3 months later.
Month: December.
Outside the church, Sister Lily is hanging up the laundry.
And a few steps away, Asta is in a strange pose, making even stranger hand movements in front of a wood-burning stove.
"Haaaa," with a flourish, Asta points at the wood inside the stove.
Falling to her knees, Asta laments, "Why won't it work?! Why can't I do magic?!"
Recovering her composure, Asta says, "Ah, Sister, I'll hang the laundry, don't worry."
"You're very kind, Asta."
"Marry me."
"I can't," Sister Lily replies to Asta quickly and decisively.
"Marry me."
"I can't."
"Marry me."
"I... can't."
With comical tears in her eyes, Asta's head touches the ground, "Marry me."
Behind Asta, Yuno approaches carrying Nash, with Recca by his side.
"Don't cry too, Yuno," Recca says to Yuno.
"It's just... Nash... Nash, I can't stop crying," he says with tears in the corners of his eyes.
Hearing Yuno approaching, Asta stands up while wiping away her tears with her arms.
With confidence in her voice, Asta declares, "Yuno, leave it to me, someday I'll be the Wizard King, making a child stop crying is a piece of cake."
"Don't talk nonsense, Asta, Nash will cry even more if you try to make him stop crying, and besides, being the Wizard King has nothing to do with making a child stop crying," a voice makes Asta's expression change.
"Wendy, at least let me try, how do you know I can't?" Asta protests as she watches Wendy take Nash from Yuno's arms.
Calmly, Wendy takes Nash in her arms, and with a comforting presence and voice, Nash stops crying.
"It's okay, Nash, everything is fine."
"Wow—" everyone was astonished by how easily Wendy managed to calm Nash. "It's nothing to be surprised about, after all, I learned it through practice."
"Huh? And how did you learn it, Wendy?" Asta asks.
"Well, by taking care of you and Yuno, of course, who else could it be?" Yuno blushes at the statement.
Descending from the air on his magic broom, the priest lands at the church.
"Alright, I need someone to do me a very important favor, children," Father Orsi says as he walks towards the children.
"Me, me, me, me, me, I'll do the important thing!" Asta excitedly shouts, waving his arms in the air.
"Would someone be so kind as to deliver this letter to the mayor?" Ignoring Asta, who is still saying (me), Father Orsi stops in front of Wendy.
"It's a very important letter, Wendy, will you take care of it?" Kneeling down to Wendy's eye level, Father Orsi asks her.
"Oh, I won't be able to, Father. I set some traps in the forest for animals, and I have to check if any prey has been caught."
"And besides, it's going to snow today, and I have to remove the traps that are near the road so that the villagers aren't accidentally affected."
"You'd better give it to Yuno or Asta, they're quite reliable, Father."
With a sigh, the priest turns to Yuno.
"Yuno, this letter is very, very important. Since Wendy will be busy, I'm worried about leaving it in Asta's hands."
"I can't deliver this letter. I have to visit the mayor of our neighboring village. We need to ask for more food to get through the winter; there aren't enough Nomobatatas left, they've run out," Father Orsi says, sweat running down his face.
"Yuno, if you want, I can do it," Asta says calmly.
Shaking his head, Yuno says, "No, it's okay, Father asked me, I'll deliver it."
"Are you sure you can do it alone?" Asta asks.
"Yes, it's fine." "Father, it's going to snow in about two hours, and if you don't leave now, you won't be able to return until tomorrow at noon," Wendy tells Father Orsi.
"If Wendy says so, it must be true. After all, Wendy has never been wrong about the weather."
"In that case, I'll hurry." Saying this, Father Orsi mounts his magic broom and slowly flies out of the church.
"Father, fly faster, faster!" Wendy shouts after Father Orsi.
With a thumbs-up, Father Orsi speeds up considerably.
"Sister, please take care of Nash," Wendy says as she hands the baby to the sister.
"Of course, Wendy, but be careful in the forest."
"Yes, I'll be careful, Sister."
Wendy's point of view.
As I walk from the forest, I can see the village.
Today is undoubtedly the day Asta and Yuno become rivals.
And that drunkard will try to steal Yuno's necklace.
That guy is quite a nuisance in the village. Ever since his wife left him for being an alcoholic and doing nothing, his behavior has annoyed everyone in the village.
I'm carrying three chicken-like creatures.
I don't intend to prevent this event; after all, this is one of the events that shapes the future of the world.
Although it would be nice to witness the event.
Besides, a person who can steal from and hit a child... is... scum and should be killed.
Using Shunpo, I arrive at the church in less than two minutes.
"Sister, I brought some Cucuru that I caught in the forest," I say as I enter through the back of the church.
"It's good that you arrived at this moment, Wendy," Sister Lily took the three cookies from my hands with a worried look.
"Sister, what's wrong?" I asked her, knowing what was happening.
After all, I saw Asta running towards the village when I arrived.
"Wendy, Yuno still hasn't returned, Asta went to look for him, but I'm still a little worried. Can you go and look for them?" Sister Lily asked with concern in her voice.
"Okay, Sister, I'll go look for them." With that said, I left the church, and when I could no longer feel the sister's gaze, I used Shunpo at high speed towards the village.
Using my magic perception, I found Yuno's mana.
With quick steps using my Shunpo, I arrived to see Asta being constantly beaten.
I, hidden on one of the roofs of the nearby houses, watched indifferently.
After the man gave up on Asta, I secretly followed him.
I don't have time to witness their promise.
Walking along the walls of the houses thanks to my mana control, I followed him cautiously.
I'm not so stupid as to leave my footprints in the snow.
I went ahead a few houses to wait for him, and when I heard his voice nearby, I attacked.
"I can't believe it, those brats are so persistent. I just wanted that necklace to sell it, what's the problem?" A drunken voice spoke in the streets, complaining.
"You'll see, when that brat is alone I'm going to..." His words couldn't finish because suddenly his body fell to the ground in 16 pieces.
His body was cut into 16 pieces by multiple sharp wind blades.
The head, the two shoulders, the elbows of the arms, the two wrists, the upper part of his torso, the waist, the two legs cut from the pelvis, the two knees, and the two feet.
It was a sight that could leave a person dead from terror.
And I, who caused this scene, feel nothing in my heart.
I have no emotional fluctuations whatsoever. I always knew I was a person with few emotions.
When I wasn't watching anime or talking to other people were the only times I experienced any significant emotional fluctuations.
But if I wasn't watching anime or talking to other people, my emotions were quite muted. I remember it all started when a coworker of my father showed me a video of a prison massacre when I was about 10 years old.
Blood everywhere and inmates killing each other.
That video was the beginning of my realization that human life wasn't anything special.
And what ultimately confirmed that fact for me was the death of this person.
My thoughts only lasted about 5 seconds.
Without hesitation, I used Shunpo at the fastest speed I'd ever used it since I learned it.
Now that I think about it, I won't have nightmares tonight.
Probably not, according to a documentary in my previous life, all murderers had nightmares for several days after their first kill.
*Sigh.*
Now that I think about it, I cut him into several pieces. It reminds me of Arcueid Brunestud, who was cut into 17 pieces.
I always liked that scene, and it seems I cut him in a similar way without even realizing it.
Well, I have to find Yuno and Asta.
My Shunpo took me near the entrance of the village.
When I turn around and start running to look for Asta and Yuno, only about 15 seconds later I see Yuno supporting Asta so he can walk better.
"Yuno, what's wrong with Asta? Why is he so beaten up?!" I shout loudly and run even faster to catch up with them.