Chapter 644 Hopeful Nobles
The news of the Mana Gathering array quickly became the talk of the dinner, and every Royal had a different plan on what they would do with the one that they asked Wolfe for. How they would pay for it was of no concern. Wolfe seemed like a reasonable man to them, so surely he would have a price that they could agree to.
If they were lucky, they could dump some annoying younger children on him and call it a day. Out of plane, out of mind and all.
His home did need powerful magic users to protect it, as well as to keep the balance, which they had temporarily sent some of their advisors to do. If they could replace those well-trained demons with some powerful but useless ones, it would be a total win for them.
Some of the Royals had higher hopes for success on that front than others. For example, King Leandro was an Incubus, and after seeing the Succubus hanging off Wolfe's arm every day since they arrived, he was fairly certain that he had the perfect daughter to send with Wolfe.
She was the world's worst succubus, in her father's estimation, spending all her time with her nose in a book, wearing knee-high boots that would take forever to take off if she was flirting, and even refusing to wear makeup.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBut the Succubus with the Noxus Patriarch didn't wear much makeup either, and made it up with elegant hairstyles and professional clothing to appear as dignified as her status should be, unlike the younger Princess.
So, he sent a mental message back home, informing the Princess and the Royal Guard that she should come here during the week of celebration to get a head start on the festivities. His Kingdom was one of the first that Wolfe would be visiting, but the sooner that the two met each other, the longer they had to get used to the idea before he formally proposed it.
He wasn't the only one that had such ideas. Queen Jasmine, one of the larger species of Wrath Demons at nearly five metres tall and thickly muscled, was also thinking of trading Demons for spells. But she would offer Wolfe a coterie of bodyguards to protect him at home.
The Wrath Demons made it to Rank Six relatively easily, although they struggled to make it into the ranks of the Saints. Even at that rank, they were considered a force to be reckoned with, and trained their whole lives to serve important Nobles and Businessmen. They didn't really care who they were assigned to guard, as long as there was the potential for a good fight, and Wolfe's world certainly had that.
The feathered form of the King of Magic, as the eldest of the assembled Demon Kings had come to be known, was one that had no designs on trading his people for spells. He had something even better. When the Undying Saint had been here, he had gotten two copies of his books made. One for the Royal Library, and one to pass down to someone that the King thought worthy.
Wolfe didn't know that the Demon King had promised to give them to someone like him anyhow, so he could likely get a good price for them, with all the personal notes on the spells.
But if that didn't work, he had one more trick up his sleeve. Even among the Rank Nine Demons, he was unique, with a bit of Fae blood that had caused him to grow feathered wings instead of leathery ones. He could access a small measure of Fae Magic that would help the Noxus Patriarch grow more rapidly to take care of his people.
[Rapid Maturity] was a Time Elemental Magic, the only spell from that school that the King could use, but one of the most powerful, outclassed only by [Time Stop]. Wolfe would never say no to a benefit like that.
By the time that the dessert was served, it was obvious to everyone who thought about challenging Wolfe directly that it was a bad idea. He had the favour of all the Royals, and it would only annoy them if Wolfe had to prove himself to others.
But that didn't mean that there were no Demons who wanted access to him. On the contrary, almost every Demon at the table was hoping to get a chance to talk to him and try to impress him for an opportunity to gain some benefit from his magic.
One of the greatest limitations to growing more powerful was the lack of mana density. The thinner the surrounding mana, the harder your body had to work to condense, compress and purify it for your use. If they could get a single meditation room in their home enhanced, then entire generations of their family could move up through the ranks of the Nobility.
This was especially true for the lowest ranked Demon Nobles, the ones whose natural talent had only taken them to rank three or four, leaving them to grind and struggle for every bit of respect afterwards.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmMost of the Barons, at rank three or early rank four, would barely qualify to be junior investigators, with no chance to advance. Although Rail technically didn't hold a title, and was therefore a commoner, it was no secret that in the battle of respect, the Senior Investigator was head and shoulders above them.
Queen Victoria led Wolfe into the garden, and when they were out of sight of everyone else but the Royals, she gave him a nudge.
"Tell me what you did to the Succubus." She whispered.
Wolfe smirked and placed her hand in his, then transferred a bare trickle of mana, focusing on causing a pleasurable sensation. A second later, he stopped, and the mighty Queen let out a roar of laughter that shook the surrounding windows.
"Oh, that is priceless. What sort of Magi learns to not only control but amplify that effect? No wonder you're a hit with the ladies." She boomed.
"It was a bit of an accident, actually. It's an innate thing between Magi and Witches, possibly all species. But when it came time to work with children, I had to learn to control the effect to reduce it. But once you know how to turn it off..."
"You know how to turn it back on." The Queen finished.