Fairy Tail: You call this Celestial Magic?!

Chapter 268 King Thomas's Ambition (Please Subscribe!)

Please give me this opportunity!

King Thomas looked pleading, like a child wanting his favorite toy, completely unlike a king.

He was so eager to participate in this grand event that he even went so far as to enlist the government's help in promoting it, all in order to become the host of this event.

"That's fine."

Moen eventually agreed to the request; there was no other way, he was offering far too much.

King Thomas's enthusiasm for being involved in matters related to mages far exceeded his enthusiasm for being king; he would much rather be a powerful mage than a king.

Well, that's fine too. If Moen were to exchange all his strength for the throne, he would be 100% unwilling.

There's nothing else to it. If the king wants to protect the country, in the end he still has to rely on these mages. Last time, when the Alvarez Empire of the Western Continent invaded, it was only thanks to the "Magic Council" that they were forced to retreat. "Secular" countries can hardly contribute much in such major events.

Ultimately, the "Magic Council" is the one that truly governs the entire continent of Ishgar. When mages act recklessly and cause all sorts of destruction, only the "Magic Council" can judge and deal with them. The "secular" countries don't even have a say in the matter.

Therefore, Moen wasn't too surprised by King Thomas's attitude; who wouldn't want to become a powerful mage?

Well, being strong is a prerequisite. If you become just a low-level ordinary mage, it's better to continue being the king.

“That’s wonderful! Thank you, Master Moen!”

Having received Moen's permission, King Thomas was overjoyed and thanked Moen profusely; his dream had finally come true!

Moen's lips twitched. They were currently in Magnolia, at the Fairy Tail guild hall. King Thomas, in order to get involved, had gone to Magnolia incognito to beg him.

When he was king, he mainly practiced a policy of non-interference, and no one was more proactive in participating in the affairs of mages than him.

When does it start?

After confirming that he could disguise himself and serve as the host, King Thomas was so excited that he couldn't wait for the "National S-level Martial Arts Assessment" to begin immediately.

"It's still early, wait until October."

Moen answered helplessly, gesturing for King Thomas to calm down.

"Go back first, and come back when it's about to start. A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. You can't just keep waiting in Magnolia, can you?"

Seeing the disappointed King Thomas, Moen tried to persuade him, as if King Thomas was determined to stay and not leave.

Goodness, the government doesn't care anymore, he just insists on being a host here.

"Okay, I'll go back first. Once everything is almost ready, please let me know so I can familiarize myself with the process beforehand!"

After being persuaded by Moen, King Thomas finally agreed to return first, but he was still very worried and repeatedly told Moen to make sure to inform him in advance.

"Jade, stay here and learn well from Master Moen. Don't go back to the palace too often before October this year."

Before leaving, King Thomas gave his daughter Emerald some earnest advice, but Emerald was completely speechless upon hearing it.

"understood"

Jade replied helplessly, "Is the father-daughter relationship between them really that worthless? To avoid any problems and to ensure we don't miss the 'National S-Level Martial Arts Assessment,' they won't even let her go home! They'll just make her stay here and keep an eye on things!"

"Good daughter."

King Thomas praised her with satisfaction, which made Emerald's face twitch, a rare loss of composure, mainly because her father was just too abstract.

Soon, King Thomas, having achieved his goal, left satisfied, leaving Moen and Emerald looking at each other in bewilderment.

"When you become queen, don't be as unreliable as your father."

Looking at the jade, Moen immediately made a sarcastic remark.

"I will not."

Jade answered decisively.

She couldn't guarantee anything else, but she certainly wouldn't be as abstract as her father, nor would she be so enthusiastic about getting involved in mage affairs, because she herself was a mage with considerable strength, and she had already demystified matters related to mages.

Unlike King Thomas, who was filled with fantasies about magic and sorcerers, since he usually read news about Moen, he was naturally full of fantasies. Anyone would fantasize about such things, let alone King Thomas.

He also fantasized about becoming the "Rose Star God" Moen Dolea, invincible and famous throughout the entire continent of Ishgar.

The host of the "National S-level Martial Arts Assessment" was decided: King Thomas of the Kingdom of Fiore. Of course, he would conceal his identity and not actually host the event as king. He would still have to be mindful of the impact and the reputation of the Fiore royal family.

Moen originally wanted to hire a professional for the host position, but ultimately lost out due to personal connections. Although it was said that the offer was too much, it was actually out of consideration for Emerald.

If King Thomas performs poorly, Moen will replace him. The first martial arts competition is crucial; he needs to make a name for himself and can't be allowed to act recklessly.

Moen reiterated this matter to King Thomas, and the King of Fiore was very understanding. He directly promised that he would try his best to meet the requirements, and if he failed to do so, he would honestly withdraw.

It was King Thomas's attitude that earned him Moen's approval.

Moen had no doubt that King Thomas would practice diligently. After all, His Majesty didn't do much serious work in his spare time, so he naturally had plenty of time to learn how to be a host.

The appointment of the host is just a small episode in the "National S-Class Assessment and Martial Arts Competition". The whole of Magnolia is busy with this matter. Many houses need to be built to provide accommodation for other magic guilds that come to participate in the assessment.

"Let's call it Martial Arts Village, a village specifically for receiving mages who come to participate in martial arts competitions."

Moen named this newly built housing complex with a simple and direct approach: the "National S-Rank Martial Arts Assessment Exercise" is organized according to "Olympic standards," and this "Martial Arts Village" is the "Olympic Village." Of course, the current "National S-Rank Martial Arts Assessment Exercise" can only be called the "National Games," since it only involves mages from the Kingdom of Fiore and is not quite the same as the "Olympic Games" which are held globally.

Only when all the mage guilds on the continent of Ishgar can participate can it be called the "Olympics".

No, this should actually just be the "Iranian Games." To make it a real "Olympics," we need to invite all the mage guilds from the "Western Continent Alakidasia" and the "Northern Continent Giltina."

This is clearly not a goal that can be easily achieved, after all, there is the "Alvarez Empire" on the "Western Continent of Aragidasia" that is eyeing the "Ishgar Continent".

Meanwhile, the "Northern Continent of Giltina" has been in seclusion for many years with little communication with the "Ishgar Continent".

There is indeed a gap between the two continents. The long period of no communication has made each other seem somewhat mysterious.

Later, there was even a subtle sense of rejection. For example, the people of the Kingdom of Fiore rejected immigrants from the Western Continent. As soon as they heard that they were immigrants from the Western Continent, they were unwilling to accept them or give them job opportunities.

Of course, things are much better now, especially in Moen's fiefdom, in Magnolia, a land of great potential.

With the rapid economic development and the city's rapid expansion, a large influx of immigrants from various countries has naturally eliminated the existing conflicts between locals, outsiders, and people from the Western Continent.

When the economy is booming, everyone is kind and friendly; the upward trend can mask all problems.

The immigrants from the Western Continent also have a role to play in this "National S-Level Assessment and Martial Arts Competition," and they will undertake a lot of construction work.

The hardworking and dedicated immigrants did fill some vacancies. The immigrants from the Western Continent didn't hesitate to do the jobs that the "gentlemen" of Magnolia were unwilling to do; they could make a living by doing these jobs.

Neither Moen nor Fairy Tail contributed any money to the construction of the "Martial Arts Village." The entire project was funded by the city government, which used a "special grant" from the royal family.

Magnolia is Moen's personal fiefdom, and the Kingdom of Fiore originally didn't need to manage it. This "special grant" was naturally King Thomas's way of showing his sincerity, and he did give a lot.

"We still have to accept this favor."

Watching the "Martial Arts Village" being built day by day, Moen sighed. He only hoped that King Thomas would be reliable. As long as he wasn't too bad, he would eventually grant the king's wish.

After inspecting the "Martial Arts Village" which was under construction and in full swing, Moen returned to the city. The "Martial Arts Village" was naturally built in the suburbs, since there was no place in the city, and the venue for the martial arts competition was also in the suburbs, still set in the dueling arena of the "Fairy House".

Therefore, the dueling arena of the "Fairy House" underwent another expansion. Although the dueling arena was already very large, it was necessary to expand the seating area to accommodate the entire Kingdom of Fiore's magic guilds and audiences from all over the country.

King Thomas had originally offered to fund another dueling arena, but considering that the "National S-Rank Martial Arts Assessment" wasn't only held in Magnolia, Moen ultimately rejected the proposal. There was no need to go to such great lengths to build a new dueling arena that would only be used a few times.

This gave King Thomas some ideas. He thought that perhaps the royal family could also hold a "Grand Military Exercise" only in the capital city of Crocus, the "City of Flowers." As long as the rewards were sufficient, there would be no shortage of participants, and he could have his fill of it.

King Thomas didn't hide this idea from Moen, since it was Moen who started it. For their royal family to do the same in the capital would feel like they were going head-to-head with Moen, as if they were deliberately trying to challenge them.

With such a good relationship and the jade as a bond, everyone could have cooperated sincerely. King Thomas did not want to break this status quo, so he took the initiative to ask Moen for his opinion.

If Moen firmly disagrees, then King Thomas will tearfully abandon the idea. He doesn't want to antagonize Moen or any of the mage guilds in the Kingdom of Fiore.

“It’s okay, you can do it if you want. We can stagger the timing, one in the first half of the year and the other in the second half.”

Moen expressed his support for King Thomas's idea.

Just as King Thomas thought, as long as the rewards for this grand martial arts competition are generous enough, there will definitely be mage guilds participating.

The main purpose of the "National S-level Martial Arts Assessment" is twofold: to assess S-level and to make money. If participating in the grand martial arts assessment organized by the king can earn money, why not participate?

As long as the timing is different, no one will mind. Making money is nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, this is also about making money through ability.

"Great! I'll arrange my time accordingly and I'll definitely cooperate!"

King Thomas was overjoyed to have received Moen's permission.

Although King Thomas thought it would work out from the start, he didn't expect Moen to agree so readily.

"As expected of Master Moen, his thinking is truly insightful!"

Moen didn't need him to go through the trouble of persuading her.

During this period, King Thomas left the palace the most. He couldn't stay in the palace and would run to Magnolia whenever he had nothing to do.

However, now that the "Grand Military Exercise" has been approved, King Thomas will likely be able to stay in the capital, the "City of Flowers," Crocus, and he will begin making preparations.

"That's great! The magic world of the Kingdom of Fiore is going to be very lively from now on, with a grand conference every six months."

Upon receiving the news, Makarov remarked with emotion.

"Isn't this great? It gives everyone more opportunities to shine."

Moen smiled and said that such a conference held every six months would definitely give all the mage guilds a lot of exposure, and if the smaller mage guilds were lucky, they could become famous overnight.

Moreover, as long as you have the ability, those mages who languish in the junior mage guild will be seen by more people.

"It's really good."

Makarov nodded. The reason why everyone supports the "National S-level Martial Arts Assessment" is because it can greatly increase everyone's popularity. Small guilds strive to qualify for the main competition for the same reason. Of course, they know they are just cannon fodder, but as long as they can get exposure, it's not a loss.

The Kingdom of Fiore is such a large place that it's impossible to go to the Grand Mage Guild for every request. The distance is far, and the timeliness is poor. For convenience, people will still go to the nearest Mage Guild for some simple requests. This is why small guilds can survive.

As for those difficult tasks, even if others approach them, they will most likely have to ask the Archmage Guild for help. If they are not strong enough to handle them, forcing them to do so would only damage the guild's reputation.

The fact that over a hundred mage guilds in the Kingdom of Fiore have survived naturally indicates that they have their own set of operating logic.

(End of this chapter)