Chapter 18: Strange First Mission (1)

[Third Person's PoV] 

"What Stephen said! Your squad members will have your back, so mess up as many times as you need!" Magna said, giving Noelle a thumbs-up.

Magna then looked toward Stephen. "Hey, you know spatial magic. Do you think you could teleport us to Saussy Village?"

"I'd need a clear picture of the place to teleport there. Since I haven't been, I can't. Sorry…" Stephen shrugged.

Magna's shoulders slumped. "I should've known... Finral is the same. I guess we'll just have to take our brooms."

"Except I can't use a broom... I don't have magic," Asta said, raising his hands.

"Neither can I, since I can't control mine," Noelle said, also raising her hand.

Magna facepalmed and looked toward Stephen. "What about you?"

"I don't use a broom... I use my cloak. And it gets jealous when I use something else to fly with."

"I guess that's alright…" Magna said, shaking his head.

"What do you mean it gets jealous?" Noelle asked, giving Stephen a weird look, then glancing at his cloak. "Is... Is that thing sentient?"

The cloak flew off Stephen's shoulders, waved at Noelle, and returned to him.

"You weren't controlling it?" Noelle asked in surprise.

"Nope…"

"Enough about Stephen's magical cloak! I'll show you guys something even cooler," Magna said confidently.

"I mean no offense, but I seriously doubt that," Stephen said with a serious expression.

Magna confidently walked toward a shed, opening it extravagantly before pulling out a punk-style broomstick with a Calavera design on the front and handle.

"TA-DA!!" Magna said, doing jazz hands toward it.

"SO COOL!!" Asta exclaimed.

Noelle stood with a serious expression, while Stephen's cloak flew off his shoulders and slapped Magna roughly across the back.

"Aghhh! What the hell was that for!?" Magna glared at the floating cloak, which appeared to huff and cross its arms.

"It's mad at you for comparing it to something so ugly, obviously," Noelle scoffed. "And honestly, I don't blame it. I'd be offended too if I were compared to that."

The cloak flew toward Noelle and nodded in agreement.

"Oi! Don't disrespect Crazy Cyclone like that! Seeing as Asta finds her cool, it's just a difference in taste between male and female!"

"No, it's not... I find it weird," Stephen said as the cloak returned to his shoulders.

"Then you don't know anything about taste! She's one of a kind! Anyway, those who can't fly, get on her!" Magna said, hopping onto his broom. Asta happily climbed on, holding onto Magna's shoulders.

"YEAAAAHHHHH!!" Asta cheered, pointing forward.

"Yeah, I'm not getting on that thing... I have an image to uphold," Noelle scoffed. "Ah!" she yelped as she was suddenly picked up.

She instinctively grabbed onto the nearest thing, wrapping her arms around Stephen's neck.

"What are you doing!?" Noelle demanded, turning into a blushing mess.

"It's either that thing—" Stephen started.

"That 'thing' has a name, you know!" Magna declared.

"—or I carry you. You choose," Stephen continued.

Noelle looked between Crazy Cyclone and Stephen's face, blushing. She shrank closer into his embrace. "This... This isn't so bad. There's nothing wrong with being carried," she muttered, embarrassed.

Stephen looked at her in amusement as he began to levitate off the ground.

"Alrighty then, LET'S GOOO!!" Magna shouted, blasting off, leaving a trail of flames and smoke.

Stephen flew not far behind, his cloak fluttering in the wind. Noelle had to turn toward Stephen's chest to protect her eyes from the strong air.

'This is so embarrassing…' she thought, a small blush coloring her ears. 'I'm royalty. I shouldn't be going through this embarrassment...'

However, Noelle couldn't help but close her eyes fully, basking in Stephen's warmth and scent. 'He's warm… just like his magic. And he doesn't smell bad at all... He actually smells really nice... At least for a commoner.'

Nero, perched on Stephen's shoulder, gave Noelle a look before glancing at Stephen with narrowed eyes. Stephen, seeing her expression, rolled his eyes in exasperation.

…

They soon found themselves at a crossroads, one path leading to the village they were supposed to visit.

"What is this..." Magna muttered, his expression growing serious.

Stephen floated down, a similar seriousness on his face, and set Noelle down. Though she would never admit it, Noelle was reluctant to let go.

"The entire village is covered in mist..." she whispered, her eyes fixed on the thick fog obscuring the village ahead.

"Asta, cut it down," Stephen ordered. "The mist is magical."

Asta nodded, suspicion creeping into his expression. He summoned his grimoire and dashed toward the village entrance.

"He's fast..." Noelle muttered, impressed by Asta's physical prowess.

Asta swung his sword forward, cutting through the mist with rapid strikes until, with a powerful final swing, it dispersed completely. What lay before them was shocking—huge icicles suspended in the sky, all aimed downward at the terrified villagers huddled together in the village center.

"Commence execution," a cold voice echoed through the air.

Before anyone could react, Magna charged forward, launching multiple fireballs at the icicles, causing them to explode in fiery bursts.

[Fire Magic: Explosive Scattershots]

As the flames cleared, only Magna remained in the center, sweat dripping from his brow as snowflakes gently fell around him.

"It's the Magic Knights! They've come to save us!" the villagers cried out in relief.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Magna shouted, his anger rising.

"Grandpa! Your prayers have been answered!" a little boy sobbed, drawing their attention.

They turned to see the boy crying over an old man lying on the ground, blood pouring from a wound in his stomach. He was unresponsive.

Noelle and Asta's eyes widened in horror, while Magna rushed to the old man's side. "Old man!" he cried, recognizing him as the one he'd made a bet with alongside Yami.

Stephen stepped forward, crouching beside Magna and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Leave him to me. I'll treat the wound."

"You know healing magic?" Magna asked, his expression intense.

"I've been training," Stephen replied simply. He rolled up his sleeves and, with quick, precise hand movements, conjured an orange sewing needle and thread using his Eldritch magic.

As Stephen worked, Magna stood up, fury building. He glared at the man responsible for the attack—a white-haired figure with slanted eyes, casually sitting on a wooden box and checking his watch. Behind him, several men in white hoods stood silently, awaiting orders.

"Was this you!?" Magna demanded, his voice thick with rage.

The man ignored him, still focused on his watch. "How dare you throw me off schedule... In three seconds, all of you will die."

He raised his hand as his grimoire appeared, and a massive glacier of ice materialized before him, launching toward the group.

Before Magna could react, Asta surged forward, cutting the glacier into pieces with rapid swings of his sword. A dark line appeared across Asta's face as his eyes glowed red, glaring at the man with fury.

"Why would you do something so terrible!? Who the hell are you guys!?" Asta shouted, his voice filled with anger.

The hooded figures behind the man murmured among themselves.

"We didn't hear about the Magic Knights being dispatched..."

"Are they on an official mission? How did they break through the mist barrier?"

The man with the watch glanced at it once more, his expression calm. "The Black Bulls... crude heretics who don't fit with the rest of the Magic Knights. Five minutes. The worthless villagers knew nothing. We'll finish them off quickly... then hunt what we seek."

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