Please Let Marriage Be Your Payment!,
Chapter 141 —
The huge black lion ran at a slow pace, just enough for Leonard and Irenea, who were riding on its back, to stay steady.
Thanks to that, Irenea could clearly hear the story the guardian was telling. Her voice held a note of surprise as she asked,
“So, the great sage we know was actually the King of Keltehnaha?”
“Yes. He was the first king who built Keltehnaha here in the Great Forest.”
“I didn’t know that…”
Unlike the sage, whose deeds were at least somewhat recorded, almost no records remained about Keltehnaha itself. The only well-known fact was that there had once been a kingdom of Keltehnaha in the Great Forest, but for some unknown reason, it had perished.
“You two said you are from the Empire, correct? Then perhaps you know about the Seven Commandments of the Empire?”
“Yes.”
Just like Leonard, Irenea nodded.
“Now that I think of it, Keltehnaha was included in the Seven Commandments too…”
But that clause had no effect anymore.
Because—
Keltehnaha Kingdom shall stand in the Great Forest. As long as it exists, the Empire, as its ally, must not invade it.
However, since Keltehnaha had fallen, the emperor could issue an order to conquer the Great Forest.
“The first king made it so that anyone who violated the Seven Commandments would pay the price. Originally, if an Imperial attacked an ancient beast, that person would be wounded themselves.”
Leonard was surprised.
“But we attacked the ancient beast and nothing happened to us.”
“That is because the lineage of Keltehnaha was once broken. But if the king declares the restoration of Keltehnaha, the power will return again.”
Hearing that every commandment carried a punishment if broken, Leonard remembered the Second Prince.
The white light that had fallen on his lips…
At the time, Leonard had thought it was just the sunlight. But was it actually magic?
“There’s also a clause about curse sorcerers. The first king redefined the ideas of cursing and lifting curses. That too was his achievement.”
The Seven Commandments said:
Do not persecute someone just because they are a curse sorcerer.
“To inscribe that rule, the first king limited curse sorcerers so they could only curse those who had committed a crime. That way, curses would not be spread recklessly.”
“It wasn’t like that before?”
“No. They were persecuted because they used curses carelessly and too often.”
Setia explained, and Minerva quietly added,
“In a way, they were in the same situation as today’s alchemists.”
Irenea nodded, impressed.
“The great sage—or rather, the first king—was truly amazing. How could one person do all that?”
“It was possible because he was truly the greatest sage in all history, with unmatched magic power.”
“In fact, his magical energy was so vast that he even filtered raw mana into pure mana, and then absorbed that pure mana back into himself. His already massive magic power kept growing endlessly.”
“From that magic, he created us guardians as well.”
“His first disciple, who stayed by his side for a long time, reached a similar level, but could not even touch the hem of his robes.”
“Among all the magicians who came after, no one ever had such immense power. Only the later kings who inherited his magic.”
Leonard thought over these words and asked,
“So the magic I have now was originally the great sage’s magic?”
“It’s even more than that. Each king of Keltehnaha absorbed pure mana generation after generation. So what you have is far greater.”
More than the great sage himself? It didn’t even feel real.
Leonard looked at the sparks of white magic snapping at his fingertips and murmured,
“So I wasn’t born with magic, but became a magician because I became king?”
Minerva hesitated before answering,
“If that were true, then the moment you inherited the throne and the magic, you would have instantly felt the presence of magic inside you.”
If his body had been empty, then when it suddenly filled with magic, he would have noticed.
But Leonard had already been born with his own magic. That was why he hadn’t sensed the increase.
Irenea tilted her head.
“But that much magic suddenly pouring into your body—how could you not notice it?”
“Because when you inherited the throne, your magic vessel expanded too. There was no empty moment for you to notice.”
Most magicians only realize they have magic when their vessel feels empty for the first time. But Leonard had no such gap.
“Still, it is strange you felt no discomfort at all,” Minerva mused.
“Right now, Your Majesty unconsciously filters raw mana into pure mana and keeps absorbing it. Your magic is overflowing.”
Like a cup filled to the brim, with water still being poured in.
“Normally, the excess magic would scatter into the world, but near the king, it moves according to your will.”
Diana added softly,
“For example… like killing intent.”
“…Ah.”
Leonard remembered something.
“There was a time I just wanted to scare someone a little, but they got far too terrified. Was that why?”
“Really? When was that?” Irenea asked curiously.
“…”
The day I got caught by you…
Embarrassed to admit it was when he had done that to her supposed fiancé, Leonard lied vaguely,
“Back when I was a mercenary.”
“Now that you’ve awakened as a magician, you can control it properly. You can prevent it if you don’t want it to happen,” Minerva reassured.
“I should practice, then.”
Nodding in relief, Leonard relaxed.
Beside him, Irenea asked another question.
“But before the great sage was born, did magicians also need magic tools to use magic?”
“What are you talking about? Magicians don’t need magic tools. Those are for people without magic.”
Both Diana and Demi frowned in confusion. Minerva sighed.
“I see… you don’t know what happened in the last 200 years.”
After Keltehnaha’s fall, the guardians had been asleep. Minerva explained briefly.
With no king, mana filtering had stopped. The pure mana that had spread into the world slowly scattered and disappeared.
“The first king had taught people to absorb pure mana and use it. It was efficient, so even those born with magic preferred that method.”
Setia nodded as she pieced it together.
“Since everyone used absorbed pure mana, the older method of drawing out one’s own inner mana almost disappeared.”
“And after 200 years with no filtering, even the absorption method was forgotten.”
Ironically, the sage’s dream of letting even non-magicians freely use magic had brought about the end of magic itself.
“Then isn’t Ray filtering mana pointless? Even if he spreads pure mana, no one knows how to use it.”
“The royal palace still holds the magic books written by the first king and the later kings. They contain both kinds of magic—using inner mana and absorbing pure mana.”
Irenea’s eyes sparkled.
“So with those books, anyone can become a magician? Even me?”
The guardians nodded.
“To absorb pure mana, you first need to sense it. And for that, you must be exposed to it often…”
“And around the king, pure mana always overflows. As queen, you stay by his side, so you will become a magician faster than anyone else.”
“Oh! I have another question.”
Irenea hesitated, glanced around, then leaned close to Minerva’s ear and whispered something. Minerva immediately nodded.
“Yes, the king’s energy inside the queen’s body is magic. Once you learn how to absorb pure mana, you will quickly…”
“Um, is the palace far?” Leonard cut in quickly.
“We are almost there. We will arrive soon.”
Leonard muttered, keeping his eyes fixed forward.
He already had a good guess about what Irenea had asked, and what Minerva had meant by “absorbing magic.” His ears burned red.
“Ray, you heard that, right? I want to learn magic quickly.”
“…When we arrive, I’ll have the magic books brought to you first.”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
Ignoring her playful laughter, Leonard tapped the lion’s back, urging it faster.
The huge black lion understood and sped up. Not long after, they finally reached the royal palace.
The palace of Keltehnaha was built on the middle slope of the mountain Irenea had once seen from the castle window.
Set against the backdrop of a vast waterfall crashing down from a sheer cliff, the palace stood on an island in the center of a huge lake.
“Wow… it’s beautiful.”
The snow-white palace gleamed among trees of red, blue, and yellow. A rainbow arched faintly over the waterfall behind it.
On the lake, countless small boats shone like pearls under the sunlight. Colorful water lilies bloomed wide across the blue waters, as if to welcome them.
Tiny birds perched on the white rooftops, stair railings, and the bows of the boats, chirping a song of greeting.
One small bird tried to perch on Irenea’s finger, but Kichi, sitting firmly on her shoulder, scared it away.
Instead, a little yellow bird landed on Leonard’s shoulder, chirping cheerfully. Irenea clapped her hands in delight.
“It’s like a fairy tale kingdom. It’s wonderful!”
“I’m glad the palace pleases you,” said Minerva.
“If there is any part you dislike, please tell us. This will be your permanent residence from now on.”
As Leonard helped Irenea step into the boat, she looked surprised.
“From now on… permanently?”
