[A few days after this incident, you learned some earth-shattering news.]
[The old king had actually agreed to a marriage-and the bride was a princess from another country!]
["Big Shot, my hunting gun detected magic again."]
[Just then, Xu Que spoke up.]
[A magical reaction?!]
[You could not help forming a suspicion. The old king had uncharacteristically begun arranging a marriage alliance...]
[Could this have something to do with magic?!]
[Had someone used magic to control the old king and make him agree to this marriage alliance?]
[You glanced at Xu Que again, confirming that neither you nor he had been affected by magic.]
[Then you went to the palace to meet the king...]
[All you could say was that he truly was a king; his solemn demeanor alone revealed his character.]
[Upon seeing Xu Que, he got straight to the point:]
["My child, I know you do not understand why I am arranging this marriage."]
["But the prospective bride is also the princess of a great nation..."]
[The princess of a great nation?!]
[You wondered whether that country could possibly be stronger than this one.]
[But that was impossible!]
[Among all these countries, the nation where you and Xu Que lived ranked first in national strength, thanks to generations of kings who had devoted themselves to good governance!]
[Xu Que raised the same question:]
["Father, could their country be stronger than ours?"]
["Not at all!"]
[Unexpectedly, the king shook his head and sighed:]
["Do you know of magic?"]
["!!!"]
[Shock and uncertainty immediately filled your heart. You had not expected him to bring it up himself. Could it be that magic had not affected him?]
[The old king continued:]
["Matters of the Magic World rarely touch the Mortal Realm. This world is so vast, and it holds every imaginable