SORRY! I'm so late! Too many things to do! Just three months after my previous move, I had to move again! In a room full of spiders T_T. Then, there was all the paperwork mumbo-jumbo, and work was pilling up... Nothing really great.
I'll admit I also watched House of the Dragons, and from then I started to watch GoT again, because GoT until season 5-6 is just awesome! And time passed like this. xD
Anyway, last chapter, Marx did interrupt something, which leads to now! Enjoy! (And as usual, sorry for the occasional misspells.)
Marx Francois was, in every sense of the word, the loyal servant of the Wizard King. As his aide, it was his prerogative to deal with the day-to-day and the more menial task to make life easier for his whimsical master.
"And making my life easier isn't one of his." Marx thought with a small sigh.
Not that Marx blamed him for that one. Everyone was entitled to pursue what made them happy, provided it wasn't harmful to others. And mending his relationship with his daughter was what the Wizard King wanted.
He didn't have to say it. Marx simply knew. In the following days, after the moment he shared with his recovering daughter back at the infirmary, Julius had been more motivated to work than ever.
The fact that they managed to out a traitor - a captain, at that - could have been factored in, but Marx has spent enough time with the man to know better.
The series of events that led them to this situation would either be a boon or an absolute nightmare to deal with. Julius had already made plans to spend time with Aurora at least once a week.
And so, this situation was about to become recurrent, Marx thought as he escorted a smiling Aurora toward her father's office.
Time would quickly tell if putting these two together would be a blessing or a nightmare for him.
After all, the Wizard King had convened a meeting with all the captains later, and he had assured Marx he'd be here on time.
Marx trusted Julius on everything, but a little voice in his head couldn't help but whisper that it was too good to be true.
Call it a gut feeling.
He chanced a look at the young girl at his side. She didn't pay attention to him, as even though she already came here, the young mage was taking in the sight. Her little spirit animal was, as usual, on her shoulder, although he looked asleep by the looks of it. It was truly... Bizarre to look at this girl and realize she was the Wizard King's daughter.
Julius Novachrono, a father. Marx still had to process that one. But if the man promised to train his daughter, he'd be at least easily reachable. Easier than before, Marx hoped.
Especially today, as they were planning to receive the captains of each squad for a reunion, apparently, where Julius intended to explain his next plan for the Magic Knights.
In short, a recipe for disaster was brewing, Marx knew it, and he didn't want to pick up the pieces.
But that was his job.
He knocked on the door and entered the room, holding the door for Aurora and closing it swiftly behind him. The man inside was busy reviewing documents, and a whole lot of it, judging by the two heads tall pile on his desk.
What was happening? Was that the power of fatherhood changing him? The man was working!
"I brought Aurora-san with me, Julius-sama," Marx said dutifully. Julius nodded at him with a smile. "Thank you, Marx. That'll be all." He answered while looking at his aide gratefully.
"Why are you surprised he's working?" Aurora said next to him pretty unhelpfully before he could make himself scarce.
Marx tried to find an answer to that particular query without letting all his frustration spew forth. Finally, he was saved by the sound of an amused snort.
"Well, I used to shirk away my duties all the ti- from time to time, yes." Julius stumbled a bit on his words. "But only when I heard about something vital! Skipping work is not good!" Julius tried to wave away Aurora's concern while sounding cool before remembering the situation and who he was talking to.
And somehow, Marx's mood made a one-eighty. "Way to set a good example…." He snarked in his mind.
"..." Aurora was looking at her father with barely veiled disappointment. "And after what you told me the other day… So uncool…" She sighed, and Marx could somehow hear the sound of a pedestal being fissured.
"No, wait! I won't do it anymore! I promise you! No more skipping work!" Julius said hurriedly, even as the words tasted like ash in his mouth.
"Mmhhff." Aurora harrumphed while crossing her arms, head turned aside, not convinced.
"Just watch me! I'll prove to you I'm working harder than ever!" said Julius with conviction.
"...Okay." Aurora nodded, looking at her father with a coy smile. "But I'm curious, though. What do you usually do as the Wizard King?" She asked curiously.
"... I lead meetings, receive people sometimes, and a lot of times, I'm reading and reviewing documents before signing them while asking for updates about the kingdom - or receiving them." Julius put his quill aside and listed with his fingers. "Of course, as the highest ranked magic-knight in the country, my first priority is to keep it safe from all threats. Fortunately, that doesn't happen often. Well, recent occurrence put aside, I mean." Julius explained with a smile.
"... Sound boring. I should really let Asta and Yuno know about this." She mumbled to herself.
"You don't sound very interested," Marx remarked off-handedly.
Aurora turned towards him. "And for a good reason. Can you imagine standing behind a chair doing paperwork all day long and receiving grumbling nobles?" Aurora said, unaware of the mortal damage her father was receiving. "Yes… I can imagine…" Julius, who was listening too, mumbled. "I want to be free to see as much magic as I want!" She declared passionately, a feeling her father shared.
"But Father here looked really motivated to do just that! So don't worry, Marx-san! You can be sure that Father will never slack on his job again as long as I'm here!" Aurora added with a large smile, and Julius knew he had been tricked.
"Marx-kun…" He started, turning towards his aide, searching for help.
He received none.
"Well, this was... something." Marx interrupted him before he said something he'd regret in front of his daughter. However, the aide could barely hide how supremely pleased he felt right now. "I'll leave you to your training then." He said all smile. "One last thing, if I may. You've got a meeting scheduled with all the captains in two hours. Please don't forget it."
Julius made his best innocent face, raising his hand before him in mock surrender. "Me? Forgetting this? Don't worry, Marx-kun! You know I'll be there!" He said, laughing.
Marx simply closed the door behind him, not bothering to answer.
"... Do you think he bought it, dad?" The girl asked her father, who grinned like a boy after their deed. "Of course. I did believe it, myself! But, of course, we had to do this if we wanted Marx-kun to keep clearing my schedule. But you know, for a moment, I didn't think you faked your disappointment at all!"
"Ah, that's because I didn't." She giggled at the face her father made.
Half an hour after this particular event, Aurora was sitting on the floor, cross-legged, her eyes closed. Her mind wandered a bit at what just happened and when her father told her that this little sketch would be helpful to give Marx peace of mind when they spent time together.
Aurora simply thought her father wanted to mess with the aide. And who was she to refuse a good laugh?
"Focus, Aurora. This is important." Her father told her seriously, interrupting her from her wandering thoughts. "Good. Just like that." He could feel her attuning to her own mana. "And now… Release it."
"... That's hard…! Seriously, it feels like I'm swimming in a large river, and I have… to gather all the water around me. I've already done something like that… But the scale is completely different. It feels like I'll never manage." Aurora said, a bit despondent. Gaius was nestled against her neck as if to reassure her.
"But you will don't worry. It's only your first try, and you have already grasped what awaits you. And if we keep the comparison, then what you felt is like what a drop is to a river. But don't worry," Julius said while kneeling in front of her, "you will manage. And you'll be able to use all the magic you want the way you want. You'll be free." He finished, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing reassuringly.
"... I understand… But… A drop? It already feels too much!" She said, disbelief evident on her face.
Julius moved his hand on her head and rubbed it affectionately. "Indeed. I saw it." His daughter tilted her head sideways, a question plain on her face. "I can see the future. And I saw you doing wonders for those around you as you use magic, fully in control."
Aurora blinked. "You can see the future?!" She asked him excitedly. "I'm the other Time Mage, remember? It will be a lesson down the line. What I can do, you'll be able to do it. If you work hard, of course." He patted her head as her eyes started to shine with a newfound admiration for her father.
"If I work hard… All right, I'll keep at it!" Aurora took up her previous position and resumed her attempt to control her magic.
Julius inwardly smiled in victory. As if he would be anything less but his daughter's role model!
"Here," he took her hand and let his mana flow a bit. "Stay focused! Can you feel it?" He was actually helping her with the process. Aurora nodded. Deep inside, she could feel her mana taking the familiar form of another skin around her.
Only much thicker than usual. "only after mastering yourself can you influence the outside." Her father told her. "And it's even more true for our Element. Time is… finicky. It is an element that can influence life and death; it can also unmade what was made…."
"Or undo what was done." Aurora finished for him. "I used to use the mana around me to do this, but it was far less effective. Why?"
Julius removed his hand, and Aurora let herself relax. Somehow, she felt far more in control than before.
"Two reasons: first, you are more powerful than before, and second, you can somewhat communicate or feel the mana around you, right?" Aurora acquiesced. "that's something only a remotely powerful and experienced mage can do, only during duress. So-"
"Does that mean I'm loved by the mana? I read that in a book somewhere. And I remember the guy who attacked me said something like that too. So what does it mean?" Aurora asked, eagerness plain on her face.
"... Yes, that's what I wanted to say." Julius's expression betrayed nothing. "Not. This guy is even more of a bother than I thought." "Because of this, you can instinctively relay your command to the mana around you, as if it was yours to command, and that's not totally wrong… But what happens when you face someone else who can do the same thing, hmm? What do you think would happen?"
"Errr… The strongest wins?" The girl attempted, scratching her head.
"Yes, but what does it mean to be the strongest for a mage?" Julius egged her on with a little smile.
"The one with the strongest magic…No, wait!" At her father's dubious expression, Aurora backpedaled. She thought about what he had said to her.
"Control. Control allows a mage to unleash all its strength." Aurora began in a low voice, her eyes locked on the floor. "So, if a moderately strong mage happens to fight a strong mage who has no way to control his or her magic, then the moderately strong one will win. And if he's strong enough, he can even influence his surroundings." She finished, raising her head to find Julius looking down proudly at her.
"Exactly. That's why control is of paramount importance. Yet, as someone beloved by mana, you have the advantage of having a unique understanding of it. You don't have to force it to control; you just need to communicate your needs. But this time, you need to communicate with yourself… that's what control is all about."
Aurora digested his words. She couldn't help but be convinced, as each of his words seemed to carry weight only someone with considerable experience could give them.
Basically, he was telling her to do what she did back then to open the door, but in reverse.
"It looks like you're getting it. Repetition is the mother of success here. Keep practicing, and it'll become natural." Julius said after observing her. "A mage should always play by his strengths, whether fine-tuning, creativity and outside-the-box thinking or simply raw power… Or perhaps all of them simultaneously. Of course, I'm repeating myself, but knowledge of oneself and your magic is paramount. And that's something humans have perfected."
"I understand," Aurora said after letting go. It was indeed getting more manageable as if her body and mind were accommodating themselves rather quickly to this new power. "But knowing oneself… It's hard! How am I supposed to do that?"
Julius laughed. "I'm not telling you to ask yourself questions about everything. I'm asking you to think about what it means to be a mage for you and what it means to control time. What is a mage for you? And what is Time?"
"I said I understand, but now I'm not sure what it could bring me to answer that…." Aurora pouted a bit.
"That's what I did, and it worked for me," Julius said, and it was as good an argument as any. "But if I had an answer to give you, it would be focus. Being in a conversation with yourself sharpens your mind; it helps to have a clear head. And when you get your answer, your training is over for a while." Julius said seriously.
He walked around his desk before standing in front of one of the windows, opening it to let some fresh air into the room. "It's a cycle. Training brings strength and creativity, the both of them bring opportunities and experiences, which in turn develop our power and thinking in a meaningful way, which in turn, bring another cycle of training, to reach even further beyond…." Julius said meaningfully, turning to face his daughter.
Aurora nodded mutely. Her road was clear, but it still felt like she wouldn't see the end of it. It seemed daunting but not that much, only to feel even more lost when she thought about it some more.
"The end… Ah." Aurora smiled wryly. "And how many days of training per cycle?" She asked curiously, trying for a change of subjects.
"It depends on so many things it would be impossible to answer." Julius said with an amused smile.
Focus on your mind on the questions of magic and question yourself. Train with your body and your mind, and sharpen them.
Aurora changed position, her legs underneath.
Get stronger.
"By the way, Aurora." Her father said after a while, "I said reading the future would come later, but would you like a live demonstration?"
Her eyes shined with all the enthusiasm of the world. "Of course!"
The city's bells were ringing, signaling it was already late afternoon when Marx went to the tower entrance to greet the captains. As usual, and despite their more-than-colorful personalities, Marx was glad those people were consummate professionals.
Now, if only…
"I've heard your squad got two more stars. Congratulations, Yami."
"Yeah, uh… Never know when you're sarcastic or not, masked weirdo. Thanks, I guess. How about you? Aiming for a new record?"
"We're already at eighteen stars if that's what you ask." "Please, Captain Vangeance, no!"
"... So I'm guessing you were mocking me. Didn't think you'd be the first to go, though."
"No!"
"Oh, don't take it the wrong way; I was being genuine. It seems your new recruits are putting in a lot of work." "Were you?!"
"Yeah, they're just a real pain in the neck, is what it is. Sometimes I wonder what I bother with this kind of idiot; I'm too big of a softie for my own good." "Is he for real?"
"Birds of the feather tend to flock together."
"What was that, Prickly Queen? Are you saying my squad is full of idiots? Haha! You'd be so right!"
"And only an idiot would be proud of that fact." "Stop antagonizing the worst of your bunch, Captain Roselei!"
"You're goddamn right, again! You're incredible today, Prickly Queen!"
"...Mpfh." "Wait. That's all?!"
"Kah Kah! That's old news, Yami! You being the dumbest of all!"
"... People died for less than that, though they were people and not a goddamn insect like you."
"... Keh! Those are fighting words. Wanna go?!" No, he doesn't! "Bring it on!" "Nooooooo!"
"... Are they always like that, Nozel-dono?" "Yes! And he's never doing anything to stop them!"
"Ignore the rabble, Kaiser-dono. For your own sake, ignore it."
"Zzzzz…."
"Hahaha! These old men are really going at it!"
"WHO YOU'RE CALLING AN OLD MAN? I'LL KILL/SLICE YOU!"
…If only they were just a bit less colorful. Just a teensy bit.
As Marx was getting ready to set them straight, however poorly it always goes, He heard laughter coming down the stairs behind him and two persons conversing.
He wanted to faint, jump joyfully in place, or both. The Wizard King was on time!
"How about a memory spell?"
"Yes, it could work, but I still need to read those papers, and some are really tedious… I've thought about duplicating myself, but even then, he got bored and tried to run away…."
"Sometimes, you have to grit your teeth and push on anyway. Well, that's what Father Orsi used to say during winter. Paperwork is boring, but it's a necessary evil, right? Well, as necessary as one can make it to be... Discovering and watching interesting magic is far more rewarding."
"I knew you'd end up agreeing with me! As expected of my daughter. Who in their right mind would stay here cooped when you can go out and explore the world?!"
"Well, I guess those who chose to become Wizard King?" His master makes a sound of surprise before laughing warmly.
"...And now you're more like your mother's daughter. The same power to cut people with words ran deep through you." As they descended the last stairs, Marx could see Julius ruffle his daughter's head as they got near the exit.
"Hehehe… Ah." Aurora stopped walking as she took the sight of the bickering knights, who stopped immediately after seeing her father.
As if his informality had been but an illusion, the aura around Julius changed. Commanding, powerful, and charismatic, Aurora didn't even need to read the mana to realize this was his Wizard King persona.
"Well, everyone's here, it seems." He turned towards his daughter. "Run along, Aurora. I'll see you in five days like we decided."
Marx perked up after hearing this. "You did?" He asked warily. He received twin energetics nods. Then, a terrible chill crawled up his back. "...All right."
Aurora smiled at her father, then took off on her broom, but not before sending an awkward salute to her captain under the dumbfounded looks of the other captains.
"Ain't she the girl from the exam? What's she doing here?" Jack the Ripper asked, totally oblivious.
"God, you're dumb. She's the Boss's daughter…" the Green Mantis Captain looked at him as if he had two heads. Others who weren't aware gasped in surprise. Yami smirked, scratching his neck.' Still... Looks like I missed a development here." Yami muttered curiously. Turning towards Julius, he asked, "So, why are we here?
"Follow me. We have much to do to organize this new event." Julius cut short Jack's reply and the potential onslaught of questions from the more curious members. Then, flanked by Marx, he led them toward the conference room on the ground floor. The Wizard King's tower wasn't richly decorated, and neither was this room, but it was an exquisite design.
The far walls were draped in red and white, the royal color of Clover, and you could spy on each corner small sculptures representing a former personality of the kingdom.
In the middle of the room laid a beautiful table made of rich lacquered woods, and around it were ten chairs, five on the right and four on the left, one for each captain.
The last one, at the head of the table, was where Julius sat. The captains followed suit and turned towards him.
"First of all, thank you all for coming here. As you all know, the capital was attacked, and we found the traitor in our midst. We were tight-lipped about that incident, but I feel we are somewhat… Lacking cooperation and coordination. Rivalry is all well and good, but recent events showed us that reticence to work together could prove disastrous." Julius said, sweeping his gaze towards the captains. Nozel, in particular, twitched. No doubt what happened to his lifelong rival was still weighing heavily on his mind.
"How can we make our Kingdom a better place for all its inhabitants if we Magic Knights cannot answer to a certain standard?" The Wizard King asked them rhetorically. "I'm not talking about individual results or behavior for now; I'm talking about willingness - or unwillingness - to work with people from different horizons. "The little feast, cut short, was a glaring example of this. I said I would let the Squad run themselves independently, but if this continues, the difference will grow without us being unable to do anything against it."
After a short pause, Julius added. "My goal is to make this country a prosperous place where people live equally to one another, free, tolerant, and unafraid. Some would say a dream within a dream, but not for me." He clasped his hands and put them under his chin. "And if we can't make our squads work under those principles, then we can forget about making it work for the kingdom."
Raising from his chair, Julius faced his captains, who were listening to him attentively. "So, I've been thinking about making some inter-squads mingling. Something bimonthly. Depending on your squad size, you'd select up to three people, and they would work for another squad for about two days just to get a feel about it."
The captains blinked, dumbfounded. This was quite the undertaking.
"I beg your pardon, Wizard King, but this will be complicated logistically." Randall Luftair, the vice-captain of the Crimson Lion and stand-in for Fuegoleon, the current captain, spoke up.
"I agree. Notwithstanding our current assignments, I don't believe such a measure will be well-received." Nozel Silva added, frowning.
"Ehhh, I think it could be fun. At least this could open new possibilities!" Rill Boismortier, the Aqua Deer Captain, said enthusiastically.
The others were also of mixed opinions. Yami and Vangeance, more in tune with Julius's goal and personal interest, were in support, but others, like Jack and Charlotte, were against it.
Julius slammed his hands on the table, startling the others and cutting short their argument. For the first time in a long while, he was pretty displeased with his captains. Marx could feel his master's mood change radically.
"Whether or not this is something well-received does not matter." He breathed calmly. "We were attacked. Our Capital had been under fire from an organization. We've got one captain who's been maimed by their leader, who previously already attacked William's squad and tried to kill Asta-kun!" And kidnap my daughter went unsaid. "And we've got another captain, who had been bought to betray our kingdom, allowing this attack to take place." Julius raised himself to his full height.
"I will not let the Magic Knights, the crux of our defense, fall into complaisance. The report I received after my ambush was anything but satisfying." He said somberly to the assembly, who stayed silent. "This was a wake-up call, and we're fortunate we didn't have much more wounded, or worse - dead. This will be a trial to test new and old members alike; being a Magic Knight does not mean only getting along with some people in your squad," he turned to Nozel, "refusing to work with a type altogether," he gazed at Charlotte, "or widen the chasm between noble and commoners." Julius declared, sweeping his hands before him.
"People look at us for the peace of the Kingdom, yes. But, you are - you and your knights, examples. Representants and beacons of what Clover should aim at. Never forget this." Julius said. "Oh, and by the way," he added lightly after a short beat, as he didn't spend the last two minutes lecturing them, "to promote this, you're all coming to a little feast Marx-kun will organize next week."
Marx turned sharply towards him. "I will?" He wasn't aware of it all, but it was such a Julius Novachrono thing to do that he only sighed when all he received for an answer was a smile.
"Yes. Five days from now on."
This couldn't be a coincidence. Five days from now on, The Wizard King planned to see his daughter again...
The chill went back crawling with a vengeance.
"Anyway," Marx started, putting aside his bad feeling and focusing on his task once more, "We already moved forward with it and actually wanted your input on which members are going to which squad. But, please remember it is nothing but a trial for now." He nodded toward the captains, showing them a plan.
After a short instant, Yami nodded in understanding. "Ahh, I see. So that would actually cancel the logistics problem."
"Yes. Assignments, save for urgency, can be swapped. I don't believe something drastic will happen so soon after the attack, especially with prisoners in our field, so that's why we're holding this now. In any case, we have to be prepared until we can take the fight to them. Polyvalence is key." Julius explained. "Now then," he pointed back to the image Marx projected, "the assignments we prepared. I'm open to suggestions."
"...The Golden Dawn will exchange two members with the Black Bulls and one with the Aqua Deer, the Coral Peacock three with the Blue Rose, the Green Mantis two with the Silver Eagle, the Crimson Lion two with the Purple Orca…" Each captain blinked as Marx read his notes. "And the members in question are…."
At once, several voices went out, discussing names, numbers, cohesion, and team building between much more motivated and willing captains.
In the end, decisions were taken.
"So, everyone is in agreement?" Julius asked quite later, as the sun had already set. The nine captains nodded. "Then, thank you for your time. I won't hold you any longer. Remember, five days from now, the banquet, and from next week onward, the squad swapping. Dismissed."
Eight captains saluted, except Yami, who left first, yawning and scratching his stubble.
"Well, that just happened…." He smirked to himself. For once, he couldn't wait for next week.
Well, the second arc is starting. Aurora is trained by her father, and shenanigans will probably happens, because even though she did put a front of being all serious, the very second her father would tell her about something interesting to see, you can bet they will both fly to look at it with childish wonder.
Fun times ahead for good ol' Marx
You can probably imagine where I'm going to put both Yuno and Aurora. Perhaps I'll subvert expectations or perhaps not, but it will make this part a bit longer than I thought. Ehhh, who cares xD
Anyway, see you next chapter! And thank you for reading!