77 Introductions (2)

Once the two new citizens' residential process was completed, Seran led them out of the City Hall after giving his father a hug, as Etienne still had work to do. With the exceptional processing capabilities of Zero, he no longer fully needed the [Hyper Regen: Sleep] ability, but his year-plus experience of having it made it difficult for it to be removed. As such, he just told his son not to worry about it. As the trio left City Hall, Seran guided them towards the central Spring Hill of Greenwood City. Most citizens, even new ones, would have met at least one of the four resident S-rank magical creatures, not to mention the dozens of smaller Golden Crows, during their time in the city. Rexus and Andrew, on the other hand, did not have the experience of meeting any of them, as most of the semi-arduous background check process, which required Zero and international negotiations, had been skipped due to their history being more-or-less public from the beginning. As such, Seran planned to have them immediately meet the three Chimera siblings, as they were the only ones in town presently. Of course, he also wanted Andrew to meet Khloe, as he was a descendant of a Blessed One of Demeter, even if said blood had been diluted after numerous generations in the almost 2000 years since.

"I want you two to remember this, but aside from Storm, the other three S-rank magical creatures, the Chimera siblings, are basically children. Although they are capable of putting up a hell of a fight, their minds are not fully matured. For the most part, we try to let them enjoy themselves, whether that means spending time with Lady Khloe, helping citizens in need, plain old goofing around, or even playing with children. During the weekdays, they each go to a different school like students do and learn just as they do. Ophiuchus enjoys learning about magical creatures, Draco relishes learning about history, and Leo can't decide if he prefers obstacle courses or acting more." The idea of three S-rank creatures in a classroom, behaving like good students, was just so outlandish that Andrew and Rexus had no idea on how to react to it. "As for Lady Khloe, she's very kind and caring. She's basically the voice of our magical creatures, so her words can trump even mine at times."

Andrew listened intently, processing everything his master conveyed, "So I'll end up being schoolmates with an S-rank magical creature? Sounds both weird and fun." When Khloe was brought up, his nerves returned, albeit slightly, "Sh-she's a spirit of nature, right? One of Demeter's kin?"

The young demigod confirmed his teenage student's thoughts, "Yes, she is indeed one of Demeter's spirit kin. She was born from the spirit spring, so she is also technically a water spirit, but the heavy infusion of life energy was the cause for her growth, so she sways more in Demeter's favour. When Demeter blessed my grandmother, Eleanor, the vitality that spread from her was the indirect cause of Khloe's spiritualization. As such, Nan and Khloe's souls are naturally close to each other. Technically, Nan can live as long as Khloe, which is infinitely, but her human nature and soul will not be able to handle it. Unless she becomes a fourth or fifth-grade Mage or a Fate Reader, her soul will eventually succumb to the stress that having such a powerful blessing and, sadly, pass away."

Hearing that his master's grandmother would inevitably perish due to the blessing of Demeter came as a surprise to Andrew, "There's nothing else you can do, master?"

"It's not that I can't do anything. On the contrary, I can do something immediately. It's that Nan is heavily against it. I can't resist her if she wants to kick my butt because I did something against her will. She also insists that I not be willful with personal matters. Death is a natural part of life, something she has already accepted. If I ignored her will, I'm 100% certain she'd convince Osiris to send her back as a ghost to haunt me for eternity just because of that." Knowing Eleanor's temperament, Seran had no doubt she'd somehow manage to pull such a thing off.

The calming sound of leaves rustling in the breeze filled the ears of the trio as they summited the Spring Hill. They took in the sight of countless animals, magical and mundane, lying on the soft grass, mostly napping, surrounding the central pond. It was a peaceful, harmonious scene, a perfect match for the nature of the spirit spring. As per usual, Khloe, in her physical form, sat cross-legged atop the crystal clear water, four Golden Crows asleep on her shoulders, a tuxedo cat curled up around her neck like a scarf, and two other cats, one a calico and one a Siamese, having occupied her lap. Allowing Rexus and Andrew to take in the sight of such a picturesque moment, Seran smiled before using Wind Magic to isolate their voices so as not to awaken the sleeping critters. "Andrew, Rexus, meet Khloe, the spirit of Greenwood City's spirit spring."

Opening her eyes upon hearing visitors, the little spirit smiled a little, "And here I thought you were trying to hide from me."

Seran chuckled, "If I wanted to do that, I'd need to be able to hide from Demeter's power. Since it's divine power, I've got a long way to go." He waved a hand casually, trying to change the subject, "Anyway, meet our two new citizens. Rexus Pavo, an Imperial Guard of the Eridan Empire, and Andrew Eridan, the 13th Prince of the Eridan Empire, and descendant of the Starsword, Barnett Eridan."

"Hmm, I wondered why I sensed an extremely faint hint of Her Ladyship's blessing on him. Being that man's descendant, it makes sense." With a small nod of her head, so as not to wake her sleeping friends, Khloe acknowledged the pair, "I welcome you both, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance." She looked at Andrew again, "As you are a descended of Her Ladyship's strongest Blessed One, you are welcomed by the nature of this hill by nature of your bloodline. Your personality, as well, is a reason why nature is fond of you. Whenever you have the time, you will always be welcome here."