Fairy Tail: You Call This Celestial Spirit Magic?!

A familiar scene unfolded as a blinding light flashed, revealing a Bronze Cloth in its constellation form.

It had a helmet, two arms, and a torso—a humanoid figure.

The Cloth's right hand held a weapon, while the left carried a shield.

'What constellation is this? I don't recognize it.'

Marco couldn't identify this Cloth, which wasn't surprising.

With so many Cloths and versions, unless they were particularly distinctive or cool, it was hard to remember them all.

As the light faded, the Cloth revealed its true form—a primarily white armor adorned with hints of purple, depicting a human figure brandishing a weapon and shield.

[Congratulations! Orion Bronze Cloth has been unlocked!]

The [Saint System] displayed a message, revealing the Cloth's name.

'Orion? The Specter Saint? Isn't this supposed to be a Silver Cloth?'

The name "Orion" made Marco question his memory.

In his recollection, Orion was a Silver Cloth and a fairly powerful one at that—likely from one of the movie versions.

'This must be some special variant.'

Though surprised, Marco quickly accepted the explanation.

He wasn't a die-hard fan of Saint Seiya, so forgetting or missing certain versions was perfectly normal.

For instance, his first Cloth—the Equuleus Bronze Cloth—hadn't left much of an impression on him either.

Even if someone showed him different versions of the 'Pegasus Bronze Cloth', he probably wouldn't remember which version belonged to which era.

Since he was still supporting Jellal, Marco couldn't suddenly change into the new Cloth.

So, he stored it in the system space for now, planning to try it out later when he had time.

"Let's go pick up Wendy and bring her back to the guild."

Supporting Jellal, Marco was in high spirits.

Soon, he'd retrieve Wendy from Roubaul and claim the Cloth Repair Manual—could things get any better?

"Yes, we need to hurry and find Wendy!"Jellal responded, then suddenly realized something and looked at Marco in surprise, asking incredulously.

"Marco, do you know where Wendy is?"

"Of course, I've already met Wendy." Marco replied with a smile, then proceeded to explain in detail about his agreement with the old man Roubaul.

He didn't embellish the story, instead praising the old man's actions.

Makarov listened nearby, nodding frequently, clearly also approving of Roubaul's approach.

He hadn't been close enough at the time to hear the specifics of their conversation.

"I see, that puts my mind at ease." Hearing Marco's words, Jellal relaxed.

There was no need to rush now.

"..."

Seeing Jellal's reaction, Marco had a thought and asked suspiciously:

"Jellal, don't tell me you didn't actually know that old man at all?"

After asking this, Marco keenly noticed Jellal's expression turn awkward, as if he'd been caught red-handed.

"I had no choice. Anima was too dangerous—I wasn't even confident in handling it myself, so naturally I couldn't bring Wendy along.

So I had to entrust her to that old man's care. Fortunately, I made the right choice—he turned out to be a good person." Jellal explained with a helpless expression.

He'd been forced into that decision.

Though he knew there were risks, at least it was safer than having her follow him.

"That's true enough." Marco nodded.

Without him and Makarov's help earlier, it was hard to say whether Jellal could have held his ground.

After Jellal had recovered some strength, the trio—one old and two young—slowly made their way towards Roubaul's dilapidated village.

By the time they arrived, the sky was filled with stars since night had fallen and the entire village was pitch black.

"You actually managed to find him." In the darkness, the aged Roubaul stood hunched at the village entrance, a look of surprise on his face.

"Not only found him, but I've already invited Jellal to join the guild. Now you've got nothing to say, right, old man?" Marco walked toward Roubaul, joking with the elder.

He could tell this old man had stories—someone of his strength wouldn't be living alone in such a rundown village without reason.

"You got lucky, kid." Roubaul shook his head with a resigned smile.

"Where's Wendy?" Marco glanced around but didn't see her.

"She's already asleep. The little girl waited for you all to return but couldn't stay awake any longer and dozed off."

At the mention of Wendy, Roubaul's expression softened with affection.

Though they hadn't spent much time together, the adorable child had clearly won him over.

"Thank you for taking care of Wendy, Roubaul-san." Jellal stepped forward and bowed deeply to Roubaul in sincere gratitude.

He felt fortunate that his desperate gamble had paid off—that this kind old man had been trustworthy.

"No need for thanks. I couldn't refuse such an earnest child's request anyway." Roubaul smiled as he looked at Jellal.

His words of praise made Jellal feel a bit embarrassed.

Perhaps in that moment of desperation, he had indeed come across as very sincere.

"Rest here for the night. You all look exhausted."

Seeing Jellal's visibly weary expression, Roubaul made the suggestion.

While the grandfather-grandson pair of Makarov and Marco seemed fine, Jellal was clearly worn out.

"That sounds good. We'll trouble you then," Makarov replied, making the decision for both Marco and Jellal.

As he observed the old man before him, Makarov narrowed his eyes slightly.

He had to admit that this old fellow was unfathomably powerful.

The terrifying magic power and methods he wielded had even shocked Makarov—those were Thought Projections with independent consciousness!

"Please, make yourselves at home. Though it's been a long time since I've had guests, I cleaned the village during the day. It should be decent enough for a night's stay."

Roubaul smiled warmly.

Meeting Jellal, Wendy, and Marco had brought some unexpected color to his lonely, prolonged life.

For the first time in ages, he had even tidied up the village—though, of course, he'd delegated the task to the Thought Projections.

Under Roubaul's guidance, Marco, Jellal, and Makarov settled into a house with separate beds.

The layout resembled a dormitory.

Once in bed, everyone quickly fell asleep.

Marco didn't test out the Orion Bronze Cloth and soon drifted off as well.

The night passed uneventfully until the sun rose as usual.