Suddenly the atmosphere began to get dark as the surroundings were covered by a dark fog. A huge dark magic circle materialized in front of Layla, glowing ominously.
From the darkness, it came. A huge purple python that had black markings all over its body. The giant python looked at her as it gazed at Layla with an indifferent gaze.
" Are you my summoner? " Ophiuchus asked as she stared at Layla. Her voice was so smooth and enchanting that it could hypnotize anyone.
" Yes, my name is Layla Heartfilia. It's an honor to meet you, Ophiuchus, " Lyla said as she gave a greeting befitting a noble.
" No, the honor is mine. It has been a while since I have been summoned by a Heartfilia. I am Ophiuchus, the one who bears the title the Snake Charmer, Ophiuchus said with a bow of her own.
"Oh, then, Ophiuchus, would you like to make a contract with me? " Layla asked as she looked at Ophiuchus nervously. Although Ophiuchus has been very respectful this whole time, Layal didn't have any illusions that she would be able to make a contract with her easily.
Among all the celestial spirits, history books rarely feature Ophiuchus. The reason for that is that Ophiuchus would sometimes not agree to form a contract with its summoner, deeming them unworthy. She had seen such records in her family library.
Ophiuchus looked at Layla before speaking, "No."
Layla's heart sank as she heard those words. " Can I ask why? " she asked, hoping to somehow change Ophiuchus's mind.
" You are not interesting enough, although your potential as a celestial wizard is far greater and is almost comparable to your ancestor's. Your life is not something that interests me, " Ophiuchus said.
" I see, " Layla said, feeling very conflicted. She didn't know how to change that. As Ophiuchus said, her qualifications as a Celestial Spirit wizard are second to none. This is why most celestial spirits would be more than happy to form a contract with her. But Ophiuchus is clearly an exception to this.
"Then can we at least form a temporary contract? " Layla asked.
A temporary contract is a contract a celestial wizard signed with the celestial spirits to borrow their power for a short amount of time. In this contract, the celestial spirit doesn't necessarily have to obey the celestial wizard and has more autonomy than a regular contract.
Usually, after a temporary contract is established, they would need to make a formal contract at the end. If they didn't establish it, the celestial key would disappear once more, preventing anyone from exploiting it as a loophole.
" That is possible, " Ophiuchus said after thinking about it.
"Great, thank you so much. " Layla was extra glad about this. Although a temporary contact is a bit risky, she didn't mind it, as this is her only option. She only requires Ophiuchus's power once.
" If that is all you have to ask, then I would like to ask a question of my own, " Ophiuchus asked as she turned to look at Akira.
" Who is that boy? " Ophiuchus inquired, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she gazed at Akira.
As the administrator of the Astral Spirytus, Ophiuchus has lived for many years and seen many strange things. But even in all these years, she had never come across someone as interesting as Akira.
Usually, those who are born to dragons have their affinity and magic decided at birth. But this kid here seems to be an exception to this rule. Not only does he seem to have great compatibility with almost all magical affinities, but his own potential is much greater than any person Ophiuchus has ever seen.
One would even call Akira a monster in the making, which is actually quite right. With all this potential, if he ever goes dark, this whole world may just vanish. The black dragon and black wizard would be toddlers compared to what he could do.
Hearing Ophiuchus's words, Layla was stunned for a moment; she looked at Akira.
Akira, who still had his mask, had this mysterious aura around him as he looked at Ophiuchus with a serious look.
Although Akira looked composed from the outside, inside he was freaking out. He just found a way to counter his unique ability.
It is said that Ophiuchus's true body is the Astral Spirytus, and Akira just confirmed that. This is because even when Ophiuchus was in front of him, Akira couldn't hear anything from her, like she was just a thought projection.
" My name is Akira Kurenai. It is a pleasure meeting you, Ophiuchus, " Akira said, hiding his nervousness. He just now realized that Ophiuchus in front of him seemed to be more dangerous than the one they fought.
Maybe the one they fought was just one of her clones that she discarded like how snakes shed their past skin. Akira never doubted for a moment that someone like Ophiuchus would actually surrender herself to a pervert like Tokinada.
Just to be sure, he asked, " So um, were you conscious when we fought in the temple yesterday? "
" No, I simply discarded that body after the first few months with that pervert, " Ophiuchus said with a rare moment of intense disgust.
Layla looked at the two of them with curiosity. Previously she didn't ask about the mission due to how excited she was about getting the Ophiuchus's key. But it seems she should ask about it at today's breakfast since there seems to be a very interesting story.
"Oh, and don't worry about destroying my clone; you two have actually done me a favor, " Ophiuchus said. She thought Akira was worried whether she would come for revenge.
Akira caught Ophiuchus's misunderstanding and didn't bother to correct her. It wouldn't matter anyway.
"Hey, kid, do you want to form a contract with me? " Ophiuchus suddenly asked, startling not only Layla but also Akira himself. Both of them stared at Ophiuchus with disbelief.
" You are not joking, right? " Akira asked, just to be sure.
" Yes, in all my life you are the most interesting person I have come across, " Ophiuchus said as she gazed at Akira with intense curiosity.
Ophiuchus was always someone who held a great thirst for knowledge. So she always tries to satisfy her curiosity no matter what.
" But I'm not a celestial wizard, " Akira said as he looked to Layla for help. He knew that although he could cheat his way with his unique skill and Great Sage. But this method wouldn't work for all magic.
For example, celestial magic is something he needs to have an affinity for. And most importantly, celestial spirit magic is for humans.
He, with his dragon blood, can't really be qualified to be a human. He also didn't think he could get along with Ophiuchus due to her intense curiosity. He has too many secrets, and with her personality, she would definitely try to uncover them. And since he couldn't really tell this truth aloud, he had to turn to Layla to somehow turn down this offer.
After all, she is the owner of Ophiuchus's key, so she should not be willing to hand it over to someone else, right?
" That is not a problem, as I can teach you how to be a celestial wizard, " Layla said, making Akira's brain freeze for a moment.
"Huh?" He looked at Layla doubtfully. For a moment he really wondered whether he heard it wrong.
" Yes, with your guidance and his enormous potential, he could definitely become a great celestial wizard. Very well, Layla Heartfilia, let's make a deal, Ophiuchus said.
" A deal? " Layla asked, confused.
"Yes, if you manage to make Akira a worthy celestial wizard in a few years, I will owe you a favor. A favor you can use to ask me to complete one thing with my full power. It can be anything as long as I can do it. So what do you say? Do you accept my condition? Ophiuchus said, making both Layla and Akira widen their eyes in shock.
Both of them knew how precious this favor was for Layla. As the strongest celestial spirit apart from the Celestial King, Ophiuchus can replace any missing zodiac spirits and take their place to open the Eclipse door.
If earlier Ophiuchus had a 50% chance of refusing Layla's request to aid her on her family mission, but now with Ophiuchus's promise, they can be sure of her support.
"I accept. " Layla didn't hesitate as she accepted the offer immediately.
*****
Hey guys, it's your favorite author here!
Some of you may have noticed that my update rate has slowed down a bit over the past week. First, I want to sincerely apologize for that. I might have gotten a little too confident about keeping up with my usual pace, and clearly, I overestimated myself. I'm truly sorry.
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