Chereads / No Magic? No Problem! [Asta X OC] / Chapter 7 - When Will He Realize?

Chapter 7 - When Will He Realize?

Lily, Asta, Yuno, and Nash just finished testing out a theory that Asta developed regarding Lily's grimoire and how it worked. The four of them proved his theory to be correct and headed into the church for lunch right after. She told the rest of the church foster family about the experiment. The conversation eventually shifted over to the Magic Knight's Entrance Exam.

"Oh! The Magic Knight's Entrance Exam is coming up in six months. How do you feel about that Lily?" Sister Lily asked her.

"I feel pretty good about it actually. I've been training hard with Asta for years and I'm going to keep at it so I can further guarantee being accepted into a Magic Knight Squad. I'll make sure to get into one!" Lily said after swallowing a bite of a mouth-drying pot potato. Sister Lily smiled at her confidence and determination.

"Well I think you'll do great, Lily! With your ability to use your opponent's magic, there's no doubt you'll get in! Yuno too, he's amazing. And Asta... well if he doesn't make it, then we'll welcome him back home with open arms." Father said as an annoyed look appeared on Asta's face.

"Hey! I'll get into a Magic Knight Squad too! Just watch me!" Asta yelled with his mouth partially full. Everyone chuckled at his reaction to Father's comment.

"I wish the three of you good luck on the exam. I'm sure you'll all do well." Sister Lily said with that kind smile of hers.

"Sister Lily! You're so kind!" Asta said with admiration and stars in his eyes.

"Thank you Sister." Lily and Yuno said in unison. They both paused looked at each other and everyone laughed at the coincidence.

"You two really are twins! Even though you guys don't act or look much alike." Father said, chuckling as he smiled.

"Well we grew up separately from each other for a decade before reuniting five years ago. You can't expect for us to be identical personality-wise. Plus, we're fraternal twins, not maternal/identical twins." Lily said as she put her arm around Yuno. Asta, who was seated next to her on the other side, made a jealous pout. She noticed Asta's envious stare and giggled, concluding that he didn't even realize it himself: he was jealous of his rival. Which was ridiculous because Yuno was literally your biological brother. Even though Lily really liked Yuno as a person and thought he was very handsome, the very thought of incest disgusted her. The love she had for Yuno was only that of one dear family member to another, nothing more.

~Time Skip: 6 Months~

It was now time to leave for the Royal Capital of the Clover Kingdom. All the orphan kids were sad to see Lily, Asta, and Yuno go and asked if the three of them would write letters and visit from time to time. Nash was still doubtful that Asta would make it into a Magic Knight squad, but he did seem to have a little glint of hope in his eyes.

"Asta will be back soon enough, don't you worry." Nash said to Arlu and Horo with his hands held leisurely behind his head.

"Aww come on Nash." Asta said. Nash approached him with a determined smile on his face.

"But listen, if by some chance, some very small one, you actually manage to join the Magic Knights..." Nash began to say.

"Yeah, what?" Asta asked Nash.

"Then I'll start believing dreams really can come true. That I can be anything I want! And maybe I'll become a Magic Knight too! Or... you know... whatever." Nash said as he turned away from Asta.

"I'll be waiting." Asta said with a smile, giving Nash a thumbs up.

"Sure." Nash said sarcastically.

"Well geez Nash, have a little more faith in Asta! Not having much faith in him means you have little faith in me too. I'm magic-less too, you know." Lily laughed jokingly. Nash tensed and frantically turned to face her.

"Th-that's not what I meant! I have plenty of faith in you Lily. I mean, you can actually use magic when fighting someone." Nash said frantically then averting his gaze sideways at the ground while pursing his lips into a pout. A very faint blush dusted his cheeks, embarrassed that she called him out. Lily laughed in response to Nash's reaction to her comment.

"Alright Asta, Lily let's get going." Yuno said as he started walking away, taking long strides.

"Hey, wait up Yuno!" Asta said as he and Lily turned around and jogged to catch up with Yuno. After they both caught up to him, Asta asked why he was being such a jerk to him despite the fact that they were rivals. Then he turned around to face the church foster family and waved goodbye.

"Have a safe trip! Good luck!" Father, Sister Lily, and the children all said together as they waved goodbye to the three of them.

"Goodbye everybody! The past five years of living here were the best years of my life. I'll always consider you guys my real family. I'll write to you and come visit sometime once I get into a Magic Knight squad, I promise. Thanks for everything!" Lily said as she turned around, waving to everyone as well.

"Your welcome Lily! It's been a pleasure getting to know you over the years!" Sister Lily responded with a warm smile on her face. And thus, Asta, Lily, and her twin brother, Yuno, were on their way to the Royal Capital! The journey was going to be a long one so Lily suggested having sprint races and sparring matches with one another to train along the way. Obviously, Asta was totally on board with the idea of races and training duels as they traveled. And Yuno also agreed... to an extent. He agreed to racing both her and Asta and to sparring with her without hesitation. But when it came to dueling with Asta, he refused much to his rival's disappointment and frustration.

"Oh come on Yuno! Why the hell not?!" Asta asked, raising his voice at Lily's twin brother.

"You're my rival, Asta. Helping you train would defeat the purpose of our rivalry. You should get stronger on your own. On top of that, asking me for help is basically proclaiming that I'm above you in skill level and that you need help to catch up to me." Yuno said in a calm demeanor as always. This ticked off Asta a bit.

"Hey! Just because I want to train with you doesn't mean I'm asking for your help or admitting to being weaker than you! And what about Lil? Why did you agree to spar with her?! She has no magic just like me!" Asta said, trying to refute Yuno's argument.

"Lily may not be able to use magic on her own like you, but you're forgetting that she can use magic in battle as long as her opponent can. And besides, Lily's different. She's my sister, not my rival." Yuno pointed out to the shorter male who just clenched his fists and let out a frustrated groan, having no words to counter his argument. Lily giggled at the back and forth conversation between Asta and Yuno. It was quite amusing, but she figured out a way to make the situation even more interesting.

"Oh? Is that so, Yuno? In that case, I too will strive to become the Wizard King! Or would it be the Wizard Queen in my case? Anyways, in addition to being your twin sister, I am now also your rival! Consider this a friendly sibling rivalry." Lily declared, pointing at her brother Yuno. He just stood there and blinked a few times in utter shock at her words. He thought she was joking at first. But as Yuno stared back at her, he saw the unwavering determination in her eyes. It was just like Asta's when he put his foot down and decided to become the Wizard King. In that moment he realized she was serious. Ever since Asta told Lily about the dream he and Yuno shared of becoming the Wizard King, she was in awe at the reason behind his drive and admirable determination. It inspired her to make her decision on also becoming the Wizard King... or rather Wizard Queen. Lily remembered the moment crystal clear like it happened only seconds ago.

~Flashback: Nearly 5 Years Ago~

It had been one month since Lily started living with Asta and his foster family at the church in Hage Village. She and Asta were a ways away from the church sprawled out on the grass, relaxing and chatting away about their lives up until they met each other. Then Asta asked her something that made her reflect on her life's purpose.

"So Lil, what do you want to do when you get older?" Asta asked as she paused for a moment before giving him her honest answer.

"I'm not sure. I've never really thought about it before. Before I ran away from home, I was living in fear of what my family members were going to do or say to me next. I was so stuck in the present, I never bothered to even think about my future. And though I left over a month ago, I've been too busy trying to shove my past behind me and heal my mental and emotional wounds." Lily answered truthfully with a sullen expression.

"Geez, that really sucks Lil. I'm sorry you had to go through all that." Asta said with sympathy.

"You don't have to apologize, Asta. It's already been said and done. But the good news is that it's all in the past now." Lily said with a faint smile.

"Well that's good. Now you can start thinking about your future! I know what I want to do with my life: I'm gonna become the Wizard King!" Asta said, throwing both fists in the air.

"I've heard about him but I don't really know much of what he does." Lily admitted to Asta. She knew the Wizard King was second in command over the Clover Kingdom, but beyond that she didn't really know anything.

"The Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom is a really important person. He is second only to our nation's king so he's strong and has authority. He's the one in charge of the nine Magic Knight squads. Not only that, the people admire him and look up to him. They put their trust in him to keep the kingdom safe. He is respected by everyone in the Clover Kingdom. That's why I'm striving to be just like him someday. When I become the Wizard King, no one will have to worry about food or money ever again! I'll make it a world where everyone can be happy no matter their social status." Asta exclaimed, suddenly sitting up. Lily followed his lead and sat up as well.

"But... most importantly... I will protect everyone I love." Asta said, his tone becoming serious as he turned to face her.

"And that includes you, Lil. No one should ever have to live in fear because of anyone, especially their own family members. That's why I must become the Wizard King: to protect everyone here, and to protect you. When I'm the Wizard King, I will keep you safe. You deserve at least that much. Even though you're magic-less, you're an amazing person, Lil. After hearing your story and what you've been through, I made a promise to myself: I want to be the one to make sure that no one ever harms you again!" Asta said as he stared into her storm blue eyes with his lime green ones, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. His words inspired Lily and made her smile as well as blush.

"I guess it's settled then. I'll also strive to become the Wizard King... err Wizard Queen. I also want to be able to protect and ensure a comfortable life for you and everybody else at the church. If I'm the Wizard Queen, you will be able to dwell in luxury and live a responsibility-free life under my protection." Lily announced proudly. Her words moved Asta to tears as stars filled his eyes.

"Uwah! Lil, you're so cool! Then it's decided! Let's both do our best to become the Wizard King/Queen! Even though you're my rival now, I'll support you with everything I've got!" Asta said enthusiastically with unbreakable determination.

"Same! Let's work hard together towards our dream!" Lily said with enthusiasm equally matched with Asta's. She held out her fist to Asta who smiled and connected his fist to hers as a symbol of their promise to each other.

~End of Flashback~

Until now, Yuno had no idea about this. Lily never told him and asked Asta to keep it a secret from him because she saw how he was around Asta. She didn't want the only family member she held near and dear to her heart to brush her off like he did with her best friend. But her fear was put to rest when a gentle yet determined smile spread across Yuno's lips.

"I see. So that's how it is. Very well then. I expect you to come at me with everything you've got Lily. Don't hold back just because we're siblings." Yuno said with a serious smile.

"Heh, I should be the one saying that to you brother!" Lily laughed, placing one hand on her hip.

"Now that you finally know Lil's your rival too, you have to participate in sparring matches with me!" Asta shouted as Yuno's attitude did a 180. His facial expression shifted to a deadpan.

"No." Yuno gave Asta a blunt answer.

"Huh?! What the hell! Lil's your rival too now and yet you're still willing to spar with her but not me?! What's your deal, Yuno?!" Asta shouted even louder.

"Lily can actually use magic but only if her opponent can. Since I'm the only one of us that naturally has magic power, I have to spar with her so she can fully develop her skills in combat." Yuno stated the cold hard truth to which Asta had no words to refute his argument. And thus, Asta was forced to accept that Yuno wasn't going to participate in a duel against him. They trained on their way to the Royal Capital by either racing or sparring in pairs: Lily vs Asta or Lily vs Yuno. A couple days had passed since the three of them had embarked on their journey together. Currently, Lily and Asta were sparring with each other while Yuno went off hunting for something to eat. When they were finished training, both of them were covered in dirt and sweat.

"That was fun! I have to admit Asta, training with you is much better than training with Yuno. Even though I told him to use all of his strength, I still feel like he holds back because I'm his twin sister. When I train with you, I can tell you give it your all." Lily said as she wiped the sweat off her brow.

"Of course I give it everything I've got! If I want to become the Wizard King someday, I can't slack off. Even if I'm sparring against you, Lil." Asta said as she smiled at how hard working he was.

"And that's exactly how it should be. Anyways I'm going to go wash off in that watering hole over there. I'm all filthy from our match." Lily said as she pointed in the direction of the forest where there was a small body of water nearby.

"Okay Lil! I'll bathe too after you're done." Asta said as he took off his shirt to cool down after their intense training session. Lily made her way towards the little body of water in the forest. Using the cover of some bushes, she undressed completely and hopped into the water. It felt so refreshing, she ended up swimming around for a bit after washing off all the sweat and dirt. It had been a while since she left to go clean herself up so Asta figured she was done and headed over there himself to bathe. He took off his clothes behind a tree and walked over to the watering hole only to find Lily swimming around completely naked. The water was crystal clear so he could see everything. He stared at her curves as she swam and submerged her head into the water. She surfaced and flung her hair back, sending an arch of water into the air. As the water rained back down, the rays of sunlight slipping through the tree branches reflected off her wet skin and made it glisten. The scene aroused Asta quite a bit and he became noticeably erect since he was completely naked. This erection felt different and was larger than his normal ones. It was just like the one he had the first and only time he had sex with Lily.

'I really should leave to give Lil some privacy until she's done. But she's so stunningly beautiful, I can't take my eyes off her. Damn, I'm getting this type of erection again. I guess when it comes to Lil, I just can't help it. She's gorgeous.' Asta said to himself mentally as he stared at Lily like he was in a trance. A very obvious blush had appeared on his face. Meanwhile, she just noticed Asta standing there watching her, his face flushed as he stared at her in awe. Lily blushed and covered herself as he continued to stare.

"Wh-what are you doing here Asta?! Also... you're uh..." Lily failed to finish the last sentence, blushing as she pointed at Asta's erection. Asta looked down to where she was pointing and blushed even more. He immediately jumped into the water and swam right up to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders as she flinched out of reflex.

"Sorry Lil. I thought you were done washing up since you had left a while ago, honest! But I wasn't expecting you to..." Asta trailed off as he pulled her closer into a hug, pressing his body up against her. She got incredibly flustered at the contact of his bare skin to hers. His mouth was close to her ear, so close she could hear and feel his hot husky breaths.

"To... still be here?" Lily said in a perplexed tone, attempting to finish his sentence while trying to keep her cool. But what Asta said next completely caught her off guard. He shook his head, his hair tickling the side of your face. He pulled away and looked her in the eyes.

"To be as beautiful as Sister Lily. When I saw that you were still here swimming, I knew I should've just walked away and let you be. But I couldn't take my eyes off you. The way the water on your body glistened in the sunlight and trickled down your curves... It's like your beauty put me under a spell. Lily... I can't resist this sweet temptation." Asta said in a husky tone, using her full preferred name again like he only does with serious or romantic moments. He leaned in, slowly closing the distance until his lips met hers in a passionate kiss. The combination of the sensual kiss and the feeling of Asta's erection against her body filled her with the burning yet pleasurable heat of arousal. She could feel him throbbing against her lower stomach as she melted into the kiss. The lack of air eventually became suffocating so she pulled away from Asta, heavily panting as they both caught their breaths.

"Asta... Do you really mean it? Am I really as pretty as Sister?" Lily asked Asta. She still had some issues with insecurity because of how her family treated her when she lived with them. They tore her down and diminished her self-esteem to almost nothing. But ever since she started living with Asta, Yuno, and the rest of their church foster family, her self-esteem had increased quite a bit. But even so, she was still a bit insecure about herself.

"Yeah, I do. You're as beautiful as Sister Lily, maybe even more so." Asta said truthfully, giving Lily a gentle smile as he caressed her cheek lovingly. He kissed her again. His hands roamed up and down her body and stopped on her breasts. He proceeded to massage them in a slow sensual manner as he kissed her passionately. After a while, he pulled away from her, a string of saliva connecting their tongues.

"I'm sorry Lily... I can't wait any longer." Asta said huskily as he removed his hands from Lily's breasts which made her whimper from the loss of skin-to-skin contact. He grabbed her by her legs and hoisted her up, causing her to fall forward, quickly grabbing onto his shoulders. She held onto him and wrapped her legs around his waist as he slowly lowered her onto his member which throbbed with desire. It didn't hurt like she was expecting it to, unlike the first time she and Asta had sex. He began to thrust his hips at a decent pace, making the water ripple away from their bodies in small waves.

"L-Lily... feels so good inside you!" Asta moaned as he thrust his hips harder at a faster pace. With this change in pace and power he reached deeper into her core, hitting that special spot inside her nearly every time. Lily moaned louder each time he rammed into her g-spot. He found the mewls of pleasure he elicited from her very erotic. Asta loved hearing her cries of pleasure and made it his mission to hit that special spot inside her just right with every thrust. The fact that he was the only one who could make Lily lose her mind like this made him proud of himself and made him feel more possessive over her.

"Never show yourself like this to anyone else. I'm the only one allowed to see you like this. You're mine, Lily." Asta said in a dominating tone as he increased the force he put into his thrusts. He let go of one of her legs and wrapped his arm around her back, placing his hand on her shoulder. He pressed down on her shoulder, pushing her down onto his dick every time he thrust up inside her. Then he released the pressure when he withdrew his hips and repeated the routine. He cradled Lily as he made love to her in a possessive manner. She found this new side of Asta very erotic. The way he verbally claimed her while using her full preferred name made all the pleasure she was feeling that much better.

"Yes Asta~! Feels so good~! Ah~!" Lily moaned as she removed her hand from one of his shoulders and wrapped her arm around the back of his neck. His thrusts were strong and powerful which drove her absolutely crazy. Lily loved how his muscles rippled as he made love to her. The feel of the water also added a nice sensational and romantic touch.

"Hah~ You're so beautiful Lily." Asta panted as he continued to thrust, his embrace tightening around Lily as he increased his speed. He brought his lips to the side of her neck, gently nipping and sucking at her supple skin which drew more sweet moans from her throat. Having sex in the water was amazing. He loved the feeling of how the water swirled and splashed around their bodies, how it weighed down her hair, making it cling to her and accentuated her curves. But most of all, he loved how it collected in tiny beads all over her body which made it glisten in the sunlight. It all drove him crazy.

"L-Lily, I'm gonna cum!" Asta announced as his thrusts became even more wild and frantic. Lily bounced up and down from his hips forcefully slapping against her.

"Me too Asta, I'm close~!" Lily panted as she could feel herself nearing her limit. Asta thrust one last time and lifted her up off his member as he came, his milky white semen swirling and dispersing into the water. Lily climaxed with Asta's final thrust. They both clung to each other, taking a moment to catch their breaths as they floated down from their orgasmic highs. Once the two of them had calmed down, Lily unwrapped her legs one after the other from around Asta's waist. He set her back down and trailed his hands to her hips where he rested them. She wrapped her arms around Asta and locked her hands together behind his back, holding him in a warm embrace. They both rested their heads in the crooks of each other's necks and enjoyed the romantic moment together.

"Wow... that was just..." Asta began to say, but trailed off in a blissful daze.

"Amazing." Lily finished his sentence as she pulled away from him slightly and looked into his eyes. He chuckled softly.

"Yeah. Who knew the water would make everything so... erotic." Asta said with flushed cheeks, still in a bit of a trance-like state from the intimate moment they shared. He leaned into Lily again, resting his head on her shoulder. His warm skin sent pleasurable tingles throughout her body. She wished she could just stay like this with Asta forever, but the Royal Capital was still a ways away and she did not want to miss the Magic Knight's Entrance Exam. Besides, Yuno was probably waiting for them. Asta was still clinging to her, relaxed and smiling contently with his eyes closed. Lily reached down and splashed some cool refreshing water into Asta's face which brought him back to reality.

"I'm glad you enjoyed our romantic moment, but we should get dressed and go find Yuno. He probably caught something and is looking for us so we can help him prepare dinner and eat together." Lily mentioned as she pulled away from Asta. His lips curved upward into a mischievous smile and she knew exactly what he was going to do.

"Don't you dare!" Lily warned Asta, but he ignored her warning and sent a wave of water at her. It completely doused her and she gasped out of disbelief. Her hair that was partially dry was now drenched again.

"Why you-! Oh you're gonna get it now!" Lily said as she began chasing Asta through the water, engaging him in a full on water fight assault. Meanwhile, Yuno had just finished hunting and went looking for them to ask them to help him prepare what he captured for dinner. He stumbled across Asta's clothes next to a tree and followed the footprints. Then he found Lily's clothes by a bush not far from the tree where Asta's clothes were with another set of footprints leading to the watering hole. There, he saw Lily and Asta swimming around and splashing each other. He smiled as he briefly watched them happily playing around in the water. It didn't bother him that she and Asta were both naked in front of each other. He figured it was bound to happen eventually. Yuno knew how Asta really felt about Lily and how she felt about Asta. And besides, she looked so happy playing with Asta right now which made Yuno happy. He left them alone and walked back towards the pathway to the Royal Capital with the boar he had hunted down where he would wait for their return. On the way back to the path, Yuno thought about Asta's obliviousness to Lily's feelings and his own.

'Honestly, Asta really should forget about pursuing Sister and go after Lily. They're practically inseparable already and they'd make a cute couple. Lily has a crush on Asta too so she wouldn't reject him, unlike Sister who is a woman of the cloth. It's clear that he gets jealous whenever I'm around Lily. He also has a tendency to make everything into a competition between us when it comes to her. If he only saw Lily as a friend, her hang outs with me wouldn't bother him at all. Now that I think about it, Asta never showed any signs of jealousy when Sister talks to me or vice versa. He still tries to get her attention, but he never makes it into a competition against me. When will he realize that Lily is the one for him, not Sister?' Yuno thought to himself as he walked back to the path. After about five more minutes of splashing around, Lily got out of the water to go put her clothes back on with Asta following right behind her. As she got out of the water, he couldn't help but stare and admire her beauty.

'Wow, this view of Lil is gorgeous. I wonder if Sister Lily can even match her. She always wears that nun's robe which hides her true curves. From what I can tell, I know for sure that Sister Lily has a pretty face, decent figure and a kind and caring personality. When it comes to Lil, I've seen all of her. She's stunningly beautiful and also has a sweet, kind and caring personality. She even has a touch of humor and sass which, I'll admit, I really like a lot. Even though she went through hell back in the Spade Kingdom, Lil still turned out to be such a gem in both personality and beauty. She really is amazing. Would Sister Lily even be the same person I know now if she had the same backstory as Lil?' Asta thought to himself as he got dressed. Meanwhile Lily was also putting her clothes back on. She couldn't help but think about the two times she and Asta had sex so far. She began to realize just how much her feelings for Asta had multiplied with each love-making session she had with him. Even though he mentioned Sister Lily again, she wasn't as disheartened as she was the first time.

'It seems like Asta is getting closer to recognizing his romantic feelings for me. When will he realize that he'll eventually have to give up on Sister Lily? Oh Asta, I'm waiting for the time when you recognize your true feelings. I love you so much, it hurts. When will you realize...?' Lily mentally reflected. She didn't even realize her desire for Asta to face reality was bringing her to tears until he gently placed his hand on her shoulder, giving her a worried look.

"Hey are you okay Lil?" Asta asked Lily, trailing his hand from her shoulder to her chin and turning it gently so that she faced him. He wiped the tears away then caressed her cheek with his thumb as he looked into her eyes with concern.

"I-it's nothing to worry about. I'm fine. Just reminiscing a bit, that's all." Lily said as Asta smiled widely and took her hand in his.

"Well that's good at least. We need to start heading to the Royal Capital again. I'm sure Yuno is wondering where we are." Asta said as he started walked with Lily towards the path to the Royal Capital where they both saw Yuno sitting on a rock on the edge of the path with the boar he caught laying still beside him on the ground.

"Hey Yuno! We're back!" Asta said loudly to get Yuno's attention, waving his arm back and forth. Yuno look up and turned in the direction he heard Asta calling out to him from.

"Took you long enough. Now you can finally help me prepare dinner." Yuno said to Asta in a monotone with a bored look on his face.

"Hey! Do you always have to be such a jerk to me?!" Asta yelled at Yuno who completely ignored him. Yuno turned to Lily, his expression softening into a faint smile.

"Did your training with Asta go well, Lily?" Yuno asked as he stood up and approached Lily to hear what she had to say. She could have sworn she saw a faint smirk on his face. But she wrote it off as her imagination.

"Yeah it did. As always, Asta gave it his all. At this rate, there's no way I'm gonna fail the Magic Knight's Entrance Exam!" Lily answered Yuno with a smile as he placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair which was still wet from earlier.

"That's good. After dinner we should continue our journey to the Royal Capital. We don't want to miss the exam." Yuno said as he walked back to the boar he hunted earlier to start dinner preparations. Asta gave Lily and Yuno a jealous glance. Lily doubted Asta even realized he was making that facial expression, like it was just an autonomous reaction. The three of them worked together to prepare and cook up the boar for dinner. When they were all done eating, they took off for the Royal Capital again until it got dark. They set up camp to get some rest until morning then continued on their journey. At one point, Asta made a suggestion.

"We've got to be fairly close now. Let's race to see who gets there first!" Asta said as he got ready to take off. Lily giggled and just started sprinting along the path to the Royal Capital.

"Hey, no fair Lil!" Asta yelled as he sprinted after her, Yuno following close behind. The three of them ran for a while until they got tired and rested for a bit before taking off again in another sprint race. They competed fiercely as they raced each other on foot. Soon the Royal Capital was within view a ways away.

"Wow, would you look at that! The Royal Capital is huge! Just think, the Wizard King lives there." Asta said as he took in the scenery of the magnificent Royal Capital off in the distance.

"Yeah it's pretty amazing." Yuno agreed as he stood next to him to take in the view. Lily was not so thrilled by the sight of the city. Though it was not the same as her former home, it was still similar enough to bring back memories of her past minus the winter wasteland part. But a trial of destiny awaited the three of them within the walls of that city. The outcome of that trial would change Lily's, Asta's and Yuno's lives forever.

"Come on Lil, let's go! Our journey is just beginning!" Asta said, holding out his hand to Lily while smiling widely.

"Okay!" Lily replied as she smiled back and took Asta's hand. A glint of hope shone in her eyes at the sight of Asta's enthusiasm and optimism.