All Hail The King!

It has been a long day for the ex-guild master Leila Vergious. Having to catch up with the current events of Fiore and the entire world as a whole was no simple task, especially after she had been gone for such a long time. Plenty of events could transpire every single day and change everything for good. Let alone several months. The fact that she was not but another regular member of the guild she had founded was also something she had to get used to. Although she had to admit that not having to do any paperwork was a fairly good change.

Still, there was a lot she had to take in. Even her magic was somewhat twisted and falling apart in Earthland, many of her abilities still not working properly. Primarily summoning of spirits seemed to be bordering on impossible as of right now. But at the very least she had actually kept all of her powers, unlike the last time she had disappeared, only to return as a D-ranked mage once again. It certainly had a feeling of a fresh start to it, but it was also rather frustrating. Then again, her disappearance during those times was for a completely different reason.

Actually… not matter how hard Leila tried to figure out what went down back then, she could not seem to remember. A bit odd for her, someone who usually remembered even the smaller of details without too much trouble. But alas, this one just left her scratching the back of her head. Not that it was an important piece of information at this point. Her life was very much different compared to then. Whether that was a good thing or not was yet to be seen, but the girl was most certainly hopeful that the future was a bright one for her and those around her.

With a rather loud sigh, she finally let her muscles relax as she arrived at the front entrance to the guild hall of Silver Wolf. The inside seemed as lively as ever, both members and customers moving about somewhat sparsely but filling completely the dining area. Now that she thought about it, it was around that time. Though she herself did not really feel like eating. No, she just wanted to relax and recover her strength for now. So she headed straight instead of even going up the stairs to where her room was.

Choosing an empty room, the girl entered the locker and disrobed swiftly, not wanting to wait any longer before she could soak in the hot water of the Silver Wolf’s hot spring. Whatever possessed Leila to make this one of the main features of the guild hall, she herself did not quite know. But it was most certainly paying off right now. In nothing more than her birthday suit and washed off all filth, she had slowly descended into the water, momentarily breaking its perfect stillness into shattering waves. And yet, the calming and peaceful mood quickly returned once she settled in.

This particular room was for private groups of guild members, the suggested maximum of people that should comfortably fit inside being only three or four. The girl was alone so this limit did not bother her in the slightest right now. In fact, she might have enjoyed the smaller nature of this bath and the greater intimacy it provided as a result. Soaking into the crystal clear water, she observed the various bamboo shoots and flowers that were planted all around the actual body of water, having even rocks one could easily lean against if they so wished.

Looking up at the sky, she was also easily able to see exactly what was going on outside. With a roof removed directly above the pool, the gentle snow was allowed to fall and melt against the warm water and skin of anyone who entered. A sensation truly unique and usually only obtainable at hot springs during the winter. But here anyone could experience it at any time of the year. But while Leila was able to relax her muscles in this situation, her mind still raced faster than it probably should, thinking about all sorts of things and attempting to sort all of that information.

It was not all about the current world either. Leila had noticed something with her body shortly after she returned back to Earthland. The Eden’s mark seemed to react to it differently. It might have been because the entirety of the Gardens changed, too. It was something she could not rule out. But what was once a gray spot on her skin, making it feel like a rough piece of tree bark… was now bright green in color and emitting a faint glow of the same color. Even small ethernano particles were being emitted by it, saturated enough to be seen by a naked eye.

Whether the girl should be worried or not was an unknown, as it didn’t seem to affect her negatively in any way… yet. She always knew that extra magical energy was being stored in those places on her body, so perhaps this was not even anything out of the ordinary and the process just looked different now. She had certainly grown strong, even if she did not quite feel like it very often. So it was also possible that her magical energy has simply become so saturated to cause this effect.

Shaking her head, the girl gave up. She would not be able to unravel this mystery here and right now. What she was supposed to be doing was relaxing in the first place, not thinking negatively about every change in her life. For life only existed as long as there was change. Closing her eyes for a moment, Leila imagined the world around her, standing perfectly still. A peaceful world with no problems… but also no life. The two came hand in hand. Thankfully she was still determined to do her very best to help everyone she could.

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The voice that suddenly crept up behind her assaulted the girl’s senses mercilessly, her being so lost in thought that she did not even register the new arrival in the room until now. As her body jolted and nearly even lept out of the water, she had turned to see who it was that accidentally scared her half to death. Kitalpha, one of the members that had joined when she formed the guild… ah, how ironic. Thinking about the Eden’s Mark must have summoned the other girl somehow, considering what had happened between the two of them the first time they had met.

Simply thinking about it made Leila feel a fair bit of embarrassment. However, there was something which amplified that feeling greatly. Looking at Kita more closely, she obviously did not wear any clothes. In fact, she was not even covering herself with the towel in her hands. As such, her beauty was at a full display to the silver-haired girl, whose face flushed red immediately, turning away in almost dangerously snapping motion. “K..Kitapha! Hello…” Far more distressed than she should be, the girl tried to avoid looking at the new arrival, for now, not wanting to stare.

But looking down on her own body just made her realize a fatal mistake on her part instead. Getting into this place alone and not expecting a situation like this, she herself did not even grab a towel to cover herself with. Shifting her body around to where she could at least partially cover herself, she inconspicuously coughed and did her best to look Kita in the eyes. “What… brings you here? Just wanted to relax?” Honestly, that was the most likely case. But then again, their first meeting and the way Kita now spoke made it seem that maybe she wanted to discuss something.

Eden’s Mark was also still visible, currently primarily on Leila’s back and forming something that seemed to be maybe an image of a flower. Though in vine-like shape, the green had also spread a bit to the girl’s arms, a part that would be visible even from the front. The green glow reflected nicely on the clear water. Why did the silver-haired girl feel so out of it..? She should be used to situations like these by now. She even comforted one of the other members, Poko, before by hugging her when they were in a bath like this! Regardless… she listened to whatever Kita had to say.