"Belserion?" Edolas Mira mused, lightly tapping her chin with her finger. "I've never heard of that surname... I remember the Fairy Hunter is called Erza Knightwalker."
"Simply put, the Erza standing in front of you is not the Erza you know, and this Natsu is not the Natsu you know, either," Raizel explained calmly.
"We are also members of 'Fairy Tail,' but we are not from this world."
Raizel's words caused a great shock among the Edolas guild members, and their astonished murmurs continued for a long time.
"Now it's my turn to ask a question. I assume this world's 'Fairy Tail' doesn't have members like me and her, right?" Raizel pointed at himself and Kagura as he asked.
The reason for this question was that Raizel had been carefully observing the room earlier.
The members here seemed to pay very little attention to him and Kagura, while they were constantly whispering and pointing at the rest of the Earthland group.
Even Earthland Gajeel had been recognized by someone as a so-called freelance reporter in this world.
"No, we've never seen either of you before," Edolas Lucy confirmed, shaking her head.
"We came from another world called Earthland, and our final destination is the Royal Capital," Raizel stated.
"Why are you going to the Royal Capital? It's incredibly dangerous there. The Kingdom's Royal Army is hunting down members of 'Fairy Tail' everywhere," Edolas Mira warned with genuine concern.
"To rescue our guild members," Natsu answered firmly.
"So, you're from another world, and your true purpose is to save your captured companions, which is exactly why you came to our Edolas?" Edolas Mira nodded in slow understanding.
"Is there also a 'Fairy Tail' guild over there? And this Erza is actually one of your own?" Edolas Mira first looked at Raizel for confirmation, then cautiously turned her gaze to Erza.
"Yes, I am a proud member of 'Fairy Tail'." Erza closed her eyes, and a brilliant golden light flashed around her as she used her Requip magic.
She instantly changed back into her usual Heart Kreuz armor, proudly displaying the 'Fairy Tail' emblem on her chest plate.
"You can actually use magic?!"
"Really, she has the 'Fairy Tail' emblem..."
"They're really not the same person after all. Knightwalker uses a magical spear called the Ten Commandments, I think." The Edolas members murmured among themselves in awe.
"Yes, that's roughly the situation," Raizel nodded.
"This is really hard to believe..." Edolas Macao muttered.
"But they are indeed quite different from the members we know... I mean, how could this Gray not even wear clothes?!" Edolas Wakaba pointed out incredulously.
Gray, suddenly being called out, looked down in panic and realized his upper body was completely bare again.
"Nani?! Where did my clothes go???" he yelled, frantically searching around.
"See? They just look the same on the outside," Earthland Lucy sighed, shaking her head at Gray's stripping habit.
"So... this child is the 'me' from over there?" Edolas's fully-grown Wendy looked down at the small Earthland Wendy with an expression of utter disbelief.
"Hello," little Wendy nodded politely, feeling a bit awkward looking up at her older counterpart.
"How did you get so small, Wendy?" Edolas Nab asked curiously.
"I didn't shrink... I've always been this size..." Wendy pouted with a slightly resentful look.
"So, we want to learn everything we can about the Royal Capital from you, and then quickly go rescue our members," Raizel brought the conversation back on track.
"Our guild members have all been turned into a giant lacrima of Magic Power by the King of this world. If we don't save them soon..." Wendy said, her voice trembling as she lowered her head.
"I'm truly sorry for being so weak and insignificant, but for your own good, I strongly advise you not to go," Edolas Mira pleaded gently.
"No one who dares to defy the King of Edolas has ever survived."
She continued sadly, "The King of Edolas issued a royal decree to disband all Magic Guilds because he wants to strictly monopolize all the remaining magical power. The Magic Guilds resisted with all their might before, but... in the end, only our guild remains."
"Of course, we didn't escape unscathed either. We've lost nearly half of our members to the Royal Army," Edolas Jet added bitterly.
At this point, Jet and Edolas Droy couldn't help but wipe away their falling tears, overwhelmed by the memory of their lost friends.
"Don't worry. Just point us in the right direction," Raizel assured them confidently. "We can handle it. Please, believe in 'Fairy Tail'."
Raizel slowly unwrapped the concealing bandage from his hand, proudly revealing the Guild Mark on the back of it.
Following his lead, Natsu cooperated with Raizel, eagerly rolling up his sleeve to show the red mark on his arm while grinning widely at their counterparts.
...
Royal Capital of Edolas, Unified General Staff Headquarters—
The three captains of the Royal Army's Magic War Units walked side by side down the grand, pristine corridor, with Erza Knightwalker leading fiercely in the middle.
"Mmm... So amazing... Erza, did you see it? That enormous magic crystal!" Sugarboy cooed, sliding his hand dramatically through his pompadour.
"I saw it when I arrived, Sugarboy. It's truly beautiful," Erza Knightwalker replied coldly, her armor clinking with every step.
"That's the collected magical power of tens of thousands of Earthland people," Hughes remarked, grinning mischievously as he casually twirled his command baton.
"To be precise, it's the collected magical power of many members from powerful Magic Guilds, along with numerous lives, right?" Sugarboy corrected Hughes's statement.
"Hehe, don't be so particular about such minor details, Sugarboy!" Hughes laughed dismissively.
"What I meant to say is that this thing is really incredible!"
"Miss Erza, haven't you successfully dealt with the Edolas 'Fairy Tail' yet?" An elderly, raspy voice suddenly echoed from behind the three captains.
"Byro," Erza Knightwalker said sharply.
She turned to look at the short, wrinkly old man leaning heavily on a wooden cane—Byro Cracy, the Chief of Staff of the Royal Army.
Byro continued unhurriedly, "This repeated failure will damage your fearsome reputation as the Fairy Hunter. 'Fairy Tail' is the only surviving dark guild, though I must admit, they are indeed the guild most skilled at escaping."
"However, His Majesty expects you to deliver concrete results immediately," Byro reminded her sternly.
Erza Knightwalker didn't respond, simply staring down at Byro with a piercing, intimidating glare.
"Why so impatient, old man? The day when our goddess hunts the last of those fairies is coming soon," Hughes defended her with a cocky laugh.
"That's right! Mmm... Erza's Ten Commandments spear isn't just powerful—it's super powerful!" Sugarboy added, humming in agreement.
"Kukuku..." Byro let out a nauseating, grating laugh that echoed unpleasantly down the hall.
"Please don't laugh so disgustingly, Byro," a deep, stoic voice commanded.
A tall, imposing shadowy figure wearing a white cape emerged into the corridor.
"Panther Lily," Erza Knightwalker acknowledged, looking at the slowly approaching, muscular black Exceed.
"I don't like chatterboxes," Panther Lily stated flatly, crossing his arms.
"Hughes, that includes you, too."
"Hey! Why drag me into this?!" Hughes wasn't one to back down either, retorting immediately. "You always act like you're the strongest among us captains, don't you, kitty?"
"You should just keep your mouth shut," Panther Lily warned with a narrow, dangerous glare.
"Mmm... Are you in a bad mood today, Lily?" Sugarboy asked, watching the drama unfold with his hands resting casually on his hips.
"Hmph." Panther Lily snorted dismissively, ignoring the taunt, and walked directly past them down the corridor.
"He seems deeply dissatisfied with the King's recent military buildup," Erza Knightwalker noted while watching Lily's retreating figure.
"As a soldier, he should be thrilled about this, shouldn't he?" Hughes questioned, tilting his head.
"But our nation has already nearly unified the entire world," Erza replied thoughtfully. "There's truly no logical reason to further strengthen our military forces at this point. I can somewhat understand why he'd be unhappy about it."
"Mmm... I suppose the King feels it's necessary because there are still a few stubborn remnants of resistance," Sugarboy suggested.
"Even if that's really the case, our current forces should be more than sufficient to crush them, right?" Erza argued, clearly disagreeing with the necessity of the extreme measures being taken.
"I don't understand! Are you all discussing something complicated right now? I completely don't get it at all!" Hughes whined, throwing his arms up in total exasperation.
Suddenly, heavy, authoritative footsteps approached from the grand double doors ahead.
The captains immediately ceased their bickering and dropped to one knee in absolute reverence.
"Your Majesty..." Erza bowed.
"Your Majesty..." Hughes saluted.
"Your Majesty..." Sugarboy chimed in, lowering his head respectfully as King Faust approached his commanders.