"Stop right there!"
The sudden stern shout startled everyone present.
Immediately afterward, countless fully armed kingdom soldiers rushed in through the main gate, surrounding Arcadios, Natsu, and the others.
"Kingdom soldiers?"
"What's going on?"
"This is...?"
"Surrender quietly."
The soldiers surrounding Natsu and his group slowly parted to create a path.
An elderly, short-statured man, the Minister of Defense, Darton, walked forward with a stern expression.
"Colonel Arcadios."
Arcadios' expression turned grim as he asked, "Minister Darton, what is the meaning of this?"
"That is exactly what I should be asking you," Darton replied solemnly.
"A top-secret plan… divulging the nation's highest classified information to outsiders."
"They are not outsiders! You should know that they are crucial to this operation!" Arcadios retorted, visibly agitated.
"This is not something that can be decided by your personal judgment alone," Darton coldly countered.
"You're only opposing this plan, aren't you?! Stop this unreasonable behavior at once!"
Hearing Arcadios' words, Darton looked as though he had been struck in a sore spot.
He roared in anger, "You dare to create such a terrifying weapon, and you expect me to approve of it?! Have you not considered that if news of such a powerful weapon spreads, Fiore will become the enemy of the entire continent, you fool?!"
At this, Arcadios remained silent, his face tense.
"Enemy of the continent?"
"Indeed, if this weapon is completed, it will undoubtedly cause panic among other nations. Fiore would become a thorn in everyone's side," Carla remarked.
Although she did not say more, everyone understood— even with the Radient temple, if they were to make enemies of the entire continent, Fiore would be utterly crushed without a trace.
"Colonel Arcadios is hereby arrested on charges of treason against the state! Likewise, Natsu Dragneel is also under arrest, and the rest of you are to be expelled from the palace!"
"Why Natsu too?!"
"You bastards!"
Hearing Darton's words, Natsu's expression darkened.
Massive orange-red flames erupted from his hands as he prepared to fight.
Seeing this, Arcadios instead cried out in alarm, "Stop! You can't use magic here!!"
Boom!
Before Natsu could attack, an invisible force suddenly pressed down on him, pinning him to the ground, rendering him completely unable to move.
"Natsu!!"
"Did I not mention this before?" Darton sneered as he looked down at Natsu, struggling on the ground.
"This temple is a legendary relic passed down from ancient times. At such close proximity to it, any attack that carries an energy fluctuation will be suppressed by the divine pressure."
"Don't cause trouble. Without magic, mages like you are no match for our kingdom's forces."
As he finished speaking, the surrounding soldiers swarmed forward, capturing both Natsu and Arcadios.
Looking at Arcadios' face, Darton spoke coldly, "I will never allow 'Eclipse' to be activated."
A flash of blue light flickered through Arcadios' eyes, but he made no move.
Instead, he remained silent and allowed the kingdom's soldiers to restrain him.
Meanwhile, aside from Natsu, the rest of the group was forcibly expelled from Mercurius by the kingdom's soldiers under Darton's command.
With his back turned to the dissatisfied Fairy Tail members, Darton softened his tone slightly and spoke in a low voice, "I hope you understand—this is entirely my decision, and it is all for the sake of the kingdom... However, let me offer you some advice. His Majesty holds Fairy Tail in high regard. If you manage to win the Grand Magic Games, you will earn the opportunity to meet the king. His Majesty is a benevolent ruler—surely, he would consider reducing your friend's sentence."
..............
July 5th – The Day Before the Final Day of the Grand Magic Games
"What?"
"Natsu was captured by the kingdom?"
Back at the inn, upon hearing the news from Lucy and the others who had returned, Noel, Erza, and the rest were taken aback.
Gray looked frustrated. "We don't really understand it ourselves. He was probably identified as someone involved in the plan."
Laxus, sitting to the side with his arms crossed, analyzed, "So that means we can only get Natsu back if we win the Grand Magic Games?"
Gray shook his head. "We don't even know if we can trust what they said."
"Then... are we supposed to storm the prison and break Natsu out?" Ed considered.
"Our opponent is the entire kingdom. That would be too difficult," Carla shook her head.
"Hmm..." Makarov, who had been sitting quietly at the table, pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Since our opponent is the kingdom, we can't act recklessly… The same goes for them. They won't just dispose of a citizen so easily. It seems Natsu is likely being held as a hostage to prevent the activation of 'Eclipse'."
Gajeel furrowed his brows in confusion. "But… something still doesn't feel right. Why would they release us after we learned about a national secret?"
Lily speculated, "Maybe they let us go so we could serve as witnesses to convict Arcadios?"
"Even at the risk of leaking classified information?"
"Because of the Grand Magic Games," Noel, who had been deep in thought, suddenly spoke.
"Indeed, if they had detained Gray and the others as well, it would have prevented any information from leaking. But that would also cause a huge uproar since most of Fairy Tail's participants would be missing. That kind of chaos could prompt the Magic Council to intervene, and once that happens, the situation would spiral out of their control."
"I see. So even the kingdom doesn't want to make enemies of the wizards?" Juvia nodded.
Erza, with a serious expression, said, "Although Natsu's capture is extremely unreasonable, it does not go against the kingdom's sense of justice."
"In any case, we must find a solution first."
Makarov nodded, his gaze turning sharp and solemn.
"A family member has been taken—this is no time to enjoy the festival. Everyone... feels the same way. In the past, we always charged forward without thinking of the consequences. But this time, our opponent is different… Still, we of Fairy Tail are not cowards who will stay silent."
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