"Oh, my little iris, tell me—what kind of reward are you looking for?" Caspond II straightened his back, making a conscious effort to maintain his regal dignity before his daughter.
"I want several squads of Paladins that answer only to my command," Calca said, her face a mask of calm as she made a demand of staggering proportions.
Caspond II slapped his own forehead in disbelief. "Several squads? Here, why don't you take a look at this throne of mine? How does it look? Shall I call your brother over right now so we can discuss my abdication in your favor?"
Seeing that her father was so exasperated he had started laughing, Calca offered a sheepish "hehe." Caspond II's eyes were wide, making him look like a grizzly bear that had failed to find any honey. "A single squad consists of ten Paladins, experts in both martial arts and magic. Just standing there, one of them is worth ten regular soldiers. And you want several squads? If you have a grievance against me, just say it directly; there's no need to be so subtle about it."
"Oh, Father, the Palace Guard has five hundred men! I'm only asking for a few small units to handle official business," Calca explained with thick-skinned persistence. "I want to teach them the Mana Aura techniques as a trial. What if something goes wrong during my own practice? Besides, I don't like our ancestor's Positive Energy Aura—it does no damage to non-evil creatures. That's a huge disadvantage."
Caspond II turned serious. "To want everything is to guarantee mediocrity. Positive Energy Auras have miraculous effects against evil and the undead; are you still unsatisfied?"
"I simply want to personally witness the effects of every elemental aura before I make a choice, rather than having no choice at all," Calca said plainly. "We can skip Negative Energy, but I want to see the effects of Non-Elemental and other attributes. Let the knights pave the way for me. That way, I can focus entirely on researching my magical Tier, and you won't have to worry about me becoming obsessed with melee combat."
This reasoning struck a chord with Caspond II. Having others do the trial-and-error would indeed save his daughter from unnecessary detours.
"Father, I also hope these knights can teach me combat techniques and self-defense. Even though you're always telling me to stay safe, don't you enjoy charging into battle yourself?"
Caspond II felt a surge of irritation at being called out, but he ultimately nodded. "Fine. I will assemble an experimental phalanx of sixty men to research the various attributes of Mana Auras. You may select one person from each ten-man group; those six will be under your direct command."
This arrangement satisfied Calca while allowing Caspond II to keep a personal handle on the progress.
"Father, that is perfectly acceptable," Calca agreed readily. Then, she made a small gesture with her hand. "But I have one more request: I want to hand-pick a Guardian Knight—Remedios Custodio. And if possible, I'd like her sister, Kelart, to join me as a study companion."
Calca smiled. These sisters were the top-tier geniuses of the Holy Kingdom in the original story. Although Remedios wasn't exactly the brightest bulb, her loyalty was absolute. She was only eight years old now; there was still time to "correct" her.
Caspond II murmured, "The genius sisters of the Custodio family..."
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I'm not the Queen Greatsword. (70 Chapters, Ongoing)
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