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The origins of the current situation actually trace back to the disappearance of the main forces of the Fairy Tail guild and Tenrou Island.
The kingdom's strongest guild, Fairy Tail, was completely wiped out by a single strike from the Black Dragon. This was terrifying for the kingdom.
If the Black Dragon had attacked the kingdom itself, would they have been able to resist?
Because of this, the kingdom began investigating all available information about the Black Dragon, and they eventually found a few clues hidden in ancient texts.
The texts contained records about the Dragon King's Festival and even prophesied the existential crisis posed by the Black Dragon.
They believed the appearance of the Black Dragon was connected to the dark wizard, Zeref. After all, only someone like Zeref, who had created countless demons, could bring such a terrifying creature as the Black Dragon into existence.
Led by the kingdom's royalty and the princess, with Arcadios as an ally, they developed the Eclipse Gate Plan to prevent humanity from being wiped out by the Black Dragon in the future.
The plan was to use the kingdom's ancestral Eclipse Gate to travel back in time to before Zeref became the Dark Wizard and kill him, thus preventing the creation of the Black Dragon.
This would eliminate the threat of the world's destruction.
However, the Minister of Defense, Danton, and his faction didn't fully agree with the plan. They were concerned that tampering with history could cause the kingdom to disappear, yet they did not stop the Grand Magic Games or the Eclipse Gate from absorbing magic.
"Looking at it this way, it seems you're not actually doing something wrong," George remarked.
In terms of the plan itself, the kingdom was collecting magic through the Grand Magic Tournament to open the Eclipse Gate in seven years and travel back to the past. It was for the good of all humanity.
They were even willing to change history, even if it meant their own existence might be erased. In a way, that could be considered a noble sacrifice.
"This is the situation. The king and the princess are doing this to save humanity as a whole. We don't have any ill intentions toward the participating mages, and we hope you can keep this matter secret for the sake of the kingdom. It's not something the public can know yet, as it would cause chaos."
Upon hearing George's words, Arcadios understood that George must have used some sort of magic to read his memories. He then earnestly asked:
"If history is changed, the entire world will change too. Many people who once existed will disappear, and others who didn't will appear. Most people wouldn't be able to accept that."
"Although there will be sacrifices, it's still better than being wiped out by the Black Dragon."
"I admire your spirit of sacrifice, but your approach is flawed," George replied, shaking his head.
"First, I've been to the Northern Continent, where I learned some information about the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon's true name is Acnologia. He wasn't created by Zeref.
So, even if you were to go back and kill Zeref, it wouldn't stop the Black Dragon from existing."
"Second, based on my research on time magic, even if you did travel back through this gate, you wouldn't be able to change the present."
"Third, let's say you did go back in time and killed Zeref before he created the Black Dragon. Have you considered that without the Black Dragon, the Dragon race wouldn't have been wiped out? If the Dragon race hadn't been destroyed, humanity might have already been exterminated by them. The outcome would still be the same."
Time is like a river, always flowing forward, with no way to turn back. You can slow it down or suddenly appear in the future, but you cannot return to the past to change what's already happened.
Of course, the rules of time can vary between different worlds, and there are exceptions.
For example, in the Marvel Universe, using a time machine to go back isn't truly returning to the past. It creates a new timeline, a new world.
Changing the past in that timeline doesn't affect the history of your original timeline.
In the Harry Potter universe, using a time-turner to go back actually means that whatever changes you make were already part of history.
Then there's the "Back to the Future" movie, where changing history in the past results in a true alteration of the future once you return.
However, based on my research into the time magic of this world, I believe the time laws here are most likely similar to the ones in the Marvel Universe.
That is, if this Eclipse Gate really can take you back in time, it wouldn't return to our past. It would be taking you to the past of a different timeline. The history of this world would remain unchanged.
"That's impossible!" Arcadios responded, clearly not believing what George had said.
George shrugged his shoulders.
"Whether you believe it or not, what I said is the truth."
With that, George casually took out a box and placed the entire Eclipse Gate into it, storing it inside his Requip space.
"Alright then. To stop you all from doing something stupid, I'll be holding onto the Eclipse Gate for safekeeping."
Naturally, he wanted to thoroughly study a magic tool that could traverse time and space. He had always been fascinated by time travel.
There were too few dragons in this era. If he could travel to the past—whether it was this timeline's or another's—as long as dragons were abundant, he could hunt them down and harvest their Dragon Crystals.
If he killed enough, he might even acquire a devouring-type magic like the Black Dragon's.
As for the enormous magical power required to activate the Eclipse Gate, he didn't need to rely on absorbing the leaking magic from Grand Magic Games participants. He could just fill it up himself over time.
After all, his magical reserves in dragon form were monstrous, and with his constant regeneration, pouring magic into the gate for ten to fifteen days straight wouldn't be a problem.
Once the rare lunar eclipse arrived in seven years, he could activate the Eclipse Gate and travel to an era when dragons still flourished.
"Y-You can't just do that! That's robbery! The Eclipse Gate is a royal heirloom passed down through generations! You can't take it! I can report this to the king—we can revise the plan!"
Arcadios was furious when he saw George take the gate away and immediately drew his sword in anger.
But George's next words froze him in place.
**"Go ahead and tell the king. I've taken the gate, and I'll return it after the lunar eclipse in seven years. That way, you won't be able to carry out that foolish plan.
And don't even think about taking it by force.
First, you can't beat me. Second, I know teleportation magic—I can instantly warp to the Magic Council.
If you try to take it by force, not only will I reveal your entire plan to the public, but I'll also hand the gate over to the Council. Your plan violates at least thirty of their safety regulations.
I'm sure they'd love to have a nice, long chat with your king."**
Before Arcadios could respond, George used Apparition and vanished, reappearing back in his dorm room.
After all, the royal family wasn't the most powerful authority in the kingdom—the Magic Council was.
The royal family governed civilians, but the Magic Council governed mages.
And they didn't just govern the Kingdom of Fiore—they governed the entire eastern continent.
(End of Chapter)