It was the morning of March 2nd and Yuna and Asta did their typical morning workout and magic practice routine before their sparring matches. Asta added swordsmanship training to his workout routine now that he had a grimoire and a sword that came with it. When it came time for their first sparring match, Asta pulled his sword out from the pages of his grimoire and wrapped the blade in thick cloths so he wouldn't cut Yuna if he landed a hit. They started their match and Asta sprinted towards Yuna with his sword drawn back and ready. Yuna formed a portal in front of Asta to teleport him.
"Not today Yuna!" Asta said as he swung his sword and cut through the portal, destroying it. The momentum and weight of the sword threw him off balance a little but he recovered and continued his way towards Yuna who quickly formed a portal behind her and she slipped through it right before Asta was able to reach her. She teleported behind Asta and hit him in the back with the palm of her hand which made him stumble forward.
"Damn it! Almost had you." Asta said as he regained his balance and readied himself to attack again.
~Time Skip (2 Hours)~
Yuna and Asta had been sparring for a couple hours now and while Asta was significantly better at fighting against Yuna when she used her magic, his swordsmanship was a bit clumsy. He was having trouble recovering quickly after the first swing of his sword. Sometimes he would be thrown completely off balance by the momentum of his swings.
~Another Time Skip~
Asta and Yuna were heading back to the church to eat dinner with their foster family. On the way there, Asta proposed an idea.
"Hey Yuna? I was thinking that instead of doing our normal routine like we've been doing everyday, we should camp out in the woods near Hage Village to train for the Magic Knights Entrance Exam." Asta suggested as Yuna looked at him curiously.
"Why camp in the woods?" Yuna asked him.
"Because in the woods we wouldn't have as many distractions so we could get more rigorous training in and get stronger faster." Asta explained as Yuna thought for a second.
"Okay!" Yuna agreed as she and Asta reached the church in time for dinner. After they ate, Yuna and Asta packed up what they needed and headed for the woods to train some more before bed.
~Time Skip (1 Month)~
It was April 1st now and Asta and Yuna were out training in the woods while they roasted pot potatoes they had harvested earlier that day. Asta had improved a little since he started training with his sword, but he was still having trouble with his technique. Yuna was having Asta do target practice, using her portals as a targets for him to hit with his sword. Asta just finished destroying a portal. Yuna then formed one right next to him, but he was thrown off a little by his swing and took a moment to regain his balance before he was able to slash the other portal. Suddenly, there was a commotion coming from deeper within the woods. A naked man with messy red hair came bursting out from the bushes with a large boar right behind him chasing him. Asta quickly sprung into action and swung his sword at the boar and sent it flying. With the threat eliminated, the man applauded Asta.
"Very impressive. You took out that big guy in one blow. My mistake, I was doing some fishing in the river and I guess I must have wandered into the boar's territory. Hahaha." The man said as he approached Asta and Yuna.
"Uh yeah." Asta said nervously as Yuna just blushed since the man was naked. But he just acted like there was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Anyways name's Fanzell. I'm something of a nomad these days." The naked red-headed man introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you." Asta said with a hint of uncertainty.
"Call me Zell." Fanzell said to Asta and Yuna.
"Okay, I'm Asta from Hage Village." Asta said introducing himself to Fanzell.
"And I'm Yuna Sakai." Yuna said, introducing herself as well. The blush on her face had faded now.
"It's a pleasure Asta and Yuna. Now tell me, are those yours?" Fanzell said, pointing to the pot potatoes roasting nearby.
"Yeah, why do you wanna know?" Asta asked. His question was answered by Fanzell's stomach growling. The three of them ended up eating together. Asta asked Fanzell why he was naked and he explained that he didn't want to get his clothes wet while he was fishing. After he was finished eating, he invited Asta and Yuna over to his house. Once he got some clothes on, Asta showed him his sword. Yuna told Fanzell she had spatial magic and showed him her grimoire. He was impressed that she had such a rare magical attribute and a four leaf grimoire at that. After talking for a little while, he offered for them to stay with him until they were ready to head back to Hage Village. Asta started to get a little suspicious but for the wrong reason.
"Hold on, are you just after our pot potatoes?" Asta asked Fanzell.
"Always treasure your encounters and connections with the people you meet. True, they may not have a concrete form, but those experiences will pile up in your heart and keep you company." Fanzell responded as Asta thought about it for a moment.
"Okay! I think I'll take you up on that. Thanks a lot Mr. Zell!" Asta said as Yuna immediately grabbed his arm.
"Excuse us for a moment Zell." Yuna said as she pulled Asta aside for a moment.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean we just met him earlier today and he was naked! We don't know this guy's true intentions. What if he wants to rape one of us?!" Yuna said as Asta patted Yuna on the back.
"I don't think Mr. Zell would do that. Besides, if he tries anything, I'll protect you. I promise." Asta said as Yuna sighed.
"Okay fine. But seriously, I'm a little suspicious of this guy. The moment I feel like he's gonna do something bad, I'm gonna teleport us back to the church." Yuna said as she reluctantly agreed to stay at Fanzell's house with Asta. The two of them walked back to Fanzell.
"Alright, me and Asta will stay with you while we train. But don't try anything funny because if you do..." Yuna said as she formed a large ball of spatial magic and threw it at a tree. The ball went right through the tree trunk. The large tree broke at the point of impact and creaked as it fell until it hit the ground, making a loud crash noise that echoed throughout the forest. A sweat drop formed at the side of Asta's head.
"I thought you said you were just going to teleport us away!" Asta said to Yuna who just ignored him.
"Great! Then let's talk about chores. How are you at chopping wood?" Fanzell said as Yuna rolled her eyes.
"What?!" Asta said, practically yelling.
'So that was the catch.' Yuna thought to herself.
~Time Skip~
The next day, Asta and Yuna started chopping wood for Fanzell. Asta used his sword and Yuna used her spatial magic to cut the wood into small logs. After enough wood was chopped, Asta began practicing his sword swings as Yuna practiced her magic. Asta was still having trouble when Fanzell came out of the house after his shower, still naked. He gave Asta some tips on how to swing his sword which Asta tried and picked up immediately. He then asked Fanzell how he learned how to wield a sword. Fanzell then picked up a stick, opened his grimoire and used his wind creation magic to form a blade of air around the stick, making a sword made of wind. Asta then asked Fanzell to teach him how to improve his swordsmanship. He agreed to teach Asta, but asked him to promise that he'd only use what he taught him to do good. Asta, of course, promised Fanzell he would. And so Asta's swordsmanship lessons with Fanzell began. They practiced sparring together until shortly before dinner time when Fanzell went to go take a shower because he was all sweaty from the training session. Asta and Yuna began roasting pot potatoes for dinner. Fanzell then joined them naked again. At this point, they were used to it so it didn't really faze neither Asta nor Yuna. Fanzell then went over Asta's progress in his training and said he was doing really well. That got Asta thinking.
"What I don't understand is if you're this strong then why didn't you just take care of that big boar yourself?" Asta asked and Fanzell explained that there wasn't much he could do without his grimoire and a sword. He also mentioned that his skills with the sword weren't out of the ordinary and that Asta was just exceptionally good at putting those skills to use. But Asta had his doubts about that.
"I don't know. I think it's because you're especially good at teaching them." Asta said as he munched on a pot potato.
"Heh, I did do some teacher stuff once upon a time, so maybe." Fanzell admitted.
"Oh, really?" Asta said, seeming a bit intrigued.
"The students that I taught didn't think very much of me though. Hehe. You know I've had more than a hundred pupils. But the way you're progressing you may rank among the top three at least." Fanzell said as Asta's eyes widened.
"The top three?" Asta said amazed, not quite believing what he just heard.
"Maybe even the top two." Fanzell said as he continued to explain that he thought Asta would become quite a skilled swordsman. Asta then got a burst of energy.
"You really think so? Then let's go! We've got some more training to do!" Asta said as he got up and ran off to get his sword. Fanzell chuckled as he got up to go get some clothes on before training some more with Asta before bed.
~Time Skip (6 Days)~
It was the afternoon and Yuna approached Asta and Fanzell as they were sparring.
"So Zell, how's Asta coming along with his swordsmanship skills?" Yuna asked.
"I'd say he's doing extremely well. Asta is improving very rapidly." Fanzell answered Yuna.
"Mind if I have a go with him?" Yuna asked Fanzell.
"Alright I'll let you two have at it then." Fanzell said as he walked away to let them spar with each other. Asta and Yuna got into their normal stances and began their match. Asta stood in a defensive stance with his sword and grimoire as Yuna charged at him with her grimoire ready. As they fought, Yuna could see just how much Asta had improved in his sword wielding skills. She had to be much more strategic now with her battle tactics. Asta's sword could cancel her spells and he was much better at using it. She started using her Archangel Shootdown spell again, launching spatial magic spheres that could carve through anything, except Asta's sword. He successfully managed to cut through and nullify them before they could do any damage. His swordsmanship really was a lot better. After they were done sparring, Asta picked up his lessons with Fanzell where they left off until dinner.
~Time Skip (1 Week)~
Yuna, Asta, and Fanzell were eating pot potatoes for lunch when a girl with short black hair and purple eyes wearing a black cloak showed up. Fanzell addressed her as Mariella and explained she was his pupil and was helping him look for his fiancé. Mariella noticed Yuna and Asta sitting down next to him and eating. Asta introduced both himself and Yuna and told her he was getting lessons from Fanzell who he referred to as Old Man. Then he and Mariella got into a silly argument over calling Fanzell an old man. Fanzell seemed a little offended by the argument and broke up the fight and asked Mariella what she found out about Dominante. She told him it was possible that she may be dead. Fanzell then shared a bit of his past with Asta and Yuna. After that, Mariella gave more details on why she thought Dominante had passed away and handed Fanzell his fiancé's wand. He then said he needed some time alone and went into the house. Mariella then turned to Asta and Yuna.
"I'm gonna go check on him." Mariella said as Asta and Yuna nodded and she went into the house. Shortly after she headed inside, they heard rustling in the woods around them like there were people moving through the trees and bushes.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Yuna said as Asta looked at her and nodded in agreement with a serious look on his face. Suddenly, mages in robes came out of the woods and surrounded Yuna and Asta and Fanzell's house. Some of them broke into the house.
"Looks like we've got a fight on our hands. Asta, I'm gonna get you into the house. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. Spatial Magic: Fallen Angel Flapping!" Yuna said as she opened her grimoire and formed a mass of spatial magic and threw it at Asta. As soon as the spell made contact with him, he got teleported inside the house. Yuna was left alone to deal with the mages surrounding her and the house. She used her spatial magic to evade enemy attacks, teleport enemies away from her or at each other, and redirect enemy spells.
"This girl is too much! Who is she?!" One of the mages said as he watched his comrades get taken down around him.
"Time to say goodbye! Spatial Magic: Myriad Black!" Yuna said as she formed many small portals around herself and each of her enemies. Then she sent magic bullets into the portals around her which barraged her enemies, knocking them all out at once. Meanwhile, Asta was busy rescuing Fanzell from Mariella and her mage troops. Fanzell told Asta not to get involved, but he argued with him that he wasn't going to let him get captured. At one point, he seemed to comply but then came back again, taking down some of the mages. He gave Fanzell some encouraging words which reignited his spirit and he joined Asta in fending off the troops. The roof of the house ended up getting blown off in the process. Once Asta and Fanzell had taken down quite a few of Mariella's mage troops, she ordered a retreat.
~Time Skip~
After the ordeal was over and done with, Asta and Fanzell left the house to join Yuna outside. Asta practically ran over to Yuna to see if she had any injuries.
"Are you okay Yuna? You're not injured at all are you?" Asta said, inspecting her from head to toe.
"I'm fine Asta. Those mages couldn't land a finger or spell on me." Yuna said as she chuckled. Asta then chuckled and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Right, you do have a four leaf clover grimoire after all." Asta said as he patted her shoulder.
"I know you're amazing and all, but there were so many of them, I couldn't help but worry a little. I'm so glad you're okay." Asta said as he suddenly hugged Yuna which made her blush.
"And I'm glad you're okay too Asta." Yuna said as she returned the embrace. After Asta and Yuna let go of each other, Fanzell decided to pack up his things and head out. Before he did, he told them that he was the type of guy that likes to get things done and would continue his search for Domina and that Asta should get going on working towards becoming the Wizard King. And with that, he said goodbye to Asta and Yuna only to come running back shortly after being chased by a boar while naked like when they first met.
"Actually I've got one last lesson for ya: take this monster down will ya?!" Fanzell pleaded for help.
"No way! You can do it yourself! And why are you naked this time?! Don't tell me you were fishing again!" Asta yelled at Fanzell who continued to scream and run about naked with the boar hot on his tail. Yuna sighed and used her spatial magic to subdue the boar.
"Spatial Magic: Archangel Shootdown!" Yuna shouted as she created spatial magic spheres and launched them at the boar. The spheres went right through its flesh and organs, killing it quickly. Fanzell then thanked Yuna then went on his way. After that, Yuna and Asta headed back to Hage Village. On the way there, Yuna decided to tell Asta something.
"Hey Asta? I'm gonna try to head back home tomorrow." Yuna said as Asta stopped in his tracks.
"What? But why? We've achieved so much together! You can't go home just yet! And what about the Magic Knights Entrance Exam?!" Asta said, not quite believing what he was hearing.
"I'm sorry Asta, but I really miss my family and my best friend, Izuku Midoriya. I haven't seen them in over eleven years." Yuna explained to Asta. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself as he thought for a moment. He realized he'd probably want to do the same thing if he were in her shoes.
"Alright, but I need you to promise me two things Yuna." Asta said as Yuna looked at him curiously.
"Okay, what's that?" Yuna asked Asta.
"One, promise me you'll spend the whole day with me tomorrow. And two, promise you'll come back in time for the Magic Knights Exam which is in four and a half months. It takes about two weeks to get there so you're gonna have to come back in four months." Asta said as he held out his fist to Yuna.
"Alright, deal." Yuna said as she connected her fist to Asta's, giving him a fist bump. The two of them continued on their way back to the village.