Laxus's current mindset and change in personality were things Moen could somewhat understand.
As Makarov's grandson—his blood-related grandson—Laxus carried enormous expectations and pressure on his shoulders.
After all, the name Makarov Dreyar was renowned across the entire continent of Ishgar. He was one of the Ten Wizard Saints.
This title, conferred by the Magic Council of Ishgar, represented the ten most powerful mages of the continent. Each one had made outstanding contributions and possessed magic so great it could shake the heavens and earth. In other words, they were the S-Class of S-Class mages!
For as long as Laxus could remember, his biggest label had been "Makarov's grandson."
If he accomplished something well, people said it was expected of Makarov's grandson.
If he made a mistake, then he had brought shame on Makarov.
The crushing weight of his grandfather's reputation turned what had once been a polite, passionate boy into someone extreme.
Unable to earn genuine recognition, constantly subjected to picky, critical eyes, Laxus became obsessed with the pursuit of power. He wanted to surpass Makarov—the mountain pressing down on him.
Compared to Laxus, Moen lived much easier. After all, he was an adopted child, and people treated him with more leniency and understanding.
Whenever Moen displayed good magical talent, people praised him. They would say that Makarov was lucky to have picked up such a magically gifted boy.
In a sense, this obvious double standard was one of the reasons behind Laxus's current personality.
Moen went upstairs to the third floor, where his room was. Makarov lived on the first floor, the second floor held a study and the room that had once belonged to "that man," and the third floor was where Moen and Laxus stayed.
Once inside his room, Moen immediately retrieved the Equuleus Bronze Cloth.
This Cloth was stored within the Saint Seiya System's inventory space. The rewards Moen had obtained from previous missions could be stored there, though the space could only contain items created by the Saint Seiya System.
Clang.
A square box dropped heavily onto the floor. It was not small, its surface engraved with intricate patterns and the symbol of the Equuleus constellation.
This was no ordinary box—it was a Cloth Box, specially designed to store a Cloth. Similar to a "life-support system" for Cloths, each box was tailored for its Cloth, maintaining and accelerating its self-repair functions.
For Cloths were alive. Like living beings, they possessed the ability to heal and evolve. With every repair, they would grow stronger, their weight and appearance sometimes changing as a result.
At this moment, Moen could feel the connection between himself and the Cloth, as if it were pulsing with life.
Click.
Channeling his magic into the Cloth Box, Moen willed it open.
Inside lay the Cloth—a suit of armor primarily blue, accented with red and silver, taking the form of a leaping horse.
"Come, show me your true form."
With a thought, the Equuleus Bronze Cloth began to tremble, then swiftly disassembled into armor components.
The pieces resembling horse legs flew onto Moen's arms and legs, forming gauntlets and greaves adorned with red crystal decorations.
The horse's head folded into a circlet and settled upon Moen's brow. It resembled the Pegasus Cloth's headpiece, but with a small horse-head emblem at the front and tiny wings on each side.
The horse's body transformed into shoulder guards, breastplate, and battle skirt, protecting his torso and waist. Among Bronze Cloths, this one offered relatively extensive coverage, with all vital areas shielded.
"Fits pretty well."
Moen flexed his body. He was not yet twelve years old, still growing rapidly, his physique changing year by year. But there was no need to worry—the Cloth could adjust itself to its wielder's body. As its master grew, the Cloth would grow with him, always fitting perfectly.
"Looks like it's been localized too. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't even be able to wear it."
Moen clenched his fist, feeling a surge of tremendous strength flow through him. Beyond its defensive capabilities, the Cloth greatly enhanced his physical abilities and the efficiency of his magic usage. It was even more practical than he had imagined.
Normally, a Saint Seiya had to burn their Cosmos to synchronize their Cloth with their spirit in order to draw out its full power. Without this resonance, the Cloth was nothing more than a heavy set of armor, granting no enhancement.
But for Moen, this was not an issue. From the very moment he acquired it, the Cloth had already acknowledged him as its master.
Such was the power of the Saint Seiya System.
Wearing the Equuleus Cloth, Moen pulled out an illustrated book. Inside were depictions of various constellations, and sure enough, "Equuleus" was among them. It was one of the Northern Sky constellations, located just behind Pegasus. On the star chart, only the horse's head was visible. It was the second smallest constellation, only slightly larger than the Southern Cross.
The book in Moen's hands was a picture guide about Celestial Spirit Magic. Celestial Spirit Magic was a Holder-type, spatial summoning magic, closely tied to the constellations.
Celestial Spirit Magic was extremely rare, an ancient magic that allowed summoners to call forth Celestial Spirits from the Celestial Spirit World. Those who used this magic were known as Celestial Spirit Mages. They fought by summoning Celestial Spirits, but in order to do so, they required the Gate Keys—magical keys that served as the medium to summon the spirit associated with each key.
Clearly, this was a system completely different from Moen's magic. He was merely borrowing the name of Celestial Spirit Magic as a cover. After all, he didn't really know what to call his own magic—he couldn't just bluntly name it "Saint Seiya Magic," could he?
"Return!"
With a single thought, Moen recalled the Equuleus Bronze Cloth. The armor instantly disengaged from his body, returning to its Cloth Box, once more assembling into the shape of the Equuleus constellation.
Placing the Cloth Box back into the [Saint Seiya System], Moen experimented a few more times. He discovered that he didn't even need to summon the Cloth Box first—he could directly summon the Equuleus Bronze Cloth onto his body. This saved him an extra step.
"This is basically no different from Requip Magic."
Moen was quite satisfied with this feature. Requip Magic was a spatial-type magic, practically a must-have for close-combat mages.
After mastering this magic, one could open up a personal armory to store weapons. In battle, the mage could use Requip Magic to quickly change weapons without carrying them physically. It was extremely convenient.
Erza was the best example of this magic. But she was far more exceptional, having mastered Requip: The Knight, an advanced form of the magic. Her armory was massive, allowing her not only to store weapons, but also numerous sets of armor for battle.
By contrast, ordinary basic Requip Magic only allowed for a very small armory, and usually just the ability to swap handheld weapons. Not everyone could reach the advanced "Knight" level.
But now, Moen essentially possessed a variant of Requip: The Knight. His storage space was even greater, with no limitations on capacity. He didn't have to worry about running out of space or needing to find a separate place to store his equipment.
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