"Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!!!"
As soon as the giant shadow appeared, a devastating explosion struck, and a powerful shockwave surged directly toward Asta and his comrades!
"Boom!"
The defenseless villagers scattered across the square like ants, thrown far and wide by the fierce blow.
Even Magna, Noelle, and Asta, members of the Magic Knights, were directly impacted and instantly sent flying backward!
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Due to the explosion, the fog barrier Seth and his allies had set up around the village vanished instantly.
The clear sky and warm sun now shone down on the village of Saucy!
No one knew how much time had passed before the three slowly rose from the ground and began brushing the dust off their bodies.
But the weak and defenseless villagers weren't so fortunate.
Though there were no fatalities, many of them suffered severe injuries as a result, especially those who were closest to the explosion's epicenter!
After a moment, Noelle dusted herself off and looked back at the blast site with a concerned expression.
When the scene reflected in her mind, she froze in place.
Asta and Magna, standing beside her, noticed her strange expression and glanced back suspiciously.
In the next moment, both of them trembled uncontrollably and spoke in unison, "Right... Right, this is wrong..."
Valen stood atop a stone pillar in the center of the crater, seemingly unaffected by the explosion but clearly lost in thought.
Half of the massive village of Saucy had been nearly destroyed.
Valen snapped out of his daze and looked toward Magna, Asta, and Noelle. But at that moment, all three took a step back from Valen, deterred by his intense magical aura. Even Asta, who possessed no magic power, felt the terrifying strength and sense of danger emanating from Valen.
Noticing this, Valen felt a strange sensation for the first time, as if he didn't belong to this world or wasn't truly part of it. His friends stepped back... but from what? His power, or fear of him? Noelle's reaction wasn't surprising, as she was distant, and even Magna—he wasn't particularly close. But Asta… he was the first person Valen had bonded with since coming to this world, the first he trained with, and his first friend here.
While Valen pondered, the villagers slowly stood despite their injuries. None of them had died, and they began to approach Valen, who still stood on the stone pillar in the center of the crater. They began shouting:
"He saved us!"
"Long live the hero!"
"A child saved us; he must be from a royal or noble family."
Valen jumped forward, approaching the villagers. But contrary to his expectations, none of them backed away in fear of his power. Instead, they surrounded him, shouting in celebration of him saving them.
"Long live the hero!"
"Long live the royal family!"
"Long live the ruler!"
"Long live the ruler's messenger!"
They believed that Valen must be a noble or from a royal family, or perhaps a messenger of the ruler.
At that moment, Valen spoke in a strong voice:
"People, I am not a noble, nor from a royal family. I am like you—a misfit, maybe even worse. Those of you who think that power and bravery are born with nobles and that greatness is exclusive to the blood of kings and their families… I want you to look at me. I am Valen, a man who was not born in a palace, who did not wear a crown. I was not raised by royalty, nor was I watched over by angels. I am an outcast who came from the depths, from a place where light hardly reaches the souls, and hope barely echoes.
But here I stand before you now. My power did not come from a royal throne, nor was it granted as a blessing or favor. It was forged in fire, in pain, from every disappointment and fall. Every battle I fought, every agony I endured, was a sword sharpening my heart and soul into iron that does not break.
I'm here to tell you that true nobility doesn't belong to those raised above people's heads, but to those who stand despite pain, hardship, and loneliness. So don't think that your greatness lies in a title, but in the belief that you are the makers of your own fate, that you carve your path without waiting for mercy or support.
Let your determination be your torches, and your hearts your shields. If you want change, lift your heads and go forth with all your strength. Let your words be actions, your dreams reality. If fire burns me, I'll forge it into armor and weapon. If the earth doesn't know my name, I'll make it witness my strength.
Be like me—fear neither failure nor rejection. Seek not recognition but forge your own glory and let it shine from you endlessly."
The villagers stopped shouting as they listened to Valen's speech, looking at him with excitement, longing, and doubt.
"How could that be?"
"How can you have this magical power without being a noble or from a royal family?"
Valen smiled slightly and said:
"You may think the noble families and the royal family are something grand, but I've met some of them, and only a few truly deserve respect."
Everyone looked at Valen in amazement.
Then Valen continued:
"So don't pay attention to titles—focus on your dreams. Work hard to achieve them. Do you think noble families or the royal family could exist without misfits? Of course not, for they know nothing! So hold your heads high and walk tall as mountains, unshaken by winds or storms. You are the ones deserving respect, for you are the ones who work and strive diligently. But that's not enough—with your strength, you can make the nobles and kings fear you. You are not outcasts—you are the foundation of the Clover Kingdom!"
Valen spoke with power.
"Long live Valen!"
"Long live Valen!"
"Long live the hero!"
"Long live the hero!"
Amid the villagers' cheers, Valen stood tall, and his sacred flame wings appeared. He rose into the sky, opening his grimoire.
"Holy Flame: Angels of Healing!"
Behind Valen appeared holy angels with pure white robes, long golden hair, and white wings radiating a sacred light.
They opened their golden eyes, clasped their hands before their faces, and began to sing. At that moment, a golden sacred light emanated from them, healing the villagers, as well as Asta, Noelle, and Magna.
After everyone was healed, Valen closed his grimoire, and the angels behind him disappeared. He descended to the ground, where the villagers couldn't believe they had been healed so easily. Valen spoke slowly, saying, "I'm sorry for what happened to your village."
An old man stepped forward and said, "It's all right. As long as the people are safe and present, we can always rebuild the village."
Magna, Asta, and Noelle approached the villagers and Valen. Valen spoke, saying, "I consider this mission completed."
Magna replied, "Yes, we can consider the mission finished."
Asta shouted enthusiastically, "Valen, you're strong! You defeated four who were hard to beat! I need to work harder to surpass you and Yuno because I'm going to be the Wizard King!"
As for Noelle, she remained silent, looking at Valen with pride and arrogance. But Valen didn't mind, as he had come to a deeper understanding of his role in this world, having forgotten his primary goal—to seek the truth.
Valen decided that after this mission and upon his return, he would start executing his plan. He then looked at Magna and said, "You can go back. I'll stay and help the villagers rebuild the village."
Magna shouted, "I'm the eldest here, so don't order me around! Also, this is the village where I lived, and I'll help rebuild it."
Asta interjected, "Yes, we'll help rebuild the village!"
Noelle stayed silent, wanting to return to the headquarters, but she couldn't help staying here. Thus, they began the work of renewing the village.
Valen dug a well, while Asta and Magna chopped wood and helped transport building materials. The day passed entirely until Valen finished digging the well.
The sun was about to set as everyone prepared to leave when they heard Asta's scream, who was running while waving his arms, saying, "Get away from me, you annoying bird!" He was chasing after a bird.
Valen recognized the bird, and in a swift motion, he caught it, noticing it held a stone in its beak. Valen smiled a little, especially when his grimoire reacted, and his eye started throbbing as if it would burst out of its socket.
At the same time, in a cave in front of a stone tablet, a person stood, with three others kneeling on one knee behind him. The person facing the tablet spoke, "Has Seth retrieved my magic stone?"
One of the three replied, "Unfortunately, members of the Black Bulls intervened."
The person asked, "Black Bulls? Was it Yami?"
The other answered, "No, sir. It was a new group led by Magna."
The person was surprised and asked, "Huh, then how did he lose?"
The third person replied, "Actually, he didn't lose; he died."
The person asked angrily, "How could Seth die at the hands of a group from the Black Bulls?"
The fourth answered, "Actually, Seth was about to win, but an unexpected member interfered."
The person asked curiously, "And who was it?"
The other answered, "Valen."
Suddenly, the man turned and looked at the three, a strange glint in his eyes. "Is the stone in Valen's hands?"
The other answered, "Yes."
The man smiled slightly and said, "No problem. We'll retrieve my magic stone."
The three did not understand what he meant, but they trusted their leader.