Natsu was locked in the brig inside the flying ship, restlessly causing a racket: "Let me go! Ugh~ Give Lucy back... Ugh~"
"Stop puking when you say my name..." Lucy retorted weakly.
Regarding the arrest, she wasn't exactly not worried; it was just useless to be anxious.
Lucy had already insisted multiple times 'it wasn't me' and 'I was home all night', but no one believed her.
Arcadios was adamant that she was the one who attempted to assassinate the princess.
Lucy had no choice but to hope the guild members would testify for her or wait to clarify things with the princess herself.
Outside, two guards stood face to face, not particularly tense, since both mages inside were wearing Demon Sealing Stone handcuffs, making escape impossible.
Only that seasick guy was too noisy and a bit nauseating.
Arcadios stood fully armed on the deck, wearing armor that was a culmination of the kingdom's magic technology.
With this magical equipment and swordsmanship honed since childhood, he was confident he wouldn't lose to those guild mages.
Even guild presidents might not be his opponent.
The lookout at the top of the flying ship shouted loudly, "Captain, it seems like someone is chasing us!"
"Seems like?" Arcadios frowned, sternly saying, "Speak with certainty!"
The lookout had no choice but to continue observing carefully.
Initially, he could only see a small black dot, but after raising the telescope, in the blink of an eye, the view was filled by a person with wings, who looked somewhat familiar.
At this distance, he no longer needed the telescope; he switched to watching with the naked eye, but just as he recalled who the face was, that person had already appeared on the deck, standing in front of Arcadios.
The lookout turned pale; this was a serious neglect of duty.
If an enemy had come, he could be in big trouble. Even if it wasn't an enemy... a reprimand would surely follow.
If the lookout was like this, there was no need to speak of the others.
The soldiers seemed to just realize someone had caught up, and they heard the sound of a heavy object landing; the ship shook slightly and then regained balance.
They staggered but quickly regained their footing, immediately assuming this was an enemy attack, drawing their weapons, ready to charge at the person who had just put away their wings.
But Arcadios raised his right hand to signal them not to act rashly: "Mr. Rhode... or perhaps I should call you Duke?"
Rhode didn't speak but instead activated his Requip Magic.
Under the tense stares of everyone, a Ten Wizard Saints cloak appeared on him, and five medals appeared on his chest.
One by one, he adjusted the medals on his chest: the first was the Ten Wizard Saints medal, the second was the honor medal for capturing Petlyura Gang remnants and being made a Count.
The third was a merit medal for single-handedly destroying nationwide gangs and being made a Duke, while the fourth and fifth were the Peace Medal and Honor Legion Medal awarded to Fairy Tail by the Kingdom of Fiore seven years ago.
Technically, those two medals awarded to the guild should only be worn by the president or hung in the guild.
But no one in Fairy Tail minds, so Rhode took them out for temporary use.
Arcadios immediately adjusted his attitude; he could show a stern face to 'the accomplices of criminals,' but he couldn't disrespect this string of medals.
These are honors soldiers dream of.
Not just Arcadios, even the soldiers instinctively stood at attention, one after another pointing their weapons to the sky.
Rhode looked at the fully armed captain of the knight order before him: "However, you wish to address me doesn't matter; I believe you know why I'm here."
"Is it for those two companions of yours?" Arcadios said, "Miss Lucy is accused of attempting to assassinate the princess, and Mr. Natsu attacked the knight order. I only arrested them according to the kingdom's laws."
"Kingdom laws require evidence."
"Indeed," Arcadios maintained a composed demeanor, "Precisely because of that, we decisively arrested Miss Lucy."
Rhode examined Arcadios's eyes; there wasn't a single hint of avoidance.
Could there actually be evidence of Lucy's attempt?
Rhode said, "Let's hear it, if you're fabricating facts..."
"As it concerns the princess's safety, it shouldn't be spoken of much, but since it's your request..." Arcadios waved his hand, signaling others to move away.
"Miss Lucy is a Star Spirit Mage, and she possesses the keys to the Taurus Constellation and Cancer Constellation of the Zodiac. Isn't that right?"
Most people use the term 'Spirit' as a measure for Star Spirits, and Rhode didn't feel like correcting it, instead signaling with his eyes for Arcadios to continue.
The Hartfilia family used to have a lot of interactions with the royal family, and Lucy had demonstrated magic during interviews, so it was normal for the other side to know this.
Arcadios said, "The ones who attempted to assassinate the princess last night were those two Star Spirits."
Impossible... Rhode instinctively wanted to refute it.
But thinking about the chaos in the Star Spirit Realm these days, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
Perhaps something went wrong with the Zodiac Spirits, or maybe they were ordered by the Star Spirit King to hunt the abandoned spirits and accidentally caused a commotion at the palace...
No, perhaps there's an even more complex reason; Princess Jade is also a Star Spirit Mage.
Rhode furrowed his brows tightly, with countless possibilities passing through his mind, yet he couldn't figure it out.
He temporarily halted his thoughts and asked the most crucial question: "How is the princess? Is she hurt?"
Arcadios hesitated briefly, but seeing the other's softened attitude, he replied honestly, "Fortunately, Sergeant Agria arrived in time, providing proper protection. The princess is unharmed."
"That's good..." Rhode nodded, relieved that Princess Jade was unharmed, meaning there was still room for negotiation. However, he thought he heard a strange name earlier.
"Which sergeant?"
"Sergeant Agria, Yukino Agria." Arcadios realized something, "It seems she knows you."
Why had Yukino become a sergeant? And a direct guardian for the princess?
Rhode pinched his brow, feeling his mind a bit chaotic; what's been happening these days? All sorts of chaotic issues were converging at once.
If Yukino was also present, the assassination incident might likely be true.
She probably wouldn't help frame Fairy Tail, nor would she likely misidentify a Star Spirit.
That made things even more complicated.
If it was indeed confirmed that Lucy was the culprit... he probably couldn't stand idly by.
The worst outcome might be having to live in another country, or even choosing another nation entirely.
The crux is, if this matter isn't justifiable, taking action would go against their intent, making their future magic paths less smooth.
They had to quickly uncover the truth.
Rhode said, "I need to see Lucy."
Arcadios didn't know what terrifying thoughts Rhode had just harbored and, after a brief hesitation, agreed to let Rhode visit Lucy.