Wendy was startled, pointing at herself and saying, "So this is why Carla misunderstood?"
Queen Shagotte, unable to meet Carla's gaze, continued.
"Because I knew that Dragon Slayer Magic was an extremely widely used and powerful force in Earthland, I knew Faust would not refuse the opportunity to harvest it. That is why he agreed to help me send the children's eggs to Earthland."
Carla took two steps back in disbelief, murmuring to herself, "So... that is how it was... We went to Earthland not to kill Wendy and the others... but to survive?"
The elders looked at the distraught Carla and sighed sorrowfully.
"We are deeply sorry for all the pain you've endured. In truth, this mission never existed from the beginning."
"No! Impossible!"
Carla retorted with reddened eyes. "The implanted mission has always been in my consciousness! You just wanted to control us like this!"
Queen Shagotte couldn't hold back her tears anymore.
Gazing at Carla's face, she whispered, "This is actually because... Carla, you possess the exact same precognitive ability as I do."
"When you were still in your egg in Edolas, you foresaw our publicly stated mission to kill the Dragon Slayer Mages. This awareness persisted after your birth, distorted and confused by your subconscious into what you believed was an implanted mission."
Carla clutched her head, trembling as she collapsed to the ground.
Weeping bitterly, she cried, "Are you saying... all these years I've been tormenting myself? Those implanted memories from Edolas were actually subconscious premonitions of the future?!"
Shagotte wept silently, bowing her head without another word.
Happy rushed forward worriedly to help Carla up, while Wendy gently embraced her, soothing softly.
"Don't cry, Carla. At least we're all safe, aren't we..."
"I'm sorry... Wendy..." Carla sobbed intermittently in Wendy's arms, and Wendy held her even tighter.
"Terrible news! Your Majesty! Elders!"
At that moment, a black-furred male cat who kept performing dumbbell curls with his left arm came panting toward them.
"What's wrong, Nadi?" The elders immediately recognized Nadier, the State Minister of Extalia.
Without pausing his weightlifting motions, Nadi cried out anxiously, "Your Excellencies! Those humans are attacking!"
"They're all armed with special weapons and have already turned many of our people into Magic Crystals!"
"What?!"
The scene exploded like stagnant water hit by artillery shells.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden news.
The despair and fear from earlier seemed about to become reality. The Exceeds scattered like ants from a disturbed nest, fleeing in all directions.
Just then, countless laser beams rained down from the city gates as a large troop of well-equipped humans charged toward the Exceeds, riding upon Legion beasts.
"By the King's order! Kill these fraudulent mongrel cats! Turning them into Lacrimas will sustain us for years!"
"Charge!"
Screams, gunfire, and human curses merged together.
The once peaceful Extalia instantly descended into war.
Nadi rushed before the elders and Queen, weeping as he reported, "Please flee, Your Majesty! Captain Nichiya and his troops in the outskirts have also been turned into Magic Crystals by these invading humans..."
Shagotte collapsed to the ground, lamenting, "This day... has finally come..."
"This is our retribution... our own doing..." The Elder Council wept uncontrollably, lacking the will to evade the artillery fire.
They could only shield Shagotte, hoping she might survive.
Happy suddenly remembered something with a start, exclaiming in alarm.
"Uncle and Aunt!"
Laxus watched Extalia's defenses rapidly crumbling.
He snorted coldly and turned to leave before saying, "Though I don't know why they're fighting among themselves, we've learned what we needed. Leave them be—let's go save those two cats."
Laxus knew exactly what deserved saving and what deserved destruction.
Those two cats in the outskirts had warmly welcomed them, showing particular kindness to Happy and Carla.
Laxus was willing to save them, even if they were Exceeds.
In contrast, regarding these cats who had shouted, thrown stones and protested at them the moment they entered the city... he couldn't care less if they lived or died.
While nobody was paying attention, Laxus quickly leaped onto the civilian rooftops, retreating toward the city outskirts.
Carla huddled in Wendy's embrace, watching helplessly as their fellow Exceeds were desperately transformed into Magic Crystals under the Kingdom Army's frenzied hunting shots behind them.
And then, there was that sight of Shagotte collapsing to her knees on the street under the midnight sky, along with the way Queen Shagotte had looked at her earlier.
Carla's heart pounded wildly, yet in the end, she remained silent.
She couldn't distinguish what that emotion was—whether it was foresight, instinct, or genuine compassion from the heart.
In her current fragile state, Carla didn't dare voice everything.
Perched on Laxus's shoulder, Happy gazed at the smoke-filled battlefield behind them, hanging his head in gloom.
Laxus noticed his mood and spoke in a gruff tone, "What? Feeling sorry for them?"
Happy hesitated for a moment before nodding dejectedly. "Even though they are our kin, they've done many wrongs, and they really dislike us... but I..."
He trailed off mid-sentence, his ears drooping as he curled up adorably on Laxus's broad shoulder.
"Besides, Laxus and everyone else hate them too, don't you..."
Laxus didn't respond, instead turning to Lily. "What about you?"
Lily remained silent for a while before nodding with difficulty. "Perhaps I am too weak, still clinging to this place that abandoned me..."
Then, Laxus glanced at Carla who was curled up in Wendy's arms, looking dazed as if suffering from post-traumatic stress.
Laxus let out a long sigh before suddenly braking hard with his feet, halting his steps.
"Bunch of kids..."
...
As the surrounding citizens were mercilessly hunted, Queen Shagotte watched in utter despair as the human before her raised his Mage gun, about to transform her into a Lacrima.
Heaven-sent thunder descended from the sky, shattering the entire street with its sudden fury.
The Kingdom Army soldiers were struck unconscious instantly by the lightning.
"Mage-san? Why are you..."
Shagotte's eyes widened in fright at the thunder.
She was utterly bewildered as she looked at Laxus standing before her, bathed in lightning and radiating absolute authority.
"Don't look at me with those disgusting eyes. If it were just me, I wouldn't look back no matter how many times you lot died."
Laxus turned to face the approaching troop of soldiers, lightning surging powerfully in his hands as he said in a low voice.
"I just don't want those idiot cats of mine to become completely alone."
"This place... is the hometown of those two children. If it is to be destroyed, no one else should be the one to do it!"