Fairy Tail: You Call This Celestial Spirit Magic?! Chapter 154 154

"Actually, the royal family mbers are quite decent. Our Heartfilia family has maintained many connections with them, so we're quite familiar with each other."

Seeing Marco agree to et with the royal family, Jude spoke up, appearing to have a rather good relationship with them.

"Let's hope so. I don't tolerate incompetence in my eyes. If these royals and governnt officials turn out to be useless parasites, I won't hesitate to teach them a lesson."

Marco smiled as he spoke, essentially telling Jude to prepare them in advance.

Royalty or not—if they rubbed him the wrong way or proved troubleso, he wouldn't give them any courtesy.

If they insisted on inviting him for a eting, they'd better brace themselves.

The one walking on eggshells definitely wouldn't be him.

"I consider myself a decent judge of character. The Fiore royal family is worth befriending—at the very least, their king isn't a fool."

Jude nodded, understanding Marco's implication.

He seed quite confident in the Fiore royals, believing they wouldn't disappoint Marco—or at least, wouldn't provoke his displeasure.

"Alright, I'll head to the capital in a couple of days."

Marco nodded, giving Jude so respect.

Since he needed Jude to handle matters seriously, it was only right to show him so respect.

The Fiore royal family and the Heartfilia seed to share so history.

For Jude's sake, Marco wouldn't make things awkward.

*****

Several days later, in Crocus, the "City of Flowers."

Marco descended from his Crow Glider, landing in front of a hotel.

The shop's sign featured a skull-headed bee, and the hotel itself was nad Honeybone Hotel—an amusing touch.

Marco wore a mask that completely concealed his face.

The black-and-blue mask had a tallic sheen—one of the miscellaneous items he'd acquired from side quests.

[Pope's Mask: Conceals the wearer's aura, making their true identity indiscernible.]

Among the pile of fashionable junk rewards from minor quests, this was actually quite useful.

Not that the other items weren't valuable—Orichalcum, Gammanium, and Silver Star Sand were all precious—but they weren't imdiately practical.

The [Pope's Mask], however, was perfect for Marco right now.

His fa had grown too vast, making him a spectacle wherever he went.

With this mask, things beca much more convenient.

After checking into the Honeybone Hotel, Marco began wandering through Crocus.

The royal capital was bustling and expansive, far more prosperous than Magnolia.

Truly befitting of a royal capital.

Co to think of it, this was Marco's first ti visiting Crocus.

Then again, most of his job requests involved hunting magical beasts in remote mountains and forests.

Crocus simply didn't have commissions that t his standards.

So it made sense he'd never been here before.

The royal capital was quite safe—there likely wouldn't be any sudden magical beast appearances for him to fight.

Marco continued his journey, arriving at the heart of Crocus.

In the distance, the royal palace finally ca to his view.

It looked quite stylish, resembling a castle, exuding the dignified aura befitting royalty.

"Everyone seems to like placing their hos at the city center."

Marco couldn't help but think of this.

Whether it was Phantom Lord in Oak town or Fairy Tail in Magnolia, their guild halls were all located at the heart of their respective cities.

Marco made his way to the entrance of the palace, only to be stopped by the guards.

"Royal grounds! No unauthorized entry!"

The guards at the gates had long noticed Marco—a man wearing a peculiar mask, walking straight toward rcurius.

It would have been strange if he hadn't drawn their attention.

Though this was only the outer periter of the palace, still so distance from the inner sanctum, security was already extrely tight.

Several soldiers gathered around, eyeing Marco with wariness.

Marco removed his mask.

Before he could even speak, a chorus of exclamations erupted from the palace guards before him.

"Marco Dreyar!"

"It's the Star Rose God who defeated Jose Porla twice!"

The guards gasped in astonishnt.

Clearly, they had all heard of Marco's reputation.

This was precisely why he had worn the mask—his two victories over Jose Porla had once again thrust him into the spotlight.

Of course, the explosive popularity of Masayu Chasing also played a role.

Both Laxus and Mirajane were also quite famous now, but as soone involved in both incidents, Marco naturally overshadowed them.

Moreover, the hype from Marco's "first defeat of Jose Porla" and The Great Detective Hols had never fully faded.

Combined with these recent events, he was undoubtedly the most talked-about figure of the year.

A few days prior at Master Valtava's concert, he had debuted a new piece, Fairy Tail's Sumr, which only added to his fa.

Now, it was truly a case of 'who in the world doesn't know of him?'

"I've been invited for a visit," Marco said with a smile, putting an end to the guards' commotion.

Had this not been an area where few dared to approach casually, removing his mask would have drawn a crowd instantly.

"Please, co in, co in! Marco-sama, we received word days ago. The mont you arrived, we were to escort you straight to the inner palace!"

The guard captain at the entrance spoke with an ingratiating smile, directing his subordinates to open the gates.

He had been waiting for Marco for days, and now the man had finally arrive.

Marco said nothing, rely smiling as the gates were lowered.

He then followed the captain into rcurius.

While the exterior of rcurius was grand, its interior was no less opulent, adorned with lavish decorations—a stark contrast to the outwardly luxurious but inwardly modest conference halls.

Then again, comparing the royal palace of the Fiore Kingdom to a re conference venue was hardly fair.

After all, the latter was just a place for etings.

This palace, after all, represents the royal family's dignity.

No matter what, such prestige must be adorned with grandeur, lest others look down upon it.

There's nothing inherently wrong with that, as long as the palace wasn't built by exploiting the people's hard-earned wealth.

"We've arrived, Marco-sama. Please co in."

Before long, the guard captain led Marco into the inner palace and handed him over to the on-duty guards there.

"Ahead is His Majesty the King's study, Marco-sama."

Inside the inner palace, the guards guided Marco through a series of twists and turns until they finally arrived before a study.

The door opened, revealing an old man and a young girl inside.

----

Flower Light Palace: rcurius (華灯宮・メルクリアス Katōkyū: rukuriasu) is the castle where the King of Fiore lives.