"Lyra!"
After listening to Marco's introduction, Princess Hisui immediately made her choice.
This surprised Marco somewhat.
Among these constellations, she could have chosen Scorpio, yet she opted for Lyra instead.
Logically speaking, most would choose Scorpio, right?
Especially since Princess Hisui was a Celestial Spirit Mage—she should understand the higher value of Zodiac constellations, at least within Celestial Spirit Magic.
Of course, this might not hold true in the [Saint System].
Choosing lesser constellations didn't necessarily mean their potential was inferior to the Zodiac—take Lyra, for example, which Princess Hisui had selected.
One could say she had chosen wrong, but not entirely wrong.
Yet this choice left Marco in an awkward position, as he only possessed the Silver Cloth of Lyra and hadn't actually mastered Lyra's skills.
Marco had assumed Hisui would pick Scorpio from the Zodiac, which was why he included Lyra and a few others—only with Cloths—to the options.
But this little one didn't follow the script!
[Ding! Confirm binding Hisui E Fiore to Lyra?
Upon binding to a constellation, the student may begin training in its skills, gain the qualification to establish a connection with the constellation, and be granted the right to summon the Cloth in times of crisis.
Note: This student has high compatibility with Lyra.
Training in Lyra's skills will yield bonus effects, allowing faster connection to the constellation.
This constellation is recommended.
The student's training progress will reflect back on you at one-tenth effectiveness. Prioritize disciples with high aptitude and constellation compatibility.]
The [Saint System] popped up with a prompt, suggesting Marco bind Hisui to Lyra and even providing an assessment of her aptitude and constellation compatibility.
Hisui's compatibility with Lyra was indeed quite high, scoring 84 points.
Her magical aptitude was also excellent at 82 points, resulting in a final score of 83.
This already placed her among the top-tier students.
Moreover, Lyra happened to be the constellation with the highest compatibility among the currently available options.
'Could it be that she chose Lyra in one go precisely because of the high compatibility?'
Marco was surprised.
He hadn't expected Hisui to immediately pick the constellation best suited for her.
Was there some connection here?
"Why didn't you choose Scorpio from the Zodiac? Why Lyra instead?" Marco asked Hisui, genuinely curious about her reasoning.
"Because I love the lyre. I've even learned to play it. I had someone record Master Valtava and your concert performance! Also... I'm a little scared of scorpions..."
Hisui stuck out her tongue sheepishly, revealing her reason for choosing Lyra—a reason that made her somewhat embarrassed.
After all, not choosing Scorpio from the Zodiac just because she was afraid of scorpions sounded absurd when spoken aloud.
"No wonder." Marco nodded.
This child loved the lyre and could even play it—no wonder her compatibility with Lyra was the highest.
It seemed compatibility was rather subjective after all.
"Is... is that not allowed?" Hisui looked at Marco with pleading eyes, afraid of being rejected.
"Of course you can. When choosing a constellation, you must pick the one that resonates most with your heart, because this constellation will become your sole guardian, accompanying you on your journey forward."
Marco smiled and ruffled Hisui's green hair, giving her his approval.
For students, selecting the most suitable constellation would not only make their training twice as effective but also bring greater benefits to Marco.
A one-tenth proficiency feedback—this boost to skill improvement was simply too significant!
Thus, even if just to gain proficiency faster, Marco needed to take on more disciples and carefully guide them in choosing their constellations.
Though Marco currently didn't possess the skills of the Lyra constellation, Hisui could still begin her training by establishing a connection with it.
Only by forging this bond would she be able to summon and wear the Silver Cloth of Lyra in times of crisis to engage in battle.
Without establishing a connection to the constellation, they wouldn't be able to wear the Cloth—this was the prerequisite for summoning it through Marco.
"Great! Thank you, Sensei!"
Receiving Marco's approval, Hisui immediately beamed with joy.
Though she still didn't quite understand how Marco's 'Celestial Spirit Magic' differed from the Celestial Spirit Magic she had learned before, she was happy to be able to choose a constellation she liked.
'Bind.'
Marco linked Hisui to the Lyra constellation.
In the students' list, the name Hisui E Fiore now bore the mark [Lyra], followed by two gray indicators—one representing whether the connection to the constellation had been successfully established, and the other indicating whether she had gained the qualification to summon the Cloth.
'For these students, this does resemble Celestial Spirit Magic—except the Celestial Spirits are replaced with Cloths, Star Magic, and skills. The power strengthens the individuals themselves, and they are the ones who fight, no longer mere spectators as before.'
Marco reflected on this.
Of course, there was also a "contract"—the master-student relationship with him.
Only with his permission and approval could these students use their abilities and summon the Cloth.
Compared to Celestial Spirit Magic, Marco's terms were far more domineering.
'The Cloth-summoning function is quite interesting too. The Cloths are always stored in the system's space. When a student needs to use one, they can request its descent. Once approved, the Cloth transforms into a shooting star and rushes to them instantly.'
Marco mused that only the Cloths could have such a feature.
In his memory, there were indeed scenes of Cloths descending to protect their masters, moving at unimaginable speeds—making this function perfectly fitting.
'Hum.'
Magic surged as the lyre of Lyra appeared in Marco's hands.
"Close your eyes and feel with your heart." Marco spoke softly, then plucked the lyre's strings.
Magic spilled from the strings, soothing and guiding Hisui's emotions.
Hisui closed her eyes, letting the music guide the magic within her.
She sensed a faint connection—one that came from the stars and from her master, Marco.
'Is this... Marco-sensei Celestial Spirit Magic?'
This strange sensation stirred Hisui's emotions, as it was truly different from the Celestial Spirit Magic she had learned before.
"Calm your mind and feel the connection between the music and the starry sky." Marco's reminder soothed Hisui's fluctuating emotions.
Watching Hisui quietly attuning herself to the melody, a sudden thought occurred to Marco.
Now that he had officially established his own school, once his students multiplied, the definition of 'Celestial Spirit Magic' might no longer be controlled by others!
His 'Celestial Spirit Magic' was nothing like that key-wielding version, which only had twelve decent combatants from the Zodiac.
Powerful Celestial Spirit Mages were rare, their upper limits firmly capped.
Although Marco's [Cloths] were limited in number, his techniques could be repeatedly bestowed.
Even without the Cloths, merely wielding these skills and connecting with constellations already provided considerable strength—certainly surpassing that of Celestial Spirit Mages.
Moreover, Marco never intended to grant all students the privilege of summoning [Cloths].
Only his true students—those most powerful and devoted, who contributed significantly to his mastery—might earn the right to summon a Cloth's descent.
If there were ten "Silver Saint Candidates of Lyra," only the most outstanding and meritorious among them would gain the privilege to summon the "Silver Cloth of Lyra."
The others could only use the techniques and connect with the constellation.
And only that final victor who earned the privilege would receive the title of "Silver Saint of Lyra," while the rest remained as reserves.
As he played the lyre, Marco had already envisioned the structure of his "school," though currently it consisted of only two members.
As for the name of this "school," Marco thought "Sanctuary" sounded quite fitting.
-----
Change some words :
Sect = School
Disciples : Students
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