Judging by his height and attire, Rhodes stared at the King for a long moment, quickly forming a conclusion.
Did Pumpkin Man just take off his costume, swap his cloak, and walk straight over here?
As expected of the country where Fairy Tail was based.
The ruler of a nation, instead of governing properly, wore a pumpkin head and served as a mascot and guest referee.
"Your Majesty, the King," several people greeted him.
Toma E. Fiore waved a hand. "There's no need to be so formal. Please, sit."
He took a seat beside Princess Hisui, and the others followed.
Without any preamble, Toma asked, "Mr. Rhodes, could your intelligence also be from the future?"
Rhodes raised an eyebrow. "Also?"
Toma nodded. "That's right. I met someone who claimed to be from the future. He warned me about the imminent dragon attack. So I assumed your information might come from the same source."
Rhodes immediately contacted Warren via Telepathy.
'Did Future Lucy ever meet the King?'
Warren replied almost instantly.
'No. She said she was captured the moment she arrived and never met anyone outside.'
So someone else from the future had gone straight to the King?
Princess Hisui looked increasingly confused. "Future travelers? Father, what exactly is going on?"
King Toma explained, "After today's arena matches, I intended to reconfirm the status of the Eclipse Gate. At that time, this individual suddenly appeared."
Naturally, there had been warnings and interrogations. But the man had directly mentioned the Eclipse Plan, forcing Toma to bypass several procedures and speak with him personally.
"He claimed he came from seven years in the future through the Eclipse Gate," Toma continued.
"The guards confirmed that he carried residual Magic identical to that left by the Gate."
"At the moment July 7th begins, ten thousand dragons will attack this country, starting from the capital. Cities will burn, castles will collapse, and countless lives will be lost."
"Seven years later, the world will be completely ruled by dragons, and humanity will survive only by hiding in fear."
"To prevent that future, he said he traveled back through the Eclipse Gate to warn us in advance."
Princess Hisui still hesitated. "But even if he carries Eclipse-related magic, how can we be certain he isn't lying?"
King Toma turned his gaze to Rhodes.
"That depends on judgment, and on Mr. Rhodes's assessment."
Someone from seven years in the future would possess far more information than Future Lucy, and verifying his claims would be significantly harder.
Rhodes considered this briefly, then said, "The future traveler we encountered is not the same person. She comes from a future only a few days after the dragon attack."
They exchanged information openly. Rhodes did not conceal Future Lucy's existence, but he firmly refused to allow her anywhere near the royal palace.
The King described the man he had met: male, between twenty and thirty years old, half-black and half-white hair, a tattoo near one eye, and a scar across his nose.
Rhodes frowned in thought.
Two-toned hair… among the people he knew, the closest match would be Midnight, formerly of Oración Seis and now part of Crime Sorcière, white at the ends, age roughly similar.
Future Midnight?
Rhodes created an illusion with magic.
"Is it him?"
King Toma shook his head. "No. That man's hair was split cleanly, left side black, right side white. His facial features were different."
In truth, the King felt the man looked familiar, as if he had seen him before, but he simply couldn't recall where.
Rhodes mentally queried Warren again, then glanced at Mira and Jude. Both shook their heads; neither recognized the description.
Warren, however, joked through Telepathy:
'If you and Mira have a child, half-black, half-white hair wouldn't be impossible. Why not ask if he resembled the two of you?'
Rhodes replied coldly, 'Get lost.'
Mira added sweetly, 'Warren, remember the last time you asked me to introduce you to a girl? I said no.'
'No—!' Warren protested.
Even setting that aside, their child would only be six and a half years old by then.
And that assumed Rhodes even existed in that timeline;
A thought struck him.
"Your Majesty," Rhodes asked, "did that person mention that this era was different from the one he remembered? For example, no me, no Quatro Cerberus, and no Dragon's Treasure?"
The King paused. "He did mention something along those lines, yes. Our conversation was brief. I originally planned to test him by asking about the results of the Grand Magic Games…"
"But he stated frankly that he didn't know," King Toma continued, "because at some point, an unknown change occurred in this era. Perhaps someone else returned from the future and altered a part of history. He himself is also investigating this anomaly."
Princess Hisui spoke anxiously, "If that's the case… then will the ten thousand dragons not appear?"
Toma shook his head. "No. He said that these changes are not sufficient to affect the dragons' actions. That day will still come. However, he brought back a solution from the future."
Princess Hisui asked immediately, "What solution?"
"Eclipse Plan Two."
Her eyes widened. "What is that?"
Toma said solemnly,
"A different method of using the Eclipse Gate. Instead of time travel, it would be converted into an extremely powerful cannon, the E-Cannon.
"Once the dragons gather, the cannon would fire, using Magic Cannon–level energy accumulated over seven years to annihilate most of the dragons in a single strike. Then, all Magicians in the country would mobilize to hunt down the survivors."
Princess Hisui gasped. "Magic Cannon, the Council's, If that's truly possible, then perhaps..."
"Perhaps he's lying to you," Rhodes cut in calmly.
He continued, "I've witnessed the power of Magic Cannon firsthand. It can erase a small island, yes, but wiping out tens of thousands of dragons is impossible."
Mira nodded in agreement. She had also been present when the Council deployed Magic Cannon.
Its power was terrifying, but even destroying a handful of dragons would already be pushing its limits.
She added, "And we've just deduced that those ten thousand dragons likely originate from the Eclipse Gate itself. In that case, the Gate absolutely cannot be opened."
"Is that so?" King Toma turned to Princess Hisui. He had only caught the last part. She nodded slowly.
"From the nature of the Eclipse Gate's function, that possibility does exist."
"I see…" The King fell silent in thought.
"That future individual also claimed he didn't know the dragons' true origin."
He then concluded,
"That means the dragon attack two days from now is highly likely. As for their origin, and how to counter them, both still require investigation."
Toma looked at the group and said decisively:
"For now, please return and rest. I will convene my ministers and re-examine the Eclipse Plan. Conveniently, there are no competitions scheduled for tomorrow.
"Over the next two days, we will each investigate separately and verify the future individual's claims. If any of you uncover new information, you may come directly to the palace. Likewise, we will inform you of any progress on our side.
"As King, I guarantee that the Eclipse Gate will not be activated rashly before the truth is fully uncovered."
Jude wanted to ask again about Layla, but the King had clearly ended the discussion. As a commoner, pressing further would be inappropriate.
Rhodes considered for a moment. Sensing that there were matters the King could not discuss in front of them, he sent a brief telepathic message to Mira, then stood.
"Then we'll take our leave."
Mira rose as well and bowed politely. "We apologize for the intrusion."
Under Yukino's guidance, the three left the palace and were escorted out by soldiers.
After watching them depart through a surveillance magic crystal, King Toma finally let out a long sigh.
"Just as that man said… Rhodes may prevent the Eclipse Gate from being activated."
Princess Hisui turned sharply. "Father? What do you mean by that? Were you hiding something from them?"
Toma nodded slowly.
"The future traveler's words may not be entirely reliable. But there are indeed matters that could not be revealed to them."
He looked at the palace doors, his expression grave.
"Because this Mr. Rhodes… may not be entirely trustworthy either."