A Job Well Done

Magna's broom took off chaotically into the sky. Asta was swinging his arms around enjoying the feeling of the ride while Magna yelled at him to grab onto something so he didn't fall off. Asta grabbed onto Noelle's waist which made her freak out and knock him off the broom stick.

"Asta!" You shouted after Asta who was falling through the air behind them.

"Don't worry Lily, I'm on it. Hang on guys!" Magna said as he turned his broom around, swooped down and caught Asta as he fell. He dangled by his shirt from the broom's bull skull horn, totally traumatized from the experience. Shortly after, the four of you arrived at the outskirts of Saussy Village. It didn't take long for you guys to spot the boars. They had huge tusks and fiery mana blazing off their heads and hooves. Magna sat down and rested himself against his broom stick to recharge his energy and magic power. You and Noelle kept an eye on the boars in the distance. Asta charged towards the boars with confidence. As he approached them, he realized just how huge they were and started to back off. But it was too late, one of the boars had already noticed him and started to chase him and fling him about. Noelle watched the scene, but didn't jump in to help him because of her lack of belief in her ability to do anything.

"Magna, don't you think we should be helping him?" Noelle asked Magna who gave her a tired look.

"I'm not doing anything 'til I've rested up a little. Do you know how much work it was flying you three out here? It took a whole lot of freakin' magic and muscle." Magna said as he watched Asta get flung into the air by a boar.

"Ah it'll be okay. Asta's a sturdy guy." Manga said, smiling as he watched Asta was getting chased back and forth.

"Yes but..." Noelle said with a bit of concern which surprised you a bit.

"If you're so worried, then go help him. I ain't gonna stop ya." Magna said with a relaxed tone as Noelle just sighed. She walked over closer to the boar and opened her grimoire and cast a water ball spell at the boar that had Asta cornered. But then the water sphere changed direction and hit Asta instead.

"Why me?!" Asta yelled as he got doused by Noelle's spell. Magna laughed at the whole scene and you giggled a bit. It was quite amusing after all. If Asta got hurt, then you'd be concerned. But as Magna said, Asta is a sturdy guy. There was no reason for you to worry. After you finished laughing at Asta, you joined in to help him. You summoned your scythe from the pages of your grimoire and flipped through them to the water spell section. The glyphs were solid black in color, meaning that they were usable.

"Water Creation Magic: Swirling Water Sphere!" You shouted and created the same spell as Noelle did earlier that accidentally hit Asta. You pointed at the boar with your scythe blade and willed the water ball to hit it. The ball of swirling water shot towards the boar and hit it dead on, slamming it into a boulder and knocking it out cold while putting out the fire on its head and hooves. Asta stopped running, realizing that the boar wasn't chasing him anymore.

"Woohoo! Way to go Lily!" Magna cheered as Noelle looked at you, shocked that you just used her magic to attack the boar and actually hit your target.

"Wow Lily... you actually got the boar using the same spell I used. Wait, I thought you could only use the magic of your opponents." Noelle said as her look of amazement was replaced with one of confusion.

"I can use the magic of both foes and allies that are within my vicinity. But I can only use magic attributes once my weapon has come in contact with the mana. I have access to your magic because I slashed through it to help Asta save you when your magic spun out of control and you're in my vicinity. I wouldn't be able to use it if you weren't nearby." You told Noelle who began to understand how your grimoire and weapons worked.

"I see. But if you're using my magic, how come you didn't miss the boar?" Noelle asked as you stopped to think for a moment.

"Hmm... I guess the original wielder's level of control doesn't affect my accuracy." You said as Noelle's facial expression became sullen.

"Oh sorry... I didn't realize how that came out. I-I didn't mean to offend you." You apologized to Noelle, waving your hands back and forth in an apologetic manner.

"It's fine, don't worry about it..." Noelle said with her head down. You approached Noelle and rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Hey, don't feel down. Your magic power is amazing. You just need some practice. That's what we're here for... well partly why. So let's do our best together. Okay Noelle?" You said, giving Noelle a reassuring smile. She raised her head and gave you a faint smile back.

"Okay." Noelle responded. The two of you charged towards the two boars that was chasing Asta. But before you guys could do anything, Asta leapt into the air and pulled out his anti-magic sword and took down the beasts.

"You got 'em! Not bad runt. But... the fun's not over yet." Magna said to Asta as he pointed at the three boars that remained. You, Asta and Noelle attacked the herd together. Asta used his anti-magic sword to take down another boar. Noelle kept trying to shoot water balls at one of the two boars. She managed to get one of them while aiming at a different boar.

"Nice Noelle! You got one!" You complimented Noelle as you finished off the boar Noelle hit with your scythe.

"Well it's only natural that I'd able to get at least one. I am royalty after all." Noelle said as she flipped one of her pigtails back.

'But I was aiming at a completely different boar. I just got lucky.' Noelle thought to herself as she looked down towards the ground. You looked at Noelle with concern because you could tell what she was thinking.

"Okay this last one's all mine!" You said as Asta and Noelle stepped back. You switched between Magna's fire magic and Noelle's water magic to stun the last boar and then used your anti-magic scythe to finish it off. Now all that was left to do was carry the boars into Saussy Village to end the mission. Magna picked up the boar you and Noelle took down together, you grabbed the boar you just finished off, and Asta grabbed the three boars he killed. Right as you guys were about to head towards Saussy Village, Asta approached you.

"I can take that for you Lil." Asta said as you looked at Asta while raising an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? You already have three boars. And these guys aren't exactly light." You said to Asta.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Just add it to the stack." Asta said as he gave you a large grin.

"Okay, if you insist." You said as you tossed the boar up. It landed on top of the other three boars on Asta's shoulders. His legs trembled a bit under the added weight of your boar. Noelle stared at you, amazed at your physical strength. You were able to carry a giant boar with ease and throw it high into the air like it was nothing. And it was all due to your training with Asta the past five years. The four of you then walked to Saussy Village with the guys carrying the boars. You noticed Asta was struggling a little with the four boars on his shoulders.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take back my boar?" You asked Asta as he shook his head no.

"Don't worry about me Lil. I'm good." Asta said giving you a smile.

"Another display of your freakish strength." Noelle said as the four of you walked along the path.

"Please, a few of these pigs is nothing, child's play!" Asta said as he trudged along.

"You really are something else. If this doesn't impress Seihi, I don't know what will. Yeah! Big piggy party tonight!" Magna said, thinking of the big feast that the boars would provide meat for. Noelle then asked Magna about Seihi and how he knew him. Magna went on to tell you guys his history with the chief of Saussy Village, reminiscing on his past. He explained that Seihi was the one who made him into the person he was today and that he respected him about as much as he did Captain Yami. Suddenly Magna stopped and dropped his boar and the rest of you followed his lead and ran towards the village to get a better view of it. It was shrouded in a dome of mist. Asta thought it was some kind of weird weather which Noelle corrected him saying it was magic which seemed to shock him. The four of you approached the edge of the village where the mist began. Magna said that this magic wasn't any of the villager's magic and it wasn't Seihi's either meaning that something bad happened here. He then told you and Asta to cut through the mist with your anti-magic weapons. He told you and Asta where to go next as you guys swung your weapons through the mist, clearing it up for you guys to see. When you got to the square, the villagers were all huddling in fear together with giant ice shards hovering over them, ready to drop down at any moment.

"Kill them." A voice sounded as the ice shards began to fall down towards the villagers. Magna charged into action, casting many fireballs which countered the ice shards and exploded on contact and destroyed them. One of the villagers recognized Magna who asked him what was going on. Then he saw an older man lying on the ground lifeless. Magna ran over to the older man's side.

"Hey come on! Stay with me old man!" Magna shouted as he shook the older man's shoulders, but it was no use.

"He can't be gone." A man nearby said with tears in his eyes.

"He was just protecting us." Another man said. He was also teary eyed.

"They're here just like you said Grandpa. The magic knights showed up. We'll be safe now. Your prayers were heard." A little boy said to the lifeless older man as tears streamed down his cheeks. Then Magna stood up in anger and glared at the group a mages on the side.

"Are you the one who's responsible?!" Magna yelled at the group. The man with short silver hair and a scar above his right eye extending diagonally across his face looked at his pocket watch then looked coldly at the four of you standing in front of the villagers.

"You've thrown off my schedule. I don't appreciate that. Ten seconds from now, everyone here will die." The man said, completely ignoring Magna's question. He raised his grimoire and formed a giant ice cone, sharp at the tip. He sent it racing towards the four of you and the villagers. Without hesitation, you and Asta charged at the large sharp ice formation together and sliced through it with your weapons.

"Think again!" You and Asta said aggressively in unison.

"Why would you want to do something so horrible? Who do you think you are?!" Asta asked the ice mage who seemed to be the leader of mages. The man didn't answer Asta and just kept staring at his pocket watch. The other mages began conversing among themselves about why the magic knights were there and how they got through the mist. Then the ice mage leader said he was gonna dispose of everyone here and look for what they came here for.

"You really think you can ignore us?!" Asta yelled as he charged at the group.

"Yeah!" You said as you followed Asta's lead. One of the mages then used his grimoire and shrouded you and Asta in mist which you guys easily cut through. This caught the group off guard.

"I asked you why you tried to massacre these villagers and I want an answer now!" Asta demanded the group of mages. The leader ice mage then sighed and decided to answer Asta's question, explaining the three realms the Clover Kingdom was divided into: the Noble Realm, the Common Realm, and the Forsaken Realm. He said that the inhabitants of the Forsaken Realm have barely any magic and are like beasts that can't use tools and that Saussy Village is in the Forsaken Realm. He explained his intent was to dispose of the useless beasts that would waste his time.

"You may think they're nothing but useless beasts. But I'll do whatever I can to protect them!" Asta said as the ice mage formed ice shards and shot them at you and Asta. The two of you hit them back at him. He dispelled them before they did any damage to him and his group of mages. He created more ice shards and had them fly straight towards you guys again. You and Asta were kept busy dealing with all the ice shards. Magna jumped in and exploded the ice shards with his fireballs. Noelle tried to attack the group of mages with a large water ball but her shot was a little short. The ice mage took notice of Noelle's lack of ability to control her magic and said that the Black Bulls must have accepted her out of desperation. You briefly looked back at Noelle worried for her and it seemed like his words were stinging.

"Noelle! Don't give up!" You shouted at her, but it was no use. It seemed she was stuck in her own thoughts at this point. But then a little village girl grabbed onto Noelle's clothes and begged her to help them, saying they needed her. This seemed to spark determination in Noelle and her grimoire flipped to a new page.

"Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!" Noelle said as a huge dome of water swirled around the four of you and all the villagers. The ice shards flew at the dome but disappeared as they made contact with the raging water dome. Everyone was protected under Noelle's spell. Then Asta left the safety of the water dome and stabbed the ice mage in the chest with his sword. Unfortunately he slipped on some ice which killed his momentum and reduced the amount of damage dealt to the ice mage and he struck back with his ice which injured and knocked Asta down. The ice mage approached the water dome and began to freeze it.

"I'm not done yet!" Asta said as he got up and attempted to take a swing at him but got injured again by more sharp ice. He stood up yet again and tried to strike the ice mage only to be hit by the ice, sending him rolling over several times from the impact further injuring him. But Asta was a stubborn guy and despite his injuries, he got up again. Magna looked at you and got your attention.

"We can't just stay in here. We have to help Asta! I think it's time for a baptism." Magna said to you as you nodded your head. Then the two of you left the safety of the water dome to help Asta. Right as the ice mage was about to kill Asta, Magna got the ice mage's attention.

"If you wanna go after him, just try it! I'll give you a fair warning though, in order to do that you gotta go through me and Lily!" Magna said as Asta stared at him.

"What are you two doing?" Asta asked as Magna laughed deviously. The ice mage said you and Magna were just being reckless to being on an early death.

"Bring it on! You ready Asta, Lily? Time for a baptism." Magna said as you and Asta understood the assignment.

"Here we go! All the magic power I've got left!" Magna said as he readied himself and you did the same.

"Flame Magic: Prison Death Scattershot!" You and Magna shouted as you guys threw a ton of fireballs at the ice mage.

"This is the final spell of your pathetic life? What a complete waste." The ice mage said as he deflected most of fireballs, the rest just went past him. Magna collapsed after casting his spell.

"Your time is up." The ice mage said as he formed a ton of ice shards above you and Magna and willed them to fall and kill you all. Suddenly, a small water dome appeared around you and Magna, protecting you two by the ice shards. You just smirked back at the ice mage.

"You wish!" Asta said as he hit the fireballs that flew past the ice mage earlier back at him. The fireballs exploded when they hit the ice mage and his followers. Asta then knocked out the ice mage with his sword. After it was all over, the flames on the evil mages took on a new form of ropes around them, binding them. Unfortunately, one of the mages got away by turning into water. Asta let out a victory yell then collapsed. You and Magna ran over to check on Asta who was just fast asleep. Well, you couldn't blame him. He used a lot of energy fighting that ice mage in order to protect everyone.

~Time Skip~

You, Asta, Noelle and Magna were waiting for the restrained ice mage and his two remaining followers to regain consciousness. When he did, Magna told them they were gonna pay for what they did today. But then the ice mage pulled out a magic item and froze himself and his two followers. Then the ice shattered, killing the three of them. Now there was no one to turn in. Asta got angry at the idea that there were people like them that treated life like it was something that could be thrown away.

~Another Time Skip~

The sun was setting and the four of you were at Seihi's burial site with the little boy who was Seihi's grandson and the little girl from earlier. The granson was talking about Seihi and how he wished he would've worked harder to become a magic knight and that he regretted not doing so. Then he looked at the four of you and asked if you guys thought he could become a magic knight too. You and Asta stated that neither of you had any magic power and managed to become magic knights. You guys told him that it was possible, but it's not gonna be easy and that he'll have to work hard and always do his best. Suddenly an antibird started pecking Asta on the head. Then he noticed it had a lavender stone in its beak to which Seihi's grandson said that's the stone his grandfather carried around with him. Asta tried to take the stone from the bird to give it back to the boy, realizing it was something sentimental to Seihi. But the boy said the bird could keep the stone if it wanted to. The bird then perched on Asta's head and Noelle realized just how cute the bird was. Then it started pecking Asta again who reached for the bird and started chasing it around then getting pecked again. Everyone laughed at Asta's expense. After things had calmed down, the four of you headed home back to the Black Bulls hideout. By the time you guys got back home, the sun had nearly set. You and Asta had fallen asleep on the ride home. Magna decided not to wake you two up and just left you both on the broom until you guys woke up. Then the four of you went to go report the mission to Captain Yami.