Chapter 10
Day Off
"What a relaxing way to start the day." Magna leaned his back on the wall, sinking into the warm water, towel wrapped around his lower half.
"Yeah, no kidding." Luck nodded in agreement, turning to his side."Hey, Raiden. How come you wear a shirt every time we shower?"
"I wanted to know that too." Magna chimed in."What, are you embarrassed or something?"
"Of course not." Raiden narrowed his eyes. Unlike the other two, he was wearing a long-sleeved wet shirt."I just feel more comfortable this way."
"Really?" Luck rose a brow."I never pegged you as the shy type when it came to their bodies. You're a pretty built guy."
"Maybe he has a scar." Magna suggested."In which case, that's such a waste! Showing off your scar would be so cool."
"It's not a scar. Like I just said, I just feel more comfortable this way...Magna-senpai."
"Hey! Stop calling me that already!" Magna's eye twitched."At least don't say it so sarcastically!"
"Dunno what you're talking about." Raiden coyly said, a ghost of a smirk forming on his lips.
The door to the bath opened, revealing the always silent giant entered with a towel wrapped around him. Grey made his way to the opposite side of the wall, sitting down on the water.
"'Sup Grey." Magna greeted casually, ignorant to Grey's secret. "How's it going?"
'What the fuck?!' Raiden instinctively hugged himself, making sure his towel covered him enough.'Why the hell is Grey here?! I've taken baths with Grey before...but just now the realization is hitting me. It makes sense why she's here, I guess. They all think Grey is a guy after all. But shit, now that I know the truth I can't help but feel weird about it. I guess ignorance is bliss. But why didn't she just wait until we were all done?! Is she some kind of pervert?!'
"You okay over there?" Luck's voice broke Raiden out of his thoughts."You're all red. Maybe you should take off your shirt. You'll overheat."
"At this point take off the towel too." Magna commented."We're all dudes here. Not like we don't know what we're packing, right guys?"
"Definitely not." Raiden stated in a matter-of-fact tone."Just...you all stay away from me alright. This is as awkward as I'll allow it to be."
"Are you guys still here?" Abel came through the door, dressed in his regular attire."Hurry up and finish. The Captain has summoned us."
"All right, all eyes up here." The Captain began his meeting once all members had assembled."We just got paid. So no work today."
"Yeah!" Everyone cheered simultaneously at the news.
'Just like that? Really?' Raiden blinked, baffled. He wordlessly watched as the Black Bulls began announcing what they would do for the day. Most of them were no-brainers. Vanessa was going to drink, Charmy was going to eat.
"Raiden, Gauche. Come over here." Yami called out to his subordinates."Thanks to you and Grey, we've managed to get some extra money. Come to think of it, that report you gave me said some interesting stuff. So, Ray Lazarus is the owner of the casino and is the one calling the shots."
"That's right." Gauche nodded."A very flamboyant and exotic person. From the little we saw, he posses some kind of string magic, like Vanessa. The place itself is incredibly extravagant, with all sorts of decorations. They even have some kind of spell barrier that absorbs magic when used. That's why we had some trouble with the mission, since-"
"Since we had to brawl our way through!" Raiden rose his voice, earning a few stares. He eyed Gauche, giving him a look that said 'Damn it, Gauche! You almost spilled the beans! We promised Grey we'd keep her secret until she was ready!'
'Oh, right. Forgot about that.' Gauche realized what he meant.
"I see. He and that Father Xander guy you and Magna mentioned in your reports claimed to have come from the Ace Kingdom. Now that's what piqued my interest."
"I never even heard about the Ace Kingdom before." Asta said as the others had grouped around."What's it like?"
"Honestly? No idea." Yami puffed some smoke."They were always a pretty secure kingdom but allowed visitors. That is, until five years ago. From what I know, some crisis went off and the whole kingdom was put in lockdown. No one was allowed in or out. They became total isolationists. It's kind of scary to think what could have turned a whole kingdom upside down and close off to the world for years."
"Did they ever find out what happened?" Noelle inquired.
"I was curious as well, so I asked Julius but not even he could tell me much. The Ace King cut off communication with all kingdoms. No amount of information was ever leaked. That's why it's so surprising for me to hear that these two individuals came from there. But maybe that's a good sign if they wanted to build a casino here. I'll drop by sometime. Anyway, you all can go do whatever you want for the day. Enjoy."
"Raiden, are you hungry?" Charmy called out to the newbie of the squad."I made extra breakfast!"
"I just ate. But thanks." Raiden politely declined."You sure eat a lot. I don't know where all that food goes, since you're like under four feet and fl-"
"You don't want to finish that sentence." Charmy shoved a spoon full of food, giving him a smile that sent shivers that his spine. He nodded, a cold sweat dripping down the back of his neck."Good boy!"
"Charmy, leave the kid alone." Gauche made his way to the pair."I need him for something. I'm going to go out and buy some presents for my angel, so I wanted to see if you were up to coming along. I got a lot of money now thanks to the prizes I won at the casino"
'He's inviting me to hang out?' Raiden blinked a few times."Well, I guess I can. I don't really have any plans for today anyway."
"Great. I'll need the extra set of hands to carry all the gifts I'll buy Marie."
And there it is. Of course Gauche would want him to carry whatever he was going to get his sister."Where do you have in mind?"
"We're going to Nean. My goddess lives there plus I know a good place to buy her gifts from. I go there all the time."
"Huh. That so? Seems like you're a good brother, buying your sister all these gifts." Raiden followed him along as they grabbed their brooms and headed outside.
"Of course I'd do anything for Marie." Gauche answered while they took off into the sky."You're in luck. Normally, I don't let anyone in our squad even look at Marie or come in contact with her. But compared to them, you're the most normal person and I think you're competent enough to be in her presence."
"Jeez, what an honor," Raiden rolled his eyes, a smirk forming on his face."I understand how you feel. I have a younger sister myself. Well, not really my sister, but she sees me as an older brother so I guess that counts."
"I see. I bet she's nowhere near as cute as Marie."
Instead of getting offended, Raiden simply laughed at his comment."You know, she probably would hate anyone calling her cute so you're not wrong."
"You said she's not really your sister. What do you mean by that?"
"She's my friend's sister." Raiden explained."I've known her for a long time now and I guess she kinda sees me as an older brother. Unlike the stories you've told us about Marie, she's not girlish or anything like that. She's hard-headed and likes to dance a lot but always wants to take charge of anything she can. Scares me sometimes."
"You said you're from Suke Village, right? Why didn't you go visit today? You didn't have to come with me." Gauche pointed out.
"It's not that easy. Trust me, I wish I could go back home but I can't go empty-handed." Raiden lowered his gaze."I promised that I'll return once I made something of myself as a Magic Knight. They're all trusting me to be successful so I don't want to show up without anything to show."
"That's some discipline you have there." Gauche couldn't help but praise him."But you do write your family home, right?"
"I only have a grandma at home. And my friend and her sister. But yeah, I do write letters whenever I can. What about you? You gonna see your parents today?"
"It's just Marie and me. Been that way for a while. Long story short, I had to join the Magic Knights after some things happened. My sister is currently living in an orphanage where I'm allowed to see her once a month. Today is that special day."
"Now I understand. No wonder you woke up so early today." Raiden connected the dots."It's a good thing that the Captain gave us the day off today after all. Then let's make this a day for you to remember. I'll help you."
"Thanks." Gauche muttered."I appreciate it. I guess I picked the right person to tag along with. Out of all the newbies we got recently, you're the most tolerable one."
"Well, considering the people we have in our squad, that's not a compliment."
"Holy shit...one thing's for sure, your sister is very fortunate to have a brother spoils her this much..." Raiden grimaced as he carried a bunch of bags stuffed with all sorts of toys handpicked by Gauche."You bought the whole store off!"
"That was nothing. Nothing could ever be enough for my goddess." He proclaimed, carrying his bags as they marched in the middle of the road, getting looks from the other citizens.
"Mind stopping your nosebleed by the way?" Raiden cringed a bit."They're staring."
"So what? They have never seen a brother as caring as I am." He shrugged it off."We have to hurry. The sun's already setting."
With a sigh, Raiden got a move on with the many presents he was carrying and followed Gauche on his trial. Suddenly he stopped, causing him to nearly crash into him."Why are you stopping?" Looking past his shoulder, he noticed a familiar, loud-mouth squad member of theirs playing with a little girl."Oh, hey. That's Asta. What's he doing here of all places?"
Gauche dropped all his bags, slowly marching over to Asta. Raiden observed, amused, as Gauche planted his boot against Asta's cheek, surprising everyone there. For some odd reason that Raiden didn't want to think about, Asta had a weird expression on his face. He knew he was weird but this was too much.
"Hey, you're one of my seniors with the sister complex who's always having nosebleeds!" Asta cried out, not that it helped him much.
"I'll stomp you to death!" Gauche proclaimed, stepping on him harder as the children watched in horror.
"I train hard, so you'll have to try harder than that!" Asta seemingly moved away from Gauche's feet and gave him a thumbs up. Without warning, Raiden was right next to Asta and sent a roundhouse kick his way. The magicless young man was barely able to react, putting one of his arms up but was still sent flying against a wall."Raiden? You're here too?! And what was that for?!"
"Dunno. You said to try harder so I did." Raiden smiled at him coyly."You didn't lie though. Guess you've gotten a bit stronger. Back then, a kick like that would have knocked you out. As for why we're here, Gauche came to see his little sister. And you, from what I'm seeing right now...why are there so many kids here?"
"I came to visit Rebecca and her siblings but Mary was here so we were playing with her too," Asta explained, using the wall to help himself up.
"Yes, he's right. I had asked him to." Rebecca walked up to Raiden."So please, don't hurt him anymore."
"I see," Raiden muttered, raising a brow. He didn't like the implications of this but he found it incredibly hilarious."Still, it's not me who he has to apologize to. Right, Gauche?"
"You're damn right!" Gauche gritted his teeth."I'm only able to see my sister, who lives in the church, once a month! Today is the day I get to worship here and release my pent-up feelings! So why are you worshipping her first?! Not to mention, who permitted you to worship her in the first place?!"
"Big brother, stop!" Marie grabbed her brother's arm, pulling him away from Asta"Please don't be so mean! I'm going to marry him!"
"Oh." Raiden muttered, his face growing pale."Oh. Oh." He quickly covered his mouth, suppressing his laugh."Damn, Gauche. I feel bad for you. If this is going to be your in-law..."
"Shut up, Raiden!" Gauche snapped, not pleased at all at the statement."And you...Asta...I'll kill you! Mirror Magic..."
"Hold up." Raiden stood in front of Gauche."Don't do it here. You can kill him but you'll have to wait. Too many kids, including your sister here."
Gauche groaned under his breath, putting his Grimoire away."Fine. You make a good point. I'll have to kill him in his sleep."
"Why are you talking about murdering me when I'm right in front of you?!" Asta cried out.
"Better not to let the children and the girl see you suffering." Raiden pointed out, folding his arms."By the way, you're way over your head here. You probably don't even know what you're doing."
"What are you talking about?" Asta looked confused."Doing what?"
Raiden sighed in exasperation."Never mind. It's not funny. It's stupid. But you do you I guess."
"It's not what you think!" Rebecca suddenly chimed in, her cheeks flushed.
Raiden blew raspberries at that, turning away."If you say so. I don't care either way. It's just...a little too desperate in my opinion. Are you trying to take advantage of him?"
"Huh?! How dare you suggest that!" Rebecca snapped, her embarrassment turning into anger."I'm not taking advantage of him! I only invited him over to hang out with my siblings!"
"Yeah, she's right, Raiden." Asta stood up, hands in front of him."You can be mean to me all you want but don't involve Rebecca in this. She did nothing wrong."
"As I said, I just find it weird. But it's your business. But I should tell you, you're going to need a lot more money if you catch my drift." Raiden and Asta bumped foreheads with each other, trying to push the other away.
"It's too noisy around here."
The group stared back at the newcomer. An old lady with a scar over her eye called Marie over, the little girl following suit."Marie, it's time to go back. We must return to the church."
"Oh, great." Gauche grumbled, narrowing his eyes."It's the old hag."
"Gauche, you came." The Sister didn't seem amused by Gauche's comment.
"Calling an emissary of the church "old hag" is an insult to God, Gauche." Raiden chided him."You should watch out for that."
"I'm sure if God knows this lady like I do he wouldn't mind." Gauche shrugged, his gaze falling on the Sister."I'll be taking Marie with me out on a date. Go back to the church by yourself."
"You go home, you sister complex punk." The Sister shot back, standing her ground."In any case, it's not good for Marie to spend time with a guy like you. Your attitude is terrible, have mean eyes, and are foul-mouthed."
"What did you say, you shitty old hag?" Gauche's gaze hardened, but only served to prove her point."Don't look at me like that. Just drop dead."
"You have a lot of nerve to say that to an old lad who doesn't have long left in this world, you fool." Both of them walked up to each other, taking threatening steps."
"Yeah, right, dumbass. Says the old-she demon who will probably live another hundred years easily." Gauche countered. Asta and Raiden were quick to intercept them, preventing them from going at each other's throats.
"Gauche! How can you talk to your elders like that?!" Asta cried out with his goofy expression.
"It doesn't matter if she's his elder or not." Raiden stated, hands on his hips."She's a Sister. An emissary of God that has to be respected. But that also means she has to act the part and not get into petty squabbles with younger people. If the guy wants to see his sister then he's all within his right to do so."
"Please! Don't fight!" Maria grabbed their attention, tears threatening to fall from her eyes."Please..."
The four individuals couldn't say no to that face and back off. Raiden sighed, relieved that the girl was brave enough to break up a grown-ups argument if it could even be called that."Not bad, kiddo. Not bad."
"Er...are you big brother's friend?" Marie timidly asks and continues before Raiden could answer."Would you please watch over my brother? I know he can be a bit mean and scary sometimes, but I know he means well."
"Uh...Sure." Raiden nodded, ruffling her hair a bit."Now run along. I'll take care of your brother for you. My name is Raiden, by the way. Forgot to introduce myself with all the commotion."
Waving Raiden goodbye, Maria followed the Sister and made their way back to the church. Gauche collapsed on the ground, seemingly lifeless.
"That was nice of you, Raiden." Asta smiled at the raven-haired teen."I appreciate you making Marie feel better."
"Don't mention it." Was all Raiden said, kneeling to pick Gauche up and wrapped his arm around his shoulder."Shit...now I'll have to wait for him to wake up."
"If you want, you can come to have dinner with us until he wakes up." Rebecca offered."Asta, you too. If you want, you could also...spend the night over."
'A free meal and some opportunity to relax.' Raiden mentally noted.'I'll have to leave this to Asta. I'm no good in these situations.' Picking up Gauche and lifting him over his shoulder, Raiden followed the group, keeping his distance.
Back in the Black Bull base, Abel was outside, practicing his swordsmanship with his Hell Breaker. He imagined an imaginary enemy, imitating a real fight and acting accordingly."Not yet...if this was Asta, he would just negate my spell and leave me vulnerable." He twirled his blade, going for a thrust."But if Raiden was the one fighting me, his flames could cut my blade. I have to figure out a way to bypass that..."
He sighed, recalling his blade to his Grimoire."What if I use Explosive Dance to create some sort of opening? That could work. But then again, it takes a considerable amount of magic to use that spell, so I can't be relying on it too much. Crap, I'll need to think of something else."
"Yo, Abel." Yami hollered at him from the door, Finral next to him."Get over here, will you? I got to tell you something."
"Huh? Sure thing, Captain." Abel rushed over to where his Captain was, wiping sweat off his forehead."What's up?"
"We're going to go visit that casino owner Gauche and Raiden mentioned. I'm talking Finral so we can just teleport there whenever we want, but right now he hasn't been there so it's his first time."
"Okay." Abel nodded, frowning."But why am I going? You don't need me."
"You have to get your mind off of things." Yami shrugged."Your head is too up in the clouds so you're not maximizing your training. Am right, aren't I?"
"Yes..." Abel gave him a sad smile."I just feel like I've been falling behind is all. Compared to everyone else, my skills are kind of limited. I thought I was the squad's best swordsman, but then Asta and Raiden came along and surpassed me. At this rate...I'll never catch up to my brot-WOAH!"
"Stop being so pessimistic. Finral, let's go." Yami jumped on his broom, carrying Abel by the collar."No wonder you're not making any progress. What part of "break past your limits" don't you understand?"
"Huh? I don't understand!" Abel shouted, wobbling his legs in an attempt to break free.
"I say "break past YOUR limits"." Yami clarified."Not past Asta's, or Raiden's, or your brother's. If you keep comparing yourself to others, you'll never know what your limits are and won't be able to overcome them."
"Overcome them..." Abel muttered, his eyes widening."Focus on me...Yeah, I can do that!"
"Good. You still have to come with us though."
"Why are we even going there anyway?" The brown-haired young man inquired."It's still noon. I thought that place opened at night."
"Well, Captain wanted to check the place out for himself." Finral supplied."You heard Gauche's report today. The owner is apparently from the Ace Kingdom, a kingdom that has been isolated from the rest and denied any communication with the other kingdoms for years."
"That's right. Julius never said anything to the other Captains either. I want to see if I can dig something up myself."
"And what if the owner doesn't want to say anything?"
"Well, we can at least check the place out before they open." Yami smirked."I was planning on coming here eventually and scoring big. I heard everyone gets out twice as richer."
"Knowing your luck, Captain, you'll lose all your money..." Finral sweatdropped.
"That's why I have you guys with me. If I end up losing all my money, you can step in for me."
Both subordinates glanced at each other, their faces going pale and regretting having their pouches on them. After some time flying, they finally reached the casino and landed in front of its doors. Yami finally let go of Abel's shirt, dropping him on the ground as he walked to the door and knocked on it a few times.
"Maybe no one is home?" Finral pondered after waiting for a few minutes."We could come back later. Now that I've been here, I can easily take us back whenever you ask."
"No need. Someone's coming right now."
On cue, the door opened, revealing two figures to the light of the sun. One of them was Father Xander and the other one was the Captain of the Purple Orcas, Gueldre.
"See? Didn't I tell you Mr. Lazarus is such an understanding guy?" Xander smirked, a hand on his hip."With you as a generous investor, the casino is bound to reach new levels of earnings. The money you invested will be returned by tenfold."
"I must say I was a little skeptical when I heard Ray was merely 19 years old. But I'm comfortable now after realizing he's a businessman, such as myself. Oh. What a surprise. It's Yami."
Xander and Gueldre stopped in front of the Black Bulls."Black Bulls? Ray didn't mention expecting them today."
"Yo, Garbledre." Yami casually waved at him."Nice to see you here. Came here to try your luck?"
"It's Gueldre..." The masked man frowned."And what about you, Yami? What could the Black Bulls possibly want in a prestigious place such as this?"
"You might not believe it, but my guys did a job here and were praised by the owner. I just came by to have a chat with him and thank him for his generous payment."
Gueldre hummed in response, walking past their group."Well, I must get going. I bid you gentlemen farewell. And Yami."
"Tch." Yami clicked his tongue."Boneless ham..."
"It does appear as though you two captains don't get along." Xander noticed, chuckling."Must be hard dealing with the competition to see who is the best squad in the kingdom."
"Not really. We're the worst while the Golden Dawn is the best." Yami scratched his head."The rest are in between I guess. The name's Yami Sukehiro, the captain of the Black Bulls. These two are Abel and Finral. I have to say, I was expecting a lot of things but not a priest."
"Please come in. I'm a friend of Mr. Lazarus. My name is Xander Crowley, a priest from Napel Village. I had one of your members do a job for our village recently. I believe his name was Magna?"
"Wait, you're the priest Magna and Gauche mentioned!" Abel slammed his fist on his palm.
'So this is the guy.' Yami thought, scanning him from head to toe.'His Ki certainly feels weird but nothing out of the ordinary. Both Gauche and Magna reported him moving at incredible speed. I wonder what his deal is.'
"Anyway, please, come in. I'll take you to Mr. Lazarus' office. Don't let the door smack you your on the way in."
"Very funny." Yami grumbled, but to his surprise, the door almost hit him on his way in."Sheez, who made these doors? If you're not careful, they can hurt you."
"It's hard to say." Xander shook his head, hands behind his back as he led them through the empty entrance hall, leading them up the stairs."This place is out of the ordinary. Anything can happen in here."
"Such as the defense system that blocks out magic." Finral commented."How is that even possible? And this place...looks incredibly..."
"Advance, for lack of a better word." Xander tilted his head."This is state-of-the-art technology from the Ace Kingdom. I am from there as well. I can tell you're eager to know how and why this place came to be as well as why information was withheld from you, Captains, isn't that right, Captain Yami?"
"You saw through me." Yami rose his hands in defeat."I can't say I wasn't curious. Julius barely keeps any secrets and usually, I can get him to tell me them. But regarding the Ace Kingdom, he never said anything."
"I see. So, you were tempted by your curiosity to come to seek the answers you desire to know?" Xander couldn't help but laugh."I see I stand corrected."
"What are you talking about?" Abel voiced the question they were thinking of.
"You see, I believe that humanity is driven by nothing but their desires." He began explaining, moving his arms gracefully as they reached the last floor. He began guiding them to the long hall leading to Ray's office."Everyone wants something, no matter how small or big it is. Whether it's a dream or an object. People are bound to want to acquire anything, no matter their age or wisdom. A child may want a toy while another may want a book. A man could want riches while another could want a humble life. Ask yourselves this, what do you desire?"
Yami remained expressionless while Abel and Finral looked troubled, thinking of their respective siblings.
"Yeah, everyone wants something. But what's your point?" Yami tried to urge him.
"Where would you say it's appropriate to draw the line?" He posed the question, glancing at them over his shoulder."Where would you say you must stop the pursuit of your desire? You see, we all have a choice to either give up on our dreams or pursue them. But if we choose to pursuit them, are we justified to do whatever we can to ensure it's fulfilled? And what guarantees said goal to be the right thing not only for yourself but to everyone?"
"And what do you think the answer is?" Yami inquired, earning a chuckle from the priest.
"I'd say...people have no limits to what they can do to accomplish what they want. That is humanity's greatest flaw...to fall to temptation. Everyone, even the strongest man, can crumble if they fall into temptation. Perhaps they need to commit nefarious acts to ensure a loved one's safety because they are forced to. It could also be because they want to accomplish their goal no matter what. There could be many reasons why people would cross the line and go beyond."
"That's true." Yami agreed begrudgingly."Anyone can be swayed by what they want and could end up losing themselves."
"However, that's only if they fall to their carnal temptations." Xander rose a finger."Should one overcome these temptations, they will be favored and rewarded by God. On the other hand, should one fall to their temptation...then they are not worthy of realizing their dreams. And will watch them crumble in front of them. Life is all about a test of will. Will you prevail and overcome your desires...or will you fall to the devil's temptation and succumb to a dead dream?"
"But if you want my opinion on the matter, humans are unable to overcome their temptations and fall to them. It's just human nature to always want something, no matter what we have, there will always be something else we want. That's unfortunately what makes humanity unable to take the next step and evolve. We are doomed to constant repetition due to our own selfishness."
Silence followed soon after, no one knowing what to say to his words."I'm sorry. I was rambling. I have an assembly tomorrow, so I'm just practicing my speeches. Anyway..." Once they reached the door, he reached for the door handled and twisted it."We're here."
"Wait, Captain." Finral muttered to Yami."Do you mind if I talk to Abel alone?"
"I was gonna suggest you two to stay out here just in case. So knock yourselves out." Yami shrugged, following Xander inside.
Abel was confused, not sure what Finral wanted to say to him. Nonetheless, he followed him away from the door and leave their Captain to handle matters alone.
"I brought an unexpected yet not unwelcomed guest, Mr. Lazarus." Xander cleared his throat."This is the Captain of the Black Bulls."
"Black Bulls, you say?" Ray put down the documents he was signing, a gleeful smile on his face."What a delightful surprise, darling! Welcome!"
"Cut that out." Yami sharply said.
"Huh?"
"The "darling" thing. Cut it out. It's weird." Yami reached a hand for his pocket, looking for his cigarettes and his lighter."I'm almost ten years older than you."
"A fair point. Captain, it is, then." His smile didn't waver."So, to what do I owe the pleasure? Feel free to take a seat. Would you like some refrigerated drinks?"
Yami lit his cigarette, taking a smoke before answering."Let's get down to business. I want to know about the Ace Kingdom."
Ray and Xander exchanged quick looks as the former leaned forward on his desk, resting his head on his hand."So...you want to know. The other Captain wanted to know as well, but he was content with just letting him invest in my business. But you...since you came all the way here and your subordinates did me such a great favor for me. I suppose I can give you some answers. The question is, are you ready for them?"
"Go ahead. I have plenty of time." Yami challenged, puffing some smoke.
"Then...I'll answer your question about the truth...of the Ace Kingdom."
