Zodiac Circle

Chapter 41: New Member

Edmund furrowed his brow and carefully eyed the stranger standing before him:

"Who are you? Strangers aren't allowed in this order".

"Oh, but I'm no stranger".

Edmund blinked at such demonic look of his and nervously adjusted his glasses, his countenance becoming sterner:

"Who are you then? I've never seen you before".

"Demon Lord Kokujin, enchanté," Kokujin stretched out his hand with a smirk.

Hearing the title 'Demon Lord' and the manner of his speech, his voice instantly became familiar for Edmund. He gasped and adjusted his glasses in a stupor as if not believing his eyes:

"Don't tell me... you're Tamie's muse?!"

Kokujin chuckled:

"Good guess".

Edmund stared at him dumbfoundedly at first, but then brightened and welcomingly shook his hand:

"So... are you summoned or?"

"I'm revived".

"Eh? For real?!" he questioningly gazed at Tamie, who had come up to them and was smiling with embarrassment.

"Yes, I... I revived him yesterday. He is of this world now, and can travel between the dream world and our one".

"Amazing... Just like Ivy back then..." Edmund was impressed. He turned back to Kokujin: "So, would you like to join our order?"

"I don't even know... You don't seem all that strong of a group".

"Hey! We're a powerful order!"

"Yeah, couldn't even defeat a single sealed guy and a puny ghost if I hadn't been there".

"Listen, you..." Edmund frowned and wanted to grab him by the collar of his hoodie when the purple-nailed hand of the guy seized his arm and squeezed it. He cried out in pain.

"You want to pick a fight?" Kokujin's icy eyes flashed.

"I wouldn't recommend you picking a fight with me either," Edmund sneered back.

However, there Tamie interfered and pushed them both off each other.

"Stop you two! Why are you fighting over a petty thing like this?!" she scoldingly eyed Kokujin: "Jin, mind your manners! This is not Noiron. Here, you are no king!"

"I know what I am," Kokujin glared back at her and pushed her arm off. "I'll join the Order only to stay close to you..."

Tamie sighed with irritation - such a grumpy guy... Why would she ever create a muse like that?! But it couldn't be helped now.

"Should've said that from the start... Erisa will help you with preparations," Edmund pointed at the counter where the white-haired beautiful girl was talking with Goldmund and having fun. Then he turned away and walked off, wanting to greet Riza who smilingly contemplated them.

Kokujin shrugged and went to the counter, jumped onto one of the chairs, and cut into Erisa's and Goldmund's conversation:

"Yo, Erisa, I need to get registered".

Seriously, no manners... Tamie walked up to them, feeling that it might not go well if she wasn't there.

Erisa surprisedly looked at him, but then beamed politely and took her notebook out:

"Sure! What is your name?"

"Kokujin D'Infernal".

"Oh, cute surname! Have never heard of such one before..."

"It's one of a kind. Only I have it," the boy grinned with pride.

"Hehe, well, no wonder, since you're Tamie's muse... What are your sign and spirit?"

"Leo. Dragon spirit. I'm two years younger than Tamie. She created me first when she was two years old and made her first writing piece".

"Wow, wonderful!" Erisa wrote the information down. "So, what Class do you want to pursue?"

"I'm no Zodiac Master, and don't want to be".

"Eh? But only Zodiac Masters are accepted in this order..."

"Write him as Tamie's muse," Goldmund helped out.

"Huh? B... But..."

Goldmund beamed, took an old notebook from the counter, opened it, and showed her a particular profile of a green-haired, grey-eyed beautiful woman who so greatly resembled him...

"Ivy Steinbock (formerly Ziegen). Scorpio. Sheep spirit. William Steinbock's muse".

Erisa gasped and gazed into Goldmund's twinkling eyes:

"Y... Your mother?" his mother was a muse?! She never knew!

Goldmund nodded, smiling. Erisa first astonishedly blinked at him, but then her lips formed in a kind beam too, and she wrote Kokujin's information down:

"Kokujin D'Infernal. Leo. Dragon spirit. Tamie Wingfield's muse".

Then she turned to Kokujin and gifted him a polite smile:

"You're all set. The Joining Ceremony will be held shortly".

"Thank you!" Kokujin grinned and turned to Goldmund: "Hey, you... So you truly are a muse's son?"

The young man chuckled:

"Yes".

"I guess that is why I got a familiar feeling from you..." Kokujin hit him on a shoulder in a friendly manner, "Cool".

On that day, Kokujin's Joining Ceremony was indeed held, and he became a part of the Order, receiving the Order ring on his left hand just like Tamie.