Chapter 34: Opening Up
A few hours had passed since the failed attempt at breaking the protective seal at the gate that separated the Underworld from the Overworld. Almost every Magic Knight that was present worked alongside the Clover Citizens in harvesting the food that was readily available for them in order to keep living while they were stuck here.
Many people were working well together, but quite a few were still wary about the area due to the fact it was where devils were living. However, Liebe assured them that there were none near to where they were.
The only person that couldn't be seen at all was a certain vermillion-haired royal and Asta was the first to realise this.
"Hey, has anyone seen Mimosa? It's been a few hours and I can't find her anywhere" Asta asked very worriedly. Usually, he wouldn't be as worried due to how strong he knows the royal is, but with being in a foreign place like this, it was bound to raise some fears.
"She was just walking around a few hours ago, that's when I saw her last" Yami blew smoke from his cigarette.
Luck suddenly dropped in from nowhere and asked a question that was on everyone's minds "Captain Yami, I've been meaning to ask… but do you have an endless supply of those cigarettes?" he tilted his head and wondered with a smile.
"Now that you mention it… where do you keep bringing those out from?" Sol also asked the same question.
Yami stood up and started walking away from the ones who were questioning him "that is a secret… now get back to work!" he shouted before strolling away.
Sweat dropped from everyone's heads.
"W-wait never mind that! Luck…" Asta said with an urgent tone "… can you detect where Mimosa is? Your mana detection is second to none!"
"Huh? Oh, no problem. Hang on…" Luck closed his eyes and expanded his mana outwards to check if Mimosa's mana came into contact with it, and thankfully, it did. "Oh, she's…" the Lightning mage looked around "… hmm, what? She's back at the portal".
Everyone shouted in fear.
"Wh-what is she doing there?" Asta screamed getting himself ready to run to her location.
"… Don't tell me…" Liebe muttered with an upset tone in his voice.
Without a moment's notice, Asta ran off in hopes to find the Golden Dawn member "don't worry about us, we'll be back before you know it!" the boy gradually becoming harder to see as he ran off into the distance.
"Should we go too?" Luck wondered.
"We should… but we don't exactly know where the place is, we were just following that devil" Sol spoke with a tinge of sadness "they'll be fine and besides, the shrimp has Liebe to guide him".
The group of Magic Knights agreed and went back to do what they were doing.
Asta was running as quickly as he could without rest. It would take around 30 minutes to get to where the portal was so he had to go as fast as he could. While he was running, he was speaking to Liebe about the situation.
"Why do you think Mimosa would go off on her own like that?" the ashen-haired boy asked Liebe.
"How would I know? She's your friend" the devil responded coldly.
"She's your friend too, you know…" Asta said angrily.
Liebe paused for a moment to take what he said in, he also thought about how nicely Mimosa has treated him since she got to know him "urgh, fine… I guess we are f-friends. I'm still not too sure why she'd go off on her own. Seems to me she looked pretty upset though, after our failed attempts at breaking the seal" the Anti-Magic devil spoke up.
"Her ki was telling me something was off… I just hope she hasn't done anything crazy" Asta sped up towards the destination. In a few more minutes, he reached where Mimosa was and he was out of breath, panting like crazy.
Almost immediately after reaching there, he saw the royal just sitting near the portal, looking blankly at it. Asta walked up to her slowly and when Mimosa's face came into view, the boy became even more worried, but also upset.
Mimosa had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy from the tears that had fallen, and the ground beneath her was drenched in it. Her cheeks were wet too from the tears rolling down them and her eyes looked completely blank. Asta was right in front of her face, but she didn't react as if she hadn't even noticed that he was there.
Liebe interrupted Asta's train of thought "I'm gonna leave this to you, brat… I don't want to see her cry, so I'll just be over there" the devil left the grimoire and sat a few feet away, his back leaning against the wall and turning away from the scene. Liebe had started to feel something strange in his heart the moment he saw Mimosa in this state, and he didn't understand what it was, so all he thought to do was to leave the area.
Asta accepted what Liebe said. The boy then bent down and rested his knees on the ground they shared and reached his hands out towards the royal's shoulders. Swiftly, he brought her into a warm hug and held her there for a few seconds before Mimosa finally responded.
"Asta… what are you doing?" She asked without any emotion to her voice.
"What does it look like? I'm hugging you; I know you're a big hugger" he smiled, still embracing the Plant mage.
"I can see that, but why are you hugging me? I don't deserve it"
"You do, you probably deserve it the most out of anyone here" Asta still kept his big smile.
"I'm useless"
"I'm worth nothing"
"I can't do anything"
Mimosa repeated these self-hurting phrases about herself to which Asta started getting angry at. He let go of the embrace and sat back, still looking at the royal.
"Now, stop that. None of us here believe that about you" he spoke with a stern voice.
"I believe I am though" Mimosa's eyes still blank from the lack of life within them. "Captain Vangeance is dead…" she sniffled. "I can't do anything to help here… I might not see Noelle or Yuno, or my family ever again…" she paused. "Why am I even here when I can't do anything!" she screeched and wailed. It was clear to see that Mimosa was beginning to lose all hope. The stress and pressure she was in was finally taking its toll on her mental state and she let it all out.
Asta sat down next to the royal and started speaking calmly. "I've felt the same way you felt… I've never told anyone this but the night before Sister Lily died, I had a nightmare about her… she was dead on the floor and I couldn't stop it. Next thing you know that nightmare became a reality. I thought to myself, if only I woke up and acted right there and then, I could've prevented it…" Asta's voice started to shake.
"… A-Asta…" Mimosa spoke up.
"But then I realised I couldn't have done anything anyway… Megicula and Vanica had already made their move and there was no stopping them. So trust me, I know how you're feeling. All we can do is move on and cherish the people we lost and remember them in our hearts" a tear rolled down Asta's cheek. "That's how you continue living!" He continued.
"I-I'm sorry… I wish I could be as strong as you, but I don't think I can go on like this…" she teared up and her heart was hurting from the sheer turmoil she was under.
Asta then stood up to tower over the mage sat in front of him and shouted. "You are strong! You're much stronger than me! Who's the one that healed my injuries after my battle with Mars? That was you! Who healed me again after I came back from Nean? That was you! What about the one who kept me company after I fought Vice-Captain Langris? That was you! Not to mention the countless times you came to my aid during the whole elf invasion… That was all you! Now, you really believe that you're weak? Well… since I have to constantly rely on you, then I guess that makes me extra weak!" Asta shouted. Mimosa looked up and was startled after what he said.
"No, you're not weak!" She cried out, regaining a bit of life after Asta's monologue.
"Then you're not weak either!" Asta cried out.
Mimosa became quiet after he said that. She was shocked and at a loss for words.
Asta looked at Mimosa. "What the hell happened to you? You're fun-loving, you're sweet as hell, you're funny, you're strong, you're such a great person too. Don't you see? We all love you and want you smiling. You're one of the bright lights of the Kingdom. Plenty of people look towards you for help… and you're the one who I'm proud to call one of my closest friends! Asta crossed his arms but lowered his head to shout directly at Mimosa's face.
The royal started to cry once more, but heavily this time. Asta grabbed her again and hugged her and after a minute or so, she finally calmed down and left the embrace.
"Thank you, so much… Asta" she smiled, wiping her tears with her squad robe. She started to regain the colour in her face and the life in her eyes. All she needed was someone to understand how she was feeling and Asta provided exactly that.
"You really do get injured all the time, huh?" she winked towards the magicless mage who got embarrassed.
"Haha, yeah sorry about that. Recovery spells are made for me I guess" he winked back.
Mimosa then started to open up more about her frustrations "there's more… ever since the big fight in the Royal Castle's throne room, I haven't managed to do anything significant in terms of attacking the enemy, and now… I can't even do anything to break the seal except watch you work" she sniffled "and when I think about it, my mind just wanders… and I start to believe that we'll be stuck here…".
Asta paused for a few seconds and thought about what the royal said "it's true you can't break the seal with your magic… BUT, your magic is still amazing, and it can be used for so much! You're the cornerstone of our battles. Without you, many of us have no chance. Think about it. If you weren't there in the throne room, Yuno, Noelle, and I would be dead. Your magic is nothing to scoff at!"
Mimosa looked up and met Asta's beaming smile and she couldn't help but smile herself "is my magic really that useful?"
"Of course, it is! Everyone relies on you as they believe you're strong enough to pull through. You even pushed yourself to learn Mana Zone, didn't you? Even I can't do that!" Asta extended his hand forward.
"Haha, Mana Zone was a pain to learn… Yuno helped me a lot" she blushed at mentioning his name.
"So why don't you try and pull through… and believe you'll meet Yuno again" Asta said cheekily, covering his mouth with his hand but laughing through it.
"H-hey! Stop teasing me about that!" Mimosa screamed in a playful way "hmph. Anyway… are you going to confess to Noelle then?" the royal returned the cheeky banter to Asta.
"S-stop that!" he screamed, rubbing his neck as it started sweating from him being embarrassed.
A few seconds passed, and the two burst out laughing.
Mimosa was truly happy after this exchange and appreciated Asta for what he said about her.
The two started to walk back to where everyone was.
Mimosa turned around to the Black Bull and hugged him "thank you for everything you said… you're one of my closest friends too!" she loosened her grip on the boy.
"See, I told you that you were a big hugger" he giggled. "You're always there for me, makes sense if I return the favour!" the teen smiled back.
The two made their way back and Liebe returned inside the Five-Leaf grimoire. "That brat really is something… hmm, so Mimosa is my… 'friend'?" the devil wondered.
Back at the clearing where the rest of the Magic Knights and citizens were, they were all resting after a hard time working. There were actually a few buildings being constructed, surprisingly. The trees that Liebe had pointed out, the bark from them turned out to be insanely heat-resistant and strong. Sol's Earth Magic also came in very handy in this feat. Many of the people had a place to rest and sleep too, and with a constant supply of food, they were beginning to manage.
Asta ran ahead and started screaming in amazement "Woah! You guys did all this in the few hours I was away?!" he looked around with starry eyes.
"Shut the hell up" Yami grabbed Asta's head and lifted him up "it was nice and quiet without your constant yelling" he let the magicless mage go.
"My h-head…" Asta rubbed the top of his head to try and mask the pain.
The Crimson Lion Kings Captain then greeted Asta and Mimosa "so why were you two back at the gate?" he asked.
Asta was at a loss for words, he wanted to tell the truth but also didn't want to reveal Mimosa's insecurities to everyone "ah… um…" he tried to find the right thing to say but couldn't.
"- We were training! … With our magic!" Mimosa interrupted and saved Asta from looking like an idiot in front of everyone.
Asta and Mimosa looked at each other and winked, as if to tell each other that they had their backs.
"Oh, well that's alright then. Mimosa… just let us know next time" Fuegoleon ordered to which the Plant magic user agreed to.
Everyone then headed off to their partly built structures and rested for the rest of the day. It was their first, proper rest since being transported here and they needed it as they slept for almost 10 hours.
The group woke up and sat down at a meeting held by Captain Fuegoleon. "I hope everyone has rested well, especially you three" the royal looked at Asta, Yami, and Nero. "Today is when the training starts for real. This period will take a very long time, I can tell you that… as can Liebe".
As if on cue, Asta's grimoire flickered and Liebe popped out. "You guys miss me? Geh, geh…".
Fuegoleon, still worried to not press Liebe's buttons, spoke to him "Liebe, could you please outline the instructions?" he smiled.
Liebe looked at him in a defeated stance, his back hunched over, and he had a slight frown "urgh… you really are one of the good guys…" he thought to himself. "Alright, listen here… the brat, Captain Yami, and birdie here… will train to level themselves up to finally destroy that damn seal… everyone else… train as well, who knows when you'll come in handy. Geh, geh… but the ones that aren't useful at all…" the devil turned to the Clover Kingdom citizens "just keep working here and stay safe… pleas-" Liebe immediately stopped himself.
There were a few whispers among the crowd…
"Did he just say 'please'?"
"Woah, who knew he could be polite?"
These sorts of whispers were spreading before Liebe starting growling in a hurried fashion. "What is wrong with me? Did I r-really just say… 'please'? … ANYWAY, you've got your jobs… now get to it!" he shouted.
Asta was also shocked at the fact Liebe said 'please'. He knew the devil was largely rude but hearing him like this was something "Liebe…" he smiled.
The people started to disperse and head off to start their jobs. It was just a small amount of Magic Knights left amongst each other.
Liebe walked towards them and started speaking "so, you Knights… branch off into pairs and spar with each other…".
"Sparring will probably be the best way to overcome this hurdle! Knights… let's do this!" he roared and pumped his fist towards the sky to rally them up.
The Knights started to pair themselves up.
"Fuhha! Sol… pair up with me!" Sekke spoke which annoyed the Earth Magic user at first, but she then agreed.
"I have to do what I can… to see my Sis, I'll do anything. Even if it means pairing up with a man".
The two headed off.
Mimosa walked up to Asta. "Oh, you want to pair up with me?" Asta smiled with starry eyes, he was happy to spar with Mimosa as he had never done so before.
However, "sorry, Asta. Not this time… actually, I want to pair up with Nero!" she started petting the bird who then flew over and landed on the royal's vermillion hair.
"That's fine with me" Nero spoke in her bird form.
Asta fell to his knees and shouted in defeat "now, I have no one!" he cried in his usual, childish way.
Liebe walked up to Asta and grabbed him by the squad robe and stood him upright. "Stop your whining… you've got a special opponent".
"And who's that?" he looked around and saw no one, except…
"That's right… him!" Liebe grinned.
Asta locked eyes with his opponent. Sweat droplets formed and fell from his brow and the boy began to be nervous.
"Yo" the opponent raised his hand.
"I'm fighting… Captain Yami?!" Asta screamed.
NOTES:
Asta will always be there for my girl Mimosa, and vice versa! I felt like she needed some talking to and I can't imagine how she would've felt after all those instances where she believed she was useless . Glad Asta was there! Best friends . Mimosa is also my best girl, so I had to have Asta compliment her to the max! :P
Btw, this area that the people are building up will NOT be like how the others are building in and around Hage. These people are just doing the minimum to survive.
Now what do you think about Liebe slowly realising he does have friends?
Asta vs Captain Yami, soon! :D
