, resembling Ultear's.
Looking at the intact buildings and street, he roughly understood what happened.
The Arc of Time is quite useful in this regard indeed.
He should convince Ultear to join the guild; that way, no matter who fights within it, or how intensely, there'd be no worry about reconstruction...
A talent indeed.
"Don't be alarmed, someone is using magic to aid in restoring the Royal Capital, you can help in areas away from here."
Rhode calmed the soldiers, thinking of informing the King about this later.
After the soldiers departed, Rhode activated Void Divination, located Sin of the Witch, and flew over.