Disclaimer: Black Clover is owned by Yūki Tabata, Studio Pierrot, and Shonen Jump.
Saga 15: Send Me An Angel
Saussy Village, Forsaken Realm, Clover Kingdom (Night)
"KANPAI!" Numerous pints of ale clank to each other.
In Saussy Village's town hall, the Black Bull Magic Knights were guests in a village-wide feast after their completion of neutralizing the boars stampeding around the fields.
On one end of the corner, Yuno and Noelle were sitting at the table, staring at their drinks and occasionally glancing at each other before averting their gazes and staring back at their drinks.
"Aw what are you folks doing here just moping around?" Elder Seyhe then places two plates of boar pot roast right in front of the two. "Go on. You two have earned it."
The two then take their forks and eat their fill.
"Holy crap, this tastes really good." Yuno muttered as he took his first bite.
Noelle just kept eating her pot roast, surprised on how scrumptious it is.
"So!" Magna appeared before the two recruits. "How do you guys like it!?"
"I think Charmy would love this." Yuno muffled through his food.
"Please, she would love anything that remotely tastes good." Magna stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Well, the boars will probably come back next season, so if you guys have any recruits next year, bring em to me so I can treat them to our village's pot roast, ya hear?" Elder Seyhe spoke of the Black Bull Magic Knights.
"Not if I beat you in cards next time, old man!" Magna bellowed out his a blush on his face.
"Oh god, he wasted already..." Noelle thought while eating her pot roast.
"HA!" The village elder exclaimed. "YOU WISH!"
"YOU WANNA GO, YOU OLD FART!?"
"I'LL KICK YOUR ASS ALL THE WAY TO NEXT TUESDAY, YA WHIPPERSNAPPER!"
The villagers laugh at the two spectacle of what can be assumed as a drunken brawl.
Expect the two of them were so wasted that they're both facing away from each other while raising their fists.
Yuno and even Noelle couldn't help but laugh at this bizarre spectacle.
Jericho then approaches the two at the table. "Enjoying yourselves, you two?"
"Surprisingly, yes." Yuno mumbles out with food in his cheeks.
"Geez..." Noelle sighed out. "When will you stop talking with your mouth full?"
Yuno just looks at her with both of his cheeks bulging out.
Noelle just groans at Yuno's lack of table manners.
"Glad you two made up then." Jericho then walks toward the face-planted Vice-Captain and lifts the drunken Vice-Captain off of the cobble floor.
Yuno slightly chuckles at the scene unfolding before him.
(An hour later...)
"Well..." Jericho mumbled as he was scratching the back of his head. "I guess we better head back before Captain Yami haves our heads."
"Oh! Thought I forgot somethin'." Elder Seyhe then hands the Black Bull Magic Knight a pot of the pork pot roast. "Thought the Black Bulls can use a little thanks. Also, tell that brat Yami to visit here sometime, ya hear!?"
"Got it, old man!" Magna yelled out, slightly buzzed.
"Noelle, you want to get on mine?" Yuno asks while he's flying on his broom.
"I guess..." The silver-haired girl then hops onto the four-leaf's broom. "But how are you standing on your broom in the first place?"
"Dunno." The youth responded. "Thought it looked cool, and it turns out that I'm really good at it."
"Sorry if I asked." Noelle stated.
"Don't worry about it." He shrugs while the girl gets on his broom.
"Vice-Captain, permission to ride your Crazy Cyclone due to you currently being too impaired to ride a broom?" Jericho stated.
"I would kick your ass all the way to next week for just saying that, but fuck it." Magna groaned. "Just don't break it, ya hear?"
"I'm a gentleman of my word, Vice-Captain." Jericho then lifts Magna over his large shoulder and gets on Crazy Cyclone.
"Alright then." The two brooms then take off of the ground. "We're off."
"Take care of yourselves, ya hear!?" The elder hollered.
"Right back you, you old fart!' Magna groaned out over Jericho's shoulder.
The four Magic Knights then fly off into the night sky.
Saussy Village was now behind them. The Magic Knights were now all to themselves now in the night sky.
"That was a pleasant evening." Jericho muttered.
"Told ya that their pot roast was the best..." Magna moaned.
Yuno then takes in the night air through his nostrils, letting the fresh air sooth his soul.
Ever since he was a kid, he and Asta would run around the open plains after they were done with their chores for the day. Yuno would spend the rest of the day looking at the skies above, fascinated by the sheer vastness of the world above him.
Now Asta's no longer with him to share such feeling.
He then lets out a sigh, right before the fresh air that he was breathing in was starting to smell like smoke.
Then the sounds of crackling was heard from below.
Then the temperature began to increase.
Then a slight glow warmed up to Yuno's eyes.
The town below the Magic Knights were on fire.
"WHAT THE HELL!?" Noelle yelled from behind. "THE VILLAGE IS ON FIRE!"
"What's goin' on down there..." Magna the looks down onto the burning village, and then he immediately sobers up.
"MOMMA! POPS!" The Vice-Captain yells out towards below. "GET ME CLOSER!"
"Yes sir!" Jericho then lowers Crazy Cyclone down towards the village below.
"[Water Magic: Naga's Fang]!" A blast of water shoots toward the burning house near the two. "DON'T GO IN WITHOUT A PLAN, YOU DOLTS!"
"NOELLE! PUT OUT THE FIRE!" Magna yelled from below.
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME TWICE! YUNO! GET US CLOSER!"
"Got it!" Yuno then lowers his broom while Noelle keeps firing her [Water Magic: Naga's Fang] on the burning buildings.
"MOMMA! POPS!" Magna keeps yelling through the burning village.
Meanwhile, Jericho tries to cleans out through burning rubble, trying to look for any survivors, Noelle keeps firing her magic to snuff out the flames, and Yuno uses [Wind Creation Magic: Air Bubble-Ventilator] on all of his teammate so that they don't suffocate from the choking smoke.
Eventually, the fires die out around the village.
"MOMMA! POPS!" Magna then runs toward the burnt-down house. His bare hands dig through the coal-black rubble in desperation.
He finds nothing.
A deafening and heartwrenching cry was heard in front of the burnt house.
"It's so awful..." Noelle breathed out. "So awful..."
The whole village, once running with life and color, now desolated and charred tar-black.
"This is odd..." Jericho mumbled while looking around the barren village. "There clearly was a fire, but the bodies aren't present..." He then takes out a small notebook and begins to pen his observations.
"First is that there seemed to a wide spread of objectives. There were three actions taken, torching, looting, and possible kidnapping. The lack of tools, furniture, food, and bodies seem to indicate that whoever did this was literally trying to wipe this village off of the map, but why burn it down? It's as if that whoever had done this was trying to send a message..."
He then closes his notebook and finalizes his thoughts.
"Either it was an unorganized raid, or there's something bigger going on. But that still leaves just one question:"
"Why would someone target such a remote village in the first place?"
Jericho then runs back towards where the three Magic Knights were.
"Vice-Captain." He spoke to the sobbing Magic Knight. "We should go before someone gets the wrong idea."
With one final sniff, Magna gets up from his knees and heads to his custom broom without a word.
The Black Bulls fly off into the night sky without a word.
Secret Dark Elf Village, Gallows Forest, Clover Kingdom (Midnight)
"So, I've been wondering."
"Yes milord?" Claudius responds to his liege.
"Just what is [Anti-Magic]?" Prince Astaroth asked. "I mean, I get that it summons weapons that can cut through magic, but is there more to that? Like me shooting out a blast of [Anti-Magic]?"
"So you wish to know more about your powers then." Claudius then gets off of the branch that he was sitting on and lands in front of the Fallen Angel Prince. "Then very well, I shall enlighten you."
Astaroth then sits down in front of Claudius.
"[Anti-Magic] is one of the four aspects known to the humans as [Forbidden], a magic that is classified to man as evil. But in actuality, these kinds of magic can only used by the Four Princes of the Apocalypse. Not to mention, they don't run on mana, but rather, they run against it."
"Wait, so am I one of them?" Astaroth asked.
"There is a reason why you're called the Demon Prince of War, milord." Claudius responded. "In fact, there are also three more just like you."
"Really?" The Prince beamed. "What are they then?"
"I know not of their names, but their titles, I do." Claudius then goes on to state them. "Aside from war, which is you milord, there are also Death, Conquest, and Famine."
"And what kind of magic do they use?" Astaroth asked.
"If I could remember correctly, Death uses [Death Magic], which is the power to erase anything from existence, material or otherwise. Conquest uses [Summon Magic], which allows the user to sacrifice a liviing being to invoke a demonic being under the user's command, and as a side note, bigger the sacrifice, the more likely that the user is going to summon a rarer demonic being. Essentially, it's gambling and the only thing that matters in that magic are results. And finally, there's Famine, which uses [Mutation Magic], which allows the user to absorb anything into the user's body and gain adaptations based on what it absorbs. As for your [Anti-Magic], it only summons weapons that all of them can cut through magic."
"That's... disappointing."
"I disagree, milord." Claudius retorts. "[Anti-Magic], unlike its others, has no drawbacks, but also has no boons either."
"Meaning?"
"For context, the user of [Death Magic] is not immune to its own magic, so it must be handled with the utmost of care lest that user accidentally erases itself from existence. [Summon Magic] needs sacrifices in order to work, and by that, I mean it has to be somewhat alive. Anything else is completely useless. And the physical effects to the user of [Mutation Magic]... it's beyond horrifying."
"In what regard?" The Prince asked.
"You're better off not knowing until you see it for yourself, milord." Claudius then clears his throat before continuing to speak. "So simply put, [Anti-Magic] is simple and straight to the point. A perfect weapon for the perfect storm of a warrior."
The Prince just shrugs. "Eh. Guess that's what you call 'counting your blessings'."
"Indeed it is." The Fallen Angel then looks toward the distance, seeing a flock of anti-birds coming towards their way.
The flock then lands on the village plaza. The birds then transform into their Fallen Angel forms.
And out of the wings of the Demons appeared the cloaked dark elf raiders, each with a loot in hand.
"So ladies and gentlemen." Claudius spoke to the returning raiders. "How were your very first trip to human civilization?"
"Let's just say that founder Vidar's statement was right all along." Thor spoke in an enthusiastic tone. "They went down like bitches."
"That bad?"
"Their fangs have severely dulled over the past centuries." Thor stated while the rest of the dark elves unpacked their loot.
Tools, food, clothes, and a few human corpses. More than enough to sustain a whole village.
"Wait wait wait, one of them is still alive!"
"KILL THE BITCH THEN!"
A bow is strung back as the woman tries to make a run for it.
The arrow hits the back of her neck and out her throat, knocking her dead.
"So..." Thor trailed off. "You wanna help us prep-cook dinner? The kids in the village haven't had this much surplus ever since a human trafficking ring was dumb enough to camp in these woods a few years back."
"Feast like kings then." Claudius responded. "In the meantime, I have the other Demons escort my Prince back to home base." The Fallen Angel then turns to Leif. "By the way, Thor."
"Yes?" The dark elf chief answered while flaying a slab of meat off of the human woman's bones.
"You mind if I make this boy your kind's ambassador?" The Demon asked. "After all, we were a little rough with him the first time we met, and the fact that he knows where we live. Seems like a fair deal, no?"
Thor then turns to the dark elf boy. "Make us proud, Leif."
"Yes chieftain!" The boy saluted.
"Then come with us." The Fallen Angels addressed to the little ambassador.
"I'll tell them that we have friends!" Astaroth then heads toward where the party was gathering. "Claudius!"
"Yes milord?"
"I hereby declare you the ambassador of the Fallen Angels of Ars Goetia!" The Prince declared as he ran toward the party. "Make us proud, ya hear!?"
"HAPPILY, YOUR HIGHNESS!" Claudius salutes as the dark elf boy and the Demons in their anti-bird forms head into the outside world, delivering the good news to the Demon brethren.
Black Bulls Base, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Midnight)
"So that's what happened?" Captain Yami spoke to the returning soot-covered recruits and one catatonic Vice-Captain.
"It's all our fault that we weren't there to stop it..." Yuno breathed out.
Captain Yami then breathes out another huff of smoke. "Well, crying about it ain't gonna bring them back." He bluntly stated. "And Vice-Captain?"
"... Yeah Captain?" His voice was barely audible.
"Get some sleep. Crying about it will only make you feel worse."
The Vice-Captain goes to his quarters without a word.
"As for you three." He then turns to the recruits. "... I guess that's one way to taste on what it feels like to be a Magic Knight."
"Why?" Yuno breathed out. "Why does it have to happen when I could've been there to stop it?"
"Because you're only one man, Yuno." The Captain replies. "Don't let today's failure haunt you. Tomorrow, it'll be a chance to make things right, understood?"
"Yes Captain." The three stated.
"Good." He then walks away. "I'll write up a report to the upper brass. The reward should come by sometime tomorrow. Now go hit the sack. I got last-minute work to do."
The three recruits then head back to the upper levels of the base, right after Jericho sets down the tin pot of pork pot roast in the kitchen.
"So this is what being a Magic Knight feels like..." Noelle sighed out.
"It was rather a... turbulent experience." Jericho spoke out in a trembling tone. "I just hope that the same kind of fate doesn't befall upon the others..."
"Assuming if they even give a crap in the first place." Yuno bit out. "Right now, we're the only ones who know what's really at stake."
"Truer words have never been said, Yuno." Jericho stated. "Just don't choke, understood?"
Yuno nods.
The three then hit the intersection, with Noelle heading towards the female dorms, while Yuno and Jericho heading towards the male's.
Yuno enters his room, lights a candle on his desk, looks at his unfinished letter to his foster family back at Hage Village.
The youth sits down, dips his quill into the ink bottle, and continues his draft.
After finishing writing down his thoughts to Hage, he then drafts another letter to June, who's currently a Blue Rose Knight.
To June:
It's been a few days since we parted ways, and I was wondering why I haven't wrote to you until now.
In the current time that this letter was written, I've found a reason why.
During my first mission as a Black Bulls Magic Knight with the other recruits, we managed to kill the boars running amok in Saussy Village and even the village elder invited us for dinner.
We've got to meet a few people in our Vice-Captain's lives, shared a few rounds of ale (I did not drink, of course), and their pot roast was delicious.
While that was going on, our Vice-Captain's home village, Rayaka Village, was being raided and burnt to the ground.
If we haven't stayed, we could've saved Magna's home and his family, but by the time we've arrived, the whole village was barren of life.
The worst part is: I fear on what would've happened if we actually met the raiders. Would I've been strong enough? Would I have to watch more people die right in front of me? Would I've been able to protect my new friends?
I'm scared. But that's why I have to become stronger.
Not only as a Magic Knight, but as a human being.
I've thought I've tasted reality, but it turns out that was only the beginning.
Now it's no longer for just my fallen brother, Asta.
It's also for everyone that I love and cherish.
Wish me luck and I also wish you luck in your endeavors as well.
- Yuno
The youth then puts down his quill, seals the cap of the ink bottle shut, places the ink bottle on the corner of the finished letters, blows out the candlelight, and flops himself onto his bed.
The youth slowly closes his tired eyes as he himself drifts into a deep slumber.
Demon's Hideout, Clover Kingdom (Dawn)
"We're here!" Astaroth greeted the Fallen Angels in the crevice.
"Prince Astaroth!" The other Demons greeted. "So how's the alliance?"
"We've got friends now!"
The other Fallen Angels cheered at their good news.
"So, how were you guys while we were gone?" The Prince asked.
"We've finished working on a new weapon!" The Demon stated.
"Really!?" The Prince beamed. "What is it then!?"
"Allow me." Phenex then shows up with a rod-like object with a metal tubed opening on one end and a curved and broad end on the other. Along with it was a hollowed out horn containing black powder that smelled like smoke.
"What's that?" Astaroth asked.
The elderly-looking Fallen Angel chuckles for a bit. "Well, if I can recall correctly..."
Phenex then clears his throat for a bit before continuing to speak.
"... It's called a... Tanegashima? Can't say. But apparently, Lord Bael discovered it a while back when he flew towards a foreign land."
"What's that land called?" The Prince asked the Fallen Angel artisan with sparkling eyes.
"Hanafuda."
Black Bulls Base, Common Realm, Clover Kingdom (Morning)
Behind Yuno's door, there was a knocking sound.
"DAYLIGHT'S BURNING, YUNO! UP AND AT EM'!"
Upon hearing the voice, Yuno gets up from his bed, rubs his eyes, heads toward the door, and opens it, revealing Vice-Captain Magna, now back to smiling.
"You alright?"
"HELL YEAH!" The Vice-Captain roared out. "If my family saw me sobbing til morning all because they died, then they'll probably beat the crap out of me for being so unmanly!"
Yuno scratches the back of his bedhead.
"Now come on! Breakfast is getting cold." The Vice-Captain gestured. "And the last thing that Charmy wants is that her food that she cooked up being neglected."
"You go on ahead, Vice-Captain." Yuno yawned out. "I'll take care of a few things."
As the Vice-Captain leaves, the youth then heads to the washroom, washes his face and brushes his teeth, goes back to his room to get dressed and to retrieve his finished letters.
He then heads downstairs, where he sees the rest of the Black Bulls, each doing their own thing.
"Mornin' kid." Captain Yami spoke to him from the dining table. "Slept like a baby?"
"Like a baby." The youth then stretches his back.
"By the way, the mission that you recruits completed got us a great boon." The Captain then tosses Yuno a bag of yuls. "200,000 yuls for completion of the mission, and due to you all not neglecting Rayaka Village's state, we got a bonus of 2 stars out of it."
"Wait." Yuno asked. "What are stars?"
"Stars are like a merit-based point system that each Magic Knight squads abide by." The Captain stated. "For every mission that the squad completes flawlessly or going above and beyond to cover a bigger objective, the squad gets a star."
"So how many do we have?" Noelle asked.
"Negative 29." He then tosses the two stars towards the wall, with two golden stars erasing two black stars. "Not an even number as I like, but hell, it's better then nothing."
"I'm glad we're getting somewhere." Jericho spoke out. "So Yuno, you wanna head into Kikka tomorrow?"
The youth blinks.
"Well, it's one way to celebrate our first payday." Jericho stated. "Also, you plan to deliver those letters, right?"
"Oh." He then looks at the letters in his hands. "Yeah. I've got one for Hage and another for a friend at Blue
Rose Knights.
"Until then." Captain Yami then huffs out another puff of smoke. "You three catch up on some sleep. You three going all night-owl last night cost me my own sleep too, dammit."
"I'll get the letters delivered first." Yuno stated.
"Speaking of which." Finral stated. "You've got letters addressed to you, Yuno."
He then hands Yuno two envelopes. One from Hage Village, the other from Juniper Hage.
He first then opens the letter from Juniper.
To Yuno:
By the time I'm finished writing this letter, it means that I'll be heading to my very first mission as a Blue Rose Knight.
I don't have much to say, but I've got a few things to say about my experiences of my first day.
One, contrary to popular belief, the Blue Rose Knights aren't just composed of women. But rather, there are a few males around, but according to Sol, my senior Knight, they're just around as "errand boys".
Even as a woman myself, I kinda find that practice sort of degrading.
I may sometimes can't stand my brother, but he's still family, dammit.
Two, the interiors are really nice, the staff managing the dorms are pretty nice, and my roommates are pretty nice as well.
First is a girl named Noire E. Blanche, an Intermediate Magic Knight of Fifth Class, user of [Spatial Magic], and due to her enemies seeing her teleport constantly with her sheer speed of her magic, she's dubbed "Schrodinger's Cat", a mythical creature that is both dead and alive, and pops up in random places.
She's a little clingy, but she's a nice enough person to be around. There are rumors that she has a held-out torchlight for a certain female Magic Knight in the Golden Dawn, but also mentioned that it's a little one-sided.
Next is Cygnus Aurora, an Intermediate Magic Knight of Third Class, user of [Ice Magic], and dubbed the "Swan Songstress Siren", due to her impeccable singing voice, entrancing beauty, and icy exterior.
But really, behind closed doors, she's painfully shy. She's always trying to avoid catching attention from other people, and she often carries around a notebook and pen, always writing down something. I tired to ask her what's she's writing, but she wouldn't budge.
Then there's Lyra Echo, a Senior Magic Knight of Fifth Class, user of [Pulse Magic], and she's the oldest in my room.
Not much is known about her, but rumors stated that she once tried to be a Captain of the Silver Eagles, but got kicked out after their Captain beat her and exiled her.
Regardless, she's still someone that everyone in the Blue Rose Knights can trust, and rumors of her being promoted to Vice-Captain have been floating around as of late.
Also, she's a killer on the harp. Get a listen sometimes.
And finally, he's one of the "errand boys", but he and I talked for a bit, and he seemed nice enough, much to Sol's dismay.
His name is Cole Evans, a user of [Wind Magic], and allegedly was forced to join after he accidentally exposed a woman's skirt by complete accident.
Poor guy.
Well, man or woman, I still consider him a Magic Knight in his own right.
I'll see you soon, and wish me luck on my first mission.
- Juniper Hage
Yuno smiles after finishing her letter.
"Man..." Finral sighed out while looking over Yuno's shoulder. "I wish I had a Blue Rose Knight write letters to me someday..."
"That itself is a death sentence, Mr. Roulacase." Jericho stated while doing push-ups on the stone floor. "Yuno, are you going to open the other letter?"
Without a word, Yuno opens the other letter, revealing Nash's writing.
Yuno-nii,
How are you doing as a Magic Knight? Are you well? What squad did you join? How was your first mission?
As for me and every else back at Hage, it's been a good year.
Weather was good, planting season is going really well so far, and the Village Lord even threw a party after hearing June had passed the exam.
Me personally, I'm doing my best to keep training my magic and body every day.
Wait for me, Yuno.
I'm going to make everyone in Hage proud, so you do your own part too.
- Nash
A single drop of tear trickles down Yuno's eye.
"Is something the matter?" Magna asked.
"It's nothing." He wiped his eye as he hastily took the letters off the table and flew to the nearest post office.
To Be Continued...
Author's notes: Oh boy, this was a brutal chapter to write out.
So yeah, this chapter is a bit of a emotional rollercoaster, and a small build-up to the Dungeon Exploration Arc.
So now, the recap:
The Black Bulls celebrate in a party hosted by the Saussy Village, while not knowing that Magna's home village was being toasted.
By the time they reach the Rayaka Village, it was completely devoid of life and structure.
Magna's character development will kickstart from there.
Yuno finishes his letters to Hage Village Orphanage and Juniper Hage.
And the Demons now figured out how to make flintlock rifles and they just dug up gunpowder.
Oh, and the woman that was shot and flayed was Magna's mom.
...
Hypothetical Voices for my OCs (for funsies):
Phenex: Takashi Kondo (JPN), Jarrod Greene (ENG)
So what do you guys think of this chapter?
Leave a comment of a review, for I like to know what my audience is thinking.