"Luck is also part of one's strength."
Goldmine laughed heartily, clearly pleased with his "godly draw."
"Too bad that kid Ichiya also got lucky."
After laughing, Goldmine shook his head regretfully. It would've been even better if Blue Pegasus had been completely wiped out!
"You old rascal..."
Bob gave Goldmine an "alluring" glare.
Unfortunately, Goldmine was long accustomed to his antics.
If Marco had been here instead, he probably would've vomited up yesterday's dinner.
After the draw concluded, the Mages from the three guilds dispersed.
The quarterfinal matches weren't scheduled for today but for tomorrow instead.
The quarterfinals would be held tomorrow morning, the semifinals tomorrow afternoon, with the final championship match set for the morning of the day after.
As the event's overall coordinator, Marco returned to Magnolia alongside the Mages from Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus.
Marco also arranged accommodations for both guilds.
With Magnolia now having far more inns and hotels than before, there was naturally no shortage of rooms.
Given Marco and Fairy Tail's reputation and standing throughout Magnolia, none of these establishments dared cause any trouble—all cooperated smoothly.
Of course, this was also because Marco offered fair prices.
He wouldn't casually tarnish his or the guild's reputation.
Magnolia was Fairy Tail's home base, so they needed to show at least some restraint within the city.
Over this matter, Marco had frequently reprimanded Natsu and Gray.
Recently, destructive incidents in Magnolia had decreased significantly.
The construction of Fairy Home's battle arena had effectively reduced such occurrences.
While they couldn't help it during missions outside, within Magnolia, the guild members had reached a hard-won consensus: if you wanted to fight, do it in Fairy Home's battle arena.
After confirming no issues with the accommodations, Marco left the hotels where Quatro Cerberus and Blue Pegasus were staying.
Not long after departing, Marco suddenly stopped in his tracks when he spotted a familiar figure in Magnolia's bustling downtown.
Normally, seeing an acquaintance wouldn't have drawn Marco's attention, but this particular "acquaintance's" identity was rather special.
"Isn't that Leo the Lion Celestial Spirit?"
The figure Marco saw belonged to Leo, the ace star spirit of Celestial Spirit Mage Karen Lilica.
"Didn't Karen already return? Why is this guy still here?"
Seeing Leo here raised numerous questions in Marco's mind.
After all, Karen had just caused a major incident by failing to summon a spirit when opening a gate in the battle arena.
Marco was quite knowledgeable about orthodox Celestial Spirit Magic and understood exactly why Karen had experienced that situation.
"So it's this guy..."
With a peculiar expression, Marco approached Leo from behind and tapped the lion spirit's shoulder as he stared intently at a barbecue restaurant.
"Who's there?!"
Being suddenly slapped on the back from behind, Leo was startled.
After all, anyone who could approach him without a sound was definitely no ordinary person.
"Marco dreyar?!"
Upon turning around and seeing Marco, the reaction of Leo was quite exaggerated—as if he'd seen some terrifying monster.
He stumbled back several steps in fright.
"?"
The spirit's reaction left Marco utterly bewildered.
Especially when contrasted with the friendly responses of the surrounding townsfolk, Leo's behavior seemed increasingly peculiar.
Everyone greeted Marco warmly and with kindness—only Leo acted as though avoiding him like the plague.
"Why are you here? Mind coming with me for a chat?"
Though Leo's reaction was strange, Marco hadn't forgotten his purpose in coming.
"Not at all."
By now, Leo had calmed down.
He nodded and obediently followed behind Marco.
Marco led Leo all the way to Mr. Lazio's café, entering a private quiet room.
"Alright, explain—why are you still in Magnolia when your contractor has already left?"
Taking a sip of coffee, Marco posed the question to Leo across from him.
In truth, he already had some guesses.
This Leo clearly had quite the personality, as evident from his previous interactions with Karen.
Now, Leo had completely separated from Karen and remained alone in Magnolia.
Combined with Karen's earlier struggles to attempt a "double-door" summoning of spirits, the answer was practically obvious.
Most likely, Leo and Karen had a falling out, and this Celestial Spirit had outright gone on strike—not only refusing to work himself but also rendering Karen incapable of summoning others.
"That's right. I chose to stay out here on my own."
Leo showed no intention of hiding it and directly admitted to his current state.
"I'm using her magic, occupying her summoning gate—all to prevent her from calling any other spirits."
Facing Marco's questioning, Leo was blunt.
He clearly saw no issue with his actions.
"Do you want to break your contract with her?"
Marco narrowed his eyes, making his guess.
For a spirit and contractor to reach this point, they must have completely fallen out.
Other than wanting to sever ties with Karen, Marco couldn't think of any other reason Leo would act this way.
Truthfully, Marco could somewhat understand Leo's rather extreme approach.
Given Karen's personality, the fact that Leo had tolerated her until now showed remarkable professionalism and contractual spirit.
However, Leo shook his head, immediately denying Marco's speculation.
"No, this isn't for myself. I want her to break her contract with another spirit."
Leo's expression was serious—these were undoubtedly his true feelings.
He himself had no intention of ending his contract with Karen.
"..."
Marco's mouth fell open slightly as he stared at Leo in astonishment.
'Leo actually wants to help another spirit escape suffering? Sacrificing himself to keep the demon that is Karen in check?'
In Marco's eyes, the image of Leo instantly grew tall and noble.
"Even at the cost of such a conflict with you, Karen still refuses to give up that Celestial Spirit. It must be another Zodiac Celestial Spirit in her possession, right?"
Based on Leo's words, Marco easily guessed the other party involved in the matter.
"Correct, it's Aries of the Zodiac. But even if it weren't her... Karen still wouldn't let go."
Leo nodded in confirmation, his expression complicated.
This wasn't about Aries being a precious Zodiac Celestial Spirit - it was a fundamental difference in their philosophies regarding spirits.
In Karen's mind, he was merely a Celestial Spirit who had no right to offer opinions, let alone demand she terminate a contract with one.