Mystogan's ability to secure allegiance so effortlessly was partly due to the demonstrated strength of the "Royal Army," and partly because he was the legitimate heir to the "Kingdom of Edolas."
Although his method of succession was somewhat violent, legally, he had every right to inherit it all.
The nobles and officials of the "Kingdom of Edolas" felt no psychological burden in swearing allegiance to Mystogan.
The issue of succession was a family matter between father and son, and now that the younger one had won, they naturally sided with him.
There was nothing more to say about it—it was simply that the nobles who had tried to "rescue the king" were not strong enough. Otherwise, they might have supported the old king.
Before long, all the "fence-sitters" in the "Kingdom of Edolas" had clearly discerned the prevailing winds.
They immediately began aligning themselves with the central authority, contributing manpower, resources, and supplies.
Each of them took a clear stance, suddenly no longer deaf, mute, or ill, and rushed to the royal capital to pay homage to the new king.
Mystogan did not criticize them harshly but accepted the allegiance of these "fence-sitters."
After all, they were still useful and their efforts were needed; it was not yet time to "kill the donkey after it has done its job."
Compared to the scattered rebels, the "Royal Army," with its centralized command and management, held a clear advantage.
Especially with Marco acting as the "all-seeing eye," the war situation was almost entirely one-sided.
The rebel forces intending to "rescue the king" were quickly suppressed, and King Faust's last hope was shattered.
When the war mobilization first began in the royal capital, King Faust was somewhat agitated. He had hoped that loyalists would overthrow Mystogan.
He knew what Mystogan had done—Mystogan had sent all the magical power to the "Earth Land" world and allowed those otherworldly Mages to return!
This meant that the royal capital, at that time, could be captured by ordinary soldiers.
With no one able to use magic, the army under Mystogan's command might not necessarily defeat the forces coming to rescue him.
King Faust was certain of this.
However, what King Faust did not anticipate was that Marco had come to aid Mystogan.
His arrival turned all uncertainties into certainties, leaving the rebels with no possibility of a comeback.
Moreover, Marco not only shattered his last hope but was about to deliver true despair—Marco was going to determine his place of exile.
"Exiling him within the Edolas world would be too lenient, and his existence could also cause trouble for you. If someone with ulterior motives were to find him, it would inevitably lead to further turmoil. In fact, such an outcome is almost inevitable."
In the spire prison of the royal palace, Marco and Mystogan were discussing how to deal with the troublesome King Faust.
The recent rebellion had undoubtedly proven that King Faust still held some influence.
For those with ambitions, his very existence held value, making the previous decision no longer suitable.
Letting King Faust go was far from a good choice.
It was likely that he would be rescued immediately after being exiled, leading to another major conflict.
The entire "Kingdom of Edolas" would be thrown into chaos, maximizing losses.
"Exile to Edolas won't work... You mean... exile to Earth Land?"
Staring at Marco, Mystogan couldn't help but widen his eyes.
This move was truly ingenious, perfectly solving the problem.
In the world of "Edolas," King Faust held extraordinary value, but in the world of "Earth Land," King Faust was just a destitute old drifter who couldn't even use magic, and no one would care about him at all.
"Exactly. Once he arrives in the Earth Land world, that old man should behave himself."
Watching the old man in the prison cell glaring at them with hatred, Marco bared his teeth in a smile so bright and cheerful it could blind someone.
According to Marco's thinking, this King Faust should simply be killed.
If it weren't for the fact that he was Mystogan's father, Marco would have acted long ago, never giving the old man a chance to harbor hatred toward them or requiring them to find a way to deal with him.
"In the Earth Land world, if he doesn't behave, he will truly die. Edolas now only has ordinary wild beasts, but in our Earth Land, there are plenty of ferocious magical beasts."
Marco walked up to the prison bars and spoke to King Faust.
The smile on his face, in King Faust's eyes, was no different from that of a demon, causing the old man's body to tremble uncontrollably.
"Jellal, is this your decision? I am your father!"
King Faust stopped looking at Marco and turned to his son, the son who had taken a completely opposite path from his own.
"Huh? Now you remember you're Mystogan's father? How come I remember you saying earlier that Mystogan wasn't your son?"
Before Mystogan could respond, Marco spoke up in surprise, the sarcasm in his words practically overflowing.
"Tsk."
Both Mystogan and King Faust fell silent.
The old king remained silent because he had indeed said and thought so earlier.
But times had changed, and in this situation, the only thing he could rely on was "father-son affection."
The "Earth Land" man before him would surely not spare him, he could only hope that Jellal still cared about this bond.
"For the stability and harmony of the Edolas Kingdom, I have no choice but to do this."
Looking at his father, Mystogan did not hesitate at all and made the decision: the old man must be sent away.
"How dare you?!!!"
King Faust was deeply disappointed by Mystogan's response and flew into a rage out of humiliation, pointing at the two and cursing loudly.
King Faust's attempt to play the family card was actually a misstep, because his previous actions had completely severed the father-son bond Mystogan felt for him.
Not personally ordering King Faust's execution was already Mystogan's bottom line.
"Vroom!"
Once Mystogan had made up his mind, Marco did not hesitate either.
He raised his hand, his body already clad in the [Gemini Gold Cloth].
He directly opened the [Another Dimension Space] and sent the furious King Faust to Earth Land.
"I actually intended to wait until your formal coronation day to exile him, but this fellow is far too noisy. Better to send him away sooner."
After sending King Faust away, Marco explained to Mystogan.
"It's fine, earlier is better. If we wait until that day to do it, it might provoke others. His status... is still rather special after all."
Mystogan shook his head, not finding anything wrong with Marco's approach.
In fact, he didn't support exiling the old king during the coronation ceremony.
What they needed to do now was diminish King Faust's influence - having him disappear quietly was the best approach.
"Besides, there will be others for you to make an example of during the coronation ceremony." Mystogan said with a smile.
While exiling the old king wasn't suitable for the coronation, there were others who could be exiled.
"Those traitorous nobles and officials?" Marco raised an eyebrow, immediately understanding who Mystogan was referring to.
"Exactly. It serves as both a deterrent and a mercy. I'm not executing them, merely exiling them. This is both a terrifying punishment while still showing some final consideration."
Mystogan nodded very seriously.
He thought this idea of "exiling to Earth Land" was absolutely perfect - it was certainly terrifying enough to serve as a deterrent, but ultimately, no one was being ordered killed, right?
"They won't survive in Earth Land either." Marco was very direct.
These "interworld criminals" would be at his mercy once they reached Earth Land, and he wouldn't leave any survivors.
Earth Land wasn't a garbage dump - they couldn't keep dumping trash there indefinitely!
"That's not my concern. Exiled people die? So be it." Mystogan was equally direct.
He didn't care whether people lived or died after being sent over, as long as the people in Edolas felt sufficiently intimidated.
"Then there's no problem." Marco nodded.
This made things simpler. He would directly "exile" all these people deep into the northern Nord Forest - a freezing place teeming with ferocious magical beasts.
Sending these people there would just be providing extra meals for the beasts.
In fact, old King Faust had already begun his journey through the Nord Forest.
It was believed that before long, he would find his final resting place - in the stomach of some vicious magical beast.
Mystogan truly didn't care about this at all.
"Exile" in his mind was equivalent to death - that's what he had thought from the beginning.
For these pampered nobles and officials, being exiled alone and penniless was no different from execution, even if they were exiled within Edolas.
When news of the old king's exile to another world spread, it sparked considerable discussion.
Just as Mystogan had anticipated, since no one witnessed it firsthand, people didn't have a strong sense of reality about it.
Before this, King Faust had been imprisoned with no one permitted to visit him.
Many had speculated whether the old king was already dead, with various rumors circulating widely.
Now that Mystogan provided the answer of exile, many became convinced that the old king had probably actually died.
However, people merely sighed about this - no one took any action because of it.
At this point, the most important thing was to closely align themselves with the new king.
Didn't you see all those who rose in rebellion were defeated? So what if the old king died? Must everyone be buried with him?
The rebel forces were fragmented, only gathering at the final moment to engage in a decisive battle against the "Royal Army."
By then, the disparity between the two sides was immense, and they were utterly crushed without a doubt.
Thus, the once formidable rebellion came to an abrupt end.
Key leaders either fell in battle or were captured.
Those who attempted to flee amidst the chaos were hunted down and apprehended by Marco's crows.
Not a single noble or official of significance managed to escape.
This outcome sent shivers down the spines of the small kingdoms that had seized the opportunity to reclaim their independence.
They had assumed the "Edolas Kingdom" would descend into prolonged chaos, leaving it weakened and unable to attend to them.
Instead, the turmoil was swiftly quelled almost as soon as it began.
The rapid shift in the situation left them reeling.
What they thought was a golden opportunity turned out to be a grave miscalculation, and now they were the ones facing the onslaught of the "Royal Army."
Riding the momentum of their great victory, the "Royal Army" advanced triumphantly, swiftly crushing the small kingdoms that had just declared their restoration.
Erza Knightwalker had done this before, so she was well-versed in the process.
She only regretted not having eradicated these people thoroughly the first time, allowing them the chance to rise again in rebellion.
Therefore, after once again suppressing these restorationist rebels, Erza Knightwalker unleashed a merciless slaughter—though she targeted only the royal families, sparing the common people.
Erza Knightwalker was no fool.
Eliminating these royal lines was her duty, but harming civilians would mean harming the subjects of the "Edolas Kingdom."
Of course, she didn't execute all members of the royal families; many were escorted back to the royal capital as prisoners.
The number of criminals delivered by the "Royal Army" was staggering, overwhelming even the massive Spire Prison.
As a result, only those of high status were granted a place in the Spire Prison, while those of lower rank were confined to the prisons outside the palace grounds.
Fortunately, they wouldn't have to remain in prison for long. After the "Royal Army" returned in triumph, Mystogan began preparations for the "Coronation Ceremony."
By then, these prisoners would have new destinations, free from the suffering of imprisonment.
The new king's "Coronation Ceremony" was an exceptionally grand affair, with every noble of the "Edolas Kingdom" in attendance.
This time, no one dared abstain—not only did they come, but they arrived bearing lavish gifts, demonstrating their utmost sincerity in pledging loyalty to the new monarch.
Not just the nobles, but also the regional governors sent congratulatory gifts, offering their most treasured possessions.
This was no time for frugality, while the king might not remember who gave what, he would certainly recall who didn't contribute or who offered inferior presents.
Marco participated in Mystogan's "Coronation Ceremony" from start to finish, making a crucial appearance at the pivotal moment—he was the one who crowned Mystogan.
No one could contest this role, for it was Marco who had effectively propelled Mystogan to this position.
Naturally, Marco's identity sparked widespread discussion among the "Edolas" people present, with opinions varying widely.
However, the chatter soon died down as the proceedings moved into the "Exile" phase.
Amidst the crowd's bewilderment, Marco appeared atop the high tower, clad in the solemn and dignified Gemini Gold Cloth.
He spread his arms wide, and below him in the square lay a dense mass of criminals, while spectators watched from the corridors on either side of the tower, all eyes fixed upon him.
"Hum!!!"
Magic surged as Marco pulled his hands apart, tearing open a terrifying spatial rift in the square.
The fissure, carrying a dreadful suction force, immediately began devouring lives like the bloody maw of a colossal beast.
One by one, the criminals in the square were dragged into it, their terrified screams and wails rising and falling in a harrowing chorus.