39. Spirit's Benevolence

The next days go normally and the kids are playing together again. But now Ultear is more mindful of her condition and makes sure to feel even the slightest change of her body's condition.

Thanks to that, when the 2nd burst happens on the day when they are supposed to summon Capricorn, they can take Ultear away from the mansion and prepare better for her to release her magic power.

But because of that, they need to delay the summon for a day. They finally summon Capricorn the next day to ask for the result, hoping that the Celestial Spirit King will agree to help them.

"Sorry, Capricorn. There was a problem yesterday, so we couldn't summon you."

"That's fine, Madam Layla. It was no problem at all."

"So, what's the Celestial Spirit King's answer?"

Everyone is so nervous to hear the answer that they stop breathing at that time.

"He agrees to lift the rule for this case."

Capricorn smiles while answering, making everyone smile and cheer happily too.

"However, he has some conditions." What Capricorn says makes them silent again.

"What are the conditions?"

"First, only the person that needs to stay there is allowed to come to the Celestial Spirit World. Second, she can only stay for at most 4 days in the Celestial Spirit World, or a year in Earthland. Third, once she leaves, she is not allowed to return even if the 4 days time hasn't been up. Fourth, during her stay, a Zodiac Spirit needs to always stay with her all the time. So either me or cancer needs to stay with her and we can't be summoned before she leaves. You can choose later. Fifth, everyone who knows about this whole matter needs to keep it as a secret and isn't allowed to reveal it. Those are the conditions from the Celestial Spirit King. He said that he only agrees to do this because the Heartfilia family has been working together with the Spirits for generations and has treated them well."

Everyone is happy because the conditions aren't bad. Unable to call a Zodiac Spirit for at most a year might be a problem, but it should be fine because they don't really need to fight with the Spirit's help for now.

"You can sign this contract if you agree with these conditions. But you need to choose who will stay with the girl in the Celestial Spirit World between me and cancer. Then, you need to sign a contract as a Celestial Spirit Mage again with the chosen Spirit before signing the contract. Only Madam Layla is allowed to sign the contract because this is the King's favor for you and the Heartfilia family."

"So there are more than 5 conditions in the end." Alex can't help but say it.

"Basically yes. But only those 5 conditions are stated in the contract. The rest are conditions to sign the contract, not the conditions of the contract." Capricorn explains again.

"Oh, so that's how it is. Quite confusing, but okay." Alex is really not good with this kind of formal thing.

Layla is now thinking of which spirit she'll choose to contract again. "Spetto, Zoldeo, are the 2 of you alright with me taking the keys back? I've given them to you, so they are yours now. It doesn't feel right for me to take them back."

"What are you saying, Madam. I always think that this key is still yours. I'm simply taking care of it for you." Spetto the short middle-aged woman answers with a smile while handing over Cancer's key to Layla.

"I feel the same too, Madam Layla. Even Capricorn said that his loyalty is for you and the young miss. We agreed that I will only hold onto his key until Young Miss Lucy is old enough to have a contract with him. This key is always yours and Young Miss Lucy's key. I simply hold it for you." Zoldeo also happily gives the key.

This guy will turn evil in the future and even join Grimoire Heart. But that happens because of Layla's death. He is very loyal to Layla and blamed Grammi, the person who holds onto Aquarius Keu for Layla's death because she can't be found.

He starts turning evil after that and even breaks the taboo by possessing Capricorn, a spirit using forbidden magic. But now, he is just someone who is very loyal to Layla and will do whatever she asks.

"Fufu, I only need 1 key."

"No, Madam. You should keep both of them again. If Grammi is here, she will also give you her key. You can use the other key to summon a spirit whenever you want to check on the child." Surprisingly, it's Zoldeo who gives this advice which Spetto agrees with.

Left with no choice, Layla finally takes back both the keys after Spetto and Zoldeo terminate their contracts with the spirits. Then, Layla makes a contract with Capricorn and Cancer again.

Now, she can finally sign the contract that the Spirit King gives. But she needs to choose a Spirit to guard Ultear in the Celestial Spirit World and she chooses Capricorn.

"Capricorn, you have been acting as my butler for a long time in the past. So I believe you are the most suitable for this task. Please take care of Ultear in the Spirit World for me." Layla smiles, but she looks very serious too.

Capricorn kneels like a knight. "Yes, please leave it to me."

"Cancer, I will summon you from time to time to keep us updated about Ultear's condition. We also still need you to style our hair, so we can't let you stay there for a year."

"Don't worry-ebi. I'm not jealous of not being chosen. No need to be so considerate-ebi."

"Fufufu, alright." Layla then signs the contract with the Spirit King, which makes Ur very happy and hugs Layla while crying.

"Thank you, thank you so much. I don't know how to repay all of this, Layla."

"Don't worry, Ur. I help because I can help. Also, this is not over yet. This is just a temporary solution. You need to use this chance well and look for what you need."

"You're right. I need to quickly find a suitable advanced magic for Ultear so she won't need to stay in the Celestial Spirit World for too long."

"Um, sorry to disturb, but I have a question." Alex suddenly interrupts them.

"What is it, Alex?" Layla asks while smiling.

"Didn't Capricorn say that there's no air in the Celestial Spirit World? If so, then how will Ultear breathe there?"

Capricorn answers his question. "Humans can breathe there by wearing Celestial Spirit clothes. But this method can't last forever because aside from the lack of air, the Celestial Spirit World's environment is harmful for humans. That's why the King limits her stay to 4 days because more than that will be too dangerous."

"Ah, I see, I understand. Then, when can Ultear go there?"

"She can go now because the contract has been signed. Or you can go later, but don't be too long or the King won't be happy. He has lifted a rule just for you, so it's better to go there as soon as possible to show respect to him."

Ultear doesn't mind going there now, but Lucy seems very sad. If Ultear stays there as long as she is allowed to, then it will just be 4 days for her. But it will be a year for Lucy and the others.

"Lucy, Ultear needs to go there quickly so her mother can go to look for a cure. If she gets healthy, she can play with you again without any worries."

"I know, but it will be very lonely again." Lucy looks down sadly.

"Um, what if I stay here for a week more before going? It won't be too long, right?" Ultear asks Capricorn because she feels bad for Lucy.

Lucy is younger than her, not that much younger though. But it makes her feel like she has a younger sister, which makes her happy. That's why she feels sad for leaving Lucy and makes her lonely, so she wants to stay for another week for the little girl.

"I think that's fine. I will inform the King about this." Capricorn agrees.

As Zoldeo said, Capricorn's loyalty is for Layla and Lucy who will be his master in the future. So obviously, he doesn't want to make the young Lucy sad. If only a week can make her happy, then he will gladly ask the Spirit King for it.

For the next 7 days, Lucy and Ultear enjoy their time together. They play a lot while also being mindful of Ultear's condition. Her magic power bursts again once during the week, but it's handled well without any problem.

Then, the promised time finally arrives. Ultear finally goes to the Celestial Spirit World with Capricorn. Now it's time for them to look for the advanced magic for Ultear. Their time limit is only 1 year.

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Ch. 89: Gildarts' 100 Years Quest