"Uhhh… So our base is in the middle of a shopping district?" Asta asked, his face contorted in confusion.
Solid resisted the urge to bang his head against the nearest wall in frustration, "No you idiot. We are here to purchase some new clothes for you."
"But I already have clothes." Asta said, gesturing to the outfit that he was currently wearing.
Solid sneered, "I meant clothes that don't look like they belong to a commoner."
"But I am a commoner."
"Not anymore. As much as I am loathed to admit, you are a part of the Silver Eagles now, you have to look like it. I will not introduce you to our teammates while you still look like that." The Silva noble explained, walking with purpose towards a high-end clothing store.
"Well, you see, I don't really have the money to pay for brand new clothes. Especially not clothes like this!" Asta exclaimed, looking at the price tags and expensive materials in amazement.
"I will pay for them myself. As I said before, you are now an extension of me, a representation I should say. I will not have you sully my or my brothers good name. Now hurry and try this on." The older mage said, thrusting a bundle of clothing into Asta's arms.
"THANKS!" Asta cried, practically skipping into the changing room.
Solid frowned in anger, he couldn't believe Nozel put him up to this. The kid, as loud as he still was, seemed more subdued in his presence. Compared to his exuberance during the exams, he seems almost calm. Perhaps it is due to the fact that the younger boy had realized the importance of decorum now that he is a Silver Eagle. Whatever his reason may be, Solid was grateful.
"Now this is our base." Solid declared, gesturing to the building below, as he steered the large broom into a clearing.
Asta's eyes were wide open in wonder. A large silver and gray castle took up the entire field, its towers poking through the clouds. The walls glimmered in the moonlight, the silver glistening in glory. Surrounding the massive estate was a garden, with flowers of all sizes and colors. Asta couldn't believe his eyes, this was to be his home.
"Again. How will you introduce yourself?" Solid tested as he safely landed the broom.
"I am Asta of the Silver Eagles."
"Where do you come from?"
"My origins do not effect my abilities."
"Why don't you have any trace of mana?"
"A true mage has talents beyond magic, and secrets beyond the castle walls. It would be wise to remember that." Asta repeated the answers in a monotone. While he wasn't ecstatic about hiding his life, he knew it was imperative to surviving in the Silver Eagles. If the rest of the team was anything like Solid and the terrifying Captain Nozel, Asta needed all the help he can get.
Thinking this, he softly grasped the bottom of his tunic, amazed at the material. He never wore anything of this quality before. He wore black pants and a loose black tunic, open to show a small sliver of his built chest. On top was a black coat, long enough to end past his knees. The collar of the coat was silver, as well as the sleeve cuffs. He wore black boots with a bit of a heel in order to give him some height. His hair, to Solid insistence, was combed back, his head band tucked safely in his pocket. All in all, he looked rich, he looked noble, he looked handsome. He looked like a proper magic knight.
He tensed in anticipation, before following his senior through the large obsidian doors. It was time to meet his team.
The two encountered no one at first as they walked through the castle. Asia wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that Solid had purposefully made sure of that. Despite his suspicions, Asta kept quiet. It probably wouldn't do so well antagonizing the only man in the castle who could confirm that he was an actual Silver Eagle.
They walked up multiple flights of spiraling stairs, climbing higher and higher in the back left tower. Not for the first time today, Asta thanked all of the deities for his almost religious-like workout regiments, for he wasn't sure an average mage could possibly climb all of those stairs.
Now that he thought about it, Prince Solid had to be pretty fit as well to climb his high. Huh. Maybe all royals were forced to do some type of exercise. Most mages that he encountered during the exam cared little for physical achievement, instead letting their magic enhance their capabilities. It didn't seem to be the case for Solid. Damn. This ice cold bastard might actually be more powerful than he assumed.
Finally, they reached the top floor of the tower. As they walked through the wide hallway, Solid spoke, "There are four towers in our base. We are currently in Tower number 4. The castle is divided like this: the main building holds the common room, the dining room, as well as most of our training facilities. Most rooms you would require can be found in the main building, and they are accessible to all members. Tower 1 belongs to brother Nozel. It holds his office, his private training room, and his personal chambers. Tower 2 is divided amongst the top officers, meaning myself and my sister Nebra. Towers 3 and 4 hold the chambers for the rest of our teammates. And here is your room."
Solid gestured towards a black and silver door at the end of the hall, "We are currently on the top floor of Tower 4, with your room being placed last in the hall way."
Asta tilted hid head, "Why is that?"
Solid quickly shot a look of distaste at the boy, however, once he saw the open curiosity in the kids eyes, he changed his original retort. Solid had believed that the insect was being greedy, wanting a better room than one on the top floor in the back of the hall. However the commoner didn't look like he was disappointed, only curious as to why he was given this room and not another, more convenient one. Damn it. The kid was smarter than he thought.
"You don't have any magic. And your use of negating all magic is… admittedly useful. You're placed in the back because in an unlikely scenario where we are attacked, you would have the most time to recover. As you don't have magic, you're useless up front, and would most likely die if not given enough time to react. However with you in the back of the castle, not only do you have apt time to come and help, you are also in the position to surprise any enemies. Besides, outside of the royal family, you're probably the only one outside of the royal family who could climb all these stairs on a daily bases without feeling the drain of stamina." Solid said all of this with a grimace, as if each word that he spoke was personally burning him. But Nozel was clear, Solid had to do everything he could to help the boy develop the intelligence and decorum of a noble.
Asta nodded in understanding, "That makes sense."
With that, he pushed open the door to his room. The sight had the poor orphan almost in tears. His bedroom was vast, bigger than three churches put together! His bed was also huge, placed near the large window that overlooked the back gardens and gorgeous lake. It was the most beautiful sight Asta had ever seen.
Asta might only have known the boy for a few hours now, but he was sure Solid wouldn't appreciate the loud cheer and crying that had been his first instinct. So swallowing his cries, Asta placed a fist over his heart and gave a small bow: The Magic Knight bow of gratitude.
"I thank you for your kindness, Prince Solid. I will do my best to prove my worth to the Silver Eagles, and refrain from sullying the great Silva name."
Solids eyes widened a fraction, before a smirk grew on his face. Perhaps this kid wasn't totally untrainable. The noble copied the action of the boy before him, bowing down slightly to the same level, "As I should do my best to prove a great mentor for you. Welcome to the Silver Eagles, Asta"
Nebra relaxed on the edge of the balcony, staring at her younger brother with a critical eye. "I heard brother dearest put you in charge of the little commoner. Sometimes I do not know that goes on through our dear Captains head."
Solid smiled cruelly, "Nozel knows what he is doing dear sister. Besides, the little commoner is easier to train that we suspected."
The elder girl raised a brow, "Oh? Do not tell me you have taken a liking to the insect?"
Solids face contorted in disgust, "Don't be foolish. I merely stated that we should trust our elder brother, as we always have."
Nebra sighed. As many flaws as the Silva family has, the three eldest siblings would forever believe in one another. They were the only ones who they could fully trust, "You are right Solid. Perhaps brother Nozel had seen something in the young boy that we had failed to take notice of before."
"He is… powerful, sister. He has no magic to speak of, yet during the examination he moved with such speed."
"Then his speed and strength is completely his own physical power? Does the insect even have the discipline to train that hard?
"I'm not sure about discipline, but I can tell you one thing: the kid won't rest until he's made to be the Wizard King. Magic or not."