X - The Story of Love: The Rover

The mass kidnapping was finally over. At least, in the meantime.

After hearing what she had to from the one captain Alvieha could describe as morbid, Yami was sent away by the woman. Finral and Gauche stayed behind, waiting for their exhausted junior to get up on his feet.

The Magic Knight who relayed everything to the capital finally got to meet with her teammates. And while Noelle Silva masked her worry about his fellow Black Bull companion, those from Golden Dawn didn't bother stopping with taking care of the ashen-haired male while he slept.

Especially Klaus Lunettes, who swung by the church every time he finished tending to his dear junior.

Alvieha found the exchange of affection quite endearing, but didn't bother herself joining in. Instead, she went back and forth between Sister Theresa's chamber and the town square where she entertained children.

Before returning to the capital, three Black Bull Magic Knights found themselves inside an eating establishment. The ashen-haired Asta was busy replenishing his lost energy one bowl of food after the other while the silver-haired noblewoman feigned lack of concern.

Meanwhile, an older mage was eyeing the glutton with an intent to kill. His younger sister was evidently enjoying the moment when a memory flashed in her head.

"Ah," Marie squeaked. "I forgot."

The male beside him looked at her, curious.

"There's someone I'd like you to meet, Asta. She was the one who helped Sister Theresa get all better."

The Magic Knight then hastened his pace, eager to meet this person Marie was talking about.

After saying thanks to his hostess and her family, Marie held Asta by the hand and pulled her somewhere into town. Noelle became interested as well, not knowing who this person is, so she followed. Behind them, Gauche was still wishing a certain someone's demise, but faintly got a hold on himself at the suspicion of whom his sister was meeting with.

A few more corners later and the ashen-haired knight found himself in awe. Left and right, children were in the air, enjoying. Some of them were having a pretend swimming contest, while others role-played as superheroes with flight capabilities. There were some who did other things, but all bore smiles on their faces.

In the middle of the street, a mysterious figure beneath a cloak was sitting on a wooden stool. Asta couldn't make out the person's identity as even the head was protected by a hood.

Before the male could react further, the tiny hand holding his disappeared and Marie ran towards the unknown being.

"Alvieha-san!"

At the sound of the merry child, the person stood up and turned to her guests. Alvieha then shut the book she held with one hand and crouched herself while quickly opening her arms to catch the young girl in an embrace.

Beside the swords user, Noelle was just as lost for words.

"A-Alvieha-san..."

The hooded mage propped Marie on her shoulders and stood. "It's been a while, Noelle-chan. When I heard from Cirxen that you joined the Black Bulls, I was highly ecstatic."

The noblewoman still couldn't express her joy. "S-Since when were you here?"

"Two days ago." Alvieha freed Marie after the girl asked to be put down. "Who knew you'd be here, as well."

"W-Whoa!" Asta screamed beside the teammate. "You can talk without moving your lips!"

"I'm a telepath, Asta-kun." Green eyes quickly reflected complete confusion.

How did she–

"Marie-chan told me a lot of things about you."

Before Asta could talk more, the third mage with them moved forward, his voice completely laced with unexpected grief.

"A-Alvieha..." Gauche didn't know how to start.

At that moment, he was certain that the heat of the moment caught up to him. If it didn't, he couldn't have acted such a manner to the woman. The two have been comrades for quite some time already. And she is one of the few people within the Magic Knights community that brings joy to his sister.

Deep down, he felt he wronged. And he wanted to make amends. It hasn't been long, yet, he didn't want to continue feeling conflicted every time his eyes would land on the woman.

"I-I'm sorry for lashing out on you back then. I shouldn't have done that. You thought your presence would be more important with the old hag, so you chose to stay. I should have not acted that way."

And to be honest, Alvieha was caught off-guard by the apology.

So much, a smile instantly sneaked up her lips. But, her chest was filled with words to say as well.

With a snap of a finger, every floating child slowly descended onto the ground. They whined and wished to continue playing, but Alvieha felt they shouldn't be there at the moment.

"I'm sorry kids, but, perhaps, we can continue playing some other time. We adults have to talk about something. Marie-chan, can you take the kids somewhere else?"

The young girl understood it well and invited the children to the church. Gauche was uncharacteristically serious, his temperament not swayed even after his beloved kin left.

When the small ones had departed, only the four Magic Knights were left behind. And Alvieha started off, calmly.

"But, I was also in the wrong back then. I should have been clearer. You were right. I gave you and Finral false hope when I initially said I'd help. I'll try not to do that next time."

"I'm sorry for what I've done, Gauche."

"Uhm... Hug?"

The young lady slowly raised her arms, waiting for a certain tall male to embrace. She felt not an ounce of shame in asking that. For her, it was natural, but it wasn't for Gauche.

It was cringe-worthy.

"Could we not do that?"

As her gentle grin immediately turned sour, Alvieha instantly snapped her finger.

Within seconds, immense pressure formed around the two adults. When Gauche ran his eyes around him, a dense force field had already surrounded them.

He was trapped. And knowing Alvieha, he wouldn't be able to get out. Unless...

"Either of us ain't going anywhere until you give me a hug, Gauche Adlai."

Gauche was pondering on it.

"Come and give me a big hug, honey."

It didn't take long for the thick force to disappear as quickly as it popped up. Behind the dissipated barrier, Gauche was a red mess, his hand covering his tinted cheeks, while Alvieha openly giggled.

"You really are embarrassing sometimes."

"You know me, honey. If I want a hug, I'll get a hug."

At the sides, Noelle didn't hide her awe. Alvieha-san really is powerful, huh, she thought. Beside her, Asta was more impressed.

W-What was that? It immediately appeared just after she snapped her fingers.

"Are you all right, Asta-kun? A-Asta-kun?"

It took a while for Asta to be frozen and when he came to, Alvieha was already in front of him, waving her hands over his face.

Energy then quickly surged within Asta, complimenting the magic he just witnessed. In return, Alvieha could only smile sheepishly.

"D-Don't even think of getting on Alvieha-san's bad side, Baka-Asta," huffed Noelle as she flipped her hair. "She's not someone you can mess with."

"E-Eh? A-Alvieha-san, how strong are you?!"

Before the said mage could process a word, Noelle beat her to it. With smug, she began to describe the woman.

"She's someone who directly gets orders from the Magic Emperor himself. Officially known as the Rover of the Clover Kingdom, she was recognised as a Grand Magic Knight at an early age and currently has no squad affiliation."

"She's Alvieha Laghda, the most powerful female Magic Knight I know."