"Alright, stop shouting, my ears are going to go deaf."
Ryoma rubbed his ears helplessly, looking at Asta, who was full of energy outside the door.
Asta urged, "Hurry! Captain Yami is already waiting for us in the hall!"
The two arrived at the Black Bulls' base hall, one after the other.
As soon as they stepped in, a figure flickering with electricity suddenly shot in front of Asta.
Zzzzt—!
"Let's fight! Asta!"
Luck's face wore his usual battle-crazed smile, his body wrapped in lightning, his fighting spirit high.
"Whoa!" Asta jumped in fright, quickly waving his hands.
"Not now, Luck-senpai. We have to go to Magic Knight headquarters to report our mission."
"Let's fight after you report the mission." Luck insisted, the electric light almost touching Asta's nose.
"I already said..."
"Too noisy."
A deep, oppressive voice sounded, instantly quieting the entire hall.
Yami, cigarette in mouth, stood up from the sofa and glanced at Luck, who was emitting electricity.
"Do you want to tear down the base here?"
"Hehe, how could I?" Luck immediately retracted his magic, scratched his head, and gave an innocent smile.
Yami stretched lazily and said to Luck and Magna, who was watching the commotion, "There's a battle mission, you two go together."
Ryoma watched from the side, understanding.
With Luck's personality, if he went with them to the Magic Knight headquarters, he would most likely cause some trouble. Yami was nipping the problem in the bud.
"Alright, Ryoma, Asta, and Noelle, let's go."
After Yami finished speaking, he walked straight towards the door.
"Yes."
The three quickly followed.
—
Clover Kingdom, Royal Capital, the core area of the kingdom.
As soon as Yami arrived at the Royal Capital, he disappeared in a flash, leaving only a message.
"You kids take your time and come over yourselves."
"Seriously! Couldn't he have taken us along?" Noelle folded her arms across her chest, complaining with a pout.
"As expected of Captain Yami. So cool." Asta, on the other hand, had a look of adoration, his eyes shining.
Just then, a familiar voice sounded from ahead.
"Yo, it's you guys."
They looked up to see Yuno, Klaus, and Mimosa walking from another intersection. Judging by their direction, they were clearly also heading to the Magic Knight headquarters.
"Yuno!"
Asta's fighting spirit immediately ignited when he saw his rival.
However, this time, before the two could begin their usual rivalry, Klaus proactively walked up to Asta and Noelle. He pushed up his glasses, his expression a bit unnatural, but he still bowed slightly and solemnly.
"Before, in the dungeon, I was prejudiced against you both, I'm sorry."
"Eh?" Asta and Noelle were both stunned.
Klaus looked up, his gaze beneath his glasses incredibly sincere. "I admit, you are excellent Magic Knights."
This sudden recognition left Asta instantly flustered, his face even turning a bit red.
"N-not really. Hehehe..." He scratched his head, grinning foolishly.
Ryoma, watching from the side, subtly smiled.
It seemed that the battle fought side-by-side in the dungeon had changed many things, and Klaus, that rigid noble, had let go of his unnecessary class prejudice.
"Hmph, at least you have some discernment."
Although Noelle's words still carried her usual tsundere tone, the expression on her face had clearly softened a lot.
The two teams merged into one, walking together towards the Magic Knights headquarters.
As they reached the entrance, a figure appeared in their line of sight.
"Yo! You worked hard on this mission."
The newcomer had short golden hair and a pure, curious, childlike smile on his face. It was the kingdom's strongest fighter, the 28th Wizard King—Julius Novachrono.
"The Wi-Wizard King?!"
Except for Ryoma, Yuno, and Asta, everyone else was startled and quickly bowed respectfully.
"No need to be so formal."
Julius waved his hand, smiling, his gaze sweeping over everyone, finally resting on Asta and Yuno.
"I heard, you both performed exceptionally well in the dungeon."
After reporting the mission, Yuno stepped forward and opened his grimoire. He showed Julius the page recording that mysterious magic.
Julius' gaze was instantly drawn to the mysterious script on the page, his eyes gleaming as if he had seen some peerless treasure.
"Oh! This is... How did you manage to get your hands on it? This magic is probably the most important relic in that dungeon."
Julius excitedly leaned closer, meticulously examining the words.
"Quick! Use it and show me! Please!" He urged, his face full of anticipation.
Yuno shook his head somewhat helplessly. "Sorry. I've tried many times, but I can't activate it."
"Is that so... What a pity." Julius's expression immediately fell.
But he quickly recovered his smile and pointed at the words, explaining, "What I can tell you now is that this magic will grow with you."
Saying this, he handed the grimoire back to Yuno and instructed, "Cherish it well, it will become your most powerful aid."
The Wind Spirit Sylph, the Fire Spirit Salamander, the Water Spirit Undine, and the Earth Spirit Gnome.
As a magic enthusiast, Julius naturally recognized that the recorded words belonged to the Wind Spirit Sylph.
"Me, me, me! I have one too!"
Asta, not to be outdone, quickly pulled out his grimoire and turned to the page with the newly appeared text.
"Wizard King! Look at mine!"
Julius leaned over curiously. However, upon seeing the dark, distorted words, he showed a puzzled expression.
"Hmm... I can't understand it at all, and I haven't seen it before. What peculiar writing."
Hearing that even the Wizard King couldn't decipher it, Asta was instantly a bit disappointed, but he immediately remembered something else.
"That's right! And this!"
He shouted and suddenly drew a new sword from his grimoire.
The demon-dweller sword, covered in patterns and much smaller than the demon-slayer sword, appeared before everyone.
"My magic can be used!" Asta looked at Yuno, showing off proudly.
"Oh? A second anti-magic sword?"
Julius's interest was instantly piqued, his gaze fixed on the sword.
"Anti-magic power... Can I touch it?"
"Of course."
Asta handed over the sword without hesitation.
Julius smiled and reached out to take it. However, the moment he grasped the hilt, the smile on his face stiffened slightly.
An unimaginable sense of heaviness came over him, and at the same time, he could clearly feel the mana in his body being frantically absorbed by this sword. He even stumbled slightly.
However, Julius immediately adjusted his state, as if the discomfort had never appeared, and resumed his relaxed smile, handing the sword back to Asta.
"Thank you, here you go."
"I can't use this sword. Only you, who have no mana, can use it. Hahahahaha."
Asta nodded, half-understanding, and re-gripped his sword, his face full of pride.
Julius looked approvingly at the young people before him. Whether it was Yuno with infinite potential, the unique Asta, or the steady and reliable Ryoma, they all made him see hope for the kingdom's future.
"In any case, your performance was excellent, thank you for your hard work."
"Today, a meritorious service award ceremony will be held, you all should come and participate as well."
"Meritorious service award ceremony?!"
Everyone exchanged glances, their faces showing curiosity.
At this moment, the plot from the anime flashed through Ryoma's mind.
"Meritorious service award ceremony, huh..."
Next should be the beginning of the Eye of the Midnight Sun's first large-scale attack on the Royal Capital.
It was also the day the Captain of the Crimson Lions, Fuegoleon Vermillion, would be severely injured.