He lifted his gaze to look behind Hilda but his eyes widened in surprise when he noticed all the elders bowing in his direction as well.
'What is happening?'
'Why is everyone bowing before me?' Orion wondered with a puzzled look on his face.
The only ones not bowing before him right now were his mother and aunt who were instead smiling at him.
'Why are Mama and Auntie smiling at me?'
'Look behind you, sweetie.'
'Huh?' Orion's eyes widened in disbelief when he suddenly heard Evelyn's voice in his head.
He wondered just how strong his mother was for her to be able to do such a thing.
'I really need to stop underestimating the strength Mama has.'
'She's ranked higher than Rank 24 for a mage.'
'The powers she possesses are unlike anything I could ever imagine,' Orion uttered in his thoughts, but he decided to think about that later because he finally noticed Evelyn pointing at his back.
This meant that whatever was behind him had to be the reason why Hilda and everyone else were on their knees.
Orion slowly turned around to see what was behind him.
He knew his mother wouldn't have asked him to turn around unless she knew it was completely safe for him to do so.
However, when Orion turned around completely, his gaze fell upon a huge fox spirit with several tails.
It was a kitsune with nine tails and it was one of the strongest spirit guardians in the spirit realm.
The moment his eyes met that of the kitsune's, it suddenly pounced on Orion, licking his face non-stop.
"Ahh....hehe...no stop, stop, hehe ..." Orion continued to giggle as the kitsune continued to play with him.
The kitsune was a six-foot-tall spirit fox with snow-white fur and nine tails that were extremely soft and fluffy.
"Wow, I never would have imagined my little nephew would summon a kitsune. Auntie is a bit jealous," Elena appeared behind Orion with Evelyn by her side.
"Fufufu.... That just shows how amazing my little baby is," Evelyn patted her baby's head.
"Thanks.....Mama," Orion thanked his mother when the kitsune finally stopped licking him.
"You're welcome, sweetie. Now, all you have to do is make a contract with your spirit guardian and the two of you will be bonded forever."
Orion nodded his head in understanding before turning his attention back to his spirit guardian.
The kitsune lowered its head and Orion placed his hand on the kitsune's head.
The moment he did, a magic circle suddenly glowed at the back of his hand, signifying the contract that had been forged between the two of them.
Meanwhile, a string of words from the system appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations to the host, you've successfully formed a contract with a spirit guardian.]
[The host has acquired a contract skill, 'Telepathy'.]
[Telepathy:- This skill allows the host to transmit and receive thoughts, emotions, and mental images with its spirit guardian. The skill will slowly continue to grow and evolve, the more your bond with your spirit guardian improves.]
Orion read the details of his newly acquired skill before he suddenly heard a female voice in his head.
"Master, master, master," Orion's kitsune continued to repeat the same word over and over again while wagging her tail excitedly.
It was clear for all to see that Orion's kitsune was really pleased to be his spirit guardian.
"Huh?" Orion turned to his spirit guardian with a surprised look on his face.
Evelyn noticed the look on her baby's face and asked. "What's wrong, sweetie?"
"Um, I think she's a female."
Evelyn giggled at the cute face her adorable little baby was making when he realized this fact about his spirit guardian. "Of course, she is, sweetie."
"Were you perhaps thinking she was a male?" Elena asked.
"Um, Yes, auntie," Orion replied and his spirit guardian whimpered as her ears dropped down depressingly.
Orion noticed the sad look in his spirit guardian and felt sad for calling her a male.
"I'm sorry for assuming you were a male," Orion patted her head and her tail instantly began to wag excitedly again.
His kitsune's body began to glow again and the huge six feet tall spirit fox slowly morphed into a beautiful young girl wearing a kimono.
However, she still had her fox ears and nine tails.
She also had silver hair with blue eyes and she seemed to be around the same height as Orion.
"Wow, sweetie, your spirit guardian is really beautiful," Evelyn patted the little girl's hair and the little fox girl giggled, at how Evelyn called her beautiful.
"What's your name, sweetie?"
"Mia."
"Mia? What a pretty name," Evelyn patted her head again and Mia giggled.
"What do you think, sweetie? She's pretty, isn't she?" Evelyn asked Orion and Orion shifted his gaze to Mia.
Mia looked at him as well, expecting him to compliment her.
Orion could see that she was expecting him to say something, so he slowly placed his hand on her head as well and replied. "Yes, she is."
Mia closed her eyes and leaned closer to Orion so he could pet her more while her tails continued to wag excitedly.
"Thank you, master."
"You're welcome."
"Okay, since we're done here, I guess it's time for us to leave," Elena suggested and Evelyn nodded her head in agreement.
"Yes, we should return back to the castle to prepare for the banquet."
"Okay, mama," Orion nodded his head in response and turned to Mia.
"Are you coming?"
"Um, Can I?"
"Can she?" Orion asked Evelyn.
"Yes sweetie, she can."
"Yay!!!" Mia threw her hands up in excitement. She swiftly held her master's arm and hugged him tightly while the two of them left the sacred grove with Evelyn and Elena walking behind them.
She held him like a little sister would hold onto her big brother's arm while they walked together.
"Master? Master? Master?" Mia called out to Orion.
"Yes, Mia?"
Mia giggled in utter happiness, hearing how her beloved master called her by her name.
With a huge smile on her face, she asked Orion. "Will there be meat at the party?"
"Yes, there will."
"Yay!" she held his hand tighter at his response, but not too tight as she continued to walk by his side.