'Beyond dispute! An eighteen-year-old Wizard Saint!!'
'Our compatriot, the strongest woman of the western continent!'
The next day, two explosive headlines, different in wording yet identical in substance, swept across newspapers and magazines alike, instantly becoming the hottest topic in all of Ishgar.
The tiny bit of controversy surrounding Kabe's "youth" and "lack of seniority" vanished in only a few hours.
In its place came wave after wave of ornate praise and outright glorification.
And because Irene had been born in Ishgar, she too quickly won the complete recognition of the public.
Her status as one of the core high-ranking figures of the Alvarez Empire did not bring her any negative impact at all. On the contrary, many people admired her even more because of it.
Even Brandish, who occupied only a very small section of the papers, had countless people writing letters to the publishers, welcoming her back to her homeland and praising her for not abandoning her fellow countrymen.
Of course, Brandish probably was not going to receive any of those letters.
Because while the entire continent was boiling over with today's major headlines...
The people at the center of those events had already left the Magic Council early in the morning and were currently on the road back to the Kingdom of Fiore by magic car.
As for why they were riding in a magic car instead of a magic airship...
Naturally, it was because that enormous airship had been handed over by Kabe to the Council so they could study and reverse-engineer it.
That said, he had not given it away for free.
In money alone, he had received a reward of one billion J.
On top of that, he had also become a consulting instructor for the Rune Knights, an honorary head of the magic item research department, and several other positions that sounded quite impressive on paper.
Of course, all of those were merely honorary posts. They did come with a bit of authority, but to Kabe, they mostly just meant several extra paychecks arriving each month.
The main reason he had agreed to hand over the airship was because Crawford had promised that once the Council succeeded in cracking the advanced technology behind the magic airship, they would establish a dedicated company to hold the related "patents."
And Kabe, by way of "contributing the technology," would receive a share of the company.
In the future, whether military or civilian, any magic airship that used the company's related technology would have to pay a considerable patent fee.
This, in a sense, was Crawford's way of thanking Kabe for his "silent contributions," while making a tiny personal use of his authority in return.
At that point, what could Kabe even say?
With terms like that on the table, he might as well just hand over the entire airship.
Crawford himself had also been very generous. Early that morning, when he learned that Kabe and the others were leaving, he had clearly wanted to keep them there longer and make more noise around the topic, even though he was reluctant to let them go.
But in the end, he said nothing of the sort. Instead, he simply gave Kabe his own private magic car and even sent people to escort them for ten full miles.
Riding in the chairman's personal vehicle, with one billion J sitting in his pocket...
With professional drivers up front taking turns at the wheel, namely Heine and Juliet...
And beauties on either side of him in the back, Brandish and Irene...
At this moment, the only things Kabe lacked were a cigar in his mouth and a glass of red wine in his hand.
Leaning back contentedly against the beast-hide leather seat, Kabe draped his left arm across Brandish's shoulder and used the fingers of his right hand to flick the silver cross badge pinned to his chest.
"Ding~"
Listening to the crisp metallic sound, Kabe narrowed his eyes and let out a long, satisfied breath.
"Hah... this feels good~~~"
Apparently not yet satisfied, he flicked the badge several more times after that.
The repeated little ringing sounds were starting to get annoying even to Irene, who had been sitting there with her eyes closed, pretending to rest.
"Stop showing off. It is only a title.
Compared to the Spriggan Twelve, who actually command part of the Empire's military power, the Ten Wizard Saints are not worth that much."
Kabe glanced toward her chest and saw a badge identical to his own pinned there.
"If you are going to say that, then at least take yours off first."
Irene opened her eyes and met Kabe's gaze calmly.
"First, the Ten Wizard Saints are indeed inferior to the Spriggan Twelve. That is simply a fact, and true in every respect.
Second, even if they are inferior, the title of Wizard Saint is still the highest honor an Ishgar mage can obtain.
So even if it brings no real authority, the potential benefits and value hidden behind that title still qualify it to occupy a place on my chest."
"Mocking the Wizard Saints while still enjoying the benefits that come with being one... that kind of behavior deserves severe criticism, you know~"
Kabe said with a grin, teasing her lightly.
In return, Irene gave him a cold glare.
And at that moment, Brandish, whose shoulder was still under Kabe's arm, finally spoke up.
"For a lecher like you, someone who likes putting his hands all over girls, to become one of the Ten Wizard Saints...
I think that is the thing most deserving of criticism."