Chapter 59
Marshall finally managed to survive the concern of his many overprotective ’big sisters’.
Fortunately, when Virgo carried him back to the guild, she had explained that he had collapsed from the aftereffects of a magical experiment.
It was a perfectly reasonable excuse.
Otherwise, if everyone found out that he had fainted in the middle of making Virgo participate in a ridiculous punishment game, his reputation would have been destroyed forever.
Only after repeatedly promising Cana and the others that he wouldn’t conduct any more dangerous experiments did they finally let him go.
The moment he returned to his room, however, Virgo appeared before him without warning.
She bowed deeply, her face filled with apparent guilt.
"My apologies, Little Master. I failed to anticipate what would happen. This was Virgo’s negligence. Please punish me as severely as you deem appropriate."
Marshall didn’t blame her.
He knew perfectly well that he had only fainted because he became overexcited and impulsively upgraded Meditation through the System.
"This wasn’t your fault, Virgo. But I’m curious—can you enter the human world without me summoning you?"
"My deepest apologies. I entered the human world without receiving a summons. Please punish me as severely as you deem appropriate."
"...I’m not unreasonable. I’m not going to punish you for no reason."
Marshall waved dismissively.
"If anything, I should thank you for inventing that excuse. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known how to explain what happened."
"My deepest apologies. Virgo deceived Little Master’s friends and avoided responsibility. Please punish me as severely as you deem appropriate."
"..."
Marshall narrowed his eyes.
Only then did he notice that Virgo’s gaze contained no guilt whatsoever.
Instead, her eyes were shining with completely undisguised anticipation.
When he listened to her thoughts, he heard the same sentence repeating endlessly.
[Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me, Master. Please punish me...]
How terrifying.
There was no saving this punishment-obsessed maid!
"Virgo, I used to think you were a respectable person."
"Strictly speaking, Little Master, Celestial Spirits are not human beings."
Virgo calmly corrected him.
"We are closer to contracted spiritual entities. Although we possess souls, you need not treat Virgo according to ordinary human standards. A stricter manner is perfectly acceptable."
"I hope you remember that I’m still a child."
"Only Little Master’s body is young. Your soul is already mature. Virgo can sense that."
Marshall was genuinely startled.
He knew Celestial Spirit souls were unusual, but he hadn’t expected Virgo to detect his greatest secret.
"Well, well. When did you realize?"
"From the moment our contract was established."
"Oh dear~ That creates quite a problem."
Marshall gave her a playful smile.
"You’ve discovered my greatest secret. I suppose I can never allow you to leave me now."
"Virgo is willing to remain at Master’s side and serve him until the stars themselves fade."
"..."
Marshall saw unwavering loyalty in Virgo’s eyes.
For the first time, he began to look at her as more than a useful contracted Spirit.
"Virgo, Celestial Spirits take contracts very seriously, don’t they?"
His expression became equally serious.
"I can’t pretend I never heard something like that. If you say it, I really will believe you."
"Virgo’s devotion has never changed, Master."
Her voice remained calm and certain.
"It was true in the past, it is true now, and it will remain true in the future."
Marshall felt as though her words carried some deeper meaning.
Still, such wholehearted loyalty was enough to make anyone feel light-headed.
Virgo was far too good at this.
At this rate, he might genuinely become hopelessly attached to her.
Feeling his face grow warm, Marshall hurriedly changed the subject.
"Ahem. Virgo, what do you normally do in the Celestial Spirit World?"
"I wait quietly for Master’s summons."
"What? Don’t Celestial Spirits have anything else to do?"
"The Celestial Spirit World is... rather uneventful from Virgo’s perspective."
She thought for a moment.
"Very little there ever changes. The number of Celestial Spirits remains fixed, and even the most beautiful scenery becomes dull after one has seen it countless times."
Marshall inhaled sharply.
"That actually makes sense. Haven’t you been living like that for centuries? No wonder you’re bored."
"That isn’t quite correct."
Virgo shook her head.
"The flow of time between the Celestial Spirit World and the human world follows a ratio of approximately one to ninety. One day there is equal to roughly three months here."
"Therefore, strictly speaking, most of us Celestial Spirits have experienced fewer than twenty years of personal time."
"!?"
Marshall’s eyes widened.
"Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?!"
He had always wondered where the Time Magic hidden within Celestial Spirit Magic had originated.
So this was the answer!
"...Master never asked."
"That one’s on me."
Marshall stroked his chin.
"Then were Celestial Spirits created only a little over a thousand years ago?"
"My apologies, Little Master. I cannot disclose that information."
Virgo lowered her head.
"Perhaps you should punish me instead."
"...Fine. Keep your secrets."
Marshall didn’t press her.
Apparently, Celestial Spirits were forbidden from revealing information about their creator.
"If you dislike staying in the Celestial Spirit World, then remain with me more often."
He gestured toward himself.
"The magic power required to maintain your presence will help consume the energy my Meditation keeps restoring. That saves me from having to find other ways to suppress it."
"It would be my honor."
Maintaining Virgo’s summon didn’t consume an excessive amount of magic power.
With Marshall’s reserves now exceeding five thousand and recovering at an absurd speed, he could keep her in the human world for days without difficulty.
If Celestial Spirits didn’t occasionally need to return home and replenish their stellar energy, Virgo could probably remain beside him indefinitely.
Although Meditation now activated automatically, Marshall had discovered that consciously meditating increased his recovery rate even further.
At this point, completely exhausting his magic power had become almost impossible.
"There is one more matter, Little Master," Virgo said. "Your current reserves are now sufficient to unlock additional applications of Celestial Spirit Magic."
"What?"
Marshall perked up.
"I still can’t access a Celestial Spirit’s intermediate abilities? Then what did I unlock?"
"You are very close to that threshold."
Virgo continued,
"The new ability is called Star Dress. Through Requip Magic, you can wear a portion of a Celestial Spirit’s power and temporarily gain some of that Spirit’s abilities."
"Oh? Celestial Spirit Magic can do that too?"
Marshall’s eyes lit up.
"Let me try it!"
"Certainly. Would Little Master prefer a maid uniform or a butler’s suit?"
"?"
"A butler’s suit!"
Marshall answered immediately.
"I do not possess any strange clothing preferences!"
A perfectly fitted Celestial Spirit outfit formed around him, woven from stellar energy.
After repeatedly testing it, Marshall noticed several unusual changes on his System panel.
[Celestial Spirit Magic LV1 (+1)]
[Earth Magic LV1 (+1)]
"So Star Dress can temporarily increase the effective level of related magic..."
Marshall examined the results.
"But Level Two is still far too weak. This isn’t very useful."
Virgo’s Earth Magic was roughly equivalent to Level Three—respectable, but hardly extraordinary.
Star Dress only granted abilities one level below those of the original Celestial Spirit, making it rather inefficient for Marshall.
Rather than spending magic power to borrow a weakened version of Virgo’s abilities, it would be more effective to summon Virgo and let her act directly.
The spell seemed designed for novice Celestial Spirit Mages who could summon Spirits but possessed no other reliable means of attack.
For Marshall, its only practical purpose was creating emergency clothing if he ever found himself without anything to wear.
"Well, the suit is comfortable... but this spell doesn’t offer me much."
"My deepest apologies for providing an unhelpful suggestion."
Virgo lowered her head.
"Please punish me as severely as you deem appropriate."
"..."
Marshall almost laughed in disbelief.
She really was addicted to saying that.
Was she deliberately taking advantage of the fact that he refused to indulge her every request?
"Virgo, I have a very serious question."
"Please ask, Little Master."
"Are Celestial Spirit bodies fully functional?"
He studied her curiously.
"I mean, can you eat, sleep, feel pain, and interact with the human world exactly as humans do?"
"That is a surprisingly dangerous question, Little Master."
Virgo stared at him without expression.
"Are you implying that you intend to conduct experiments on Virgo? The thought is deeply unsettling."
Despite her words, she sounded suspiciously enthusiastic.
"But yes. Celestial Spirits can eat, sleep, become tired, feel physical sensations, and participate in most ordinary human activities."
"Certain Spirits are particularly enthusiastic about experiencing life in the human world."
"For example, Leo behaves like an overconfident playboy and is extremely fond of charming young women."
Virgo continued describing him with an expressionless face.
"Normal Celestial Spirits maintain appropriate boundaries with humans. Even when ordered by a summoner, we may refuse unreasonable requests by closing our own gates."
"Leo is simply unusual. He enjoys encouraging girls to call him ’Big Brother.’ Little Master should keep his distance if you ever meet him."
"..."
Marshall stared at her.
"You sound as though the two of you are quite close."
"Celestial Spirits generally maintain good relationships. We are similar to siblings who have supported one another for a very long time."
She paused.
"Although Aquarius and Scorpio are romantically involved. They are shameless Spirits who constantly display their affection. Little Master should avoid them as well."
"...Virgo."
Marshall’s eyes narrowed.
"Are you perhaps opposed to me interacting with other Celestial Spirits?"
"Not at all, Little Master. You are overthinking the matter."
[Of the Twelve Zodiac Spirits, Master only needs Virgo!]
"..."
Marshall realized he had severely underestimated her.
Virgo wasn’t emotionless at all.
She simply hid everything behind an expressionless face!
Still, hearing so much gossip about the Celestial Spirits had been surprisingly entertaining.
And apparently, they could experience nearly everything humans could.
That raised countless fascinating questions about their bodies, magic, and souls.
Marshall had never wanted to accelerate his research so badly.
He wondered whether the Maiden would always remain as solemn and dignified as her title suggested.
He was extremely curious.
Marshall suddenly adopted a stern expression.
"Virgo, you just lied to your master."
He pointed at her accusingly.
"As punishment, you will assist me with another magical experiment. Full cooperation is required!"
Virgo’s body trembled.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she bowed deeply.
"Virgo... would be delighted to assist you, my Master."