After everything that happened in Sosshi, things settled with surprisingly little resistance. No hard feelings were left between Seihi and the rest of us, and thanks to Magna's uncharacteristically diplomatic approach, we even managed to walk away with the magic stone. Heath and a few other surviving members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun were taken into custody—teleported by Finral and a group of spatial mages straight to the Wizard King's palace for questioning.
But that left me stuck with a... unique form of transportation.
As part of a bet I lost a while ago—don't ask—Magna saddled me with the task of flying back to base while carrying two people who absolutely cannot ride brooms. Noelle's control is improving, sure, but not enough to trust her to fly solo, especially when her nerves spike like a heroine in withdrawal. And Asta… well, he's Asta. The term "magicless" doesn't exactly scream "skyworthy."
So now here I was, broom in hand, navigating high winds with Asta seated in front of me—because his height made him the least obstructive—and Noelle awkwardly gripping onto the back. Not the most graceful configuration, but hey, it worked.
"You know," Noelle said with a light scoff, "a lady should be in front."
"HUH?! Since when was that a rule?" Asta barked back, clearly offended.
I ignored them. "So. Any questions, rookies?"
I asked it casually, not really expecting much. Truthfully, I was more interested in the silence than the conversation. It let me think, gave me a chance to monitor my mana flow. Using grimoireless magic required near-constant vigilance or the fatigue would eat away at me like rust on a blade.
Asta raised a hand like we were still in class. "Yeah! Why don't you use a grimoire? And also—why was your nose bleeding earlier?"
"Noelle," I said, holding up a hand before she could chide him, "It's fine. He's curious. No harm in that."
I adjusted my posture, stretching my arms slightly to avoid magical burnout. "To answer your first question… I don't use a grimoire because I don't have one. None's chosen me. Ever."
Their silence stretched for a beat too long.
"For real?" Asta asked, wide-eyed. "But you're the vice captain!"
I nodded. "Grimoireless, yeah. Which brings us to your second question. Using advanced magic without one causes feedback. Massive backlash. It's like—" I paused, trying to find the right metaphor, "trying to pour lava into a teacup. Eventually, it overflows, and I'm the one who gets scalded."
"Wait, so… you just force the spell through?" Noelle sounded horrified. "Is that even possible?"
"For me, yes. But only because I'm… built differently," I said with a shrug. 'Though let's be real—it probably wouldn't work at all if I weren't... something else entirely.'
"That's a lot to take in…" Asta looked like he'd just tried reading a textbook upside down.
"Alright, Noelle—your turn."
Her brows furrowed in thought. "How long have you been a Magic Knight? You don't look much older than us. And yet you're a vice captain. Wait—how old are you?"
"Fifteen."
That one word broke both of them.
"You—" she started.
"Were a CHILD," Asta finished, looking genuinely distressed.
I chuckled. "Yami didn't know. With folks like Charmy and Luck around, he probably assumed I was just one of those 'forever-young' types. The guy isn't the most observant when it comes to ages."
They had more questions, of course. Asta threw out the big one:
"So, why's your nickname 'The Fallen Angel'?"
I almost winced. "You saw my magic armor, right?"
Both nodded eagerly.
"Well, during a mission against the Diamond Kingdom last year, I was flying—high altitude—and a bird flew into me. Not magical. Just a really aggressive bird."
"…What?"
"It knocked me out of the sky. I crashed into an active volcano."
"…What?!"
"Yeah. People say it looked like a biblical fall—like an angel cast from heaven into a lake of fire. And because it resembled a verse from church scripture, the title stuck. Not my idea, by the way."
"That's actually kind of awesome…" Asta muttered, starstruck.
I looked down at him. 'I wonder… is he short because of malnutrition? Yuno was shorter than me at the entrance exams, but now he's grown. And we're twins, right? Same genes, but different environments. Poor diet impacts growth, and the church kids lived off potatoes and prayer. Might explain it.'
I was about to ask something else when Asta suddenly pointed.
"Whoa! Yuno has a necklace just like that one—but the stone's yellow!"
I followed his gaze down to my pocket where the magic stone sat, glinting faintly. Same shape and design as Yuno's, but blue. I blinked.
"…Right. I forgot I even had this." I slipped it over my neck. 'The book mentioned that our parents used these stones to tell us apart. Hilariously, I think I got the one meant for Yuno. I was born first. They must've wanted to make sure the heir didn't get swapped.'
The questions didn't stop there. Favorite food? Steak and cheese sandwiches. Favorite drink? Pomegranate juice. Dessert? Mango flan. Favorite color?
"Yellow and white."
"That's TWO!" Noelle shouted, trying to rock the broom in protest.
"Nuh uh."
"Where are you from?"
"Valona," I said. "A border village near the Diamond Kingdom."
"Was," Asta corrected, surprisingly perceptive.
"Yeah. Diamond razed it. Burned it to the ground. I fled with the other orphans."
"…Wait, why'd you flee if they 'raised' it?" Asta tilted his head.
"I said razed, not raised."
"Oh."
"They destroyed it," Noelle clarified, her tone gentler now. "I've… heard of Valona. I'm sorry."
I waved it off. "No need. If it hadn't happened, Yami wouldn't have found me. It all worked out."
"Do you know any of the other survivors?" Asta asked.
"Of course. In a village that small, there's no such thing as privacy."
We both laughed—Asta a little too late to make it seem natural, but the sentiment was there. Noelle just looked confused.
"We're back," I announced. "No more questions. I want sleep."
—Loyce's Room—
"Hmm…" I tapped my quill, then resumed writing.
I'd just sent a formal request to the Wizard King, asking him—no, begging him—to forgive the damage the Black Bulls had caused. In my defense, if Vangeance got a pardon for almost committing genocide just by saying "I'm sorry," then surely the minor property damage and noise complaints from our squad weren't so serious.
'Wait, Vangeance apologized to Julius. I'm not offering anything… That won't work.'
I scratched that out and started over.
'I'll mention Asta's anti-magic. That'll get the geek in him excited enough to overlook the damages.'
Just as I was finishing, I spotted a small anti-bird tapping at my window. 'Secre? No… just a normal one.'
Still, something gnawed at me.
"If Julius sends Asta to that dungeon, I'll finally get a look at anti-magic in action. If mana is life force… then what's its opposite? Death magic? Negative mana? No, it can't be that simple…"
A voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Hey pal. Remember me?"
I didn't need to turn around. "You already know the answer. Besides we talked a couple days ago."
The voice came from the Black Clover grimoire. Two grotesque eyes sat where the four- and five-leaf clovers were. Its mouth—yes, it had one—was full of jagged teeth and a disturbingly pink tongue.
"What, am I bad luck or something?" it grinned.
"Every time I hear you, something weird happens."
The book—Azazel—smirked wider. "I just wanted to say thanks. For the gift. Now for mine."
I blinked. "What gift?"
The clock ticked in the background, ominous and patient.