After a brief teaching session, Hisui felt as though she had grasped something, yet also as if she had grasped nothing at all.
"Keep at it. There's still much to learn."
Seeing Hisui's slightly confused expression, Marco couldn't help but chuckle.
Establishing a successful connection with a constellation was far from simple.
Especially without mastering the constellation's skills or having a Cloth to wear—the difficulty was immense.
In this situation, the only link between Hisui and the constellation was Marco himself as her teacher.
Only through him as a medium could Hisui vaguely sense the Lyra constellation.
"This is an incredibly difficult path. Are you prepared for the long journey ahead?"
Marco looked at Hisui, giving her a chance to reconsider.
While taking on a student benefited Marco without costing him anything, he still respected her free will.
After all, mentorship required mutual willingness.
"I'm prepared!"
Facing Marco's question, Hisui snapped out of her thoughts and answered immediately.
Though she had sensed the difficulty of this Celestial Spirit Magic, she wouldn't give up easily.
The feeling of connecting with a constellation in the starry sky was intoxicating, utterly different from forming contracts with Celestial Spirits.
"Good. Then start by practicing the lyre diligently."
Seeing the determination in Hisui's eyes, Marco nodded in satisfaction.
Without perseverance, mastering this would be tough.
Gaining great power required effort—Hisui didn't have a system, so she could only rely on her own hard work.
Putting away the lyre, Marco assigned Hisui her first task: practicing the lyre to enhance her resonance with Lyra.
As the princess of the Fiore Kingdom, Hisui naturally had her own professional music tutor.
Though not as skilled as Master Valtava, they were still a renowned lyreist.
"Marco-kun, how about letting Hisui return with you to Fairy Tail?"
Just as Marco finished assigning the task, King Toma suddenly spoke up.
The suggestion left both Marco and Hisui stunned.
"Is that appropriate?" Marco was surprised.
Hisui was the royal family's only heir—was King Toma really willing to let her go to Fairy Tail with him?
"Really?!"
Unlike Marco's astonishment, Hisui looked excited.
She hadn't considered this before, but now that her father mentioned it, she grew eager.
What would Fairy Tail, the guild where her master lived, be like?
"Why wouldn't it be appropriate? Why wouldn't it be allowed? Just because she's a princess, would Fairy Tail refuse her membership?"
King Toma sounded genuinely puzzled.
He wasn't aware of any such rule in Fairy Tail—it was just a spur-of-the-moment idea.
As king, he couldn't abandon his country to join a Magic Guild, but his daughter Hisui still had the time and opportunity.
As a princess, Hisui could still join a Magic Guild and experience a different life.
King Toma had always yearned for the life of a mage but could never experience it himself.
His current mindset was to let Hisui fulfill this wish on his behalf.
"Of course, there's no such rule. If you don't mind, we certainly won't refuse. Hisui is a good girl, and I believe she'll be very happy at Fairy Tail," Marco said with a smile.
If King Toma didn't mind his only child leaving the palace, Marco certainly had no objections.
A princess was nothing extraordinary for Fairy Tail—their guild even had a prince from another world!
Speaking of Mystogan, the topic of the super-dimensional magic "Anima" had to be mentioned.
Though everyone wanted to resolve the issue quickly, Mystogan still hadn't found a way for them all to travel to the other world together.
Moreover, once they arrived in that world without magic, how they would fight was another problem that needed solving.
Even Marco couldn't guarantee he'd retain his abilities in that world.
Would the stars there still hold magic?
For these reasons, the "Expedition to Edolas" had yet to materialize, and Mystogan, the prince of the Edolas Kingdom, remained a member of Fairy Tail.
Of course, Mystogan spent most of his time wandering outdoors, so after Hisui joined Fairy Tail, she likely wouldn't meet him anytime soon.
Otherwise, the encounter between these two royals from another world would have been quite interesting.
"Then it's settled. Let Hisui go with you," King Toma declared, seeing Marco's agreement.
Hisui was clearly willing too, judging by the joy on her face.
"Hisui, go pack your things quickly. We'll be leaving for Magnolia soon," Marco said without delay, urging Hisui to prepare for their return to Fairy Tail.
"Alright!"
Without hesitation, Hisui lifted the hem of her dress and dashed off, calling for her servants to help gather her belongings.
"Let Hisui stay in Fairy Tail's girls' dormitory," Marco suggested.
Since she was being sent out to gain experience, it was best to go all the way—no servants or luxuries.
She could live directly in the guild's dormitory.
"Very well, we'll do as you say." King Toma didn't object to Marco's proposal.
His reasons for sending Hisui with Marco to Fairy Tail were twofold: first, to let her fulfill his own unfulfilled wish and second, to temper her and help her forge friendships with the guild's mages.
Staying in the dormitory would accelerate this process.
As a girl, Hisui would inevitably face many challenges when she eventually succeeded him to the throne—perhaps even outright opposition.
She would need strong allies, and the mages of Fairy Tail were perfect for this role.
Looking at Marco, King Toma felt he had made an excellent decision.
Summoning Marco to express his gratitude had been an extremely wise move—otherwise, none of this would have happened.
....
Before long, Hisui had finished packing her belongings.
She arrived carrying just a small suitcase by herself, without any servants in tow, making no grand display.
"Just this one suitcase?" Marco asked in surprise, eyeing the small luggage.
He had expected the princess to bring piles of bags and packages.
Not that it mattered—no matter how much luggage she had, his crow transport team could handle it all.
"From now on, I'm no longer a princess—just my master's apprentice, one from a fairly well-off family," Hisui said with a smile, implying she wanted to conceal her identity.
She didn't plan to join Fairy Tail as the 'Princess of Fiore Kingdom' but rather as 'Marco's apprentice'.
She believed the latter would help her integrate into the guild more easily.
Truth be told, within Fairy Tail, the latter identity might indeed be more advantageous.
While her princess status might only pique people's curiosity, being 'Marco's apprentice' would naturally earn her goodwill, making it easier for her to blend in.
"Alright, Hisui. Say goodbye to your father. We're setting off now," Marco said with a smile.
Her decision had saved him a lot of trouble—now the crows only needed to carry the two of them back.
"Caw!"
With a thought from Marco, several large crows materialized out of thin air.
While the crows could be stored in his system space, the "gliders" and "planes" couldn't, so Marco had requested a few baskets from the king.
These would allow Hisui to sit comfortably during the journey, sparing her from being buffeted by the wind all the way.
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