Chapter 8
Show Must Go On

Captain Rill was busy as always, working on a new painting in his office. He was being accompanied by one of his members, a young, blonde girl with short, fluffy hair that reached her neck. She was small, a bit smaller than her captain, her legs not reaching the floor while she moved them around carelessly. She had brown eyes and lightly pointy ears. She was wearing a newsboy cap with a pin featuring a clover insignia and two white feathers. Her attire consisted of a red dress, gloves, knee socks, boots, and a brown messenger bag. To top it off, she was wearing the Aqua Deer robe.

"How is your painting coming along, Karina?" Rill asked the petite girl."Almost done?"

"Just about, sir," Karina responded, setting her brush down and admiring her creation. It was basically a recreation of the Capital, done in high detail."But Karina is curious as to why you called her here, sir? Karina thought it was something important?"

"Oh, right!" Rill laughed, shaking his head and not taking his eyes off his painting."We received a request from a village in the Forsaken Realm. Apparently, someone has been digging the graves and has been taken the skeletons out. On your way out, see Walter and he'll give you the information that you'll need. Also, feel free to take someone with you. Though I encourage you to take someone from another squad since all our members are busy as well."

"Sounds like fun! Yay! Karina wants to meet new people!" Karina yelled, jumping out of her seat and rushing to Rill's side."Oh. Still drawing the same piece again, Captain?"

"Of course I am, Karina. I'm not satisfied with how it looks." Rill sighed in defeat, leaning back on his chair."Art is not that simple. I wish it was."

"Art? This?" Karina squinted her eyes, suppressing a giggle."You have a funny way of describing art, Captain."

"Is that so? So what do you consider art then?"

A glint of glee invaded Karina's eyes as she happily skipped over to the other desk, picking up her painting."It's true that this artistic, sir. Without a doubt, one can argue many things in this world are art! But that's just dull and dumb! You see this?" She walked Rill's desk, motioning him to move his chair back as she put her painting on top and clear the desk of any valuable material.

"Your painting. The one you've been working on the whole morning." Rill nodded, unsure of where this was going.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? But it's not this that makes it a perfect piece." She opened her Grimoire, which was brown and had bunnies and all sorts of animals on its cover. In the middle of it was a three-leaf Grimoire but what was so strange about it was a slowmatch attached to it. She pulled out a brown spider from it, sniffing it."Ah, Karina does love her chocolate magic! God has blessed Karina by giving her such fitting magic to pursue her artistic career! Bye-bye!" With a wide smile fitting for a toddler, Karina threw the spider to the paper, attaching it to it."True art is what's left behind after a big change. Destruction comes after creation and its result, a scar that will be forever recognized, is true art!" Her smile widened, reaching from ear to ear as she rose her hand."KABOOM!"

The spider exploded with a snap of her finger, blowing up part of the painting and staining the colors with burnt marks. Not to mention there was now a whole, making the painting almost unrecognizable."Karina's art is obliteration! Yay!"

Rill was left speechless, concern quickly taking over his mind over her state of mind. She looked happy, but it was just completely strange for someone her age to be enjoying blowing this up and calling it art."So your art is...blowing things up?"

"Not at all, sir! An explosion doesn't have to be the cause of something's destruction. Severing, breaking, tearing, cutting, burning, etc. But it's just Karina's tool to see the true beauty of something that was once perfect and is now broken. Karina dreams for the day she can see the ultimate art." Her tone changed, her eyes looking spaced out and her playfully giggles turning into a laugh. Shaking her head, she went back to being chirpy and happy, waving goodbye to her Captain."Bye-bye, Captain! Karina is off to another one of her super duper fun and incredible adventures!"

"Enjoy..." Rille laughed dryly, quickly frowning once she close the door."I have to talk to her soon. But maybe I'm just overreacting? I wasn't that different from her before becoming a Captain. I didn't rest or eat until I was happy with the painting I was making. Maybe...I should let her mellow out on her own for now."


For Raiden, this was another day with the Black Bulls and another chaotic lunchtime. He sat in between Abel and Gordon, enjoying the meal Charmy had prepared for them. As for the other members, everyone was loudly talking to each other and simply having a good time. He sighed, not really wanting to get involved, so he opted for just listening.

"So, wait. She was his sister?!" Magna nearly spat his drink out, laughing."So you ditched those girls to find out if they were dating only for them to be related. Ha, that's too good to be true!"

"Yeah..." Abel winced, holding some ice over his head."The girls we ditched at the restaurant came after us and well...you can see what happened."

"Serves you right. I can't believe you and Bah-ha simply left those girls after he ordered all that food." Noelle scoffed, giving him a disapproving glare."I was about to go knock some sense into you when I saw that."

"Huh? What do you mean you saw? Were you there, Noelle?" Abel quirked a brow in confusion.

"I-I-I mean, no! I phrased it wrong!" Noelle flustered, her cheeks turning pink."I wasn't spying on any of you guys or anything. I just heard it from someone, that's all."

"She's right. I didn't see Noelle either." Asta spoke up after eating some meat."I mean, it was really crowded, so maybe that's why we didn't see Abel either."

"I did see that Toby guy you mentioned." Luck chimed in."He looks strong. And his sister! She looks really strong I wanted to fight her right there and then. But I couldn't. Asta, Finral, and I were having a conversation with the girls we were paired up with. I met this really cool girl named Erika and she's a hairdresser!"

"I have to admit, I was impressed when you pulled that off, Luck." Finral confessed."For a moment, I was a little concerned that maybe you guys were going to blow it."

"Not like you're any better picking girls up, Finral." Vanessa cut in, a smug smile on her face."So what, do you get a second date?"

"No."

"Nope!"

"Rebecca said I can go visit her and her siblings any time!" Came the replies of Finral, Luck, and Asta respectively.

"So overall you guys didn't get squat." Gauche bluntly stated."Pathetic. How hard can it be to find someone less beautiful than my Angel Marie?"

"Since we're on that sister subject, I have a mission for you, Raiden and Grey, Gauche." Yami finished his meal, leaning back on his chair and putting his feet on the table."It's a very important mission since the person who requested it is willing to pay a great amount of Yul. They're loaded."

"Is it a royal family?" Raiden spoke for the first time.

"Nah, it's a casino. It's their first time opening so they require some muscle to protect it until they hire regular bouncers. It was really hard for me to get my hands on this mission, so you all better appreciate it and complete it. I picked the most intimidating people in our squad since that's basically all you'll be doing. Intimidate people into not doing anything stupid. Sound good?"

"I understand bringing the new kid, but why Grey?" Gauche glanced at the silent giant."I've never seen Grey in a fight. How useful is he really going to be?"

"Maybe that's where we come in." Raiden folded his arms."You and I look pretty mean, I get that, but at the end of the day, we still look like kids. Grey at least looks like a behemoth ready to strike."

'I guess if those are our only choices.' Gauche scanned around the table, grimacing upon the goofy faces the rest of his squadmates had.'Totally not intimidating at all.'

"When do we leave?"

"At night. You'll be there overnight, so make sure you get some rest before going there. As for the rest of you-"

A knock on the door cut the Captain off, causing him to groan."I don't know who is the one knocking..." He stood up, storming towards the door."But interrupting me is something that-Oh."

After opening the door, all the irritation he had built up suddenly vanishing upon seeing a young girl in front of the door, holding a stuffed bunny in her arms."Hello! Are you Captain Yami?"

"Uh, yeah." Yami answered, still at a loss."Who are you?"

"Karina's name is Karina Claussell! A member of the Aqua Deer! She came all the way from there to ask for assistance for a super-duper difficult mission!" Due to her great height difference, she tiptoed to hand Yami a piece of paper, which he quickly skimmed over.

"So Yamo village's priest reported tombstones being ransacked and the skeletons being stolen. What's more, is that apparently, they reported seeing a walking skeleton at late hours at night. And you came here to ask for help. Why us?"

"Karina likes to make new friends so I came here since I never partnered up with a Black Bull member since I heard they were stinky!" She nonchalantly explained, giving Yami a toothy grin.

"I can't..." Yami sighed in defeat."I can't get mad at you, kid. You have guts to tell me that to my face, I'll give you that. I'll humor you then. Go inside and feel free to take one of those guys with you."

"Yay! Thank you, sir!" Karina cheered, skipping past Yami and heading for the other Black Bulls."Hellooooooo!"

They all cringed at how loud she was, covering their ears."Sheez, this kid is loud! What gives, Captain, you had a kid and didn't tell us about it?"

Yami simply glared at Magna, silencing him on the spot."S-sorry!"

"Woah! Look at all these people!" Karina exclaimed, jumping from one person to another."They're all so colorful! Completely different from what people describe the Black Bulls as! You all look normal! Almost!"

She stopped in front of Charmy, squealing."I finally met someone shorter than me! Karina is so happy!"

"You look like you could use a snack!" Charmy handed her a plate of food."You must be exhausted from that long trip. Feel free to eat!"

"No, thank you! Karina already ate a lot of chocolate on her way here!" Karina rubbed her belly, sticking her tongue out.

"I never imagined someone could make Dorksta look tall by comparison." Noelle threw some shade at the magicless knight.

"Hey! I haven't hit my growth spurt yet, that's all!"

"So, who is the midget picking?" Raiden asked, impatient to get this interaction over with."You can't pick me, the guy with the purple shirt or the big guy over there. We already have a mission at hand."

"I wasn't going to pick you anyway, Mr. Grumpy!" Karina stuck her tongue out, pouting.

"My name is Raiden." The raven-haired man grumbled under his breath."Point taken. Go on then."

"Fine!" Karina pointed at Magna dramatically."I choose you!"

"Me?" Magna was flabergasted."Why the hell would you pick me?"

"You're funny looking! And hilarious! Karina appreciates funny people!"

"She sure got you there, Magna." Luck laughed, much to Magna's chagrin.

"That's it! I'm not going to let a little girl make fun of me!" Magna stood up, fuming.

"Maybe she was complimenting you?" Abel meekly suggested."I mean, I heard when a girl says you're funny, that's a good sign."

"She's a kid, though."

"I'm 16!"

"Jeez, what's up with people around here not hitting their growth spurts." Magna muttered, ruffling his hair."Gah! Fine. I'll do it. But only because I'm funny, okay?"

"Sure!" Karina walked out the door without another word.

"What a strange girl." Vanessa cleared her throat."She's not afraid to voice her opinion, so I guess I'll give her that."

"Good luck to you, Magna. I'll make a portal for you guys. Just tell me where-"

"Forget it, Finral." Yami cut him off."She's already flying again on some...brown bird? What the hell is that thing?"

"Like hell I'd let that little twerp get the better of me!" Magna rushed to his room and seconds later came out with Crazy Cyclone."See you guys around!"

Gauche rubbed his temples, relaxing after Magna left the base."Too much noise. Well, I'm going to go get some sleep. You should do the same, newbie, Grey. I'm not going to pick up your slack if you fall asleep on the job."

"Right." Raiden nodded, excusing himself from the table, only for Asta to step in front of him."What?"

"I wanted to apologize to you for how I acted the other day. I...let my emotions get the better of me and it was wrong of me to attack you out of the blue and I'm willing to apologize. I would really like to become friends with you." Asta held his hand out."But you also have to realize that you went too far. Magna could have been seriously injured and that was just a spar. We're your friends, not your enemies."

Raiden clicked his tongue, slapping Asta's hand away."How overly optimistic of you. Magna came to me, buddy, not the other way around. And if you ever plan to sucker punch me like that again, I'll bring you down again. And I'm not friends with you."

"Guys, enough." Vanessa walked in between them."Just drop it. I know Magna and Raiden worked things out, but why can't you two do the same?"

"Worked things out is a stretch." Raiden folded his arms."But I'm not going to apologize for it. Neither to him nor you. And don't make it sound like being friends with you is a blessing or anything. I don't click with naive people who think the world can be whatever they want it to be."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Asta gritted his teeth."Everyone is entitled to have dreams. And everyone is capable of achieving them. Nothing is impossible."

"Like I said, naive." Raiden sneered."You don't know the reality of the world, Asta. I don't care what you think as long as you don't push it on me."

Before things could escalate further, Gauche grabbed Raiden's shoulder."Calm down. Forget about Asta and just focus on what we have to do later tonight."

"Fine. You're right." Raiden closed his eyes, following Gauche to the dormitory section of the base.

"That was...intense..." Abel chuckled, wiping some sweat off his forehead."Their personalities do clash just as I had expected."

"How did you guys even get along with each other?" Finral inquired, taking a seat in front of Abel."I mean, you're a nice and optimistic guy too."

"I'm not that optimistic." Abel shrugged it off."I just take life as it comes. That's all."

"Still, he doesn't have to be such a jerk about it." Noelle commented."He won't be liked if he continues like that."

"It's normal." Yami voiced his opinion."Not everyone is bound to like you just as you're not bound to like everyone. As long as they at least tolerate each other to be productive on missions, I don't see the problem. Who knows, maybe they can become rivals and push past their limits together."

"So...do we have the day off...?"


"Hey, squirt! Get back here!" Magna yelled at the blonde girl who just waved at him.

"Yamo village is not that far from here, so we should be there soon." Karina slowed down the chocolate bird she had created."How do you like my Chocolate Creation Magic? This particular creation is aesthetically appealing and not to mention..." She grabbed a piece of the bird's head, eating it."Delicious!"

"What the hell?!" Magna's eyes bulged out from his glasses."You're just eating that bird?! That's disgusting!"

"It's chocolate, BB Magna." Karina rolled her eyes, giggling and grabbing another piece of chocolate, tossing it to Magna."Try it."

Magna shoved the chocolate inside his mouth, his eyes watering."It's so damn good! Also...BB? What does that mean? That better not be an insult!"

"It means Big Bro." Karina stated, laying down on the bird's back."I'm not a kid. Much less do I act like one. It's just an act I have because it's fun."

"So wait, you mean you don't normally talk in third person?"

"Of course not, silly! Karina just likes to keep things different!" She giggled at herself for doing it again."But since this is a mission, I can be normal Karina with you!"

"Right..." Magna cringed, having enough of her antics already."We're here. Let's head down there and see what's going on." The village itself was like any other village, except for the fact that barely anyone was passing by.

Once they landed, Karina's chocolate bird disappeared in a cloud of smoke, causing Magna to flinch. Before he could ask just what kind of magic she had, someone approached them.

"Welcome, welcome. Marvelous. You made it sooner than I expected. Introductions are in order, isn't that so? My name is Xander Crowley and I am the new priest of the village. I was the person who sent the request to help us in our time of need."

Xander had fair skin and had a slender yet athletic build underneath his priest uniform. He was wearing a long purple cloak with golden lining, a golden cross necklace, and a black suit vest with a white buttoned shirt underneath. He also wore black dress pants and shoes. He had short combed blonde hair and clear blue eyes.

"Yeah, I'm Magna Swing, from the Black Bulls." Magna pointed at himself with a grin.

"And my name is Karina Claussell! With the Aqua Deer! Karina is happy to be here!"

"Aw, aren't you just a bundle of joy, little one?" Xander crouched down, petting Karina on the head and earning a giggle."Well, I am glad that my requests were answered. You see, the streets are currently empty because everyone is afraid."

"Walking skeletons, right?" Magna asked with an incredulous tone."Well, it's not the craziest thing I've heard and probably not the last one. But did it really happen?"

"It would explain why the graveyard has been tampered with." Xander answered as he made his way to the church, followed by the two Magic Knights."Naturally, in a world with magic, anything is possible. A necromancer is also possible as well."

"What's a necro-whatever?" Karina asked, raising her hand.

"Necromancer is someone who can manipulate the death with their will. Or in this case, magic. Seems to have its limitations too." He rubbed his cheek."You see, only bodies that have been completely decomposed were stolen. Ones that are either still fresh or have flesh on them haven't." He chuckled, opening the door to the church and allowing them in."That, or perhaps the perpetrator has a sick sense of humor."

"That's...a bit morbid, don't you think?" Magna rose a brow at the Priest's comment.

"Well, we can't always be depressed, now can we?" Xander wrapped his arms around the duo, grinning at them."Besides, I have you two to solve this mystery and bring peace to our humble village. In the meantime though, I'm afraid I must bid you a farewell for now."

"Huh? Where are you going?" Magna asked, groaning as Xander ruffled his hair one more time before heading to the door and grabbing a hat from the floor.

"Ah, you see, young one, the path of a man of God is but a turbulent one, I'm afraid." Xander's grin remained as he opened the door."I leave you to the capable hands of the village's elder. She's a great lady and very knowledgeable. I thank you again but I must be on my leave!"

"Tch. Talk about a carefree Priest." Magna grumbled, annoyed that he had ditched them."For a supposed necromancer being on the loose, he sure seems relaxed."

"Who cares? That's boring stuff, isn't it?" Karina shrugged, walking around the church and admiring the atmosphere. It had tinted windows, statues of angels on the walls, and the rustic benches were neatly lined up together. The Aqua Deer member chuckled in delight, finger framing the atmosphere."How cool! The colors, the theme, the message it transmits. I wonder how incredible it would look like if it were devastated!"

"Probably a mess." Magna placed his hand on his hips."How is that incredible?"

"Silly BB Magna! Art is not about what something is, but what it was! A perfect place like this, left as a shell of its former self after destruction, leaving a scar of permanence behind is what would make it unique."

"Until they just rebuilt it." Magna shrugged, much to her annoyance. He noticed the glare she was giving him and walked over to her, bending his knees slightly."What?"

"No, nothing." She sighed, sitting on a nearby bench."You're right. I guess even if it was wrecked, it would just be rebuilt. I guess this is not art after all."

"You have a weird way of describing what art is." Magna sat down next to her, crossing his leg."You don't have to destroy something to make it unique. Everything is unique, don't you think? I mean, is that what worries you? You seem pretty eager to be blowing things up and call it art but when you realize those things won't last, you deflate."

"You can't talk about Karina like that." Karina huffed, jumping out of her seat."A simplistic moron like you can't understand the beauty of my art. You probably don't even like art, do you?"

"Hey, that was uncalled for." Magna cried out after her, internally groaning."This kid will be the end of me..."


"So, this is the place. Looks way too out of place out here." Gauche surmised, hands on his hips as he scanned around the building in front of them. They were currently in the borders of the Nobel Realm and the Common Realm. The casino was located in a remote area surrounded by a forest but one could easily see the Capital from afar. Gauche even guessed that someone in the Capital could see this place as well due to the intense lightning being used.

The building had about five floors and was painted in purple. The white lights went through carefully placed prisms, which then bounced off to the sky. The loud music inside indicated how lively the place was and that the establishment counted with a band of its own.

"What are we waiting for?" Raiden walked past Grey and Gauche, opening the wooden door."I guess I can see why they would need security for this place. If the door is left open, anyone can enter. Even uninvited guests."

Once he opened the door, they were met by a mesmerizing sight. As they had thought, this place was packed with nobles and common class people. The section upstairs was for people who exclusively came to drink or eat while the first floor was packed with various games. The sounds of cards whirring in the hands of the dealers. The bells and whistles of the various slot machines, and the racketing noise of their levers being pulled. The jingling of coins. The playground of neon and strobing lights. The murmur of the crowds. The clicking of a roulette wheel, the way red and black rush together as it spins. The sight of gold and silver and bronze and exquisite fountains and statuary. The high rollers in their suits gliding like sharks, the man sobbing in the corner because he's lost everything. The rough-brushed feel of the green felt on the craps table and the soft tumble of the dice. In the middle of the room, a group of well-dressed men played all kinds of instruments, giving life to the dance the ballerinas were doing.

"Is it normal for them to wear masks?" Gauche asked, noticing how weirdly dressed the musicians were.

"Whatever suits them best I guess." Raiden replied, not sure what to think of this place."Where is the owner?"

"What in the world is this?!" A middle-aged nobleman stood up, nearly knocking the table due to his poor balance after presumable consuming a great amount of alcohol."This is a rip-off! I had the perfect hand! I couldn't have lost!"

"S-sir..." The young card dealer hid behind his notebook."You lost fair and square. Please, I have to ask you to-"

"Do you know who you're talking to, peasant?" The drunken man grabbed him by the collar of his shirt."I can buy this whole place if I want! I can buy you if I want!"

"Great. Already trouble." Gauche sighed, shaking his head."How do we even handle something like this? I doubt the owner would be happy if we just beat the hell out of the guy."

The nobleman grabbed the dealer, slamming him on the table and breaking it. The music stopped. The ballerinas stopped their dancing and the crowd gasped upon the sight.

Raiden clicked his tongue, walking past his squadmates, and dodged the people to get closer to the game room.

"Good sir!"

He stopped, a collective gasp could be heard around him. The lights focused on the stair leading upstairs, revealing a single person walking down it. A short and slim young man with short, blue-black hair splayed his arms elegantly. He had one dark purple-colored eye decorated with black eyeliner while his left one was covered by a black eyepatch with the symbol of a spider printed on it. He was wearing a buttoned magenta shirt and magenta pants; accompanied by a long black coat with magenta fur, and a large hat with four upwards-curving hooks along the circumference. To top it off, he had a pair of magenta gloves with diamond glittering on them.

"That's the manager." Gauche heard someone whisper in admiration.

"He's the one?" Gauche rose his brows, surprised by how young he looked."But he barely looks older than Raiden or I."

"Now that the manager is here, we can relax! He has this covered!" Another person yelled, earning cheers from everyone around.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Ray Lazarus." The drunken man chuckled maliciously."I heard the owner of this fine place was a kid, but I didn't know you still wore diapers!"

Raiden took a step back, allowing the young man some space to pass by. Ray stopped for a second, glancing up and down at Raiden before flashing him a smile. The owner proceeded to continue his march at the man who had caused such a commotion, placing his hands behind his back.

"I humbly apologize for our careless mistake, grateful gentleman." Ray bowed down to the man, the gasps of surprise from the public coming soon after." our policy indeed is "guarantee victory" depending on the number of games you play. And you, my great sir, have been playing countless games tonight. However, you also have to keep in mind that Lady Luck is but one of the many forces of the world that cannot be ruled over.

"What?" The noble growled under his breath.

"Make no mistake. Your patronage is very much appreciated. I thank you for choosing us."

"You have a good way with words, despite being an immigrant." The man bellowed, guffawing on his own."But make no mistake, kid, you have no power. I can have this place shut down if I want to!"

"Ah, violence. One of the rules that we prohibit here for the safety of our guests." Ray glanced around the room, smiling brightly at the people."I'm sure this is an unsightly sight for everyone else. I must ask you to refrain from acting violently towards our staff or our equipment. Excuse me...I mean, OUR equipment!" Ray rose his hands, grinning."We work for and with the people. This is their home as it is ours."The people are not our guests. They're family." As such, I have to treat you like family as well. This is why I kindly ask you...to step outside until you've cooled off. Of course, I will compensate for the time lost and will offer you free drinks for the rest of the evening. Would that suit your desires, my old chap? Or...how about we make this more interesting?"

"Interesting?" The man smirked, taking the bait."Okay. I'm listening."

"How about we do a little game. I'll let you try to hit me with your bare fists or kicks. Hit me once and I'll not only reimburse your money but I will also give everyone here free drinks for the rest of the evening!"

The guests erupted in cheers, raising their cups in the air.

"But!" His voice alone silenced the room."If you don't hit me within two minutes. You, sir, will have to pay for the expenses of everyone for the rest of the evening. No dime will be left unchecked."

"Oh?" The man got up to his face, bending his knees to be close to his height."And what makes you think I have to listen to the words of a peasant?"

"Well..." He smirked, looking behind the man at the unconscious young man who had been smashed against the table."I'm sure your act of violence here won't go unnoticed, taking into account the number of guests here. Your family name won't be spared, I'm afraid."

'Tch!' The man bit his lower lip."Smug brat. You're a lot smarter than you look. Okay, I'll play your ga-" Without warning, the man threw a punch at Ray, but his trajectory missed entirely. Ray, purposely put his foot out, causing the man to fall face-first on the floor.

"I wasn't aware the game had begun." Ray grinned, unable to hide his excitement."I do adore eager people. They are so...hot-blooded and capable of doing anything. Darlings! Play me something lively!"

The musicians, without question, began playing a tune that immediately caught the attention of the guests. The pianists, trumpeters, and guitarists began doing their job as Ray splayed his hands out, flexing his fingers."For the sake of our guests, the show must go on!"

"Very well, punk! I'll show you!" In a drunken, frenzy, the man threw himself at Ray, only for him to skid on the floor backward."But how? No matter. You're not going to get away from me!" An uppercut was thrown but completely missed his target. Ray hadn't moved a muscle and simply stood there smugly.

"Is he...missing on purpose?" Gauche muttered in disbelief as the man kept throwing punches, but all of them would miss entirely without the need of Ray stepping aside.

"I apologize, my good gentleman." Ray bowed with one hand."You see, I am very much cursed by God. Cursed..." He rubbed his face, squinting his eyes."Cursed to be great, that is. It wouldn't be an exaggeration that in this place, I control fate itself."

"You little-!" With blinding fury on top of his drunken state, the man threw another punch, but this time, Ray ducked out of the way. Hastily, the man looked around for Ray, unable to find him."Where are you?!"

The guests laughed once they noticed what Ray had done. He had taken advantage of the man's state as well as his height, and remain crouching down right in front of him. Once he had enough, he stood up, poking the man's shoulder and whispering to his ear."Right here, my good sir."

"W-what?!"

"Had enough sir? Time's up." Ray asked, completely unfazed by the whole thing. The noble was panting, out of breath after throwing so many punches that only missed.

"How is this possible...? I couldn't land a single punch and you barely even moved..."

"It's like I said, my good sir. I am cursed by God to be great. Now, as promised. You will..." Ray took off his hat in a dramatic fashion, tossing it to the public."...indulge our guests for the evening!"

"Like hell! I...I'm a noble! Do you even realize that?!" The man tried reaching for his Grimoire, only for it to be missing."Huh? Where did it-"

"Oh, you were trying to reach for this?" Ray waved the man's Grimoire around."You really shouldn't be so careless with something as important as this. It's a good thing I caught it for you. If you have no further attempts, then..." Ray bowed down once more."I ask that you hold the end of your promise!"

"Damn it all...Fine! I am a man of my word!" The noble turned to the rest of the customers."Everyone! I will pay for your expenses for the night! Don't hold back on me or my household!"

Ray smiled satisfactorily at the scene, turning his attention to the Magic Knights in the crowd. Waving them over, Ray proceeded to return upstairs.

"That guy is something else." Gauche muttered to Raiden, Grey close behind them and wearing the hat that Ray had tossed."Even if the guy was drunk, that's still a noble. Even I had trouble keeping up with his moves. Not to mention that those hits that didn't grace him..."

"Yeah. I doubt the guy was missing on purpose." Raiden surmised, frowning as they went up the stairs all the way to the upper floor. They entered opened the door, welcomed by a dim-lit room. It was spacious with leather couches, bookshelves, and a small container for drinks.

"An elegant performance, Mr. Manager." A man dressed in black got up from the guest couch, enjoying a bottle of expensive wine."You barely even messed up your neatly combed hair. Impressive work."

"The hell is a Priest doing here?" Gauche asked aloud, earning a chuckle from the man.

"His name is Xander Crowley." Ray introduced the Priest."He came here to exorcise and bless the place up a little, isn't that right, darling?"

"Naturally, Mr. Lazarus. I want to make sure this fine establishment is safe from any malevolent spirits and entities." Xander nodded."Ah, Black Bulls, huh. I met one of you earlier today. I take it you're here to work as bouncers for the evening?"

"Yeah, but why is a Priest even here besides doing his holy duties or whatever. Are Priests even allowed to drink?"

"Oh, a little alcohol here and there was never a sin!" Father Xander waved his bottle and took another swing."It is said in the Bible that Jesus turned water into wine once. What kind of a man of God would I be if I didn't follow in his footsteps? We humans have to use every resource available to us, otherwise, it's pointless. This is the essence of God. Besides, we all have to wind up a bit, no?"

"Father Xander and I are already good friends. He's just a Priest looking for some fun and who am I to deny that from him?" Ray headed for his task, sighing in relief at the comfort of the material."But back to business. I'm pleased that Captain Yami was kind enough to so graciously volunteer his squad to work for me for the night. I couldn't resist a diligent and caring Capitan such as him. I like the underdog side, you see. I'm a sucker for those kinds of things. Oh, I almost forgot. Gotta turn on the special effects." With a push of a button underneath his desk, Ray leaned forward, sighing.

"Are you going to explain to us what that was?" Gauche narrowed his eyes, slightly concerned about being left in the dark.

"Just something we've set up with state-of-the-art magic and technology, just like everything else you see here. It's a special magic obstructor. Basically, whenever someone uses magic insider of this place, the magic gets absorbed. It's the best way to keep things safe, isn't it, darling?"

"How is that-"

"The reason me and Mr. Lazarus here get along so well is that we're from the same place." Father Xander interrupted them."Isn't that right, old sport?"

"Right you are. I am from the Ace Kingdom and I came to the Clover Kingdom to start the business of my dreams."

"Wait, Ace Kingdom?" Gauche repeated, flabergasted."All the way over there? Is that why that noble called you an immigrant? But wait, I heard the Ace kingdom resorted to isolationism and refused to get involved with other kingdoms."

"It was quite a journey but thankfully our kingdoms are allied with each other. It's a common misconception for noblemen to call me an immigrant, regardless if I presented proper documentation. I came to this kingdom, proposed an idea, and borrowed money that I'm on my way to pay back. It's only our second day opened but I dare say we're well on our way to pay our debt."

"Indeed." Xander offered a smile."People who come here come out twice as richer, bare minimum. Regardless of how many win big, the earnings are at least tenfold. As for your statement just now, yes, there was a crisis that hit our kingdom years ago. But recently we've been getting back on our feet. In fact, I dare say we've developed more technologically. Which is why this place is none like you've ever seen here."

Ray pulled something from a drawer, revealing it to be his Grimoire. It was magenta covered with white lines going across it, mimicking a spiderweb. In the middle of it, was the Ace symbol instead of a leaf clover."Running this place can be a gruesome task, especially for someone as young as me. Thankfully, my magic is a formidable one. So I usually solve whatever problem. But since I have so many other things to do, I can't be paying attention to every detail. That is why I hired some muscle that is supposed to start tomorrow. Until then, you will have to do, my darlings."

Out of nowhere, Grey jumped and quickly ran out the door. Raiden and Gauche looked at each other, taken back by Grey's unusual behavior.

"Oh, my." Ray covered his mouth."Is something the matter with him? He took my hat..."

"Gauche." Raiden turned to the Mirror Magic-user."Can you go get him? I'll stay here and continue with the conversation and catch you guys up when you're back."

"Great. Guess I'll go then. What a mess." Gauche stood up, talking for the first time since they got inside the office."I'll leave this to you, Raiden."

"I do love trusting teammates." Ray coed, clasping his hands."You dear are so caring for each other. Don't worry, Gauche dear, I'll take good care of your squadmate here." Xander and Ray shared a moment of laughter, making Gauche uneasy. His eyes momentarily falling on Raiden. For the briefest of moments, he noticed something in his face. He looked tense, but he brushed this off and continued out the door, closing it behind.

Gauche ran down the stairs, close behind Grey as his body was moving oddly. On the last step, he lost his footing, nearly spraying his ankle and gave enough time for Grey to rush to the men's bathroom."Damn it. I can't believe I have to do this. Well, guess it's better than being alone in that room with those weirdos. They give me a bad vibe." Hissing in pain, he jogged to the bathroom area, trying to push it open but something was blocking it.

"Hey!, Grey! What are you doing? Are you okay?" Gauche knocked on the door."Say something! Whatever, I'm going in!" Gauche ran to the door, using his shoulder and his momentum to overpowered whatever was blocking the door, and entered the bathroom."Oh!"

A blue-haired woman was covering her eyes, stuttering to no end as she cowered against the wall."I'm sorry, ma'am. I...didn't mean to...wait a moment, why is a woman in the men's bathroom?" Taking a look at the empty stalls, Raiden's confusion only grew."And where the hell is Grey?"

"I-I-I-I am!" Grey stammered, hiding her face with her robe."W-w-w-w-why d-d-did you follow m-m-me?!"

"Wait, what?" Gauche examined her body, focusing on the Black Bull robe she was wearing. He looked back at the empty bathroom then back at the girl."Oh. Well, what are you waiting for? Raiden is waiting for us and I can't wait to have some time to stare at my beautiful angel Marie."

"T-t-that's your r-r-reaction?!"