Chapter 491: Happy’s…parents?
The Exceed Kingdom offered no assistance to Edolas.
In their official reply to the royal court, they claimed that such petty matters were beneath the attention of Queen Shagotte. Whether it involved capturing so-called Fallen Angels, hunting Dragon Slayers, or eliminating humans obstructing the Anima Plan, these were all problems the human Kingdom of Edolas could resolve on its own.
Furthermore, the Queen had not yet classified the two Exceed assisting the Earth Land as traitors. In fact, she had altered the original mission directive. The current objective was to lure the Dragon Slayers to the royal capital. From that perspective, aiding the humans in commandeering an airship may have been part of the grander strategy.
Therefore, should the two Exceed be captured, they were to be turned over to Exceed authorities, not punished by human hands.
King Faust showed no anger at the response. He didn’t object, nor did he speak ill of the Exceed’s passive stance. He merely exchanged a glance with his Chief of Staff, a silent understanding passing between them. Then, without pause, he issued a new order.
A second massive magic crystal, similar in size to the one that had been stolen, was to be transported immediately to the capital.
Panther Lily, the Captain of the First Magic War Division, would personally oversee its delivery.
Meanwhile, after a long detour, Rhodes and his companions finally reached the outskirts of Exceed airspace.
To avoid detection, Rhodes and Lisanna had charted a route that completely bypassed all known military zones and fortified cities. Their course added many hours to the journey, so that by the time they arrived, the sun had dipped below the clouds and night was falling across the floating islands.
But this delay suited Rhodes perfectly.
Approaching under the cover of darkness allowed for stealth, and the spell he had in mind could only be cast after sunset.
Lisanna had powered down the acceleration system, and now the ship moved slowly, almost drifting through the sky, pushed forward only by the gentle paddling of the long mechanical oars beneath its hull.