The two people before him were naturally the king and the princess. Although Moen did not pay attention to the royal family, there was no one else who could appear here.
There was also a sturdy guard in the study, standing at the lower position. In his eyes there was some vigilance as he looked at Moen, though there was no hostility, only the caution one has toward a stranger.
As the guard of the king and princess, this was normal.
"…"
Looking at the man sitting on the chair behind the desk, Moen's expression turned strange. This king had a head of white hair, and his beard and eyebrows were also white. There were quite a few wrinkles on his face, but he was actually not particularly old, at most he looked around forty or fifty.
The reason Moen had initially mistaken him for an old man in his seventies or eighties was because this fellow's height was somewhat short.
This height could directly compete with Makarov in a contest.
This king was even shorter than the cute little girl beside him.
The little princess beside him had a lovely appearance. Her jade-green hair, like emerald, was very eye-catching and should have been inherited from her mother.
"I've long admired your great name! Mr. Moen Dreyar!"
Looking at Moen, the king spoke, his face filled with admiration and excitement. Toward powerful wizards like these, he had always been very respectful and extremely interested.
And while the king was speaking, the little girl beside him was also looking at Moen, her eyes full of curiosity and admiration.
"It's only a false reputation."
Moen smiled. One does not strike a smiling person. Since the other party gave him face, he would naturally also give face to the king of the Kingdom of Fiore.
"This is no false reputation. Chairman Jose is one of the Ten Wizard Saints. You defeated him twice, could that possibly be false?"
The king shook his head. He was very interested in matters concerning wizards, and regarding what had happened to Moen he knew everything in detail. Clearly he had already looked into it beforehand, so he naturally would not believe Moen's modest words.
"I personally like powerful wizards the most, Mr. Moen. There is no need to be modest—these praises are all well deserved!"
Looking at Moen, the king spoke seriously.
This king did not seem to have the slightest bit of airs.
"So… the reason you specially called me here is?"
Moen's expression turned strange. How should he put it? Could it be for celebrity chasing?
This elderly king, looked excited like a fan chasing a star.
"Apologies, I got a little excited. Let me introduce myself. I am Toma E. Fiore. This is my daughter Hisui, and this is Arcadios, the captain of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights."
King Toma also realized he had been somewhat out of composure. He adjusted his emotions and introduced the people present to Moen.
This king of the Kingdom of Fiore had completely placed Moen on equal footing with himself. He did not look down on him because of his identity as king; one could say he had given him full respect.
"The reason we invited you here this time is to thank you for resolving the trouble of Duke Savalou. When these great local nobles do not cooperate with the kingdom's policies, we have little we can do. By dealing with him, you truly helped us a great deal."
King Toma looked excited as he solemnly thanked Moen. The downfall of Duke Savalou clearly made him extremely happy.
"No, no. It was the Magic Council that arrested him, not me. I only submitted a report with evidence."
Moen laughed and shook his head. The way King Toma said it made it sound as if he had personally taken down Duke Savalou.
"Mr. Moen's contributions, I know them all. Even if the Magic Council had not acted, your Fairy Tail would certainly have taken action."
King Toma spoke with a serious expression. When he mentioned the Fairy Tail guild, he became even more excited, as if he were very interested in Fairy Tail. He truly was a "wizard fan."
'Why is this king so lacking in composure?'
Looking at the easily excited Toma E. Fiore, Moen complained inwardly. This guy really did not resemble a king or rather, he did not resemble the "wise ruler" Moen traditionally imagined. At least compared with Moen's image of such a ruler, there was quite a large gap.
Of course, judging from his speech and behavior, he at least was not foolish or muddle-headed. He seemed to see many matters quite clearly.
Moreover, as long as Toma E. Fiore respected powerful wizards and had no intention of opposing the Magic Council or the wizard guilds, then his throne would remain secure.
The most important thing in being a person is recognizing one's own position—that is, having a clear understanding of one's own strength. In this regard, King Toma was clearly doing quite well.
"To express our gratitude, we have prepared generous gifts and also arranged a grand banquet. We hope you will accept."
King Toma looked at Moen expectantly. He really did resemble a fan chasing a star—even when inviting Moen to the banquet, his wording was respectful.
"Of course, no problem. I'd be happy to."
Moen smiled and agreed. Although this king did not seem particularly reliable, his attitude toward Moen was genuinely good. There was no reason not to give him face.
"Good! Then let us take our seats at once!"
Seeing Moen agree, King Toma immediately happily jumped down from the chair. His steps were light as he pulled the little girl beside him along to Moen's side, beckoning Moen to follow them.
Moen nodded and followed, his gaze falling on the little girl.
From the moment they met until now, aside from saying one sentence when greeting him at the beginning, Princess Hisui had not spoken again. She seemed to have a gentle and quiet temperament.
Behind the three of them, Arcadios, the captain of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights, followed closely. However, the way he looked at Moen no longer carried much vigilance.
Moen's behavior did not resemble that of an unruly villain, and he should not pose any threat to the king or princess. Most importantly, he had no motive. A world-famous great wizard targeting the king and princess for no reason? They had never even had any interaction before.
"Mr. Moen? Are you truly a powerful Celestial Spirit Mage?"
Inside the luxurious banquet hall, after the three had taken their seats, Princess Hisui finally spoke. There was a trace of curiosity in her tone.
"Yes."
Moen answered without changing his expression.
The main point was simply "I believe I am," and "why wouldn't it count?"
"That's wonderful! I'm also learning Celestial Spirit Magic. Could you please teach me?!"
After hearing Moen's words, Princess Hisui's eyes immediately lit up. Her eyes were like green gemstones—large and full of spirit.
"…"
Moen blinked. He truly had not expected that Princess Hisui would also be a Celestial Spirit Mage. There were only twelve Zodiac Keys in total. How many did Princess Hisui possess?
"I wouldn't say teaching, but I can share some experience with you."
Moen spoke calmly. He did not have the time to serve as the princess's teacher.
Moreover, he did not have much to teach. Or rather, there was not much to teach about Celestial Spirit Magic itself. There were only those few techniques in total.
"As a Celestial Spirit Mage, you only need to strive to improve your own magic power. That is the most important foundation for a Celestial Spirit Mage.
After that, you should try practicing multiple gate opening. With sufficient magic power and the ability to open multiple gates, you can summon several celestial spirits at the same time to fight."
Under Princess Hisui's expectant gaze, Moen explained some of his understanding of Celestial Spirit Magic. This could already be considered a refined summary.
Aside from the multiple gate opening ability being somewhat troublesome to learn, there did not seem to be anything particularly special about Celestial Spirit Magic, at least according to Moen's understanding.
"Oh, right. You must also maintain a good relationship with the celestial spirits. This is extremely important. If handled poorly, it could cost you your life."
Moen's expression became serious as he emphasized this point. This warning came from Karen, though he had not yet heard that anything had happened to her. Hopefully she would take some of the advice to heart.
Even Moen, this "fake Celestial Spirit Mage," knew that he should treat celestial spirits well so they would be willing to fight to the death for him.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Moen!"
Looking at Princess Hisui, who seemed to be only about ten years old, she thanked Moen seriously. Although what Moen said was not secret information, it was very straightforward and refined guidance, and it held excellent instructional value for a beginner in Celestial Spirit Magic.
"You are too polite, Princess Hisui. These are all very basic things. Your teacher will certainly teach them to you later."
Moen spoke honestly and did not feel that he deserved much credit. If Princess Hisui was learning Celestial Spirit Magic, it was unlikely that she was just learning it casually. The royal family should have some inheritance, and such basic knowledge hardly required him to teach it here.
The family inheritance aspect of Celestial Spirit Magic was extremely strong. Ordinary people could also learn it and buy celestial spirit keys to summon spirits, but those would mostly be pet-type spirits.
The truly precious and rare keys were basically passed down generation after generation within wizard families. Those who could truly fight using Celestial Spirit Magic were precisely these Celestial Spirit Mages.
In Moen's guess, the royal family should possess at least some inheritance.
"Ahem… actually, we really don't…"
At the side, King Toma awkwardly coughed a few times and spoke somewhat lacking confidence. The royal family did not possess any inheritance of Celestial Spirit Magic.
"Hisui's Celestial Spirit Magic was learned from a Celestial Spirit Mage of the Heartfilia family…"
King Toma shook his head. In fact, he did not support Hisui learning this magic, because their royal family did not possess any precious keys, not even a single Zodiac Key.
Learning Celestial Spirit Magic, the power of the royal family could not help in any way. Even if they bought across the entire continent, it would be useless. How could a Celestial Spirit Mage who possessed a Zodiac Key sell it? Just thinking about it made it impossible.
But unfortunately, ever since more than a year ago, after witnessing Layla Heartfilia's Celestial Spirit Magic, Hisui had fallen in love with this magic. There was no way to stop her, so they could only let her learn it. King Toma had no way to deal with this girl.
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