Two days later, the palace.
Ning Busan arrived together with Novalia, the two of them chatting amiably along the way.
“I heard you offended almost every mage who participated in the Nameplate Snatching Battle?” Novalia asked teasingly. “Have you been hiding indoors these past few days out of fear of retaliation?”
“Though I might have been a bit heavy-handed, no one died,” Ning Busan replied, spreading his hands innocently. “They're just sore losers. What was I supposed to do?”
Novalia pressed a hand to her forehead. “How did I never realize before that you have such a strong competitive streak?”
Ning Busan rubbed his nose.
Actually, it wasn't that bad.
The banquet hall was bustling with excitement. Rainbow light refracted from the crystal chandeliers flowed across the carpet, and harps suspended in midair automatically played a hymn.
Ning Busan asked Novalia, “Teacher Saige didn't come?”
Novalia chuckled softly. “He is a Grand Archmage, after all. It's better for him to maintain an air of mystery. He usually doesn't attend gatherings on occasions like this.”
Ning Busan nodded. “I see.”
The nobles gathered around Ning Busan, chatting with him warmly as if they were lifelong friends.
“Congratulations, Lord Ning Busan!”
“A true young hero! To achieve such extraordinary success at such a young age, your future is surely limitless.”
“You will certainly be the leader of the new generation in the Mage Association from now on.”
These nobles held up amber wine glasses, the silk cuffs embroidered with their family crests swaying before Ning Busan's eyes in a colorful blur.
The attendees of the banquet included not only nobles but also mages from all over. Thus, the nobles were very polite to Novalia and Ning Busan; after all, they still had to maintain a facade of harmony.
Ning Busan politely responded to each of them, though his attitude remained somewhat detached.
His seat was right next to Isabella's. Beside her, Elvin was attentively peeling grapes for her.
Ning Busan simply couldn't understand. Was this elf blind? Why on earth did he fancy Isabella?
“Something is wrong with you! You have traces of dark element corrosion on you!” Isabella leaned in close to Ning Busan and whispered.
“You must have paid a heavy price to borrow the power of Hell. Did you suffer a backlash?”
Ning Busan's expression turned slightly peculiar.
He had originally thought Isabella would bear a grudge against him, but he hadn't expected her to strike up a conversation on her own initiative.
“What's with that look?” Isabella grumbled. “If it weren't for Sister Novalia, do you really think I'd care about you?”
Ning Busan squeezed out a fake smile. “I'm fine. No need to worry yourself.”
Isabella clicked her tongue.
Then, her sharp eyes caught William blocking Novalia's path. The two were talking about something, and Novalia's face was written all over with impatience.
“What kind of scheme is that little bitch William trying to pull now?”
Isabella sprang to her feet, hoisted up her skirt, and rushed over.
Ning Busan: “...”
This woman was truly beyond words.
Turning his head, he saw Elvin resting his chin in his hand, his eyes practically glued to Isabella, pink bubbles of affection virtually overflowing from his gaze.
This elf was also beyond words.
Ning Busan stroked the solar badge pinned to his collar. Its points, crafted from mithril, gleamed coldly under the candlelight.
It was the symbol of the winner of the Nameplate Snatching Battle.
Ning Busan walked up to the King, speaking in a voice neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for everyone to hear clearly:
“Your Majesty, I won first place in the Nameplate Snatching Battle, which grants me the right to make a request of you. Is that correct?”
The banquet hall instantly fell silent.
The King said with a broad smile, “Ning Busan, what is it that you desire?”
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Ning Busan, curious about what kind of request he was so eager to make of the King.
A noble title? Territory? Power? Or perhaps wealth?
Ning Busan raised his eyelids, his gaze slowly sweeping across all the mages and nobles present. He lingered on Novalia for a few seconds before finally locking his eyes onto the King.
A sense of foreboding welled up in Novalia's heart. She felt that Ning Busan was about to stir up trouble.
Ning Busan stared straight at the King, took two steps forward, and spoke in a ringing voice loud enough for everyone to hear:
“I wish for Your Majesty to grant commoners the opportunity to learn magic for free.”
Novalia's pupils constricted. She had never expected Ning Busan to make such a request.
To study at the Mage Association, one had to pay a tuition fee of one gold coin per day.
This was, in fact, a method for the nobility to consolidate their rule.
By monopolizing knowledge and stripping commoners of the right to learn magic, they also deprived them of the ability to resist.
And now, Ning Busan wanted to shatter this status quo, which was equivalent to shaking the very foundations of noble rule.
“Impossible!” the King flatly refused. “Ning Busan, make another request.”
The King knew the consequences of letting commoners learn magic all too well, so there was absolutely no way he would agree to it.
In an instant, the eyes of all the nobles looking at Ning Busan turned cold.
The request Ning Busan proposed threatened their core interests. At this moment, he had become public enemy number one.
Ning Busan sensed several cold waves of killing intent, but he remained completely unfazed. In a calm tone and with clear, precise articulation, he analyzed:
“Mages are different from other professions; talent is what matters most. However, the barrier to entry for studying magic is too high, and commoners cannot afford it, meaning many talented mages are being buried in obscurity.”
“It is precisely because of this that the Empire's mages are so scarce. If commoners could study magic for free, the overall pool of mages would increase dramatically.”
“To resist the Xeno Invasion, countless soldiers sacrifice their lives every year. If we had a sufficient number of mages, they could go to the battlefield to provide support, preventing the deaths of even more soldiers.”
The King's eyes nearly split from rage, his entire body trembling with anger.
He roared, “Enough! Shut your mouth, Ning Busan!”
Ning Busan met his gaze without a shred of fear, his words striking like polished gems. “Allowing commoners to access and study magic brings nothing but benefits to the Empire. Why does Your Majesty refuse?”
“Or is it that Your Majesty has some other concerns?”
The mages present wore a variety of expressions.
Although most of them were also nobles, from the perspective of a mage, the request Ning Busan proposed would bring monumental changes to the magical world.
And such a change would undoubtedly be positive.
The King's lips quivered, his face flushing crimson, but he was utterly speechless.
In terms of custom, Ning Busan had won the Nameplate Snatching Battle; as long as it was within his power, the King was indeed obligated to grant his request.
In terms of logic, Ning Busan had just listed various benefits of letting commoners learn magic, seizing the moral high ground and leaving the King unable to find a counterargument on the spot.
In other words, his only choice now was to agree.
At this moment, everyone's gaze was concentrated on the King and Ning Busan.
The hall was dead silent now—so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
After a long while, Ning Busan asked in a perfectly composed manner, “Your Majesty, have you made up your mind?”
With a face dark as iron, the King said, “This King can grant your request. However, popularizing magical knowledge among commoners is not something that can be achieved overnight. This matter requires careful, long-term planning.”
Ning Busan chuckled softly. “No need to trouble yourself, Your Majesty. When it comes to this, the Mage Association is professional.”
Once the King relented today, those commoners would surely squeeze their way through, scrambling to learn magic.
What's more, he had already written a detailed proposal on how to guide commoners in learning magic. As long as Novalia and Teacher Saige were willing to cooperate, it could be implemented very quickly.
Did the King want to drag his feet?
Not a chance.
Rate on N.U.
