Leaving the conversation at that, the group went apart, returning to their lives.

But for Orion, a brand-new way of living opened itself to him.

As the first thing he did was take a bath, he stood in shock in front of the mirror.

"Wow..."

In his trunks, he touched his abs, way more pronounced than before.

"I noticed this unrestrained energy flowing through my muscles, but I had no idea it had this much effect on them."

His athletic build was still the same, except his muscles were sculpted to an astonishing degree.

Not a single trace of fat even showed as he analyzed his body.

"I have a feeling these hands can crush boulders with ease."

With a slight smile, he walked into the bathroom/shower area, removing the last layer separating him and his birthing suit.

After entering the warm water, he breathed a long sigh of satisfaction.

But, as he lowered his back, a sudden pain caused him to remain still.

"..."

It was a slight stinging sensation coming from his back.

Orion leaned forward and touched the area with his right hand.

"Ah. I see."

The scars formed by his wings ripping his skin and muscles apart were still fresh. Washing over them, the warm water of the bath caused a bit of stinging pain in return.

"Can I even heal these?"

Worried, he tried to apply light magic to heal his body.

"Do you want me to give it a try?"

Footsteps echoed in the damp room, catching his attention.

As Orion turned his head to the side, he stared at a blue-haired woman, her hair held in a ponytail.

"What are you doing in the men's showers, Karteira?"

The idea that other men could have seen her made him frown, which she immediately noticed.

"I made sure no one was here besides you. Don't worry so much."

"It still doesn't satisfy me... but whatever."

With a smile on her face, Karteira entered the water and sat next to Orion, a towel covering her front.

"You're wings. Can I look at them?"

Her smile turned into a stern expression. Without giving a second thought, Orion slid to the side and showed his back to her.

"If you can't do anything about it, it's fine. I'll handle it over time."

Shrugging lightly, Orion looked at his reflection in the water.

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White hair, purer than snow itself.

It still shocked him how his body changed just by blending his soul with the 'Seed of Divinity'.

"Don't say that. If you trust me, I can do anything."

Orion glanced over his shoulder and smiled, which was an answer Karteira appreciated.

Gently, she touched his back.

'Shit... That makes me remember the night I scratched his back...'

A drop of sweat fell from her cheek as she recalled her first night with Orion.

"Karteira?"

Feeling her caresses on his back, he called her name.

"It's... nothing. I just thought of our first time."

With a slight blush on her face, she waved her hand next to her face while looking away.

"That was a wild night. I have to give it to you."

Chuckling at her reaction, he also began recalling it.

"For me, it was a year ago."

Karteira frowned as her blush vanished, replaced by bitterness.

"I can't give you an exact time. For me, it was a long time ago."

Frustratingly smiling at the water, Orion nodded.

She moved her hand up and down, rubbing the wounds that looked close to burn marks.

"You've never told us. Has it affected the way you see us today?"

"I..."

Orion was about to lie.

But as the words started to leave his mouth, he closed it.

"For a long time, I had forgotten everything. My memories were tightly shut away as loneliness ate away at my consciousness."

"Tetra helped me recover those memories piece by piece."

He cupped some water between the palms of his hands and splashed his face.

"So, if I have to answer, I'd say that the time I spent away from you made my feelings even stronger."

"I would rather die than ever forget about everyone."

Karteira gently leaned over his shoulders and hugged his head. Pressing her entire body on his back, she avoided touching his wings, which wasn't very difficult.

"You never lie to us, do you?"

"..."

Orion silently looked at Karteira in the water's reflection. She had her eyes closed, using this moment to bond with him.

"Alright. Let me see if I can do something for you."

Unwrapping her arms and moving her body away from him, Karteira placed both hands on his scars.

"Give me a moment."

He nodded in return, as a warm feeling invaded his back.

"That's an incredible wound."

Surprised, she smiled dryly.

"It isn't a natural effect, so light magic doesn't actually heal your skin."

"That's what I gathered from trying to erase the scar itself."

Again, Orion nodded.

"I guessed as much. My body usually heals by itself, but not this time. Light magic is often instinctively working to wash away the exhaustion or heal minor strain on my muscles."

"We're using it the same way. Well, I should say that I copied its usage from you."

A low-spirited laugh escaped her mouth as she tried her best to help him.

"What works for you, works for me. Copying someone doesn't make you inferior in any way. I have this nagging feeling that light magic was made perfect for your type of combat."

"Close-range battles require intense focus on the opponent, while I simply wait for an opportunity to strike from afar."

"At least, that was before I gained the knowledge to fight in close quarter."

"I took a few pages from your book at the time. I hope you don't mind."

Glancing over his shoulder, he helped her feel better.

"As if I would mind."

A relieved smile flourished on her face as her light gradually shone brighter.

The warm feeling invading Orion suddenly turned into a warm, comfortable flame that cleansed his very core.

'I have never felt this from my light element.'

Karteira's light element came into contact with Orion's power of 'Purity', releasing a wave of cleansing energy through both of them.

At a fast pace, the reddish rash began to heal, leaving nothing but pristine skin behind.

"Thank you."

She noticed Orion's wings rising briefly as he thanked her, which made her smile warmly in return.

"We'll do everything for you."

Orion suddenly turned around and grabbed her wrist. Pulling her closer to his chest, he whispered in her ear.

(I know.)

For a long thirty minutes, Orion and Karteira remained in the bath, letting passion take over them.

...

"I'm dizzy..."

Karteira walked out of the changing room with a red face.

"My bad."

Following right after, Orion helped her to move toward the living room.

Dropping her on the couch, he sat next to her.

"How was the... bath?"

Olivia dropped her book and looked at Orion, noticing a strange mark on his neck.

"Good, as usual."

"Well, I can see that. I'm actually jealous."

Deep in her eyes, Orion could see the demon awaken in Olivia. It made him slightly confused, which made her chuckle at his oblivious state.

"Your neck."

Pointing at him, she closed her eyes before returning to her book.

"What about my neck?"

Touching it lightly, Orion felt two marks that stung slightly.

Glancing at Karteira, he smiled dryly.

'When did you bite me?'

Rubbing the pain away with his hand, the wound healed in record time.

'Her light magic is making it difficult to notice the wounds she inflicts.'

'This can be a critical skill against our enemies.'

'I'll keep it to myself for now.'

Suddenly, a chill coursed through his spine.

'I need to check myself in the mirror... Who knows how many scratches she made on my body.'

As a drop of cold sweat dropped from his forehead, Olivia took this moment to ask him a question.

"Orion."

Moving away from his world-ending worries, Orion's eyes fell on the blonde demon.

"What is it?"

With his usual smile, he waited for her to speak up.

"Would you mind having a spar against my maid? They've been waiting a whole year and some for it."

Leaning back comfortably, he brought a finger to his chin.

"If it were before, I wouldn't have any problem accepting."

"But in my current state, I don't think they'll be able to hold a minute."

Olivia nodded.

"It doesn't matter. Marie asked for it, and the others agreed."

"They think something will awaken in them if they fight with everything on the lines against the strongest being on the continent."

Seriously pondering about it, Orion glanced at Olivia.

"Are you participating?"

"Hmm~"

Halting her reading, she thought it over.

"Sure. Why not? I can watch over the whole thing while observing their supposed awakening."

"Since you're back to your senses, there's no worry of training with you."

"And..."

Her ears turned light pink.

"I hope you'll reward me later."

Picking up on her advances, he nodded without a hint of shame.

At the same time, Karteira opened one eye and smirked at Olivia.

"You're not hiding it."

"Shut up!"

Gritting her teeth in frustration, she closed her book.

"I don't want to hear anything from the woman who fucked Orion in the bath!"

"Hey! Wording!"

As a lively conversation began in the living room, Orion pondered the large-scale battle session that was to come.

But, before that, he had to go and pick up a few items that were waiting for him.