Chapter 300: 299 So… Shall we go up?

As time passed, Shane’s ennoblement ceremony grew closer.

And on this day, Shane was in high spirits.

“I’ve finally completed Celestial Magic.”

Yes, Shane had memorized all the Magic Spells of Celestial Magic.

Now Shane could use all levels of Celestial Magic, from Basic to Intermediate and Upper Level, missing none, so naturally, he felt excellent.

“Next, it’s Grant Magic.”

As long as he completed Grant Magic, Shane could take a breather and give his brain a break.

“I have been memorizing various Magic Spells all this while, feeling like my brain contains nothing but the words of Spells, hope I don’t turn dumb.”

It proved that being a top student wasn’t that easy.

True top students were nurtured from a young age, slowly trained from the basics, and gradually deepened their understanding of knowledge, unlike Shane who, having arrived in this world only two months ago, didn’t understand many things about this world and had to forcibly cram everything into his head, which naturally didn’t feel good.

Fortunately, he only needed to memorize mechanically, and as long as he remembered the Spells and could chant them, it wasn’t necessary to grasp any realms or understand profound mysteries like some novels described. Otherwise, Shane felt that he might give up the path of a Mage and just stick to close combat like Luoqi.

“Who made me a fast-tracked Hero?”

Cheating is fun for the moment, but troubles follow. Although Shane hadn’t faced trouble yet, he still lacked experiences in some areas and couldn’t compare to the natives of this world or people who had been immersed in this path for years.

However, he had at last mastered a whole system of magic, almost standing shoulder to shoulder with professional Mages.

Next, he just needed to complete Grant Magic, and Shane’s goal for the month would be achieved.

But…

“Comparing with Celestial Magic, Grant Magic is going to be troublesome.”

Thinking of the plentiful Magic Spells of Grant Magic, far more than Celestial Magic, Shane’s joy began to fade.

As a famously versatile Magic Series, it inevitably results in “many” and “complex.”

So, the Magic Spells of Grant Magic were significantly more numerous than those of Celestial Magic.

This made Shane regret more than once why he chose to learn this type of magic, but the effects of Grant Magic never disappointed him, so he kept gritting his teeth and persevered.

“I hope I can memorize all the Grant Magic before the month’s deadline.”

Feeling the heavy responsibility and far-reaching road ahead, Shane silently sighed.

But after this, Shane finally heard some good news.

It was brought by Luoqi who waited for Shane at the library entrance.

“Your house has been decided,” Luoqi said to Shane, who seemed a bit numb, in an annoyed tone. “Come on, I’ll take you to see it.”

At these words, Shane finally perked up.

…

Western District, Noble District.

In this area of noble mansions and villas, the residences of the nobles are very particular.

Generally speaking, the higher the order of the noble, the closer their residence is to the center. The lower-order nobles are located on the edges, making the demarcation of status very clear.

That’s why whenever a noble is promoted, they consider buying a new house closer to the center. Nobles whose fortunes are declining often can’t even keep their own homes. They end up either being forced to sell or are disgracefully driven away, causing the residential areas in the Noble District to undergo significant changes periodically.

The Lazahad family, where Shane and others were staying, was located near the very center, reflecting the status of this Great Noble House.

Typically for a Viscount like Shane, although not relegated to the edges, he would never be close to the center. His place would presumably be below the middle area in the Noble District.

But Luoqi took Shane, crossing the Noble District, and the place they ended up was in the very center of the Noble District.

There, a mansion that resembled a castle rose from the ground, surrounded by several other pavilions, which like stars around the moon, clustered around the mansion.

Do you think they are separate?

Wrong.

Upon closer inspection, there were corridors connecting the mansions and pavilions.

Also, the surroundings of the mansion and pavilions not only had vast gardens but were also enclosed by high fences.

Meaning, the mansions, pavilions, and gardens in this area were all together, belonging to one residence.

This luxurious group of residences in the center of the Noble District was already tantamount to a territory.

“How about it? Are you satisfied?”

Luoqi brought Shane here and smiled sweetly at him.

“…”

Shane was silent.

After a long pause…

“Goodbye.”

Shane turned around and walked away on the spot.

“Wait wait wait! Why are you leaving?”

Luoqi immediately froze, hurriedly dragged Shane back.

Shane, however, shook off her hand.

“It’s because you’re playing me,” Shane said with a strained smile. “Are you sure this thing can be given to me?”

“Why not?” Luoqi seemed perplexed, tilting her head in a cute and adorable manner. “No one’s living here anyway. Can’t I give it to you?”

Shane looked at this feigning girl and just wanted to smack her a few times.

“You’re telling me to look over there and then at myself, and confirm that this is a place meant for a Viscount?” Shane said incredulously. “This is the heart of the Noble District, surrounded probably by estates of Marquises or villas of Dukes. Even they haven’t managed to secure this central spot, to live in a castle-like place. Are you sure if I move in here, I won’t be drowned in other people’s saliva?”

This isn’t just a matter of whether the house is big or luxurious; it’s about this location, which simply isn’t meant for a Viscount.

How many Dukes and Marquises have to content themselves with places nearby?

A Viscount?

Shane was certain that the moment he moved in, the entire Royal Capital would be turned upside-down by the next day.

There were already many Nobles in the Royal Capital who disliked Shane. Once he dared to move in, he would likely make enemies with almost all the Nobles.

Although Shane wasn’t afraid, being unafraid and asking for trouble were two different things. Not to mention, this arrangement was done by someone else’s hand. If Shane were to accept it blindly, that would indeed be problematic.

“How could the Kingdom give me a place like this? It obviously doesn’t make sense,” Shane looked at Luoqi doubtfully. His gaze swept over the Princess with a graceful figure a few times before he continued, “This wouldn’t be some kind of scheme from you, would it?”

Upon hearing this, Luoqi turned away, shifting her gaze from Shane.

That reaction left Shane with nothing else to say.

“Goodbye.”

He said it and was ready to leave without another moment’s delay.

Shane turned around again, not hesitating to leave.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Luoqi, having no choice, caught him again. As she pulled him back, she said helplessly, “If it weren’t for compensating your tolerance of my whims, I wouldn’t have negotiated such a place for you using my own influence. Just accept it, others might not even get the chance.”

“Thanks a lot,” Shane chuckled on the spot, “Don’t think I haven’t heard. Since its construction, this place has barely been given away, and its history spans a thousand years. It traces back to the Founding Hero Mithra himself, so its significance is extraordinary. No one dares to live here casually, right?”

Indeed, this was once the residence of the Founding Hero Mithra.

In other words, it’s a place the Royal Family must handle with care, with only a few Kings having resided here over generations.

And now…

“It seems like you are the owner, right, Princess?” Shane said, smiling but not quite. “The Kingdom’s treasure, the one Descendant of the Brave recognized by Mithra’s Holy Sword in a thousand years, praised as the modern Hero, Princess Luosilusti. After you came of age, the Royal Family gifted it to you as a present, right?”

“…So you knew all along,” Luoqi suddenly laughed awkwardly, blurting out in a low voice, “Since you already know, what’s there to worry about? It’s originally mine, I can give it to whoever I want.”

Shane didn’t respond to that.

He quietly tried to unclasp Luoqi’s hand and backed away imperceptibly.

Seeing that Shane’s intent to escape didn’t die down, Luoqi decisively wrapped her arms around him.

“Since you’re also a Hero, who knows better than I? Didn’t you say the place should be big enough so you could bring that dragon named You Lin here? This place is certainly big enough!”

Only the last sentence caught Shane’s attention.

As the Princess held him in her arms, Shane struggled to maintain his composure. Hearing her words, his eyes involuntarily drifted downward, taking in the sensation and estimating the dimensions, before he blurted out, driven by some devil,

“It is indeed big enough.”

As soon as he spoke, Shane regretted it.

Luoqi was initially stunned, then also noticing Shane’s gaze, she glanced down at herself and quickly understood.

“You jerk…!”

Immediately, Luoqi’s cheeks turned red as she glared angrily at him.

Her alluring appearance on the face of such a peerlessly beautiful Princess made Shane feel almost overwhelmed.

The most unbearable thing was that Luoqi hadn’t let go of her grip.

She just quietly held onto Shane, her face turning redder but her grip tightening rather than loosening.

“Thump thump – thump thump – thump thump -”

These were heartbeats.

Very loud heartbeats.

Both Shane and Luoqi had fast and forceful heartbeats, creating an ambiguously charged atmosphere.

Shane felt his throat growing dry and his gaze involuntarily scanned the surroundings.

Hmm, no one.

That is, no one to disturb them.

So… should he make a move?

With such a great opportunity, how could he not seize it?

Thinking of his previous two instances, whether it was Nien or Tielle, he had always been the one being kissed. The only time he had taken the initiative to kiss someone was in a dream – and it was a maid’s face – which made Shane feel dishonored.

So…

(Let’s go for it!)

He threw caution to the wind!

Right then, Shane put his arms around Luoqi and pulled her tightly to him.

This embrace made Luoqi’s delicate body tremble sharply.

“You…!”

Luoqi lifted her head to look at Shane, her pretty face flushed as if about to drip blood, her eyes although glaring at Shane were already moist, becoming mist-filled.

Perhaps, the Princess had no idea how much Damage her appearance could do.

Anyway, Shane felt he could no longer hold back and without hesitating further, he lowered his head.

Luoqi’s face turned even redder.

Finally, she closed her eyes.