Rhode said, "Think about which Star Spirits might have Transformation Magic first."
"Hmm..." Lucy pondered. Speaking of Transformation Magic, one would definitely first think of Gemini.
But Gemini wouldn't do such a thing, we'd have to think from those abandoned Star Spirits...
But there are too many.
And even the existing records only have information related to constellations, the abilities of these ancient Star Spirits are totally undocumented.
Lucy racked her brain but still couldn't figure out who could transform.
Just then, someone walked in. Two guards entered and shouted, "The Princess has arrived!"
Princess Jade followed in, with Yukino walking behind, half a step behind the Princess, followed by a few more guards.
"Ah! Aren't you the green-haired woman from that day?! I saw you at Rhode's wedding!" Natsu suddenly exclaimed, "So, you're the Princess!"
"You just found out..." Lucy said helplessly, "And shouting at the Princess like that is very disrespectful."
Not only disrespectful, but Natsu's shout startled the guards, who thought he was going to attack, hence raising their weapons.
Luckily, Princess Jade was familiar with the Fairy Tail members' manners and waved her hand to reassure them.
"Mr. Rhode, Miss Lucy." Princess Jade greeted kindly, "I didn't expect to meet under such circumstances."
Lucy, unable to engage in small talk, hurriedly said, "Princess, the assassination attempt was definitely not my doing!"
Princess Jade nodded, looking at Rhode, "I understand, if Fairy Tail intended to target me, they should have chosen better methods."
After all, she had learned before that there are 5 S-Class Mages in Fairy Tail, and Lucy hasn't even been nominated.
Such an important mission, how could they assign it to her?
"I thought you were a malicious Princess, but you're rather reasonable." Natsu said boisterously, about to step off the judgment stand, "Then let's go back, Rhode, Lucy?"
"Listen to others until they've finished speaking." Rhode pressed Natsu back down.
If things were that simple, they wouldn't have gone to such lengths to arrest someone.
Princess Jade said, "Though I am inclined to believe Miss Lucy, the Star Spirit we saw last night truly exists."
She glanced at Yukino behind her, signaling her to come forward.
Yukino nodded and stepped forward, saluting, "Lord Rhode."
Rhode sized up Yukino; she wore a light military uniform, with black gloves, standing tall and straight, with a formal and upright saluting posture, exuding a sense of heroic competence.
In her hand, she held a paper tube, unsure what it contained.
"This outfit suits you... But why didn't you come to find us after such an incident?"
Yukino's gaze dimmed slightly, responding, "There are various reasons, but it's not the time to discuss them now."
Rhode nodded, watching her movements.
Yukino unfolded the paper tube in her hand, revealing a drawing of a cowman wielding a large axe: "This is one of the attackers from last night, as sketched by the Princess from memory."
Taurus?
The Princess's drawing was quite good, and Rhode, Natsu, and Lucy recognized him at once, yet the more they looked, the more something seemed off.
"Uh..."
Natsu and Lucy both wanted to speak, but Rhode asked first, "How is the Princess's drawing skill? How closely does this resemble the person you saw last night?"
Princess Jade said, "I've specifically learned drawing for a while, though not as good as renowned artists, basic portraiture should be fine."
Yukino nodded, "The Princess's drawing is quite accurate, almost exactly the same as what I saw last night."
Rhode asked, "Were there any mistakes in the coloring?"
Yukino replied, "Perhaps minor discrepancies, but the main body is accurate."
Princess Jade inquired, "Is there something wrong with this drawing?"
Rhode nodded to Lucy, who hurriedly said, "His body's color differs from Taurus', essentially the exact opposite."
Taurus is depicted as a black-and-white cow, specifically white with black spots, whereas the drawing shows a black base with white spots, the colors are reversed.
Jade and Yukino exchanged a glance, then examined the drawing more closely, confirming the colors matched what they had seen the night before, not reversed.
Lucy continued, "Taurus' horns point forward, but these ones splay outward. Taurus has a nose ring, a collar with a bell, which this one lacks. The axe's shape is different, the belt buckle is also different..."
Lucy listed a slew of differences in one breath.
Though many were ornamental, the single differences in fur color and the horns were enough to convince her it wasn't Taurus.
Rhode then looked at Natsu, "What were you going to say just now?"
Natsu didn't quite understand why Lucy pointed out so much, "Isn't it obvious... Lucy's bull and this bull face are completely different? The face shows they are two different individuals, clearly."
"?"
Not only Jade and Yukino, but even Rhode and Lucy were bewildered.
How did he discern facial differences from this cow face at a glance?
Aside from coloring, Rhode observed the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth sizes and shapes closely resemble Taurus.
This one just seemed a bit fiercer.
No one else could comprehend it, so they temporarily overlooked Natsu's opinion.
Yukino replaced the drawing with another, showcasing another portrait: "This is the appearance of another assassin, matching characteristics of the Cancer Constellation, using matching magic."
Jade gestured to the two guards who had entered earlier.
The two guards removed their helmets and drew swords from their sheaths.
One was sporting a classic mohawk, the other a dramatically exaggerated quiff.
Amazingly, despite wearing heavy-looking helmets, their hair instantly bounced back, showing no signs of being flattened.
This impressive hairstyling magic indeed seems like Cancer Kyansa's handiwork.
Additionally, the blades of the swords they drew had numerous nicks, which Lucy immediately felt had been cut by Kyansa with scissors.
However, upon closely examining the painting, Lucy quickly identified numerous differences.
This included scissors, hairstyle, eyeglass styles differing, and the six crab legs behind seeming disproportionately slender, closer to shrimp legs.
Moreover, since Kyansa's face is human, Rhode and Lucy both discerned further facial differences.
Rhode remarked, "This person's face appears more delicate, slightly feminine."
"Are there really that many differences?" Princess Jade, confident in her drawing skill and memory, felt there wasn't any error.
She also believed Lucy wouldn't lie, as removing the Demon Sealing Stone Handcuffs to summon Taurus and Cancer would immediately reveal the truth.
She asked, "I've heard some Star Spirits can alter their appearance based on different masters' preferences. Is that possible?"