Lily marched briskly through the palace corridors, his brow furrowed beneath his helmet.
As a high-ranking official in the Kingdom, he harbored deep doubts about its recent plans.
Just one look was enough to know—he wasn't human. He was an Exceed, a race revered in this world as divine beings.
But now, Lily was a Fallen Angel.
That term referred to Exceeds who had severed ties with their homeland, Extalia, and chosen to act by their own will.
Lily had become one simply because he saved a gravely wounded human boy. That one act had earned him banishment from Extalia.
It was from that moment that Lily saw through Extalia's hypocrisy. He joined the Kingdom and rose to become a captain in the Magic Warfare Squad.
He had long sensed the Kingdom's escalating military expansion and grew increasingly uneasy. But as an Exceed, he had never earned Faust's full trust. The best he could do was offer cautious suggestions.
Still, as an officer of the Kingdom, his first duty was to carry out the King's orders loyally.
So this time, he would give everything he had to eliminate the invaders from the other world.
Just then, he caught a flicker of shadow flitting through the far end of the corridor.
An intruder! Lily made an instant judgment and gave chase.
But the shadow didn't flee far. In fact, it stood waiting—almost as if it wanted Lily to catch up.
Abandoning thoughts of calling the guards, Lily pursued alone.
The figure led him through several turns, finally arriving at a quiet, deserted corner.
There, the black-clad silhouette stopped, turned, and pulled down the scarf hiding his face.
"Your Highness!" Lily exclaimed.
It was Mystogan. And this was exactly who he had come to find.
The two had known each other for years—the young boy Lily had once rescued was none other than Mystogan himself.
"It's been a long time, Lily," Mystogan said softly.
Lily looked around, confirmed they were alone, and spoke urgently. "Your Highness, you shouldn't be here! I'll cover your escape—go now!"
Mystogan shook his head. "Thank you, but I can't leave. This time… I came to change everything."
"Change… everything?" Lily repeated in disbelief. "What are you planning?"
"I'm going to change—no, save—this country," Mystogan declared. "Lily, will you help me?"
Looking into his prince's eyes, Lily dropped to one knee. "Please allow me to!"
Mystogan helped him up. "By the way, what happened to Charles?"
Lily hesitated before answering. "That man… What a pity. He wanted to change the country too, just like you. But he was too proud. In the end, betrayal brought him down."
Mystogan pondered this. "Is there any chance he could become our ally?"
"Absolutely not," Lily said firmly.
Mystogan looked puzzled. Lily continued, "If it were the past, yes—he might've been your greatest ally. But ever since the betrayal, he's become someone who crawled up from the depths of hell. Now, he's nothing but a demon of war. He won't help us."
Mystogan recalled the gentle, sunny boy from his childhood. What on earth could have happened to twist him into the demon Lily now described?
…
In the royal capital's prison, Byro held a lantern as he descended toward the lowest depths.
Due to the life-conversion magic experiments with Anima, most of the inmates had already been consumed. Many cells now stood empty.
Only Byro's footsteps echoed down the shadowy corridor as he walked deeper into the darkness.
Eventually, he reached the deepest section of the prison. If the upper levels still had traces of light, this place was pure blackness.
Only his lantern provided any illumination.
There, at the very end, was a single cell—not enclosed with bars, but sealed behind a solid, heavy iron door.
A small viewing slit revealed the door's thickness—at least a palm wide. One couldn't help but wonder what kind of monster was imprisoned behind it.
As if responding to the footsteps, the sound of chains dragging across the floor rang out from within.
Just from the noise, it was clear the chains were as thick as a human arm. It seemed they really didn't want the prisoner to escape.
Byro stood silently outside.
A voice called from within. "Well, well. I wondered who it was. Turns out it's you, old man."
"You're as sharp as ever," Byro replied.
"That decaying stench of yours—I could smell it a mile away."
Byro snorted. "The one rotting is you, bastard."
A raspy laugh echoed from inside, like the cackling of a demon straight out of hell.
"Is that so? You still don't understand anything, do you?"
Suppressing his temper, Byro said, "Enough. I didn't come to argue."
"Of course not. Including you, no one comes down here unless they have a damn good reason."
Ignoring the comment, Byro got to the point. "Somehow, Fairy Tail from Earthland has made it to Edolas. If you help His Majesty eliminate them, he may grant you your freedom."
"Hahahahaha! Old man, do you even believe what you're saying? Free me? If His Majesty does that, he'll never sleep peacefully again! Trust doesn't exist in this rotten world. Even comrades betray you—so what do you expect from enemies?"
Byro fell silent. This man was the living proof of his own words.
Even Byro himself didn't believe Faust would actually let this man go. Especially not now. In the past, Faust at least understood this man's desires. But now, he was utterly deranged.
No one could predict what a madman might do.
As Byro had said, this visit was only a precaution. Faust wouldn't truly consider releasing him unless it became absolutely necessary.
"Think it over," Byro said flatly. "When the king calls upon you, I hope you've come to your senses. Freedom… is priceless."
With that, he turned and walked away. His footsteps slowly faded, and the lantern's light disappeared.
Inside the cell, the man bound in thick iron chains slowly opened his eyes.
Those eyes gleamed crimson—like they were drenched in blood.
His face was a perfect mirror of Charles, save for being slightly gaunt.
But the aura around him was completely different—pure, unrelenting violence.
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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