Chapter 33: Failure

Ear-bleeding screaming, and shouting could be heard from the depths of the Underworld. The area where the portal was that separated the two worlds was filled with Magic Knights and Clover Kingdom citizens. They had just seen a noble from a respected family get split in half and disintegrated right before their eyes.

Liebe's plan to breach the gate did not work.

"Oi you devil! Are you smiling?!" one royal shouted out pointing at the Anti-Magic Devil and accusing him for conspiring against them.

Liebe turned around and spoke back in a mocking way "you can call me a devil all you like… that's who I am… it's not like I'll be offended… geh, geh. As for the piece of shit that just diedwe warned him, but his ego got the better of him… and he died. Not my fault" the devil said in a way that angered the high-status citizens, but what he was saying was entirely true. The noble didn't listen to reason at all and he paid for his child-like behaviour.

The commoners and peasants that were there actually stood in support of Liebe "w-well… he did warn him, but the noble didn't listen. It's n-not his fault!" one of them cried out, prompting a rally of voices to call out their support for the devil.

Liebe was surprised that there were actually people who were standing up for him, but he knew that if people were on his side it would be the lower-class citizens.

There was now a split between the royals and nobles against the commoners and peasants.

"Be quiet this instance!" Captain Fuegoleon roared and brought out Salamander, the Flame Spirit to intimidate the arguing group. "Someone just died, and you are pointlessly arguing! Liebe is correct and was correct the whole time, but the unfortunate noble did not listen to reason, and met his end. I ask that you stop blaming him for the sake of it!"

Asta's Anti Magic Devil was shocked that a royal like Fuegoleon stood up for him. He had this ingrained idea that almost all royals were scum, but he keeps on being countered by people who genuinely care like Noelle, Mimosa, and now Fuegoleon. "Guess I was wrong about you…" Liebe thought. "Hmph… I don't need your support, Captain! If they want to stop following me, that's no problem… the ones who want to return can stay with me…" Liebe stated with a menacing tone.

Fuegoleon was dumbfounded at the fact Liebe just addressed him as 'Captain'. Even though he was sure the devil hated him, he still used a term of respect which made Fuegoleon smile slightly.

Many royals and nobles separated from the group and walked further away from Liebe and the rest of the group. The rest stayed with the initial squad and they showed their support to the devil.

"Are you idiots going to criticize me too… or are you going to act in the right manner?!" Liebe shouted to which the group shouted in unison that they would be behind him.

Asta and Mimosa, however, were finding it hard to deal with what had just happened in front of them with the noble's death. They both threw up and couldn't handle seeing or thinking about that death anymore.

"H-how many times… d-do I have to see people die…?" Asta softly asked while panting heavily. His hands and knees were on the ground and he couldn't stand up from all the stress he was under. "Was my p-p-power still not enough?"

"Oi brat" Yami walked over to the distraught Black Bull member. "It's not your fault. My magic was too weak to do anything significant…" the Captain said angrily while a teary-eyed Asta looked up to him.

Nero flew over to the boy and landed on his head, wiping the tears away "I was too weak… stop blaming yourself constantly" she said while rustling on top of his hair.

While they were talking amongst each other, calming each other down. Liebe walked up to them "we're trying this againthis time we will break through…" he said sternly and with conviction.

Asta stood up after regaining his breath and, once again, brought out the Demon-Dweller sword. Yami and Nero, after turning into her human form, also got in their positions.

They tried the same combination and method again.

They tried it again.

They tried it once more.

It was clear to see that this plan was not working. The protective seal would shatter and disappear for a few small seconds, but then reappear almost immediately.

The plan had failed.

Asta, Yami, and Nero, along with Liebe were so out of breath and energy that their legs collapsed on the spot and they couldn't move their bodies anymore.

"Plant Recovery Magic: Princess-Healing Flower Paradise!" Mimosa used one of her strongest recovery spells to help regain the group's stamina so that they could be ready to try once more.

Liebe walked up to the royal "… this plan is a mess… it won't work. We're not strong enough" he said subtly so that the surrounding citizens wouldn't hear him.

"B-but!" Mimosa started but was stopped by the devil.

"Stop… it's going to take a long time before we can leave…" Liebe said before disappearing back into the Five-Leaf grimoire.

Asta sensed Liebe return to the grimoire and realised the situation "we… can't return y-yet" Asta said to Yami and Nero whilst being healed by Mimosa.

After the royal finished her recovery spell. The crowd of citizens and Knights wondered what the delay was and started asking many questions regarding the portal and why it was taking too long to break through. Yami and Nero couldn't respond to them due to the shame they were feeling, and Mimosa was too distraught with what Liebe said to her to even begin to speak. After many questions and queries, Asta was the one to break the silence.

"We can't break through… it's too strong for us to do so" Asta said, his voice breaking from the guilt and intense emotion he was feeling about the situation.

Everyone fell silent. They were shocked and scared for what may happen to them if they're never able to leave the Underworld.

"…You idiot. Of course, you'd be the one to tell the truth…" Liebe muttered whilst in the grimoire.

Asta responded "I needed to tell the truth… I can't give them false h-hope".

All of a sudden, the majority of the people there erupted in anger. They were shouting abuse and flinging unpleasantries towards the three Black Bulls who were tasked with this important mission. The fact that they now knew that they wouldn't be returning to the Clover Kingdom was hard to take and it reflected in what they were saying towards the Knights.

The shouting from everyone immediately subsided when they sensed an overwhelming amount of mana being released by someone. They slowly turned their heads around and they saw who the cause was. It was Captain Fuegoleon Vermillion accompanied with Salamander.

"That is enough out of all of you! You all clearly saw their plan was working as the seal broke before your eyes. Yes, they are not strong enough right now… but do you all seriously see another way of leaving this place?" the head of House Vermillion roared to which everyone responded with complete silence. They were simply to scared to reply but they all realised how wrong they were with their abuse towards the Black Bulls.

Fuegoleon walked up to the heartbroken Black Bulls and offered his empathy "I realise how you must feel, but we need to remain strong…" he then pointed to the citizens and other Magic Knights "… for them. Their future. Their hopes and dreams are residing on you".

"Look… if that's some way to cheer us up th-" Yami spoke in anger.

"I'm not looking to cheer you up. You need the motivation to overcome this hurdle in front of you and I aim to provide that" the Captain replied simply. He then turned to Asta "Asta… you want to become the Wizard King, right? Where's your conviction? Your motivation? Do you not want to help these citizens?"

"… O-of course I do!" Asta looked up and met the Captain's eyes and he was surprised with what he saw. Fuegoleon's eyes were slightly tearing up and he realised that it was because of the bleak situation they were in. However, he found it in himself to motivate the Black Bulls regardless of how he was feeling as he saw them as their only hope of escaping.

"I cannot do much to help in this mission. But you best believe I'll be training to my maximum ability regardless! So… tell me, Asta. What are you going to do?" the royal stood tall and towered over the Anti-Magic user, his arms crossed and his eyes looking directly into Asta's.

Asta finally stood up from his slump "I'm… going to… I'm going to train!" he shouted at the Captain with a look of determination plastered across his face.

Fuegoleon simply smiled.

"You really have an odd way of motivating people, Fuegoleon. Do you always have to start talking in those monologues?" Yami joked around but also began to stand up from his slump.

Nero remained silent, but you could tell she also felt the same as Asta.

The only one who remained silent, without a change in expression was Mimosa and Asta noticed this but didn't say anything to her.

"… I guess there's hope yet…" Liebe thought to himself. "Okay, that's good and all but what the hell do you expect to do about food? People are starving here, and this training is gonna take a while…" he asked the group, while giggling slightly within the grimoire.

Everyone remained silent.

"I didn't even think about food! What are we going to do?" one citizen screamed.

"Now that you mention it… I am starving! What the hell is there to even eat in this world?!" another citizen shouted.

Asta, realising that Liebe had giggled beforehand asked him a question "Liebe… I know you know something. Spill it" he ordered the devil.

"Oh finethere's actually food near my old house" Liebe sighed in defeat. He was just toying with everyone. He was a devil after all.

"WHAAAAAT?!" A shout in unison erupted from the majority of the people that were there.

Yami turned around and towards Asta "oi, Weird-Fangs. What the hell kind of food do devils even eat?"

Liebe just told him to go back to the house and they can see for themselves.

Everyone started to leave the area where the gate was located. A lot of them reluctantly so as they still had reservations about Liebe and the success rate of this plan but if a Captain like Fuegoleon, let alone a royal, told them to keep faith in them, then they would.

As everyone left, Asta felt that same familiar feeling that he's felt multiple times being in the Underworld and he turned around to try and see if he could notice anything, but to his confusion, there was nothing there.

"Just what is this feeling, I recognise it, but then again… I don't?" he thought but then followed the rest of the group back to where they came from.

The group traversed their way back to where Asta, Yami, Mimosa, and Luck first were teleported to. As they made their way back, a lot more of the environment came into view. The group had not paid enough attention around them to notice due to how scared and afraid they were beforehand. However, now as they were calming down and made their way back, they took time to analyse their surroundings and noticed many different things.

There were plants, with food growing from them. Albeit it was food that they had never seen before in their lives, but it was food ultimately. The size of these plants were quite large and they had stems extending from the base root with purple-coloured and oval-shaped fruits on the end of them. Apart from plants, there were also plenty of heat-resistant trees that were scattered alongside the area.

"Wh-wh-what? How did we miss any of this? Fuhha!" Sekke, the Bronze mage, asked whilst bewildered at this revelation.

"There's no way I'm eating anything like this, especially from a man!" Sol turned her head away in disgust, but then, unfortunately for her, her stomach groaned from hunger and she reacted with a sweat drop.

"… Fine Giant Lady. You can starve yourself…" Liebe mocked the Earth Magic user to which she didn't reply but acted annoyed at him.

The general consensus amongst everyone was that they refused to eat the food that was around them. It was understandable as what they saw around them was completely new and foreign to them, let alone food from the world in which devils lived in.

Then, to everyone's shock, Captain Fuegoleon walked up to the weird plant and got Salamander to pluck one of the fruits and proceeded to eat it. He didn't even hesitate and instead put all of his trust into what Liebe had said, even though he was a devil.

"C-Captain!" A group of Magic Knights bellowed in horror.

"M-Miss Vermillion! Please get your recovery magic ready!" The royals and nobles shouted in desperation. However, Mimosa was still completely out of sorts and didn't listen.

"Myyou're brave…" Liebe thought while residing in Asta's grimoire. "He really trusts me, huh? I guess he's another royal I can count on…".

Everyone waited anxiously to see what the Crimson Lion Captain's reaction would be like and after a few seconds they were surprised by the result.

"My… that was delicious! He really was not lying. This food is edible!" the Captain shouted and laughed. It was genuinely delicious for him and even he was wary about the food in the Underworld. However, Fuegoleon who wanted Liebe to trust him and the others to trust Liebe, took a huge gamble and fortunately for him, it was successful.

The group were shocked, but after a few seconds rushed towards the many plants around them and started nibbling at first but then ate like a pack of animals. They were absolutely starving and couldn't control themselves any longer.

Luck was running back after eating a bunch of them and licked his lips clean from the fruity residue that was stuck on them. "Hahaha! Liebe, I thought devils would eat rats and humans and stuff like that! I never expected this" he smiled and winked.

Liebe left Asta's grimoire and manifested himself once more "… those stories they tell you are so weird…" he groaned, and face palmed. "It may not seem like itbut the devils are a lot like you peoplethey need food and drink to survive just like you…".

Asta thought about this for a second but then realised how Liebe was speaking "why is he saying 'they'? He's a devil himself… and he's not including himself in that group?" he wondered.

"… But they require food and drink for a different purpose. You use it to replenish stamina and fill your stomachsthe devils use it to replenish their mana and only their manawe have no life force" Liebe commented which surprised a lot of the Magic knights who were listening on to the conversation.

"EHHHHHH?! Liebe, y-you're saying that you're dead?!" Asta screamed and rolled around the floor. Steam was coming out of his head as if his brain had caught fire or exploded. He didn't understand what the Anti-Magic Devil meant by what he said.

Yami and Fuegoleon looked at Asta in embarrassment but even they were curious what Liebe meant by not having 'life force'.

"You are a true idiotwe are clearly alive. However, what I mean by 'life force' is simple. It's the fundamental difference between humans and devils. 'Life force' is what makes a human. Devils don't feel hungry, or full from food. That is a human trait due to their 'life force'. Devils only eat and drink to refill their mana and that's it. Got it?" Liebe sighed. He hadn't spoken like a teacher before and he didn't like it at all but felt as if the group needed an explanation.

The majority of the group had understood what Liebe was talking about. Even though he didn't have 'life force' he was clearly alive and that was all that mattered. Asta, however, was still rolling around, side-to-side, still squirming from the confusion.

"Leave him… he's and idiot" Yami spoke nonchalantly while smoking.

After a few hours when everyone had eaten and filled their stomachs, they all settled down near Liebe's house. They all listened to Fuegoleon's orders.

"Well, it is clear we can sustain ourselves here for the time being, but our goal is to get back to the Clover Kingdom no matter what! We Magic Knights will all train to improve and to destroy that blasted protective seal, while you…" Fuegoleon pointed at the non-Magic Knights "… please get to work here…" the Captain then laid out plans and everyone got to work.

This was an entirely terrible situation for the group, but they had to fight through it. They had to get back to their world. The Overworld.

Asta was helping the others when he stopped for a few seconds and looked around. He then started to get worried as he moved his head frantically in search of someone. He couldn't see them at all and thought something bad may have happened.

"Where is Mimosa?" Asta thought in a very worried state.

NOTES:

It's going to take a while before we see our heroes reunited with the others!

I don't know if you like the way Liebe acts here, but I quite like how I've written him! He's cheeky and rude (like a stereotypical devil should be) but then, he still appreciates people sticking up for him like Fuegoleon in this chapter.

Also, I messed up BADLY. I had this idea of Asta, and the others being trapped in the Underworld since the start of the fanfic and I finally made it happen, but I never thought about the food situation that would obviously occur if this was realistic. I realised I should've brought Charmy here because of her Dwarven Food Magic, but completely messed up there, so I implemented the idea about the plants growing in Liebe's world and then explained why they need food regarding life force etc. Hope it wasn't too outrageous or confusing!

Don't worry for all you Sekke lovers there! I'll have a role for him soon enough, but first things first… where is Mimosa and what happened to her?