The two people before me were naturally the king and princess.
Although Marco didn't pay much attention to royalty, there was no one else who would appear here.
There was also a sturdy guard in the study, standing at a lower position, eyeing Marco with some wariness—not hostility, just the caution one would show toward a stranger.
As the protector of the king and princess, this was only natural.
"..."
Looking at the man seated behind the desk, Marco's expression turned odd.
The king had white hair, white beard and eyebrows, with many wrinkles on his face, but he didn't appear particularly old—at most in his forties or fifties.
The reason Marco had initially mistaken him for a seventy or eighty-year-old man was because of his height.
This stature could rival his grandpa Makarov's.
The king wasn't even as tall as the adorable young girl standing beside him.
The little princess next to him was cute, with striking emerald-green hair that was likely inherited from her mother.
"It's truly an honor to meet you, Marco Dreyar!" the king said, his face filled with admiration and excitement.
He had always held great respect and interest for powerful wizards like Marco.
As the king spoke, the young girl beside him also gazed at Marco, her eyes brimming with curiosity and admiration.
"Just an undeserved reputation," Marco replied with a smile.
There was no reason to be rude when someone showed him courtesy, and he naturally returned the respect to the king of the Fiore Kingdom.
"Nonsense! Master Jose is one of the Ten Wizard Saints and you defeated him twice—how could that be undeserved?" The king shook his head.
He was deeply fascinated by wizards and knew Marco's achievements like the back of his hand, having clearly done his research beforehand.
He wouldn't buy Marco's modesty.
"I've always admired powerful wizards the most, Mr. Dreyar. No need for humility—these praises are well-earned!" the king said earnestly.
This king didn't seem the least bit arrogant.
"So... the reason you called me here is...?" Marco's expression turned strange.
What was this about?
Could it be... fan behavior?
This old king... seemed as excited as a starstruck fan.
"My apologies, I got a little carried away. Let me introduce myself—I am Toma E. Fiore, and this is my daughter, Hisui. This is Arcadios, captain of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights."
King Toma realized he had been a bit too enthusiastic and composed himself before introducing everyone present.
The king of the Fiore Kingdom treated Marco as an equal, showing no sense of superiority despite his royal status—truly giving him the utmost respect.
"I invited you here to thank you for dealing with the trouble caused by Savalu. When these local nobles refuse to cooperate with the kingdom's policies, we often have no good way to handle them. By taking care of him, you've done us a great favor."
King Toma looked genuinely delighted as he expressed his gratitude.
The downfall of Duke Savalu seemed to have brought him real joy.
"No, no, no. It was the Magic Council who arrested him, not me taking him down. I merely submitted some incriminating evidence."
Marco shook his head with a wry smile.
The way King Toma phrased it made it sound like he had personally eliminated Duke Savalu.
"I'm well aware of your contributions. Even if the Magic Council hadn't acted, your Fairy Tail guild would surely have stepped in."
King Toma spoke earnestly, his expression growing even more animated when mentioning the "Fairy Tail" guild.
He seemed genuinely fascinated by them—a true mage enthusiast at heart.
'Why is this king so..... childish?'
Watching Toma E. Fiore's easily roused enthusiasm, Marco couldn't help but inwardly criticize.
The man didn't act like a king—or at least, not a "wise ruler," certainly not matching Marco's traditional image of one.
That said, judging by his speech and conduct, he was at least not incompetent and had a fairly clear understanding of many matters.
Moreover, simply by respecting powerful mages and showing no intention of antagonizing the Magic Council or magic guilds, Toma E. Fiore had secured his throne's stability.
The most important thing in life was knowing one's place—having a clear grasp of one's own capabilities.
In this regard, King Toma was doing quite well.
"To express our gratitude, we've prepared generous rewards and a lavish banquet. I hope you'll accept."
King Toma looked at Marco expectantly, like a starstruck fan inviting his idol to dinner.
"Of course, it would be my pleasure." Marco agreed with a smile.
Though the king seemed somewhat unreliable, his attitude was sincere enough.
There was no reason to refuse.
"Excellent! Then let us proceed to the feast!"
Delighted by Marco's acceptance, King Toma sprang from his chair with light steps, taking the young girl beside him by the hand and leading her to Marco's side, urging him to follow.
Marco nodded and followed, his gaze lingering on the girl.
From their meeting until now, aside from her initial greeting, Princess Hisui had remained silent, appearing gentle and serene in demeanor.
Behind the trio, Arcadios, captain of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights, followed closely.
His wary gaze towards Marco had mostly faded.
Marco's conduct didn't suggest he was a lawless rogue who would threaten the king or princess.
Besides, as a renowned mage, what motive would he have to target them?
Their paths had never crossed before.
"Marco-sama... Are you truly a powerful Celestial Spirit Mage?"
Once seated in the banquet hall, Hisui finally spoke, her voice tinged with curiosity.
"Yes." Marco answered her without batting an eye.
His response was essentially: "I believe I am," and "Why wouldn't I be?"
"That's wonderful! I'm learning Celestial Spirit Magic too—could you teach me?!"
Hearing Marco's words, the princess's eyes lit up like gleaming emeralds, bright and full of life.
"..."
Marco blinked his eyes in genuine surprise.
He hadn't expected Princess Hisui to also be a Celestial Spirit Mage.
With only twelve Zodiac keys in existence, how many did she possess anyway?
"Teaching is too strong for a word, but I can share some experiences with you." Marco spoke calmly, having no intention of becoming the princess personal tutor.
Truth be told, there wasn't much to teach about Celestial Spirit Magic—it only involved mastering a few techniques.
"As a Celestial Spirit Mage, the most important foundation is diligently improving your magic reserves.
After that, practice multiple gate openings. With sufficient magic power and mastery of multiple gates, you can summon several Celestial Spirits simultaneously for combat."
Under Hisui's eager gaze, Marco shared his understanding of Celestial Spirit Magic—a concise yet comprehensive summary.
Apart from the relatively complicated "multiple gate openings" technique, Celestial Spirit Magic didn't seem particularly special, at least based on Marco's knowledge.
"Oh, and maintaining good relationships with the Celestial Spirits is crucial. Poor handling could cost you your life."
Marco's expression turned serious as he emphasized this point—a warning originally from Karen.
Though he hadn't heard of any incidents involving her yet, he hoped she'd taken some advice to heart.
Even Marco, a "fake Celestial Spirit Mage," knew the importance of good relations with spirits—it made them willing to fight to the death for you.
"Thank you, Marco-sama!"
The approximately ten-year-old princess bowed sincerely.
Though Marco's advice contained no classified information, his straightforward and insightful guidance held great value for a beginner.
"No need for formalities, Princess Hisui. These are basic principles your future teacher will certainly cover."
Marco remained modest, claiming no special credit.
Since the princess was learning Celestial Spirit Magic, it likely wasn't just a passing fancy—the royal family probably had its own traditions.
Why would they need his basic instruction?
Celestial Spirit Magic had strong hereditary aspects.
While ordinary people could learn it and purchase keys to summon spirits, they typically only summoned pet-type ones.
The truly precious and rare keys were usually passed down through mage families for generations.
Only these Celestial Spirit Mages could truly fight using this magic.
Marco suspected the royal family must have some inherited knowledge.
"Ahem"
"Actually... we don't."
King Toma coughed awkwardly, speaking with noticeable lack of confidence.
The royal family had no Celestial Spirit Magic heritage.
"Hisui learned from a Celestial Spirit Mage of the Heartfilia family."
The king shook his head.
He hadn't supported his daughter studying this magic, as the royal family possessed no valuable keys—not even a single Zodiac key.
Learning this "Celestial Spirit Magic" was something where the royal family's power couldn't help at all.
Even if they tried purchasing keys across the entire continent, it would be useless—why would any Celestial Spirit Mage possessing Zodiac keys ever sell them?
Just thinking about it made it clear how impossible that would be.
But unfortunately, ever since witnessing Layla Heartfilia's "Celestial Spirit Magic" over a year ago, Hisui had fallen in love with this magic.
There was no way to stop her—she simply want to learn it.
Even King Toma found himself powerless when it came to this girl.
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