"This is Bacchus, Bacchus Groh. Around your age, and also a very talented Mage."

Goldmine introduced him proudly, clearly pleased with this boy—the rising star of Quatro Cerberus, the guild's future!

"Greetings to both guild masters." Bacchus, despite his unruly appearance, was quite well-behaved in front of Makarov and Bob, greeting them both politely.

"Good lad, you look quite spirited." Makarov didn't hold back on praise either.

After all, his grandson had just been showered with compliments by his old friends, so he had to return the favor somewhat.

That said, Bacchus was indeed quite outstanding.

Bob also offered a few words of praise with a smile, which prompted a hearty laugh from Bacchus.

Then Bob called over the junior he had brought along.

The one who approached was a girl with emerald-green hair, wearing a blue hat and a red coat.

Underneath, her outfit was quite revealing—just a bra, leaving large areas of her skin exposed.

She appeared only a year or two older than Marco, but her figure was already quite developed.

"This is little Karen, Karen Lilica, an exceptional Celestial Spirit Mage."

Bob introduced her, then smiled at Marco.

His little Karen was a genuine, Celestial Spirit Mage unlike Marco.

"A Celestial Spirit Mage?" Marco looked surprised.

Had he actually run into the real deal?

But why did this girl have such a sour expression?

It was as if everyone owed her money, giving off a distinctly unapproachable vibe.

"Greetings to both guild masters." Karen reluctantly offered a greeting.

She didn't seem to enjoy this kind of occasion.

With her mature, sisterly appearance and that look of dissatisfaction directed at everyone, she exuded a clear 'stay away' aura.

"..."

Makarov and Goldmine exchanged a glance.

The two old men weren't about to take offense at a young girl.

"Why don't you youngsters go chat among yourselves?" Makarov waved his hand, signaling the three kids to go find their own spot and not disturb them.

The old-timers didn't have any serious business to attend to—tonight was a banquet, after all.

Drinking, chatting, and catching up was the agenda.

"Don't drink too much..." Marco reminded his excited grandfather.

He knew that Makarov always overindulged during these meetings, often returning to the guild reeking of alcohol.

It was only because the old man was a powerful Mage that he could handle it.

An ordinary person would've long since drunk themselves into an early grave.

"Enough nagging, Marco." Makarov waved him off.

How could he not drink when reuniting with old friends?

Marco shook his head and turned to Bacchus and Karen.

The three of them moved to a nearby table.

The banquet hall was already filling up, with people sitting in groups at various tables.

The space was large enough that there was still room, so the younger generation could easily find seats.

Once seated, Bacchus immediately grabbed his gourd of liquor, eagerly taking a swig with a look of pure satisfaction.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're not even of legal drinking age yet, are you?" Marco couldn't help but comment.

In the Fiore Kingdom, the legal drinking age was fifteen.

Bacchus didn't look older than him—he was definitely under fifteen. (Bacchus is 14 currently)

"Haha, don't sweat such small details." Bacchus laughed heartily and deftly sidestepped the topic.

He then turned to Marco with curiosity.

"Marco, what kind of magic do you use?"

Having heard his guild master praise Marco's strength all this time, Bacchus had long been itching for a challenge.

He was extremely confident in himself and didn't believe anyone his age could surpass him in power.

"Celestial Spirit Magic."

Marco spoke calmly without batting an eye, stating it with utmost seriousness right in front of Karen, the genuine user of Celestial Spirit Magic.

"Eh? Oh, Celestial Spirit Magic."

Hearing this, Bacchus immediately lost interest in Marco, even abandoning the thought of sparring with him.

What's the point of fighting a Celestial Spirit Mage?

Fighting the spirits themselves?

Bacchus practiced martial arts and felt that Celestial Spirit Magic was too weak.

Relying on spirit keys to open gates and summon spirits for battle—yet these spirits were independent beings with their own thoughts.

Getting them to fight willingly required contracts and building relationships, which Bacchus found far too troublesome.

"Celestial Spirit Magic? What Zodiac spirits do you have?"

The conversation between Bacchus and Marco caught Karen's attention.

The proud girl finally looked directly at Marco, her expression demanding an answer.

"Well, there are quite a few constellations related to me—Pegasus, Orion, Corvus, Cygnus, Pisces..."

Marco counted them off.

Between his sacred cloth, skills, and items, there really were a lot of constellations tied to him.

"Pisces?!"

At Marco's words, Karen's eyes visibly lit up.

She didn't care much about those other ordinary constellations, but Pisces caught her interest—enough to stir her heart.

Ordinary constellation silver keys weren't unique in the world, meaning multiple masters could contract the same spirit.

But the golden keys of the Zodiac were different—each of the twelve had only one key and could only contract one master.

"Name your price. I'll buy your Pisces key."

Without hesitation, Karen spoke directly.

"Huh?" Marco was stunned, almost doubting his ears.

Not just Marco—even Bacchus, who had been sipping his drink quietly, nearly choked.

"You... are you out of your mind?"

Bacchus had drunk enough for his face to flush, and his words grew bolder and more blunt, embracing raw honesty.

"..."

Marco stifled a laugh, repeatedly reminding himself that he was professional and couldn't laugh.

But seeing Karen's face darken instantly, he struggled to hold it in.

Deep down, he agreed with Bacchus.

This Karen—was she really in her right mind?

Ordinary constellation silver keys could be bought in many places, but Zodiac golden keys were entirely different.

There were only twelve in the world, each with considerable power.

No serious Celestial Spirit Mage would ever sell one.

"You drunkard, are you looking for a fight?! What's it to you?!" Karen glared at Bacchus, grinding her teeth as she cursed.

At the same time, she gripped a golden key in her hand.

It bore the emblem of Leo.

With this key, she could summon Leo, the leader of the Zodiacs in the Celestial Spirit World—her most powerful spirit.

"Ha! A fight? I'm genuinely afraid I might kill you with one strike!"

Facing the furious Karen, Bacchus embodied the essence of a sigma male.

He clenched his fists, his expression fierce as he delivered words that spared Karen no dignity.

"Hey, hey, hey! Let's not do this. We're all friends here—talk it out calmly. No need for conflict. Bacchus, cool down. And you too, Karen—no fighting, please!" Marco stretched out his hands, blocking the path between the two, attempting to prevent a conflict.

However, Karen clearly wasn't having any of it.

The more Marco urged against a fight, the more determined Karen became to save face, feeling deeply humiliated.

"Open, Gate of the Lion, Leo!"

Without hesitation, Karen directly summoned the Gate of the Lion.

Smoke billowed as a handsome, brown-haired man with wild, lion-like hair appeared.

He wore a formal black suit, white shirt, and red tie, with a pair of blue-lensed glasses perched on his face—an oddly mismatched look.

"Karen, why have you called me?"

The handsome man—Leo—asked, his tone suggesting he wasn't particularly close to Karen.

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