Judging by his height and attire, Rhodes stared at the King for a long mont, quickly forming a conclusion.
Did Pumpkin Man just take off his costu, swap his cloak, and walk straight over here?
As expected of the country where Fairy Tail was based.
The ruler of a nation, instead of governing properly, wore a pumpkin head and served as a mascot and guest referee.
"Your Majesty, the King," several people greeted him.
Toma E. Fiore waved a hand. "There’s no need to be so formal. Please, sit."
He took a seat beside Princess Hisui, and the others followed.
Without any preamble, Toma asked, "Mr. Rhodes, could your intelligence also be from the future?"
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "Also?"
Toma nodded. "That’s right. I t soone who claid to be from the future. He warned about the imminent dragon attack. So I assud your information might co from the sa source."
Rhodes imdiately contacted Warren via Telepathy.
’Did Future Lucy ever et the King?’
Warren replied almost instantly.
’No. She said she was captured the mont she arrived and never t anyone outside.’
So soone else from the future had gone straight to the King?
Princess Hisui looked increasingly confused. "Future travelers? Father, what exactly is going on?"
King Toma explained, "After today’s arena matches, I intended to reconfirm the status of the Eclipse Gate. At that ti, this individual suddenly appeared."
Naturally, there had been warnings and interrogations. But the man had directly ntioned the Eclipse Plan, forcing Toma to bypass several procedures and speak with him personally.
"He claid he ca from seven years in the future through the Eclipse Gate," Toma continued.
"The guards confird that he carried residual Magic identical to that left by the Gate."
"At the mont July 7th begins, ten thousand dragons will attack this country, starting from the capital. Cities will burn, castles will collapse, and countless lives will be lost."
"Seven years later, the world will be completely ruled by dragons, and humanity will survive only by hiding in fear."
"To prevent that future, he said he traveled back through the Eclipse Gate to warn us in advance."
Princess Hisui still hesitated. "But even if he carries Eclipse-related magic, how can we be certain he isn’t lying?"
King Toma turned his gaze to Rhodes.
"That depends on judgnt, and on Mr. Rhodes’s assessnt."
Soone from seven years in the future would possess far more information than Future Lucy, and verifying his claims would be significantly harder.
Rhodes considered this briefly, then said, "The future traveler we encountered is not the sa person. She cos from a future only a few days after the dragon attack."
They exchanged information openly. Rhodes did not conceal Future Lucy’s existence, but he firmly refused to allow her anywhere near the royal palace.
The King described the man he had t: male, between twenty and thirty years old, half-black and half-white hair, a tattoo near one eye, and a scar across his nose.
Rhodes frowned in thought.
Two-toned hair... among the people he knew, the closest match would be Midnight, forrly of Oración Seis and now part of Cri Sorcière, white at the ends, age roughly similar.
Future Midnight?
Rhodes created an illusion with magic.
"Is it him?"
King Toma shook his head. "No. That man’s hair was split cleanly, left side black, right side white. His facial features were different."
In truth, the King felt the man looked familiar, as if he had seen him before, but he simply couldn’t recall where.
Rhodes ntally queried Warren again, then glanced at Mira and Jude. Both shook their heads; neither recognized the description.
Warren, however, joked through Telepathy:
’If you and Mira have a child, half-black, half-white hair wouldn’t be impossible. Why not ask if he resembled the two of you?’
Rhodes replied coldly, ’Get lost.’
Mira added sweetly, ’Warren, rember the last ti you asked to introduce you to a girl? I said no.’
’No—!’ Warren protested.
Even setting that aside, their child would only be six and a half years old by then.
And that assud Rhodes even existed in that tiline;
A thought struck him.
"Your Majesty," Rhodes asked, "did that person ntion that this era was different from the one he rembered? For example, no , no Quatro Cerberus, and no Dragon’s Treasure?"
The King paused. "He did ntion sothing along those lines, yes. Our conversation was brief. I originally planned to test him by asking about the results of the Grand Magic Gas..."
"But he stated frankly that he didn’t know," King Toma continued, "because at so point, an unknown change occurred in this era. Perhaps soone else returned from the future and altered a part of history. He himself is also investigating this anomaly."
Princess Hisui spoke anxiously, "If that’s the case... then will the ten thousand dragons not appear?"
Toma shook his head. "No. He said that these changes are not sufficient to affect the dragons’ actions. That day will still co. However, he brought back a solution from the future."
Princess Hisui asked imdiately, "What solution?"
"Eclipse Plan Two."
Her eyes widened. "What is that?"
Toma said solemnly,
"A different thod of using the Eclipse Gate. Instead of ti travel, it would be converted into an extrely powerful cannon, the E-Cannon.
"Once the dragons gather, the cannon would fire, using Magic Cannon–level energy accumulated over seven years to annihilate most of the dragons in a single strike. Then, all Magicians in the country would mobilize to hunt down the survivors."
Princess Hisui gasped. "Magic Cannon, the Council’s, If that’s truly possible, then perhaps..."
"Perhaps he’s lying to you," Rhodes cut in calmly.
He continued, "I’ve witnessed the power of Magic Cannon firsthand. It can erase a small island, yes, but wiping out tens of thousands of dragons is impossible."
Mira nodded in agreent. She had also been present when the Council deployed Magic Cannon.
Its power was terrifying, but even destroying a handful of dragons would already be pushing its limits.
She added, "And we’ve just deduced that those ten thousand dragons likely originate from the Eclipse Gate itself. In that case, the Gate absolutely cannot be opened."
"Is that so?" King Toma turned to Princess Hisui. He had only caught the last part. She nodded slowly.
"From the nature of the Eclipse Gate’s function, that possibility does exist."
"I see..." The King fell silent in thought.
"That future individual also claid he didn’t know the dragons’ true origin."
He then concluded,
"That ans the dragon attack two days from now is highly likely. As for their origin, and how to counter them, both still require investigation."
Toma looked at the group and said decisively:
"For now, please return and rest. I will convene my ministers and re-examine the Eclipse Plan. Conveniently, there are no competitions scheduled for tomorrow.
"Over the next two days, we will each investigate separately and verify the future individual’s claims. If any of you uncover new information, you may co directly to the palace. Likewise, we will inform you of any progress on our side.
"As King, I guarantee that the Eclipse Gate will not be activated rashly before the truth is fully uncovered."
Jude wanted to ask again about Layla, but the King had clearly ended the discussion. As a commoner, pressing further would be inappropriate.
Rhodes considered for a mont. Sensing that there were matters the King could not discuss in front of them, he sent a brief telepathic ssage to Mira, then stood.
"Then we’ll take our leave."
Mira rose as well and bowed politely. "We apologize for the intrusion."
Under Yukino’s guidance, the three left the palace and were escorted out by soldiers.
After watching them depart through a surveillance magic crystal, King Toma finally let out a long sigh.
"Just as that man said... Rhodes may prevent the Eclipse Gate from being activated."
Princess Hisui turned sharply. "Father? What do you an by that? Were you hiding sothing from them?"
Toma nodded slowly.
"The future traveler’s words may not be entirely reliable. But there are indeed matters that could not be revealed to them."
He looked at the palace doors, his expression grave.
"Because this Mr. Rhodes... may not be entirely trustworthy either."
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