The Villain’s Cheat Code: When a Gamer Becomes the Evil God’s Sidekick Chapter 333: What a Coincidence! I May Be a Mage, But I Can

Hearing the king's words, Aurelianne was montarily taken aback and glanced around the hall.

The surrounding nobles showed no surprise at this sudden proposal.

But... Aurelianne couldn't quite comprehend.

Had he lost his mind?

In this kingdom, the upper echelons of nobility were composed almost entirely of warriors who had established their positions through martial prowess.

They required this strength to maintain their grip on their territories.

Therefore, the lord of any territory must necessarily be its strongest inhabitant.

This marked a fundantal difference from the Empire.

In the Empire, powerful individuals were generally dispatched to guard various cities under imperial orders, without interfering in city administration.

Because the Emperor stood as the Empire's supre power, with all authority concentrated in his hands.

The Empire rarely saw territorial lords.

Even the Kravina family wasn't a territorial lord in the traditional sense.

Though they had once received a vast territory and permission to na it the Kravina Domain,

In Bryston, the largest city within that territory,

The Kravina family didn't exercise complete control.

While everyone recognized the Kravina family as Bryston's de facto leaders,

Officially, the Empire still appointed personnel to co-manage the city alongside them.

This represented the starkest contrast between the Kingdom's and Empire's national conditions.

In the Kingdom, as long as a territory maintained relative stability and order without rebellious tendencies,

Its lord typically remained unchanged.

The Empire, however, regularly rotated city mayors to promote developnt.

A mayor might serve five or ten years before being replaced.

Forr mayors naturally advanced to higher positions after gaining sufficient experience.

But King Kanter, due to national circumstances, had to ensure his lords possessed martial strength.

Otherwise, their subordinates would never truly submit.

For commoners, becoming a warrior offered the most accessible path to social advancent through physical training.

This accessibility made the warrior profession mainstream throughout the Kingdom.

It also gave rise to the Kingdom's unique nobility system - the Star Rank System.

A lord's managent ability, territorial reputation, and martial prowess all factored into their star rank.

Consequently, competition in the Kanter Kingdom reached frightening levels of intensity.

The warriors' extre competitiveness had nearly eliminated all other professions.

Especially mages, who invested vast amounts of ti and effort in accumulating knowledge.

Yet they could barely gain a foothold in this fierce competition.

So the Kingdom's mages abandoned traditional magical paths, turning instead to obscure, niche thods in their quest for power.

Unfortunately, they all ultimately destroyed themselves pursuing these alternative paths.

The territories remained warrior-controlled, maintaining an ecosystem where nobles were exclusively warriors.

But if the king actively promoted mages and even proposed building a magic academy...

Setting aside the broader implications for the Kingdom's governance,

The impact on the lords alone would be significant.

So Aurelianne directly addressed the king:

"Your Majesty, do you understand how challenging it is to train a mage?"

King Augustus nodded, leaning back against his throne with a smile:

"Yes, I'm well aware."

After all, their country had one powerful mage - Grand Duke Festan Balo.

Aurelianne's expression grew serious as she continued:

"Then I must ask: if more powerful mages erge, would you grant them noble titles?"

This question touched on concerns fundantal to the entire Kingdom's system.

Though powerful mages were rare, institutionalized education would inevitably produce talented individuals.

While they wouldn't develop as rapidly or wield as much raw power as warriors, so would still reach the second or third rank.

At that point, should the Kingdom grant them nobility?

If not, why would anyone study at the magic academy?

Wasn't the pursuit of magic ultimately about achieving noble status and bringing glory to one's ancestors?

King Augustus's response proved remarkably clever.

"If their contributions et the corresponding star rank requirents, they'll naturally receive appropriate recognition."

In other words, the answer had been there from the beginning.

In the fiercely competitive Kanter Kingdom,

Even mages could attain nobility by eting the star rank system's standards.

This appeared perfectly fair, as the Kingdom operated on the star nobility system.

Achieving even a single star would elevate a commoner to baron status.

This seed reasonable at first glance, but a crucial problem remained.

In the early stages, mages' inherent weakness ant they couldn't possibly compete with powerful warriors.

After all, in the Kanter Kingdom's environnt, warriors were both more nurous and significantly stronger than mages.

However, one critical factor remained overlooked.

Mages lived far longer than warriors.

A single mage might witness three generations of warriors pass.

This longevity afforded them ample ti to establish their position within the Kingdom's nobility system.

Regular use of elental magic, with mana constantly flowing through their ridians, kept their bodies youthful and vigorous through magical nourishnt.

Well-maintained mages could easily live one or two hundred years.

When the old warriors died, the mages would remain.

After weathering that period, the entire Kingdom's nobility system would likely fall firmly under the control of these ancient mages.

Though mages were exceedingly rare, as not everyone possessed the capability,

Longevity translated to seniority.

Just a hundred century-old mages could effectively lock newly promoted warriors out of noble lord positions.

Why did the Kanter Kingdom command such power?

Because of its nurous warriors who could rapidly transform themselves.

The warrior's path's low entry barrier ant even commoners dread of voluntarily taking up arms.

Though commoners couldn't know how long they'd need to persevere, once they gained power and earned a star rank, wouldn't they leap into nobility and bring glory to their ancestors?

This resulted in considerable martial prowess even among the Kingdom's commoners.

But once mage nobles appeared en masse,

Those seeking advancent would first face the enormous barrier of becoming a mage.

Not everyone could beco a mage.

Plus, there was the tedious study period.

Powerful mages needed ti to accumulate knowledge, and only powerful mages could beco nobles.

But the more powerful the mage, the more unavoidable their advancing age.

So you want to beco a lord?

Then live to see a hundred first!

Analyzing the Kingdom's situation, Aurelianne clearly perceived these potential problems.

And as a national ruler, could Augustus truly be unaware?

Yet he still insisted on establishing a magic academy?

Would the other lords actually agree?

This question deeply troubled Aurelianne.

After careful consideration, she decided this wasn't sothing she should answer personally.

Any response would only ensnare her in this young king's trap.

The more said, the greater the risk of error.

So Aurelianne offered a slight smile and replied politely:

"Pardon , Your Majesty, but if you've investigated, you'd know I have two teachers."

"Though I'm a mage, I've spent no less ti studying swordsmanship than magic."

Hearing this, many noble lords turned their attention to Aurelianne.

Their faces betrayed utter astonishnt.

This seemingly delicate mage princess was actually a hybrid fighter proficient in both martial arts and magic?

Mastering both physical combat and magic demanded double the ordinary effort.

This revelation prompted the present nobles to reassess the princess, developing newfound respect.

After all, in this kingdom, lords typically valued only two qualities - strength and warrior status.

Aurelianne continued calmly:

"So regarding this matter, I apologize but cannot offer an answer, as I'm not a traditional mage."

"However, Your Majesty, perhaps you could consult my teacher - Viktor, Councilor Kravina."

At these words, all nobles fell silent.

A distinct aura began perating the entire hall.

That powerful presence seed to stir all elental forces within the space,

The mana grew restless, flowing like rapids around each noble present.

This oppressive magical power left everyone present sowhat uneasy.

Many couldn't help but turn their attention to Viktor.

He sat there calmly, hands in his pockets.

But these noble lords could clearly sense.

This oppressive force unmistakably emanated from Councilor Kravina.

Many knew Viktor's reputation, after all, that world-shaking ocean battle had proven truly extraordinary.

They'd also heard that.

En route to the Kingdom, Viktor's group had bombarded the Nangaberna Valley between Empire and Kingdom.

Such seemingly impossible feats left these warriors even more astounded.

No matter their strength, they could never cause destruction on a natural disaster's scale.

Augustus raised an interested eyebrow and continued addressing Aurelianne:

"Oh? Councilor Kravina is versed in these matters?"

Aurelianne responded with a smile.

"Naturally. My teacher serves as Chairman Professor of our Empire's Royal Magic Academy."

As she spoke, her face radiated pride.

Augustus noticed this subtle display of pride.

He smiled gently:

"I see."

Then, turning his gaze toward Viktor with profound respect:

"Councilor Kravina."

Viktor maintained his neutral expression, offering only a cold nod in response.

The king spoke:

"Actually, my desire to establish a magic academy isn't a sudden impulse."

"Our Kingdom already possesses an institution similar to the Empire's Magic Academy."

"However, it focuses more on training powerful warriors."

At this point, Augustus sat up straight, his eyes revealing deep emotion.

"The Star Academy."

"This na derives from our Kingdom's nobility system."

"In my youth, I studied there extensively."

He rose, extending both hands toward Aurelianne and Viktor in invitation:

"Would Councilor and Princess Aurelianne,"

"Care to join us in visiting that grand institution?"

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