"Heartfilia? Layla Heartfilia?" Marco asked with evident surprise.
Although Jude had mentioned the Heartfilia family's good relations with the royal family, he never expected it to be a "master-disciple relationship."
This was truly unexpected.
"Yes, it was Lady Layla."
King Toma nodded, his expression tinged with nostalgia and regret.
"Unfortunately, Lady Layla passed away at a young age..."
At this point, King Toma shook his head, and Princess Hisui's expression also darkened, clearly saddened by her passing.
Layla was a wonderful person, and her passing was naturally heartbreaking.
Moreover, after her death, there was no one left to teach Hisui "Celestial Spirit Magic."
The royal family had no inherited knowledge of it—not even a single Zodiac key.
"If I may ask, what illness did Lady Layla pass away from?"
The mention of Layla Heartfilia brought this question to Marco's mind.
He had always found the circumstances of her death deeply puzzling.
Layla Heartfilia, a widely recognized and powerful Celestial Spirit Mage—how could she have suddenly fallen ill and died?
While Celestial Spirit Mages weren't typically known for exceptional physical prowess, they still possessed formidable magic power.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have gained such renown as mages.
With such strong magic at their disposal, it was highly unlikely for them to succumb to ordinary illnesses.
Marco had once asked Jude about this out of curiosity, but even Jude didn't know the reason.
He only remembered that Layla had fallen ill after a trip to the royal capital and had passed away shortly after being bedridden.
Marco narrowed his eyes.
Previously, he hadn't known about the Heartfilia family's close ties with the royal family.
Now, it seemed possible that Layla's visit to the capital had been to meet with the royals.
If Jude didn't know the cause of her death, perhaps the royal family did?
"...I don't know either. Didn't you ask Jude?"
Faced with Marco's question, King Toma visibly hesitated before responding.
His expression was peculiar, as if he found Marco's inquiry strange.
Jude should know the cause of Layla's death—what use was there in asking an outsider like him?
King Toma's words and expression made it clear: he had nothing to do with it and knew nothing.
But Marco didn't believe it for a second.
'Layla's death definitely has something to do with the royal family!'
If Marco wore glasses, they would surely be glinting right now.
He felt he had glimpsed a fragment of the truth.
Because his question had been so abrupt, Marco had caught the momentary shock and panic in King Toma's reaction.
Layla's illness must have been connected to the royal family—perhaps she had done something for them that drained her magic or left her severely injured, leading to her "illness" and eventual death.
Jude wasn't a mage, so he might not have understood it.
Of course, he might have known but dared not dig deeper into the reasons.
Marco leaned towards the former explanation.
Given Jude's feelings for Layla, if he had known her illness was tied to the royals, he would have had no reason to conceal it.
Moreover, judging by his demeanor, it was clear he hadn't known about any royal involvement in Layla's death.
"Truly, the heavens envy the talented." Marco sighed inwardly.
Although he was certain that Layla's death was somehow connected to the royal family, he had no evidence to support his suspicions.
Speculation remained just that—speculation.
Besides, while he was curious about the circumstances of Layla's death, it ultimately had little to do with him.
No one had asked him to investigate, and there was no need to strain his relationship with the royal family over mere curiosity.
What if he was wrong, after all?
"Yes, it's truly a shame about Lady Layla death. Marco-kun, would you be willing to teach Hisui Celestial Spirit Magic?" King Toma also expressed his regret but quickly steered the conversation back, clearly unwilling to dwell on the topic of Layla any further.
"Well, I don't mind teaching her, but my Celestial Spirit Magic is quite different from Lady Layla's. It might not suit Princess Hisui," Marco replied, looking slightly awkward.
Given the princess's soft and gentle demeanor, she probably wouldn't take to a Celestial Spirit Magic like 'Pegasus Meteor Fist'.
"That's alright. You could at least give it a try," King Toma insisted, his eyes lighting up.
He didn't quite grasp Marco's meaning—all he knew was that Marco's magic was incredibly powerful.
After all, it was magic capable of defeating one of the Ten Wizard Saints!
"I suppose I could try, but it depends on whether Hisui is willing to learn."
With the king pressing the matter, Marco couldn't refuse outright.
He turned his gaze to Princess Hisui beside him.
King Toma also looked at his daughter and asked earnestly, "Hisui, do you want to learn magic from Marco-kun?"
Had it been earlier, the king wouldn't have been concerned—after all, it was Hisui who had initially expressed interest in learning from Marco.
But now, he worried Marco's words might have discouraged her.
Hisui was only interested in "Celestial Spirit Magic," and Marco had just said his magic differed from Layla's.
This could be a problem—she might no longer be willing to learn from him.
"I want to learn!" Hisui answered immediately when questioned by her father.
It was all "Celestial Spirit Magic"—how different could it really be?
Clearly, the princess didn't fully understand the fundamental differences between Marco's magic and what she had learned before.
"Then let's give it a try," Marco agreed with a strange expression, though he didn't take the matter too seriously.
He doubted the princess could actually master his techniques.
....
After the banquet concluded, Marco, Hisui, and King Toma made their way to the training grounds of Mercurius Palace.
Marco planned to go through the motions here—not because he was unwilling to teach, but because he was certain she wouldn't be able to learn it.
That wouldn't be his fault.
"Marco-sensei! Should I show you my Celestial Spirit?"
On the training grounds, Hisui stood obediently before Marco and asked.
"No need. Like I said, my magic is different from what you've learned before. So, from now on, forget all of that."
Standing before the princess, Marco dismissed her eagerness to demonstrate her abilities.
Besides, summoning a Celestial Spirit wasn't something that needed to be shown off—displaying her collection of Celestial Spirit keys would suffice.
"Oh." Hisui nodded obediently, showing no signs of anger at Marco's direct refusal.
The girl's gaze toward Marco was filled with admiration—clearly a fan with rose-tinted glasses.
Moreover, though Hisui was royalty of the Fiore Kingdom, she didn't carry herself with arrogance.
Instead, she exuded an open, well-mannered demeanor that spoke of excellent upbringing—the very definition of a noble young lady in the best sense.
[Ding!]
[Detected potential candidate for personal disciple. Register disciple information?]
Just as Marco was about to guide Hisui through meditation to sense connections with celestial constellations—and half-heartedly teach her some basic punches to humor the child—the [Saint System] suddenly activated.
[Personal Disciple: The path of Saints is spiritual inheritance, passed down through generations like an eternal flame.
Those who embody self-sacrifice, possess great compassion to save humanity, and sincerely wish to learn from you may become your personal disciples.
You may teach one constellation's abilities to each disciple and grant them authority to summon a Cloth during crises.
No limit on disciple numbers. Same constellation abilities may be taught multiple times.]
Scanning the system panel, Marco understood this new function—it was essentially a "Master-Disciple System."
Marco's Saint techniques and Cloth belonged to a system fundamentally incompatible with this world's magic framework.
Even when powered by magic, they operated on entirely different principles—like how Gray couldn't replicate Marco's 'Diamond Dust Fist' despite his repeated attempts.
With this [Personal Disciple] function, Marco could now impart Saint techniques and even grant Cloth usage rights—though with restrictions.
Each disciple could only master one constellation's abilities and wield its corresponding Cloth.
'These conditions are brutal,' Marco thought, awed by the stringent requirements.
'"Self-sacrifice" and "great compassion to save humanity"...'
That single line alone would disqualify countless candidates.
"Self-sacrifice" was rare enough, but "great compassion to save humanity" bordered on mythical.
Only the third condition—"sincerely wishing to learn from you"—seemed ordinary, basic etiquette for any apprenticeship.
Studying Hisui before him, Marco felt profound respect.
This girl appeared no older than ten, yet already met those impossible standards?
Was she some reincarnated saint?
"Marco-sensei? Is something wrong?" Hisui asked curiously when Marco froze mid-motion, his peculiar scrutiny making her slightly self-conscious yet intrigued.
"If the kingdom faced imminent destruction, Hisui, what would you choose? Would you sacrifice yourself to save it?"
Facing Hisui's question, Marco spoke to her with a very serious tone, addressing a topic that was equally grave, causing King Toma beside them to look at him in surprise.
"Of course, if my sacrifice could save the people of the kingdom, I would willingly sacrifice myself."
Unlike the astonished King Toma, Princess Hisui answered firmly, almost without hesitation.
"But what if your sacrifice still couldn't save everything?"
Marco narrowed his eyes, gazing at Hisui before posing his next question.
"I would still be willing to do it. My sacrifice could inspire more people to stand up and strive to save the country."
This time, Hisui took a moment to think before answering, yet her response remained unchanged—she was still willing to make that sacrifice.
"..."
Looking at the young princess who spoke with such maturity, Marco was deeply moved.
These were not the careless words of a child.
It was clear that Hisui had carefully considered her answers.
No matter how things might unfold in the future, at this moment, Princess Hisui was sincere—a person truly embodying the spirit of "selfless devotion" and "a great love for saving lives."
Not only was Marco moved, but King Toma and the guard Arcadios beside him were also stunned.
Neither had expected such profound words from the young princess.
King Toma and Arcadios exchanged a glance, both seeing pride in each other's eyes.
King Toma felt a stronger sense than ever that his legacy was in good hands.
He had only one child and the future Princess Hisui was destined to become the queen of the Fiore Kingdom.
To possess such wisdom and sense of responsibility at such a young age—she was truly born to be a queen.
"Very well, Hisui. You've passed. Starting today, you are my student—the first I've ever taken."
As Marco spoke to Hisui, he also entered her information into the [Saint System].
In truth, the test was almost unnecessary.
If the [Saint System] allowed her information to be registered, it meant she already met all the necessary conditions.
In an instant, the name "Hisui E Fiore" appeared on the list of disciples and Marco gained a clearer understanding of his operational permissions.
His authority was greater than he had imagined.
First, Marco could expel any disciple at any time.
Once expelled, the disciple would lose all access to the Saint skills taught by Marco, and their Cloth would likewise become unusable.
In essence, Marco held absolute control over his disciples—a complete and unyielding dominance.
'Good, good! This is exactly the kind of absolute authority I need!'
Marco was thoroughly satisfied with this arrangement.
People change.
A child accepted as a disciple might, like Princess Hisui, possess a noble heart at the time, but there was no guarantee they would remain the same upon growing up.
Even life-altering events could reshape their beliefs.
'in case they ever becomes some kind of demon lord bent on destroying the world, Marco could simply strip them of their saint technique and expel them from the system with a single thought—essentially offering a 'one-click account reset' option.'
"Yes! Marco-sensei!"
Hisui happily bowed to Marco, officially marking her acceptance as Marco student.
"Hisui, I have several options for you to choose from. Take a look and decide what you'd like to learn. Remember, don't be greedy—you can only pick one."
Marco smiled and patted Hisui's head, preparing to let her choose her own constellation.