At the center of Crocus, Mercurius Palace was brightly lit, illuminating the royal residence. Though it was already late at night, the atmosphere inside the palace was lively and bustling.
Two rows of armored kingdom guards stood before the gate. In the magnificent main hall, tables were arranged throughout, with servants and attendants constantly moving to and fro, bringing in delicious dishes.
This was a banquet prepared in advance by King Toma of Fiore, hosted for the guild mages who had participated in the Grand Magic Games.
According to the original schedule, this banquet should have been held tomorrow, giving the competitors ample time to rest and prepare after the matches.
However, tonight's "sun and moon overlap" phenomenon was one of the essential factors for opening the Eclipse Gate. Toma also wanted to commission the mages to travel back four hundred years to eliminate the Black Dragon and the Dark Mage.
So he had to move the banquet forward to allow them as much time as possible to recover their strength.
"Thank you all. This year's Grand Magic Games exceeded all my expectations. Every match was absolutely spectacular!"
Toma stepped onto the platform in the hall and expressed his gratitude to the mages below.
As the King of Fiore and host of tonight's banquet, he was no longer the comical Pumpkin Head. He wore luxurious ceremonial robes, a crown adorned with various gemstones, and his voice carried a touch of majesty and dignity.
Aside from a few blockheads like Natsu, who were focused on devouring their food, most of the mages paused to look at Toma with reverence.
The seasoned guild masters responded in kind, thanking the Fiore royal family for their strong support and for providing such a magnificent stage.
After a few pleasantries, Toma cleared his throat and finally revealed the purpose of tonight's banquet.
"I am truly delighted that Fiore is home to so many outstanding guilds. It is because of your existence that our nation can maintain its current peace and stability."
"If the need arises, may I ask for your assistance? Of course, we will pay appropriate compensation, just like a normal request."
The first part was true. In a world dominated by magic, the national guard was often mainly tasked with maintaining order, and their power was quite limited.
Resisting external threats and deterring other nations depended on the mage guilds—or more precisely, on the number and strength of mages a nation possessed.
One of the reasons Fiore had become a permanent neutral nation after the Second Trade War was precisely this underlying factor.
As for the second part, it was naturally meant to prepare everyone present mentally in advance.
Even with the cooperation of a Celestial Spirit Mage, Toma couldn't guarantee that the Eclipse Gate would open one hundred percent.
Since it involved "Zeref's Black Magic," he chose a more conservative and cautious approach until he received word from Hisui, leaving himself plenty of room to maneuver.
Provide assistance? Pay compensation?
Everyone present, including the guild masters, was confused.
Just then, Natsu suddenly put down the flame-grilled chicken leg in his hand and puffed out his chest with confidence. "Haha! No problem at all, little old man King!"
"Leave any requests to Fairy Tail!"
His complete lack of respect for authority shocked everyone. Even Future Jura, with bandages wrapped around his head, made a comical expression, his eyes wide.
That was the King—the ruler of the Fiore Kingdom!
Sure, the description fit, but adding "little old man" in front was practically a death wish!
Future Macao and the others rushed over, desperately covering Natsu's mouth while repeatedly apologizing to Toma.
To everyone's surprise, Toma didn't get angry at this disrespect. Instead, he was delighted that Natsu, who had performed so brilliantly in the Grand Magic Games, had been the first to step forward.
"That kind of trust is truly reassuring."
He smiled and nodded at Natsu. "Then I look forward to working with you in the future, Natsu. Pumpkin~"
"Eh? Huh?!!" *n
The mages who had been nervous just moments before all widened their eyes in disbelief.
That oddly familiar catchphrase, and the figure so perfectly matching Pumpkin Head referee Mr. Madou's build... Could it be?!
Realizing he'd slipped up, Toma's expression shifted slightly. "I-In any case, please enjoy the banquet to your hearts' content!"
To protect his royal dignity, he hastily wrapped up and excused himself, leaving no chance for questions or speculation.
In truth, even without this little incident, he couldn't stay long. He needed to step behind the scenes to oversee the preparations for the Eclipse Project.
Such as convincing Minister of Defense Darton, who still opposed the plan.
In a corner of the banquet hall, several guild masters sat together.
"Weren't you supposed to be scared out of your wits and rush over to stop that little fire dragon?"
Goldmine, the master of Quartet Cerberus—no, they'd reverted to their original guild name, Mermaid Heel—looked at Makarov in surprise. "That doesn't seem like you."
"You snatch away the championship and still act so distracted."
Oba Babasaama was quite irritated, her twirling fingers going round and round. "Are you showing off? You must be showing off! I'll make you spin!"
"Speaking of which, I haven't seen little Chase either. I was hoping to properly meet this handsome young man who suddenly appeared~" Master Bob's tone was as flirtatious as ever.
Though they appeared normal, these old friends who had known each other for years could still detect something unusual in Makarov's solemn expression.
Normally, this old man would be laughing loudly and bragging about the Grand Magic Games results.
And King Toma's words just now had been strange and abrupt.
These three seasoned tacticians could sense that something special was about to happen.
"Let's fill our stomachs first."
Makarov saw the suspicion in his friends' eyes. He raised his glass of wine and took a long sip, then said in a low voice, "If nothing unexpected happens, the answer will come soon enough."
After that ambiguous remark, he set down his glass and said no more.
His deep gaze passed through the hall's doors, looking at the quiet night cityscape beyond Mercurius, finally settling on the blood-red full moon beneath the night sky.
Hopefully, Chase's Eclipse Plan B will proceed smoothly.
Though he trusted Chase unconditionally, this enemy was different from anything before—dragons that had once dominated an entire era, possessing power far beyond human limits.
Even Makarov couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency at this critical moment.
***
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