"I can only say... good luck."
Looking at Leo, the Lion Celestial Spirit dressed in a black formal suit, Marco truly didn't know what to say.
This "strongest Celestial Spirit"... really had the patience of a saint.
But on second thought, this also demonstrated the contractual spirit of Celestial Spirits.
Even when faced with a contractor like Karen, Leo had only chosen this method to express his protest.
He hadn't even considered breaking his contract with Karen—he merely wanted to help his fellow Celestial Spirits escape their suffering.
Then there was Aquarius, the Water Bearer Celestial Spirit Lucy had inherited from her mother.
Before Lucy joined Fairy Tail, Aquarius had practically played both father and mother to her.
Thinking about it carefully, at least so far, all the Celestial Spirits Marco had encountered were decent.
He hadn't met any "bad" ones yet.
Lyra, Aquarius, Cancer, Leo, Aries—though their personalities varied, none of them had ill intentions.
"Can I go now?"
Seeing that Marco seemed to have no further questions, Leo cautiously spoke up.
"Of course." Marco nodded.
He had only wanted to understand why Leo had stayed in Magnolia and confirm that the guy wasn't a threat.
What did it mean to be the Guardian of Magnolia? Tactical lean back.
"Then goodbye!"
With Marco's permission, Leo immediately stood up to leave, looking as if he had been sitting on pins and needles.
"But I have one last question." Marco raised a hand to stop him, causing Leo's body to freeze stiff.
"W-what is it?"
Seeing Marco's puzzled frown, Leo tensed up.
"You seem... afraid of me? Why?"
Marco had been wondering about this for a while.
Leo's reaction upon seeing him had been a bit exaggerated.
"Sure, I've 'killed' you before, but that shouldn't matter to Celestial Spirits, right?"
The statement sounded strange, but it was true for Celestial Spirits.
After all, they couldn't die in the human world—being defeated just sent them back to the Celestial Spirit World.
So even if Leo had been instantly defeated by Marco in the past, there was no reason for him to act like a mouse seeing a cat.
"Ahem, it's not exactly fear..." Cornered, Leo looked visibly awkward.
He wanted to brush it off, but he knew his reaction had been obvious.
"Fine, it's because of your magic." Leo sighed and gave the reason, but this only deepened Marco's confusion.
"My magic? But my magic... shouldn't affect Celestial Spirits like you, right?"
Though Marco had always called his magic "Celestial Spirit Magic," he knew better than anyone whether that was truly the case.
So Leo's words genuinely surprised him.
Why would the Lion Celestial Spirit fear his magic?
"You... don't know?" Now it was Leo's turn to be puzzled.
His expression turned odd, as if hesitating over whether to explain.
"...Stop beating around the bush." Marco looked exasperated.
He hated riddles the most.
However, after confirming that Marco truly didn't know, Leo suddenly straightened up with newfound confidence.
"Ahem, if you don't know... then it's better you stay that way."
Having regained his confidence, Leo even put on an air of profundity as he shook his head.
"Shall I send you back to the Celestial Spirit World right now?"
Seeing Leo's smug expression, Marco smiled as he spoke—though his smile carried a sinister edge.
"Then Karen can continue summoning Aries and torment her mercilessly!"
Marco's whisper instantly changed Leo's expression.
The way he looked at Marco was as if he were staring at a demon.
"Devil... You really are devil..."
Leo took a deep breath.
Faced with Marco's threat, he had no choice but to comply.
This was his weak spot.
Normally, threatening him with "life or death" would be useless—after all, he couldn't truly die.
But in this situation, the moment he returned to the Celestial Spirit World, Karen would immediately sense it.
She would undoubtedly summon Aries to vent her anger.
Even if Leo were "beaten to death" and sent back to the Celestial Spirit World, he would need time to recover and couldn't immediately open a gate to return.
The thought of what Aries might endure during that time was unbearable.
"Now, will you talk?" Marco took a sip of coffee, watching Leo with an amused smirk.
This guy actually dared to keep him in suspense.
Marco had only asked casually at first, but now he was determined to hear the explanation.
"...Fine. You'll find out eventually anyway."
Leo's expression shifted as if he were mentally preparing himself. In the end, he managed to find an excuse.
"Our Celestial Spirit King told me—"
"Wait. First, explain in detail about this Celestial Spirit King."
Leo had barely started when Marco interrupted, demanding an explanation about the Celestial Spirit King.
Before this, Marco had heard the title from Lyra, but her explanation had been muddled.
His understanding of the Celestial Spirit King was limited to "the king of the Celestial Spirits."
"Celestial Spirits are linked to constellations. Which constellation does the Celestial Spirit King belong to?"
Marco was genuinely puzzled.
If he remembered correctly, wasn't Leo, the Leo Zodiac Celestial Spirit, hailed as the "strongest Celestial Spirit"?
If the "strongest Celestial Spirit" wasn't the Celestial Spirit King, did that mean the Celestial Spirit World wasn't ruled by strength?
"Ahem, I'm just the leader of the Zodiac. The strongest Celestial Spirit is, of course, our King."
Leo awkwardly clarified, as if trying to distance himself from the title of "strongest Celestial Spirit."
"I've never claimed to be the strongest Celestial Spirit. Don't drag me into this."
Though the Celestial Spirit King likely wouldn't care about such trivial titles, Leo found the whole thing embarrassing.
He had no intention of competing for the title.
Through Leo's explanation, Marco finally understood the Celestial Spirit King's role in the Celestial Spirit World.
The Celestial Spirit King was the ruler of the Celestial Spirit World, governing all Celestial Spirits—and he was also the strongest among them.
Every Celestial Spirit required a corresponding key for summoning—except the Celestial Spirit King. There was no key for him.
To summon the Celestial Spirit King, one had to use the "Substitute Summoning Art," which involved destroying a Golden Key belonging to a Zodiac Celestial Spirit.
But destroying the key alone wasn't enough—it was merely the foundation.
The summoner also needed a deep bond with the Celestial Spirit whose key was destroyed.
Summoning him was an incredibly difficult feat.
"The Celestial Spirit King sure knows how to make an entrance," Marco remarked sarcastically, thinking the price to summon him was way too high.
"What did he tell you? About me?"
After learning about the Celestial Spirit King's power and status, Marco narrowed his eyes, growing wary.
This Celestial Spirit King seemed more formidable than he had initially thought.
He had assumed the king wouldn't be much different from other Celestial Spirits.
"Your magic... seems capable of forcibly summoning us, disregarding any contracts."
Under Marco's intense gaze, Leo spoke slowly, his expression resembling Pandora about to open the cursed box.
"Huh?"
Hearing this, Marco's face twisted in shock, his eyes widening as he completely lost control of his expression.
"I had no idea about that..."
Admittedly, the revelation Leo just dropped was explosive—enough to leave Marco utterly stunned.
"You're asking me? How should I know? That's just what he told me."
Leo looked exasperated.
If even Marco himself didn't know, how could he possibly have the answer?
"..."
Though unclear about the specifics, Marco now understood why Leo had been afraid of him.
"When your king told you this... what was his attitude?"
After a moment of contemplation, Marco asked Leo with a serious expression.
The ability to forcibly summon Celestial Spirits, bypassing contracts, was undoubtedly bad news for them.
Yet, the Celestial Spirit King... hadn't taken any action to interfere so far.
Was he incapable? Or simply indifferent?
"Uh... amused?" Leo thought back, his expression turning odd as he spoke.
"Amused? Seriously?"
Marco's face twisted as if constipated.
What did that imply? Goodwill? Complete apathy? Or... a mix of both?