Orion placed his hand on his chin, his gaze lost into the field of spheres that swallowed Olivia's maids.

"I was expecting this power to only transfer void magic between me and another entity, but it appears to be an entirely wrong train of thought."

Marie glanced toward him with a confused expression. While listening intently, she turned to face him.

"It doesn't only concern the void element, but also the two other components composing it: light and dark."

Seeing the various white and black spheres, he smiled.

"It might depend entirely on predisposition. The power to give magic is indeed interesting to wield."

Thinking about the elemental titan, he continued to analyze the discovery.

"I wasn't able to choose which element to give. In fact, I was sure it would only concern the void element, but I was wrong. There is no coincidence in play, so I suppose it's perfectly fine to acknowledge that fact."

As he nodded to himself, Orion looked toward Olivia.

"They're going to be far stronger than you hoped for. I hope it doesn't bother you."

Olivia shook her head.

"If that means they can stay with me without assuming they are a hindrance because of their weakness, I'll take it."

Hearing the voice of her friend and master, Marie looked at her with watery eyes.

This was indeed a fear she, like the others, felt deeply in her heart.

The fear of being left behind due to their inability to grow stronger.

Humans with no magic had fixed limits, and Marie had attained that stage a long time ago. There was no growth remaining for her to explore.

That was the reason for her intense feelings of despair at the end. Not being able to move Orion was a clear depiction of her limits, turning willpower into hopelessness.

But her new development opened up many doors for her. The feeling of magic flowing down her veins burned her entire body, marking the entire system that nourished magic into it.

She wasn't just a frail human anymore. At that moment, her feelings of respect for Orion exploded, and with swift and refined movements, she lifted her skirt slightly to place one knee on the broken ground.

As she released her clothes, she bowed her head and placed her right hand on her chest, where her beating heart, the source of her life, was.

"Master."

The owl appeared unbothered by her actions, staying motionless and silent on her shoulder.

Orion glanced at her with a neutral expression.

Slowly, each sphere cracked open and vanished, releasing the women who had been sealed inside.

With slow steps, the twenty-six remaining servants walked toward Marie and Orion.

One by one, they kneeled in front of the man who gave a new meaning to their lives.

"..."

As the last maid, Martha, kneeled, Orion felt slightly confused. His power was perfect to read the happenings of a battle. Not to read others' emotions.

"We are grateful."

Marie's calm and soft voice entered his ears once again. Letting the woman speak, he placed his hands on his hips and waited.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"You have given us the opportunity to keep following Olivia, but also given us the power to serve you."

"We often felt helpless. The magic we feel in our body was a power we wished we had at many times."

"Many events would have gone better if we had this kind of power."

She closed her eyes and dropped her face.

"Of course, it would be presumptuous of me to say that we were jealous. It is obvious that this power isn't to be taken for granted."

"I do not understand the reason for this magnanimous act, nor do I dare question it. As you've entrusted it to our hands, we will not disappoint."

"Our lives are yours to use."

The others also closed their eyes and lowered their heads.

Suddenly, a drop of sweat fell down Orion's cheek.

'What?'

Confused, he looked toward Olivia, who was watching this scene with a mild smile, her chin placed on her knees.

"I... There might be a misunderstanding."

The maids stared at him with a gaze full of devotion.

"Hmm..."

These stares made him feel uneasy. Somehow, he knew that whatever he would say, nothing would change.

"I didn't give you this power so you could serve me. I did it because I was curious."

He tried to show that he was somehow irresponsible with his actions, but they didn't care.

"Whatever the reason is, you've given a new meaning to our lives. No one besides you could have provided the opportunity to grow past our limits."

They all nodded.

This entire event was the last point they needed to acknowledge him as a perfect being to serve.

"Your kindness toward us, the care you showed in remembering us, and your genuine love toward Olivia."

"We would like to protect it. Please."

Rubbing his nape, Orion pondered.

'I just wanted to give them an opportunity to stand against me... This wasn't part of my plan.'

Smiling with a defeated look, he nodded.

"Alright. Fine."

Beaming smiles appeared on their faces.

"Let me be clear."

Suddenly, he caught their attention.

"Nothing has changed. You are still Olivia's maid squad. I won't give you orders unless I bring you somewhere dangerous."

"Understood?"

They stood up and stared at him with serious expressions.

"Of course. We would never abandon her."

Olivia appeared surprised. She thought her maid would stay by his side instead of her, but it wasn't the case.

"We are still her retainers, and Noctelagia cannot be ruled properly if Olivia isn't at her maximum."

"If we were to leave, she would be sad. We never learned to be ungrateful."

Eden and Alice smiled at each other while thinking of their poor friend being left alone.

With a smile, Orion turned toward his wife. The two stared at each other until Olivia shrugged.

"Do what you want."

She smiled in return, but inside, she felt relieved.

Her friends were still there. What she failed to understand was that there was space for both of them in the maids' hearts. The devotion they had toward Orion never replaced the love they had for her.

Orion turned to the maid, adding one last thing.

"You said you'd give your lives if I ordered it."

"Yes."

Marie nodded.

"Don't ever listen to such an order."

"Why?"

"Because no one can replace you. Once you are gone, there is no way to fill that spot anymore."

"So I will never order you to sacrifice yourself. Instead, I want you to flee and survive if anything happens."

They stared at Orion as if he had said something outrageous, but rapidly, their gazes warmed up.

"Sure. We'll take that to heart."

Marie bowed her waist, followed by the others.

"For now..."

Orion looked at the circle on the ground. He was still at the very center.

As the maid straightened, Orion smiled.

"Let me see what you can do."

He pointed his finger at six women.

"Alisa."

"Zara."

"Noelle."

"Martha."

"Celeste."

"And Marie."

The head maid stood at her spot, while the other five walked up next to her.

"From now on, you have relinquished your humanity."

"You are to take the name of my faction, the Agathion."

They nodded.

"Those who wield the power of the void are Agathions."

Then he pointed his finger toward a few of the others.

"Marisa."

"Grace."

"Angie."

"Sonia."

"Helen and Helena."

"Niya."

"And Eden."

Pointing to his left, the eight women walked in that direction, separating from the others.

"Eight of you have become angels. The power of light magic is in your hand."

The fact that Orion gave not just a part of his energy to them and actually created full-fledged elements to carry his desire made their power even more genuine.

It wasn't borrowed power. They were at the same stage Orion was shortly after leaving Auro.

"Like I said, I am unsure if that is true, so-"

Just as he was about to ask, the eight women who received the power of the light linked their core to the element inside it.

*Flash*

Surprised, Orion watched eight barely visible halos form over their heads.

"..."

The maids looked at each other with a smile after seeing his reaction.

"I guess there's no need to do an analysis. You've definitely turned from humans to angels."

The difference between a human and an angel or demon wasn't much. Their physique was altered somehow to acclimate to the magic in their bodies, and their lifespan extended greatly thanks to it.

But ultimately, the base component was that they were humans to begin with. The Agathions worked the same way, albeit the factions formed two separate groups.

The other maids walked to his right without being ordered too and immediately activated their magic for the first time.

"Sonia."

"Laure."

"Isa."

"Chloe."

"Claire."

"Rene."

"Lilian."

"Haileen."

"Ollie."

"Kate."

"Alma."

"Serena."

"And Alice."

Thirteen maids began to feel changes happen to their bodies. The result of magic flowing through their veins caused physical changes that only appeared when magic was used.

Horns and tails.

Various forms and shapes, belonging to the demon people of the past, modified their appearances slightly.

They were the ones feeling closest to Olivia, who was also a demon.

But, as soon as they depleted their energy, both sides returned to normal.

"I confirmed that you've become demons. Unlike Olivia, your traits disappear once magic is stopped."

Turning his face toward his wife, Orion pondered.

'Does that mean that Olivia is a pureblood demon? There is no more human blood in her veins, so she cannot revert to a human form?'

'I never considered that option before.'

Turning back toward the maids, Orion finally walked outside the circle.

"That's that."

"You should focus on improving that power. If you require training, you can seek any one of us."

"I can help with each type, but if you are looking for light magic, Karteira is your best pick."

"For dark magic, Olivia is perfect for that."

"And for void magic, I suggest Amelia. Tetra could be helpful, so if you need to share something, seek her out."

They nodded.

"Once you feel you've improved enough, we'll try again. Once you'll push me out of this circle..."

His entire face turned darker.

"It'll be time to pay a little visit to our not so friendly invaders."

Only his anthracite eyes shone radiantly, piercing into emptiness.

As his expression returned to normal, he smiled.

"You can return to your duties. I bet Olivia's behind his sore from sitting in the grass, so help her out."

With a nod and a smile, the maids rapidly scattered before being sent back to Noctelagia with their master.