"I'm going to kill someone today," Marcus growled, anger etched across his face.
The ground beneath his feet turned to ice as he slid forward, his frustration fueling his mana.
When he reached the source of the explosion, he saw two people—Asta and Noelle. Asta seemed fine, likely having managed to stop Noelle's uncontrollable magic.
Damn, it's Noelle, Marcus thought. A royal, a heroine… and more importantly, someone who can help me get into the royal library.
You're safe—for now.
The entire Black Bulls squad had gathered.
Captain Yami was laughing.
"Jeez, now I am all wet" Vanessa muttered, wringing out her clothes.
"Well done, brat!" Captain Yami praised Asta.
Asta nodded, then turned to Noelle.
"You… you've got some insane magic powers! That's awesome!"
"Huh?" Noelle blinked, not expecting such words.
"I don't have any magic. I'm jealous, damn it! If you train to control it, you'll be invincible, Noelle!"
A small blush crept across Noelle's face.
"Insect-Asta," Noelle muttered as she sat down, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"I'll train harder! I won't lose either!" Asta continued, his determination unwavering.
"You can't even control your magic, you royal failure," Magna chimed in with a smirk.
"But hey, we're Black Bulls—a whole group of failures!" he added with a laugh.
Clap! Clap! Marcus started clapping.
"Oi, stop it!" Magna snapped, glaring at Marcus.
"No one cares if you've got a flaw or two, idiot,"
"Thank goodness you're safe," Finral said with a relieved smile, while Vanessa draped the Black Bulls robe over Noelle.
"I know a great pasta place you can visit," Finral added, trying to lighten the mood.
"Before that, can you try this?" Charmy placed a small cake in front of Noelle, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"I know some techniques for controlling magic—I can help you," Vanessa offered.
"My sister Marie is great! I'll tell you all about her!" Gauche chimed in, his face lighting up.
"Want to fight?" Luck asked, grinning wildly.
"Psshhh!"
"Strength is a mere illusion, it is" Marcus chimed in.
Everyone gave him strange looks, waiting for him to continue.
"What? , That's it," Marcus replied flatly, earning a collective groan.
Asta stepped forward, extending a hand to Noelle. "Here, let's do our best!"
She hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and standing up.
Wow, look at that. What a hero and heroine moment. Awesome, Marcus thought sarcastically.
As Noelle struggled to stand, Marcus noticed a strain on her leg. Without waiting for her reaction, he stepped closer.
"Wait and endure it," Marcus instructed.
Three dark threads conjured from his hands and touched the swollen area.
"Ow… ow… ow!" Noelle winced, feeling a sharp pain. But moments later, the injury began to heal.
The swelling faded, and her leg slowly recovered.
Wow, that worked.
As Noelle realized she had healed, she shrieked and darted behind Asta.
Now, everyone turned their eyes to Marcus, staring at him strangely.
"What?" Marcus asked, bewildered by their reactions.
Captain Yami stepped behind Marcus, placing a firm hand on his shoulder while puffing on his cigarette.
The others stared at Marcus like a chicken before a feast.
"We've got ourselves a doctor," Yami declared with a smirk.
I don't like where this is going,
"For free," Yami added.
The room erupted in cheers as the squad rushed toward Marcus.
"What?!" Marcus shouted, bolting as they pounced on him for a free treatment.
The day ended, and an exhausted Marcus fell asleep peacefully.
The irritating morning arrived, and Marcus woke up, freshened up, and stretched.
Damn, that book is destroyed, he thought. And Noelle said she'd help me get access to the royal library... but not now. Seems like she doesn't have much authority in her family.
He shrugged. Whatever. What's this sound?
Marcus glanced around. The rooms in the hideout often shifted randomly, but this time, there was a strange noise.
"Helllloooo~"
"I... ammm... Heeennrryyy~~"
Damn, I thought it was just my imagination. But no, Marcus realized with a chill. There's a freaking ghost in the hideout!
"What the hell is wrong with this squad? Did the captain recruit a ghost to the team?"
A sound came from behind him.
"Hellllooo~"
Marcus turned his head, panic flashing across his face.
"Damn it!"
Without another thought, he bolted, running frantically toward the cafeteria for breakfast.
The cafeteria buzzed with activity as the squad enjoyed breakfast.
Marcus approached the counter, where three sheep busily cooked and handed him a plate of food.
Why is there only meat for breakfast? Marcus wondered briefly before shrugging. Well, I'm starving. Let's eat first, think later.
He sat down with the others and began eating.
Asta, already having devoured two plates of food and reaching for two more, turned to Noelle.
"Hey, Noelle, why didn't you help with the cleaning and stuff?"
"Cleaning? But I'm royalty," Noelle replied matter-of-factly.
"But you're a newbie, like me," Asta countered.
"I've never cleaned or done laundry in my life," she said, lifting her chin proudly.
"That's not something to brag about... We're in the same squad. Why not help out?"
"Why don't you ask that bug—him?" Noelle pointed at Marcus.
"Oh, Marcus? He sacrificed his cleaning duties so I could get stronger," Asta said with pride.
"Huh?" Noelle muttered, startled.
"Yes! I'll become the strongest Magic Knight and then the Wizard King... Um..." Asta trailed off,
"Come to think of it," Asta began, turning to Magna. "Senior Magna, what do Magic Knights actually do, anyway?"
"You're seriously asking that? We protect the kingdom and handle security! It's the most manly job there is... you dumbass," Magna replied, puffing his chest.
Yup, he doesn't fully know the responsibilities either, Marcus thought, but he's mostly summed it up.
"Why did you decide to join when you know nothing about it?" Magna asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry!" Asta said, bowing his head. "I want to be the Wizard King!"
Magna grinned, lifted Asta mid-apology, then dropped him with a thud before walking over to Vanessa.
"You drunk witch, show them what Magic Knights do," Magna said, nudging her.
Vanessa, lazily sipping her drink, waved her hand dismissively. "We keep the citizens safe... something like that."
"And sometimes, we have to protect a noble if we're assigned a task," she added casually.
"Ohhh," Asta exclaimed, nodding energetically.
Luck sidled up to Asta with an energetic grin. "It's a fun job! You get to fight enemies all you want!"
Gauche stepped forward, proudly holding up a picture of his sister. "Most importantly, this is a job my angel, Marie, respects. Isn't she an angel?" His expression turned dark. "But if you lay a finger on her, I'll kill you."
Dude, you're literally nosebleeding right now, Marcus thought, shaking his head.
Finral chimed in with a smug smile, "Ladies love Magic Knights. Trust me on that."
"I'M OUT OF FOOD!" Charmy suddenly declared, causing everyone to look at her.
Without hesitation, she summoned more sheep and whipped up a fresh batch of food on the spot.
She placed a steaming plate on the table, proudly announcing, "As long as you're a Magic Knight, you'll never go hungry! You can eat as much tasty food as you want!"
Senior Charmy even handed out pieces of meat to the group. Marcus casually took one,
Gordon began murmuring quietly to himself, while Grey transformed into Asta for a brief moment, saying,
"It's a good job," before changing back into his unsual form.
"Did you get what Magic Knights do now?" Magna asked, his tone slightly teasing.
"No, not at all," Asta replied with a sigh, clearly giving up.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted as Captain Yami appeared. The room tensed, and Yami gave a sharp look at the delinquent Magna. "Let's go, Magna."
Yes, Captain," Magna replied.
"What's going on?" Asta asked, his curiosity piqued. Marcus, too, was intrigued by the sudden shift in mood.
"It's a mission," Magna said, his face now serious as he started walking.
"Can I come with you?" Asta asked eagerly, but Magna quickly cut him off.
"No, this is a special mission. We can't bring any kids."
"This is an important mission for adults," Magna added, his tone leaving no room for argument.
With that, Magna followed Captain Yami, who gave a final warning before leaving.
"Don't break anything while I'm gone," Captain Yami said, and the group waved their goodbyes as they left.
Asta, deep in thought,
Marcus observed Magna fiddling with his fingers.
Fingers fidding , Adults? . Damn, they're going for gambling.
With an irritated expression, Marcus left the cafeteria and stepped outside for some fresh air. As he stood there, trying to clear his mind, his grimoire suddenly began to shake.
Without warning, it hovered into the air, its pages flipping wildly before suddenly stopping on a specific page.
On that page was a circle with seven smaller circles attached to a larger one in the center. Four of the smaller circles were filled: Icy Wind, Frost, Death Orb, and Death Threads.
Above it, the words "Level - 0" were written, but as Marcus watched, the letters morphed into a single letter: A.
He blinked, confused. Wait, why did it change?
Before he could process it further, a powerful, intense energy surged from above.
He looked up to see a fiery star burning brightly in the sky.
"What the hell is going on?"