Astro looked at Sylvain, trying to decide what to do with him. "Well, if there's no other choice, then why don't you tell me why you hate Fiore so much?"
Sylvain's green eyes flickered with something unreadable. For a while, he said nothing, the silence stretching between them. Then he spoke slowly, voice hoarse from disuse.
"I don't hate Fiore," he said. "My problem is with their royal family. With King Toma, to be exact."
Astro tilted his head. "And what kind of grudge could you possibly have with him? Joya doesn't even border Fiore… unless you're counting the ocean." He slid his hands into his coat pockets and began circling the chained man, glancing at the magic restraint cuffs and chain that coiled around his wrists, neck, and waist. Normally, one restraint was enough to seal a wizard. The fact that Sylvain had so many said a lot about his strength.
Sylvain lifted his chin slightly, glaring at him through messy strands of green hair. "You're speaking far too casually with me, commoner. I should remind you that I am a—"
"Yeah, I don't really care," Astro interrupted flatly, already sighing in mild irritation. "Royalty or not, you sound like trouble." He turned, heading toward the rusted door that led out of the dim chamber.
Sylvain's voice broke through the echo of his footsteps. "You're leaving me here? Do you not understand what happens next?" His voice trembled with both anger and desperation. "Once the current queen learns that you've been here, she'll come for your head. You and your friends will never know peace again — she'll hunt you to the ends of the world to silence you."
Astro paused mid-step, one hand resting on the doorframe. For a brief second, he thought of his guildmates — of their laughter, their chaos, their warmth. He exhaled slowly and looked back, meeting Sylvain's eyes with an expression that was both tired and calm.
"Well, yeah," he said simply. "She'll have to get in line. Pretty sure there are already plenty of people who don't like Fairy Tail for all the chaos they cause."
Sylvain blinked, clearly thrown off. "Your guild… it's not a dark guild, right?"
Astro gave a small shrug and resumed walking. "I don't know either," he admitted, thinking back to the stack of complaint reports that always seemed to pile up on the master's desk.
"But it's my guild now." He stopped again, looking back one last time, his expression sharpening. "And our home is in Fiore — where our loved ones are. So if Joya wants to pick a fight with Fiore, they better be ready. Because Fairy Tail won't sit that one out. We don't care about the rules of the magic council and will just sit and do nothing in a war, especially if our home is threatened."
Sylvain stared, genuinely surprised. The young man in front of him looked far too calm for someone talking about fighting an entire kingdom.
'If only I had that kind of conviction when I was his age'. Sylvain thought bitterly. Maybe things would've turned out differently…
Then his gaze followed Astro's back as he neared the door.
' This might be my only chance to get out of here.'
"Then let's make another promise," Sylvain said, his tone turning sly. "If you help me get out of here and help me reclaim my throne, I swear not to harm your guild or Fiore at all. You would rather have one less trouble thrown your way, won't you?"
Astro paused. The offer was tempting—but he wasn't about to fall for an obvious trap. He knew Sylvain was baiting him, and he wasn't the type to walk into a lose-lose deal. If there was nothing to gain, there was no point in taking it. This guy might be insane, Astro thought, but he's not completely stupid.
"As I said, we're not afraid of being harassed," Astro replied calmly, meeting Sylvain's gaze. "But if you want our help, you'll sign a non-aggression pact. Twenty years of no war with Fiore, and on top of that, you'll pay us fifty times the reward of the mission we came here for."
Sylvain's expression darkened. He did not worry about the reward. But he knew exactly what the first deal meant. On the Ishgar continent currently, peace and respect between nations were the strongest form of power. To break a non-aggression pact was to lose everything,—respect, allies, even the loyalty of one's own people. For a prideful man like him, that was worse than death.
"You're smarter than I thought, Astro," Sylvain said at last, a small grin tugging at his lips. It was the first time he said Astro's name.
Astro smiled faintly, stepping closer. "Took you pretty long to realize that. Now, I've got two more questions. What's the real identity of the client of our mission—Margrada? And why would she send us here for a fake task only to either dispose of us or capture us?" His voice lowered. "When I first met you, you said something: 'You're not one of Margrada's minions.' What did you mean by that?"
Sylvain went quiet. His eyes narrowed, a storm brewing behind them as soon as he heard the name. Then, without warning, fury rippled through him—his magic flaring so violently that the enchanted cuffs binding him began to tremble, glowing green from the strain.
Astro didn't flinch. He simply stood there, eyes locked on Sylvain's. The air between them pulsed with pressure—purple wind and green energy clashing for a heartbeat before fading away.
Sylvain finally looked away first, his voice low and trembling with restrained anger.
"…You have no idea what kind of woman she truly is."
Sylvain exhaled heavily, his voice rough and trembling. "She's not only one of the strongest wizards in this country—but she's also the sister of the current queen, Velmora von Hohenlicht. My brother had no choice but to marry Velmora to keep the Hohenlicht family's power balanced within the kingdom. But those sisters…" He clenched his fists, his chains rattling. "They conspired against him—and they succeeded. To the public, my brother, the previous king, died a tragic accidental death. And I—his younger brother—simply vanished from history. With no heir to the throne, Velmora claimed the crown for herself."
He stopped, his breathing uneven. Even with his head bowed, Astro could feel the anger still burning inside him like a storm ready to break.
"And why do you think she's inviting guilds from other countries here?" Astro asked quietly.
Sylvain shook his head. "I don't know for sure. I've been locked up too long—my only news comes from the guards who bring my meals. But…" He paused, his eyes flickering with a faint, almost desperate light. "I know someone who might know the truth—and who can help me reclaim the throne. My brother's most trusted aide, the man who taught me magic: Master Riser. From what I've overheard, he is currently missing and the guards are still searching for him."
Astro tilted his head. "Do you know where to find him?"
"I have a place in mind," Sylvain admitted, his tone cautious. Then, as the realization struck, his expression hardened. He'd just revealed more than he intended—Astro had used his moment of anger to pull the truth from him.
Astro caught the flicker of irritation in Sylvain's eyes. Deciding not to push further, he stepped forward and knelt beside him. "You've been chained long enough."
The air shimmered faintly as Astro placed his hand over the bindings. With a soft crackle of purple energy, the first lock snapped open—then another, and another. It took nearly a full minute to undo them all, the enchanted chains falling to the ground with a dull, metallic thud.
Sylvain straightened slowly, towering over Astro. Up close, his presence was intimidating—well over seven feet tall, his frame broad yet gaunt from confinement. The faint light revealed the sharp lines of muscle beneath his skin, stretched thin from hunger and exhaustion. His olive shirt hung in tatters, his trousers dusty and torn.
He rolled his shoulders, the sound of popping joints echoing through the chamber. "Hah… I almost forgot how it feels to move freely," he muttered, rotating his wrists and neck.
Astro took a small step back, quietly observing him. Even weakened, Sylvain radiated an oppressive pressure—like a caged beast tasting freedom for the first time. Astro is pretty sure this guy's full strength is at least at the same level as him, or even more.
"By the way," Sylvain said, cracking his shoulder muscles as he stretched, "are you sure you want to get involved with the politics concerning a whole kingdom? Wizards are usually supposed to stay out of that kind of thing, aren't they?"
Astro shrugged casually, his gaze following Sylvain's long strides. "Well, in this case, they attacked us first. We're just… retaliating. Indirectly helping you in the process."
'Not to mention', Astro thought, 'The rules are loose, and wizards are way stronger than ordinary people. Even if some wizard tries to make an excuse, most countries—and the Magic Council of Ishgar—would find some way to let us off. There are so many loopholes; a few clever maneuvers and even attacking first wouldn't get someone in real trouble.'
"Well, that's your problem to solve," Sylvain said, taking the first step forward. The sheer force behind him cracked the floor beneath his boots.
Astro couldn't help but glance at the massive figure moving ahead. After a few steps, Sylvain's stride softened, and he stopped breaking the floor with every step. Astro could tell that he has some sort of body strengthening magic and because of being sealed for too long, he is having a hard time to control it.
"So… where are we going?" Astro asked, keeping pace.
"Just follow me," Sylvain replied, his tone casual but carrying a hint of mockery. "I won't ask you to do much work. Master Riser and I will handle Margrada. You and your friends just deal with her minions. You said your guild isn't afraid of trouble… can you handle that?"
Astro's eyes narrowed slightly, remembering the deadly puppets and the stone wall trap they'd faced earlier. Those were likely her minions, he thought.
"Don't worry about it," Astro said, his voice calm but confident. "We happen to have a score to settle with them anyway. I'll go first and inform my guildmates."
Without waiting for a response, Astro quickened his pace toward the main cell block. The corridor was quieter than before, and only five prisoners remained—all from Fiore, surprisingly.
Before Cana could say anything, Gray spoke up, "One of the Blue Pegasus guys knew a bit about the legal guilds and their marks. We confirmed none of the prisoners here were from dark guilds. Most of them just wanted to escape as soon as they were uncuffed, as there was no reason to fight. We let them go."
Astro nodded, agreeing with Gray's decision. "Good call. It's not worth fighting down here underground. As for those who left… well, whether they survive is up to them now, I guess." He shrugged casually.
Gray exhaled in relief. He and Cana had made the decision to let the prisoners go while Astro was in another room. He wasn't sure if Astro would be okay with Cana taking the lead after the little argument she had with gramps in front of Astro. So he talked first about the decision, not wanting to let Astro be more dissatisfied with Cana.
Astro, however, wasn't worried about Cana or Gray taking the lead at all. His attention was on the four Blue Pegasus wizards who had stayed behind with one Phantom Lord guy.
"I thought you'd leave too," Astro admitted, looking at Totomaru.
Totomaru instinctively stepped back seeing Astro, then realized he was no longer restrained. Anger bubbled up inside him at his earlier cowardice. He glared at Astro and gritted his teeth. "Those guys had the audacity to imprison me—one of the strongest and most capable wizards of Phantom Lord! If I go back without dealing with them, I'd only tarnish my guild's reputation."
"Well, if you're one of the most capable," Astro said, tilting his head and thinking about Master Makarov's lack of hair from worrying so much, "I feel bad for Phantom Lord's master. Wait… who was it again?" He looked toward Cana for the answer.
Cana, casually pulling out a barrel of alcohol from seemingly nowhere and taking a swig, raised an eyebrow. " I don't know either. I only remember hearing he got defeated by gramps a few years ago. I think his name was Hose?"
Totomaru's face turned red with rage, and flames practically seemed to erupt from his head. "My master is not some garden tool! It's Master Jose, you idiot!"
Cana did not care about his threats, but Gray and Shawn looked ready for the fight.
Astro raised both hands stopping Totomaru. "Okay, okay… it is Master Jose. Now don't burn the garden down here, We are underground so don't use fire magic here."
He quickly changed the subject and asked Ichiya behind him,
"You guys are staying too?" Astro asked.
Ichiya struck a handsome pose—well, a pose that he thought was handsome at least. "Well, Blue Pegasus won't go back either before settling the score with the ones that attacked us. So, how about we team up and teach the fraud mission issuer a lesson. Meen!"
"Master Ichiya, you are so heroic!" the three young men behind him echoed together, striking matching poses.
"Meen!" Ichiya repeated, this time balancing on one leg.
"Master Ichiya, you are the man!" they shouted again, in unison.
Astro blinked for a few seconds before shaking his head trying to get rid of these cursed images from his head. As he was looking around, he saw Shawn, who was now watching the Blue Pegasus members' poses with suspicious intensity.
Astro quickly covered his eyes. "Don't… learn from them." He looked around for a good, positive role model here, but all he found was a Gray who is now only in his pants somehow, Cana finishing one barrel of drink and using card magic to summon another that she stored before probably, a red angry bird but with ninja clothes, three stooges, and… whatever Ichiya was.
He sighed, giving up. Thankfully a voice saved him.
"Fairy Tail, Phantom Lord, and Blue Pegasus… I have to say, you Fiore people really don't know fear."
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the green-haired, tall man. They all knew Astro had just come from that room, so Astro must have freed him.
"He is Sylvain," Astro explained, his tone serious. "The prince of this kingdom who was held here. The people who attacked us and imprisoned you were forces of the new queen. He said that if we helped him fight the wizards under the new queen and her sister, he would help us get out of this country without any charge or problems and even reward us."
For the first time, everyone in the room—except Astro and Sylvain—was on the same page. They turned to Astro in unison, voices full of disbelief:
"What?"