"No! That mission isn't fake! It has been haunting me since I was born!"
Carla shouted emotionally.
Pointing her paws at Lily with tears welling in her eyes, she cried, "Your queen is a madwoman!"
"Your name is Carla, right? ...I am sorry." Lily raised his head, not avoiding Carla's accusations.
He still offered an explanation.
"Before the queen's operation, I saved a human child. Because of that, I was despised and rejected by the Exceed leadership. They branded me as 'Fallen' and exiled me from the country."
"So, I am sorry. I do not really know what exactly happened back then, or whether the queen truly gave such an order..."
Lily gritted his teeth.
He determinedly raised his head to look at all the Fairy Tail members, stating firmly, "But I will investigate this matter and give you an answer. This is a sin committed by the homeland I once loved."
Laxus snorted coldly and said irritably, "Your sins should not stop there. Your current Edolas Kingdom still attempts to steal resources from our world, all under the disguise of making things right."
Lily glared back defiantly at the lightning-wielding man. "Regarding this matter, I have advised His Majesty to stop before. But after all, I am an Exceed—I cannot please either side. Moreover... I am a soldier. When orders are given, I can only carry them out."
Laxus's eyes turned cold as he muttered, "Stubborn fool."
Sensing the dangerous aura beginning to leak from Laxus, a sweating Gajeel quickly stepped forward to intervene.
"Let's discuss this later. After all, Lily is on our side now, isn't he?"
Lily looked at Happy and Carla, finally resting his gaze on Mystogan.
For the first time, his tone softened as he said, "I simply believe that the path the Prince has chosen is also the one I wish to follow."
"Prince?!"
Upon hearing Lily's words, everyone's eyes widened, their gazes locking onto Mystogan at the exact same time.
"You saw through me after all, Lily." Mystogan smiled, then slowly removed his tightly wrapped mask.
Just as Mystogan revealed his face for the first time to the highly anticipating guild, the members of the strongest team suddenly shouted in unified surprise.
"Jellal?!"
Mystogan showed his face, smiling wryly at the strongest team members.
"Yes, I am the Jellal of Edolas. That human child who caused Lily to be exiled from his homeland... was actually me..."
Lily quickly interrupted, "It is not your fault, Prince. That hypocritical kingdom would even punish someone for saving a human child. I do not regret the decision I made back then."
Erza gazed at Mystogan, who looked almost exactly like Earthland's Jellal, and could not help but marvel.
"Time, space, and different worlds are truly miraculous. To think there could be people who look so much alike."
Gray thoughtfully recalled the Jellal who had battled Ankh at the Tower of Heaven.
With sudden understanding, he said, "No wonder Mystogan hides his appearance, and no wonder he is so powerful. It seems a person's strength remains the same across worlds."
Natsu circled around Mystogan, examining him up and down as if watching a monkey in a zoo.
He laughed in amazement, "Even Jellal has another version! I am even more curious to meet the 'me' in this world."
Wendy's mind went blank as she stood frozen, staring at the familiar face.
Unable to hold back her tears, she began crying again.
"You... you're Jellal?"
Mystogan's eyes filled with guilt as he bent down to pat Wendy's head and said.
"I am sorry, Wendy. When Anima appeared so suddenly back then, I had no choice but to leave you with Guild Master Roubaul."
"Later, when I learned you had joined the guild, I secretly went to see you. But I never showed myself for fear of upsetting your life."
Wendy quickly shook her head, smiling through her tears. "It is okay! Just knowing Jellal is doing well now makes me happy."
Gildarts quietly poked his daughter's shoulder and whispered, "Are they long-lost siblings? They look quite similar."
Cana rolled her eyes at her old man and explained, "After Grandeeney disappeared, Mystogan saved Wendy. They lived together for some time before Mystogan entrusted her to the Cait Shelter guild."
Just then, an elderly voice suddenly spoke up, "Since he saved one of our guild's children, he is naturally our friend."
"Master!"
Everyone turned to see Makarov.
He had previously used up too much Magic Power while protecting the guild during the world crossing, and he had been meditating ever since.
Looking much recovered, Makarov approached Lily with a kind expression and smiled.
"Lily, would you be willing to help Mystogan and us destroy the Edolas Kingdom's plans?"
Lily looked somewhat awkwardly down at the little old man who did not even reach his knees.
He responded, "Since I have decided to follow the Prince, I will naturally support all of his decisions."
Lily's answer was very firm, though a strange thought suddenly popped into his mind.
'This old man's voice feels so familiar... where have I heard it before?'
Makarov cleared his throat and looked at Mystogan. "Now that Lily has joined our team, what should our next step be?"
Mystogan, who was already prepared, immediately replied, "To return the guild to Earthland and prevent Edolas from invading Earthland again, we must start with Anima!"
Makarov nodded thoughtfully. Anima was the passage connecting the two worlds—destroying it was indeed the most direct method.
Makarov's brilliant brain told him to use overwhelming force to push straight through to the royal capital and destroy Anima.
But... that would not work.
Without any transportation, they only had Lily and a few others who could fly, plus the large guild building and members who had not recovered their Magic Power.
It would probably take months for everyone to walk to the royal capital together.
By then, the Kingdom Army would have already discovered them and trapped them like turtles in a jar.
"Ankh, what do you think?" Makarov put on a serious expression, asking in a mysterious tone.
Everyone looked speechlessly at Makarov, then turned their gazes to the real decision-maker at the exact same time—Ankh.
Ankh had stopped listening back when the guild members were sharing information.
He had been quietly thinking about how everything connected this whole time.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Ankh felt somewhat exasperated.
He immediately asked Lily, "Lily, do you know where Fairy Tail is located in this world?"
Lily froze for a moment before saying, "Well... the Fairy Tail Guild's location keeps shifting. Erza has missed them several times. I only know the places where they have appeared recently."
"That is enough. List those locations."
A smile appeared on Ankh's face as he said, "When handling matters in unfamiliar territory, it is best to seek help from someone who is both a local and one of our own."