Chapter 69: The Flower of Ansel and the Female Sword Saint
After meeting King Celt XV, Donald had to admit that his impression of the king had improved somewhat. Though Celt XV appeared aged, no longer showing the vigor of his youth, the wisdom in his eyes seemed capable of seeing through people at a glance. Indeed, Celt XV was a wise ruler, but unfortunately, news spread that he was too weak due to illness just a few years into his reign. Now, seeing him in person, even Donald, who was meeting him for the first time, could tell that the king’s health was extremely poor—he likely wouldn’t live much longer.
“Your Majesty!”
Since he hadn’t yet been granted a formal title, Donald could only offer a mage’s salute.
Celt XV nodded slowly.
“You truly are a rare genius mage—a pillar for the kingdom’s future!”
Donald quickly humbly replied, “Your Majesty, you flatter me! It’s all thanks to my teacher’s excellent guidance.”
“Master Mesel is indeed knowledgeable and skilled in teaching, but your talent cannot be ignored either. I heard you chose your fiefdom on your own—this has solved a significant problem for me. Otherwise, those lords in the south would cause trouble again!” As he spoke, the old king began to cough violently, and the attendants beside him quickly patted his back.
“Your Majesty, please rest! Don’t overexert yourself!”
Celt XV stopped coughing and, after taking a few breaths, said, “I’ve rested enough. I don’t have much time left awake. While I can still speak, I must take care of everything so that my successors won’t have to deal with the mess I leave behind.”
The ancient saying that one gains profound enlightenment before death is indeed true. Donald realized the old king was in exactly such a state—knowing his end was near, yet not panicking or going mad like ordinary people. It seemed as if death was as easy as a picnic, and his only concern was the impact of his death on the kingdom. This was truly admirable.
The old king continued, “I am deeply grateful that you single-handedly saved the situation in the northwest. The kingdom cannot afford any more chaos. The lands and title are well-deserved by you, so I’ve prepared an additional gift as a token of my thanks. I hope you won’t refuse it!” If it had been rewards of gold or wealth, Donald would have intended to refuse, but after hearing what Celt XV said, he found no reason to decline.
For the gift the king had prepared truly addressed what was on his mind. It could even be said to be one of the main reasons he had come to the capital.
The gift given to Donald by King Celt XV was permission to enter the library of the High Mage Tower of the Kingdom’s Mage Association and read there for three days. Normally, a formal mage of the kingdom could enter the tower’s library for free to study for one day upon arriving at the Mage Association—of course, each mage only had this opportunity once; afterward, they had to make contributions to the association to gain access again. By accepting the king’s generous offer, Donald now had three extra days. While these three days might not be enough for other mages, they allowed him to accomplish many things! At the thought of this, Donald felt delighted.
Although the Kingdom’s Mage Association was not directly under the king’s command, according to a contract signed years ago, the association was required to serve the royal family. Thus, King Celt XV still had the authority to allow someone to enter the tower’s library.
With mixed feelings, Donald bid farewell to the king and left the palace, where he encountered an acquaintance, Ferdinand. “Ferdinand, what are you doing here?” As soon as he spoke, Donald realized he had asked a pointless question. As the commander of the Holy Sword Fortress and the first heir of the Ansel family, Ferdinand was one of the key figures and, of course, attended the celebration banquet held by the king in honor of the great victory in the northwest. As for why he could enter and leave the palace freely? One need only remember the relationship between the Ansel family and the royal family—his mother was a princess of the country!
Amidst the guards’ astonished expressions, Ferdinand affectionately put his arm around Donald’s shoulders and said with a smile, “Of course, I was waiting for you! Come, I’ll show you the best places in the capital. If you come to Kosovo without visiting these places, you’ll definitely regret it later.” Without waiting for Donald to object, he pulled him out of the inner palace.
After Donald left, King Celt XV, supported by his attendants, sat up straight and suddenly asked, “What do you think of this young mage?” As soon as he spoke, the shadows behind the throne shifted, and a figure seemed to emerge from the gap in the light and shadow, as if stepping through a veil. If Donald had still been there, he would have realized that this figure had been hiding behind the king using a spatial concealment spell. To be able to cast such a powerful spell and maintain it for so long meant the person in question must be at least of the Silver rank.
The man was dressed in a dark mage robe, wearing no insignia marking his status, yet he could cast spells freely throughout the palace—spells that were at least at level six or higher. From this, one could guess his identity. After all, the palace was protected by a mage tower.
The mysterious mage replied, “This young guy has quite good talent. He reached bronze rank within just two years. If he doesn’t go astray, there’s a good chance he’ll advance to silver rank before the age of forty.”
“Heh, so my investment will pay off after all! With this young mage and his mentor in charge of the North County, the Macbeth family won’t be able to cause much trouble, and the orcs aren’t a threat either. It’s a shame I won’t be around to see that day!” King Celt XV spoke with deep sorrow, clearly not indifferent to death.
“I’ve examined the life potion sent by that girl, Edwina. Though its effect isn’t strong, it’s gentle. If you take it once a month with your current condition, it can improve your situation and extend your life by a few years—maybe even two more! If you can put aside your duties and rest in peace, you might live even longer…”
Before the mysterious mage could finish, King Celt XV interrupted him, “Two years is enough. What’s the use of living longer if I fail to handle the kingdom’s affairs? I’ll have no face to face the spirits of our ancestors then…”
“It’s a pity your condition stems from a damaged soul and a lack of life essence—like a leaky jar. Unless you obtain a demi-god-level artifact for repair, no amount of potion can fill the gap; it can only slow down the loss of life.”
“You needn’t worry about me. Our ancestors have agreed to form a sacred spirit body for me, making me the third sacred spirit of the Celt royal family after the seventh ancestor. Although it follows the methods of those true gods, it won’t harm the interests of the Celt people. It’s still better than having my soul dissipate!” The mysterious mage smirked. “True gods assimilate their followers through faith to increase their own essence. You merely exploit people’s worship to gain a little faith power. This path has its flaws—otherwise, you wouldn’t have remained in the North for thousands of years after becoming a sacred spirit. Unless you follow the path of becoming a god through faith, your strength will never improve further!”
“That’s the drawback of losing one’s physical body and becoming a spirit being. Not to mention the distant past, just take myself—within just a hundred years, I’ve already caught up to the footsteps of your two ancestors. If they hadn’t relied on the power accumulated in the palace, their strength would have been at most at the peak of legend; none of them could surpass me in power.” Celt XV defended himself, “Back then, the Beast God was instantly deified by the Ancestral Spirit, gaining the faith of eighty million orcs and ascending through three divine ranks in one go, becoming an unparalleledly powerful supreme god that shocked all the gods. Yet even such immense power vanished as quickly as a dream.” “That was the Beast God seeking its own destruction; no one else is to blame. If it hadn’t suddenly grown stronger and its ambition expanded, trying to become the king of gods and rule over other true gods, it wouldn’t have suffered a joint attack from the gods, nor would its allies among the dark gods have turned against it, leading to its tragic downfall as its divinity, soul, and body were torn apart by the gods.” “Your ancestors, however, are different. If they were willing to embrace the throne, relying on thousands of years of accumulation and the love of three hundred thousand Celt people, it would be easy for them to surpass the newly risen gods and reach the rank of lower gods. And unlike the Beast God, the human gods would protect them by having a new member on their side, preventing attacks from other true gods and allowing your ancestors to successfully establish a divine kingdom. By then, both His Majesty the Seventh and you might ascend to divine status as well.” Seeing that Celt XV was somewhat persuaded, the mysterious mage continued to try to convince him. At that moment, a cold snort came from deep within the palace. “Collin, it’s better if you focus on your own cultivation. I have my own plans; there’s no need for you to worry! I won’t defy the ancestral teachings and choose to become a god unless it’s absolutely necessary!” Hearing this, the mysterious mage named Collin simply smiled bitterly and fell silent, while Celt XV bowed in respect toward the direction from which the voice came. Donald, who was several miles away from the palace and on a street filled with shops selling various exotic goods—ranging from furs from the Northern Counties to specialties from various parts of Celt, as well as rare items from the lands of the continent and exquisite ornaments from the southern elf islands—of course had no idea about the top-secret events taking place in the palace. Accompanying Donald were also Ferdinand’s mother, Marquess Ansel, who was also Princess Edwina the Eldest, along with her sister, Miss Marquess Ansel.
This Cornelia, Serban Ansel, is the second child of the marquis and marquise. For the Ansel family, which has always had few descendants, she is truly the apple of their eye. It is said that even the king himself attended her birth to celebrate, showing just how favored she is.
However, in Donald’s view, this young lady is innocent and kind-hearted, having not developed the spoiled and willful habits typical of noble ladies.
Speaking of this marquis’s daughter, one must mention her teacher. Although she possesses her own family’s swordmaster heritage and shows extraordinary talent as a swordsman, unfortunately, her physique and innate abilities are not suited to her family’s swordmaster tradition. Therefore, the Marquis Ansel went to great lengths to find a good teacher for his daughter—Abel, the other one of the kingdom’s two great Golden Swordmasters, a female swordmaster.