"Your Highness? What is going on? How many people have come from the future?" Arcadios couldn't help but ask, shocked by Princess Jade's sudden change of heart, leaving him momentarily confused.
Princess Jade glanced at him, recalling the night of the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games—the night when she met the future visitors.
"Do you remember the night when Fairy Tail rejected our offer? That night, when I was still troubled, two people suddenly appeared from the shadows," Princess Jade said with a heavy sigh. The past few days' events had weighed heavily on her, leaving her mentally exhausted.
"Those two from the future? Appearing from the shadows... could it be?" Arcadios asked, still in disbelief.
"You guessed right. One of them was Sabertooth's Rogue from the future," Princess Jade confirmed.
"And the other?" Arcadios pressed eagerly.
"The other was Fairy Tail's Celestial Spirit Mage, Lucy. When I met her, she was even missing her right arm," Princess Jade said, her eyes filled with sorrow. The sadness in Lucy's eyes was the main reason she chose to believe in this seemingly impossible future.
"I see... So, it was she who opened the Eclipse Gate from the future?" Arcadios exclaimed, shocked. This person's existence was undeniable proof of the gate's feasibility.
"They didn't come together. Lucy arrived through the Eclipse Gate immediately after the dragons attacked, while Rogue had struggled in a hellish future for seven years, studying the gate's other functions before coming here," Princess Jade explained.
"According to him, seven years later, the world had been completely ruled by dragons, with only ten percent of humanity remaining. The power of the Eclipse was no longer enough then, so he came back to this time to stop the dragon invasion."
"After telling me this, they disappeared, but Rogue soon returned alone and revealed the true culprit behind it all."
"Calvin Macaro?" Arcadios muttered.
"Yes. Lucy was in too much of a rush and didn't know the full truth, but Rogue, after seven years of investigation, had pieced everything together. Out of concern for Lucy's feelings, he explained everything to me in her absence and even stole the Twelve Zodiac Keys for me," Princess Jade said coldly, her demeanor changing sharply at the mention of Calvin's name.
"What about Calvin? What happened to him in the future?" Arcadios inquired.
"He died. Calvin believed that by releasing the dragons, they would make him the ruler of the world. Ironically, the dragons killed him the moment he set them free, fearing he would re-seal them," Princess Jade scoffed.
"Serves him right!" Arcadios cursed.
"But what does it matter if he's dead? The world was already beyond saving. We are the only ones who can prevent that future."
"So, what should we do? Even though he doesn't know about Eclipse Plan 2, Calvin has been trying to stop us from opening the Eclipse Gate all along," Arcadios asked, his concern evident.
"Rogue told me that Calvin's primary goal is to use the power of the dragons to destroy Zeref and Acnologia. He won't let us get ahead of him. Rogue also warned me that in the future, Calvin used force to try and stop the Eclipse Plan."
"That's why we must neutralize him first. Arcadios, summon Calvin and tell him I wish to speak with him personally," Princess Jade said with firm resolve.
"But Your Highness, it's too dangerous for you to meet him alone!" Arcadios protested, alarmed.
"No need to say more. My decision is final. Assemble the Wolf Knights. If possible, I intend to bring him to justice right then and there!" Princess Jade declared decisively.
Arcadios hesitated, his expression conflicted, but after deliberation, he reluctantly nodded.
To him, a ruler's command was absolute.
At that moment, footsteps approached from behind, and a cold voice spoke up.
"Allow me to lend you a hand, Princess Jade."
The two quickly turned around and saw a tall man dressed in black and white attire, with hair divided into stark black and white halves—it was Rogue from the future.
"Rogue?"
"You've seen Calvin's power yourselves. Even the five strongest members of Sabertooth couldn't defeat him. It's wishful thinking for anyone to kill him—no matter how skilled, even the kingdom's best executioners," Future Rogue said slowly, his voice commanding authority.
"Can you do it? Seven years ago, you weren't his match at all," Arcadios asked skeptically.
"I'm still not his equal now. Even though I have the power of the White Dragon and seven years of life-or-death experience, I'm merely a troublesome opponent for Calvin. But if it's just a matter of holding him off, I can do that. Trust me," Future Rogue said resolutely.
He had been pondering how to keep Princess Jade on course with his plan, and now things seemed to have taken a fortunate turn. Princess Jade had suddenly reaffirmed her decision to proceed with Eclipse Plan 2, and Rogue couldn't help but feel relieved that his previous efforts had not been in vain.
Now, there was just one final obstacle.
Princess Jade gazed into Future Rogue's determined eyes for a long moment before nodding.
"I'm counting on you, then. Arcadios, inform His Majesty of everything. Even though we have the Eclipse Cannon, we still need to be prepared for any unforeseen events," Princess Jade ordered after giving her approval.
"I understand. Leave it to me," Arcadios replied seriously. After casting a glance of trust at Rogue, he turned and left swiftly, his figure disappearing from Princess Jade and Rogue's sight.
...
The crowd was still celebrating Fairy Tail's victory at the Grand Magic Games arena. Everyone was in awe of the guild's dominance.
Calvin and Laxus received the most praise—for single-handedly crushing Sabertooth's five most vital members and Laxus for defeating a Ten Wizard Saint like Jura. The fact that these two men were in the same guild seemed almost unfair.
Meanwhile, Ezra asked Kagura why she had hesitated during their battle, but Kagura just blushed shyly, unable to answer clearly. Her eyes darted around, occasionally glancing in Calvin's direction.
Natsu and Gajeel, however, were the most upset. Both of them felt like they hadn't contributed much to this tournament. At least Natsu had won a fight against Sting, but Gajeel had the worst luck—his only appearance had ended with him succumbing to motion sickness.
Just then, a soldier suddenly ran over to Calvin.
"Master Calvin, Princess Jade has requested an audience with you."
Instinctively, Calvin exchanged glances with Makarov, who gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Calvin, in turn, reassured Makarov with a confident look.
The members of Fairy Tail, aware of the situation, shot Calvin a mix of curious and expectant glances—some filled with concern.
As for the other guilds, they were stunned. A private meeting with the princess? This had never happened before. Could it be that the princess had taken a liking to Calvin?
It made sense. After all, Princess Jade was of marriageable age, and Calvin was mighty and not bad-looking.
Magicians from other guilds who were familiar with Calvin all flashed knowing smiles.
Everyone's imagination was running wild, though their thoughts were far from pure.