Author's Note: So if you're confused about this chapter, let me clarify a few things. I decided to follow other stories' examples and simply include the whole Fanzell mini-arc in the few days before the Underwater Temple arc. I figured this would be better than writing this mini-arc later on and then writing the Witch Forest arc. I will include a few other characters and different mini-stories to expand their lore before the major arc comes.
Chapter 17
Diamond Trouble
"I can't believe we're going to Raque!" Abel exclaimed happily, causing those around him to cringe at how loud he was."I've always wanted to visit that place!"
"Someone's excited..." Noelle sighed, sitting down along with the others to eat breakfast."But it's just like the Captain said, we're going for a mission. We won't have time to mess around."
"You say that, but you seemed really excited to wear a swimsuit." Raiden pointed out, giving her a cheeky grin."Being royalty and all, you must wear the best of the best, right?"
"How is that any of your business?!" Noelle threw him a piece of bread, which he gladly caught and ate."A-anyway, what would you know about the best of the best? I'm royalty and you're not."
"I've gone to the beach before," Raiden stated, playing around with his food."So I'd say I know enough."
"Huh, really?" Luck rose a brow."Isn't Suke Village like on the opposite side of Raque? It must have been a long journey."
"Yes..." Nearly choking, Raiden grabbed his cup of juice and drank it all."It was a long time ago...but it wasn't as crazy as you guys might think. Honestly, I don't like the beach that much. I hate the sand and how it gets stuck to your body even after you get out of the water."
"Oh, yeah." Magna nodded."Can't believe I'm agreeing with you, but I hate when the sand gets in my privates too."
"Where the sun doesn't shine, right, Magna-senpai?"
"Stop saying senpai with that tone!"
"But I thought you wanted him to respect you, Magna." Luck said, smiling."I think him calling you senpai is as close as you'll get."
"Okay, but when is he gonna address me with respect?" Noelle folded her arms."Unlike him, you actually got a reason to be kind and a gentleman to me."
"Do I really?" Raiden glanced at his nails."Didn't know. Charmy, do you have any more eggs?"
"Coming right up!" Charmy's sheep rushed in and got to work."By the way, when is your friend coming over? If he's got more appetite than you he must really love food and I'd love to meet him."
"I'm not sure. I would imagine he's really busy, considering his squad." Raiden guessed."But he'll come around. We have a few days before we head out so there's nothing to worry about."
Gordon mumbled something, earning Raiden's attention as he tried to decipher what he was saying.
"What kind of person he is? He's...kind, smart, and patient. He makes everyone feel at ease and likes to bring out the best in them. The opposite of me in a way."
"Aw, you're not that bad." Vanessa waved her hand."You're great in your own right."
"He's not terrible." Gauche muttered, leaning back."But he's not that great either."
"What, and you are?" Abel chuckled, shaking his head."I think that would be Asta. I mean, look at how far he's come with no magic at all. He never gives up and always comes through when it matters. Speaking of which, I have to go meet him right now to get some training done. I figured he could teach me a thing or two about swordsmanship."
"You're giving him way too much credit." Raiden grumbled, digging in on his food."Also, hello? Why didn't you ask me for advice?"
"Oh! Uh..." Abel rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly."Well, I figured I'd start with Asta because...I want to test my strength with Anti Magic! I was going to ask you to spar with me later once I'm confident enough to take you on."
"Good answer." Finral nodded in approval.
"Good answer?" Raiden shot him a glare."What is that supposed to mean?"
"Never mind that." Vanessa handed him more bread."Changing the subject a bit, are you interested in any of the girls wearing swimsuits? I know all of the other guys are."
"Not you in particular." Manga snorted, his comment going ignored by the witch.
"I better not hear my name coming from your mouth." Noelle warned him, standing up."I'll be going out for a stroll for a bit. I'll be back in a bit."
"I wasn't going to say your name anyway." Raiden clicked his tongue."You're not my cup of tea. By the way, I thought the mission was the sole focus of this trip?"
"Well, surely we can't be on business mode the whole time. Right, Finral?"
"Yup! We can enjoy ourselves for a bit. It's good to enjoy yourself once in a while." Finral stated."I already have my plans settled. I can't wait to meet those beautiful ladies!"
"Speaking of ladies..." Vanessa went back to Raiden."Come on, I know you wouldn't be interested in someone older than you like me. But what about Noelle or Charmy?"
'I guess she doesn't know about Grey's true identity.' Raiden eyed Grey, who was in her giant form in the corner of the room."We'll see how it goes. I'll be the judge and then I'll tell you my verdict."
"Now that sounds like a challenge." Vanessa clasped her hands."I'll make sure the girls make you guys' jaws dropped."
"Sure, sounds like something I would like to do." Raiden groaned, sinking in his seat.
"I'm hoping to fight a shark!" Luck yelled, lightning coursing through his body."Hey, you guys think we can even fight a whale?"
"If I see a shark anywhere near me I'm blasting it away." Gauche took out a picture of Marie."Besides, there won't be any sharks near shore, you idiot. People wouldn't go there if that was the case."
"Why the hell would you want to fight a shark?" Magna tilted his head."Just fight one of us."
"You're no fun to fight." Luck stated in a matter-of-fact tone."Gauche and Raiden never want to fight me."
"Dude, you always want to fight." Raiden pointed at him with his fork."People need space."
"Seems like the gang's all here." They all turned to Yami, who walked into the living room yawning."Good. I didn't miss breakfast. And you guys didn't devour everything for a change."
"Raiden and Vanessa grabbed plenty of meat." Charmy explained, finally sitting down and grabbing a huge plate of food."This is really good meat, by the way. Where did you get it?"
"Someplace Vanessa knowns." Raiden gave the vague reply."The owner is sketchy as hell but she seems to know what she's doing."
"Yeah..." Yami took a bite out of his meal."It's really good. Woah. But, I can't say the same about you two, dumbasses. I specifically said to go get food not to get drunk. And you did it the day I gave explained the Underwater Temple mission."
"It wasn't that bad..." Raiden croaked, feeling his body shrink in shame."Right?"
"Kid, I had Gordon repeat the details several times while you were dozing off on the couch." Yami sighed in exasperation." And you, Vanessa, so much for being a "responsible adult". Can't even handle a drunken brat."
"It was all going okay, honest!" Vanessa pledged."It's just...the bartender gave him some pretty heavy stuff. And he drank lots of it."
"I overestimated myself. I'm sorry." Raiden hung his head in shame."Won't happen again."
"You mean you're going to stop the drinking?"
"I mean..."
"He's had it rough." Vanessa interjected."Rough childhood mixed with bad memories. He's a bit like me."
"I figured that much." Yami nodded along."Vanessa told me you guys talked. She didn't go into details, of course, out of respect for your privacy."
"Really? Does he have any dark secrets or something?" Magna was intrigued."Come on, man, spill the beans."
"Oh! I wanna hear it too!" Luck and Manga quickly surrounded him."Aw, we're friends, aren't we?"
"We are?"
"Sure. I think we're all friends." Luck patted him on the head, causing Raiden to recoil at the sudden contact."Besides, we don't know much about you. Why does Vanessa get to be the only one that gets to know you better?"
Gordon took a seat by the group, followed by Grey and Charmy."Do you guys really want to know? Fine, but...I'll warn you. There's not much to know. I was born in Suke village and had a somewhat normal childhood."
"You mentioned times were rough before." Vanessa reminded him."What did you mean by that?"
"Uh...well, we weren't doing too good economically. Too much stuff was going on in our village and we barely scraped by. Lost my parents when I was young so my grandma raised me." Raiden grabbed his cup, clenching it in his grasp."And well...I had to train my ass off because I was the only one who could get our family out of poverty. Which is why I'm so strong. I had a great teacher as well. I was friends with his daughter. But she's...sick at the moment. That's where all my money is going. Sorry, I don't like going into details."
The squad silently glanced at each other, not knowing what to say. Vanessa was the first one to get up and put a supporting hand on his shoulder."It's fine. You don't have to say more. Sorry if it felt like we pressured you into saying anything. It wasn't our intention. But...for one, I'm glad you trusted us with this. It means you are beginning to open up to us, in contrast to how you were before."
"Totally. When he first came here, he was such an edge lord." Luck laughed in good nature, slapping Raiden in the back.
"Don't think I forgot about how you defeated me." Manga scoffed."I've been training really hard. Expect a rematch sometime soon."
"I wasn't that bad..." Raiden trailed off."I guess...I've been adapting. That's all. Whether that's good or bad is up to interpretation, though."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Charmy inquired, confused at what he meant.
"Nothing." Raiden waved her off, his gaze suddenly falling on the squad mascot, Nero, who was staring intently into his eyes."What?"
The bird did not make a noise, instead, he flew over to Raiden, sitting on his shoulder."I think Nero likes you."
"Why is he staring at me like that then?" Raiden moved his head away just in time before Nero started pricking his face with his peak."Ouch! What the fuck?!"
"Nero!" Finral ushered the bird away. While this was happening, Yami was laughing his ass off, enjoying the sight.
"I thought Nero only behaved like that with Asta due to his lack of magic." Luck followed Nero with his gaze as he flew out the window."Weird."
"Tell me about it..." Raiden rubbed his aching cheek."For some reason, Nero's been following me around lately. It's annoying. His eyes feel like they're staring into my soul. Maybe he got bored from following Asta all day."
"There's something I've been meaning to ask, Raiden." Yami brought the attention to him."Back in that cave in Nean, when we were about to get blasted away by the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun before Gauche and Finral appeared...what were you about to do? I saw you flipping through the pages of your Grimoire. Did you have a secret plan or something?"
Before Raiden could open his mouth, they all heard a shriek outside, prompting them all to jump from their seats and storm out the base. What they found was nothing short of completely inappropriate and an easy to misunderstand scene. A red-haired man, completely naked, was standing outside the door chasing a frightened Noelle.
"GUYS! HELP! IT'S A PERVERT!" Noelle jumped back to hide behind her Captain, who immediately took out his katana followed by everyone else readying their Grimoires.
"W-wait a minute! This is just a big misunderstanding! I was willing to even pay for-"
"Okay, I'll have to stop you right there." Yami stared down at the man."Let's kill him."
"I was hoping you'd say that." Raiden grinned, his blades clad in inferno."How did you even...find this creep, Noelle?"
"I was just walking around and he came out of nowhere!" Noelle shrieked, panicked."He tried to touch me!"
"Woah! Hold up! I only-"
"Save your breath because you'll need it." Yami narrowed his gaze."I doubt there's any reason in the world for a weirdo to be walking around naked in the woods."Tie him up, Luck, Magna, Raiden. We're taking him in."
"Right!" They all replied before pointing at one another."You do it!"
"Huh?! You want me to touch a naked dude?!" Magna cried out in an incredulous tone."No way!"
"Come on, you said you wanted to get more responsibilities, right?" Raiden snickered."You have to look good for your juniors, right, Manga-senpai?"
"Well, Raiden, you also think you're better than Magna, right?" Luck turned to him."Why don't you put that to the test?"
"You're also extremely battle-hungry, aren't you?" It was Magna's turn to point at Luck."Think of this as a battle and do it yourself!"
"For fuck's sake..." Yami rubbed the edge of his nose."Charmy, if you would?"
"Sure thing, Captain. Cotton Binding Magic: Cotton Restraining Ball!"
The man was engulfed in cotton before being lifted by cotton sheep, who carried him inside the base.
Abel grunted, thrusting his sword towards Asta as they engaged in battle.
The magicless mage sidestepped, swinging his Demon-Slayer to cancel out Abel's Hell Breaker. Taking a firm step back, Abel jumped out of the way, avoiding the attack."Yin Magic: Divine Rain of Black Blades!"
Five black blades formed above him, shooting towards Asta in hot pursuit.
"We're taking things up a notch, huh?! Okay!" Asta cried out, pulling out his Demon-Dweller and using it to deflect all of the blades with ease.
Hissing in frustration, Abel jumped high in the air, casting another spell."Yin Magic: Explosive Dance!"
Slamming his sword on the ground, Asta was sent flying after the shockwave hit him head-on.
"I'm not done yet!" Asta flexed his biceps, throwing his Demon-Slayer at Abel, who was forced to block it with his blade. Upon contact, his blade dissipated into particles, leaving him exposed.
"Got you." Asta appeared in front of him, his sword aiming at his neck."That was a great match!"
Abel sighed in relief once Asta recalled his weapons back, allowing himself to stand up."I don't know. I haven't found a way to cover up for my weakness when you negate my spells. We can't even get in a sword clash without you canceling out my sword."
"Yeah, sorry..." Asta rubbed the back of his neck."I can't really control it. But hey, your speed is increasing and you're reacting more to my moves. I'd say this is good progress."
"Would it be enough to fight my brother?" Abel sat on the grass, deflating."Sorry, Asta. I don't mean to use you as a means to compare myself to my brother. It's just...well, you are rather tricky to fight. I rely on my magic to fight and I was thinking that maybe knowing how to fight someone that can negate spells would help me in the long run."
"Hey, that's fine. I enjoy a good spar anyway so don't worry about it." Asta sat next to him, crossing his legs."I guess you feel like you're under a lot of pressure. Wanting to surpass your brother and all."
"Not surpass him." Abel clarified."I want to be equal to him. I wouldn't dream of ever being better than my older brother. He's just out of my league. But I would like it if he were to see me as...reliable, I guess. Or just talk to me in general."
"You guys don't get along, right? How come? I mean, siblings aren't supposed to fight like that. Though I know it can be complicated sometimes. Look at Noelle, for example."
"Yeah but my brother doesn't humiliate me like Noelle's siblings do." Abel groaned, feeling sympathetic towards his female squadmate."I don't know why I'm complaining when she has it worse than me."
"There's nothing wrong with wanting to be as good as your siblings." Asta patted him on the shoulder."Look at me, for instance. While I'm not related to Yuno by blood, I consider him my brother as well as the kids back at my orphanage. Yuno and I are rivals too. We are competing to see who will become the Wizard King first. I want to be stronger than Yuno and I know he feels the same way. Maybe you can try looking at it that way."
"It's not that simple. I don't know exactly where things went wrong." Abel lamented."And it's not like Cain is not as understanding as Yuno is."
"No way Cain is less vocal than Yuno." Asta chuckled."That guy barely voices what he thinks. I'm sure if you sit down and talk to Cain, you can work things out. Have you tried that?"
"That's the thing. As I said, I don't know exactly when things went wrong. Things were okay when we lived in our orphanage together. We were really close, actually. But he slowly started becoming more distant. Eventually, he left the orphanage and went missing for a while until we found out he had joined the Golden Dawn. At that point, he had cut ties with all of us. Ever since then, I've been trying to talk to him and get an explanation but he just ignores me or shoots me down."
"I see. So you were hoping that maybe becoming strong enough for him to notice you will help you get an answer?"
"That's the only plan I have." Abel exclaimed, ruffling his hair."Maybe it'll work. Maybe it won't. But I need to get stronger. Especially with all these enemies that keep coming up. First the Eye of the Midnight Sun and then the Order of the First. You saw how powerless we were."
"Yeah...if the captains didn't show up, we'd be toast." Asta nodded in agreement."Still, that's the reason why we have to keep getting stronger. This training doesn't seem like it's helping you, but it is. It's all about discipline, trust me. It's how I got to where I am today. Tell you what, next time I see Yuno, I'll ask him to see if he can talk to your brother. See if we can get some sort of meeting set up."
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose you or Yuno like that..."
"Hey, we're friends. It's what we do." Asta offered him a hand, which he gladly accept and helped him up."Let's head back to the base for a bit and come back later. Sound good?"
"Yeah...Thanks, Asta. I needed that." With that, both boys made their way to the base, chatting along the way."I can't believe I'm still insecure about how my brother sees me. I even told Finral that I was going to help him with his brother issues. But I can't even help myself."
"You're being too harsh on yourself." Asta shook his head."There's no guide to how brothers work. They just do. And wait, Finral has a brother?"
"Yeah. The same situation as Noelle, really. Except it's his little brother." Abel explained."Turns out he's the one who will become head of his house. But Finral wants to make things right with him. He feels like he abandoned him when he ran from home. Sorry, I shouldn't say more. It's not really my place to say."
"Sounds like family can be really complicated." Asta stated, folding his arms."I can't really say I understand. I mean, sure, I consider everyone back at home my family and Yuno my brother but...I never really knew what it was like to have an actual family. Mom and dad."
"Honestly, I can't tell you much either. We never knew our mom and dad. Sister Rika said she found us when we were kids in front of the orphanage's door. She tried looking for our parents but never found them. God knows what happened to them."
"Same with me and Yuno." Asta remarked, smiling."It's good that we at least have someone we can call family. I have Yuno and you have Cain."
"I guess it's better than nothing." Abel agreed, noticing they had arrived at their base. But something was off. First, the door was left open. Secondly, there was a lot of screaming going on inside. More than usual."Wonder what's going on."
"Let's go find out."
Once they went inside, they were met with all of their squadmates surrounding a naked man, tied up.
"Ok! Who wants to hurt him first?!" Magna rose his arms, earning a cheer from everyone.
"Let me at him first!" Vanessa took out her wand."How dare he do something so vile to Noelle!"
Noelle was sitting on the couch with Charmy, who was gently patting her back."I won't be able to forget this ever again...how can I ever go out for a stroll now?!"
"What the hell is going on here?" Abel poked Gordon's shoulder, receiving a mutter for a reply."Huh?"
"Oh, good. You guys are here." Raiden walked over to the pair."We caught a pervert trying to do some heinous things to Noelle. We were about to execute him. We can't let evil go around preying on the innocent."
"A pervert?! How?!" Abel gasped."Poor Noelle! Is she okay?!"
"For the most part." Raiden trailed off."Anyway, you guys want in?"
"Heck yeah, we do!" Asta rose his fist."Take me to him! I'll be the first one to punch him!"
Raiden seemed content with their enthusiasm and took them to where the man was being held."Here he is. Make it quick, though. I want to get some punches in."
"Wait a minute! I know this guy!" Asta cried out, silencing the whole room. Raiden covered his ears, wincing at how loud he was."Sorry. But I know him! Old man Zell!"
"Asta...I see. So you were able to join the Magic Knights." Zell gave him a warm smile, despite his bruised face."I'm glad."
"You know this pervert, Asta?" Gauche rose a brow."Why the hell do you know a guy that walks around naked in the forest?"
"He's not a pervert. He's actually a cool guy. Being naked is just his thing. It happens."
"It happens?" Abel looked at him as if he had grown a second head."What does that even mean?!"
"Let's just hear what he has to say then." Yami sighed, shifting his gaze to Charmy."Let him go."
Following his orders, Charmy undid her spell and realized Zell."Fetch him some clothes, Finral."
"Right away sir." Finral obliged, opening up a portal to Yami's room and pulling a shirt and pants. After getting dressed, Zell proceeded to explain that he had gotten robbed, leaving him completely bare and how everything came to be.
"Sorry, I tried to explain but you guys just wouldn't listen..." Zell apologized, rubbing his bandaged cheek.
"Gordon, why do you go around calling every person you meet a friend?" Raiden muttered to Gordon after he saw his lips moving. He waited a few seconds for his reply, translating in his head."Okay. I get that you want to know more people and befriend them, but still..."
"Say, Zell, was it? Have we met before?" Yami asked him, lighting up a cigarette.
"No. I'm pretty sure this is the first time we've ever met."
"So what brings you to our base, Zell?" Asta asked his old friend.
"Right. Noelle, right?" Zell addressed the young Silva, who nervously hid behind Vanessa."I'm truly sorry for scaring you. It wasn't my intention. I should have been more considerate and realized how weird the situation looked. I wanted to ask about your wand."
"I...accept your apologies." Noelle seemed to relax."You wanted to ask about my wand? What about it?"
"You see, I'm fairly certain that it was created by Domina, who I'm looking for." The red-haired man explained.
"I think you must be mistaken." Noelle spoke up."The person who gave me this wand was called Code."
"So I was right." Zelle's eyes lit up with hope."There's no doubt about it."Her full name is Dominante Code. Where'd you get that?"
"The black market in the castle city."
"I see...Thank goodness." Zell covered his eyes, tears threatening to fall.
"That's great! That means she's still alive!" Asta stood up, fists clenched."Let's go see her!"
"I think we're missing some context here," Abel muttered, rubbing his chin.
"I think this Domina person must have been lost or something." Charmy whispered, making Abel kneel to her level."I'm guessing that he wants to see her again."
"Say, have you ever been to the Black Market?" Gauche asked Finral, who gave him a nod."Good. Then get to work."
"I'm still your superior! You can't be giving ME orders!"
"I can go with them and show him around until we find her." Vanessa diffused the situation."Is that alright, Captain?"
"Sure, why not? But don't go telling anyone that we tried arresting you by mistake." Yami shrugged."Would make us look bad. Even more. You guys handle this. I'll go take a dump."
As the Captain made his way to the bathroom, the base began being bombarded by various attacks coming from outside.
"Woah! We're being attacked!" Luck's body coursed with electricity."How exciting!"
"This isn't good, you idiot!"
"They're most likely the assassins sent by the Diamond Kingdom to get me." Zell deduced, guilt evident in his expression."I'm sorry...I dragged you all into this..."
"Don't bother apologizing." Yami grabbed the rock on his head, wiping off the blood coming from his forehead."Just tell us who we need to kill for attacking us like this."
"Wait a second, you said you're from the Diamond Kingdom?" Raiden asked, earning a nod in response."What the hell are you doing here then?!"
"Long story short, Domina and I left the kingdom, and let's just say the king wasn't too keen on that idea, so they sent assassins after us. It doesn't help the fact that I'm a former commander of their army. So I'm guessing they want to silence me just in case I leak any important info to the other kingdoms."
"Makes sense." Raiden found himself agreeing with the former Diamond Kingdom commander."When a soldier abandons their country and goes to another, they carry precious information that could potentially be exploited by others to ruin the other nation. No wonder they're going out of their way to invade the Clover Kingdom just to kill you."
"Okay, but what's the plan?" Abel asked, pulling out his sword from his Grimoire."They got us locked up like cornered animals!"
"That's easy. A group goes with Finral and takes Zell to his fiance while the others stay here and kick some diamond ass. Asta, Noelle, Abel. You guys go with Finral and make sure they don't get this him."
"Captain...thank you." Zell was left speechless.
"Don't sweat it. I'm not going to let these pricks get what they want. The rest of you, we stay and fight! Grey, transformed into Zell and wait for the perfect chance to strike."
'Roger that!" They all cheered, quickly getting to work.
"Noelle, before you go, make a grand entrance for us, would you?"
"Yes, sir!" Noelle rushed outside, opening her Grimoire with determination."Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!"
"Let's get it!" Raiden gladly clad his blades in inferno, slashing through the water and taking a few mages by surprise."Inferno Magic: Dark Hollow!"
"Guys! Let's see who can take out more diamond kingdom mages!" Luck suggested, already fighting a handful of them."Lightning Creation Magic: Thunderball Destruction!"
"No way I'm losing to you guys! Flame Magic: Prison Death Scattershot!" Magna aimed with his hand, firing a volley of fireballs that sent a great number of mages down to the ground. Magna, Raiden, and Luck landed together, giving each other's their backs and finding themselves surrounded."They're not that tough."
"Or maybe we're just too strong." Luck commented, eager to continue the fight.
"Whatever the case, they're attacking our kingdom..." Raiden's voice suddenly died down as his gaze dropped to the floor.
"What's up? Cat cut your tongue?" Magna asked, a bit concerned at how his demeanor had changed out of nowhere.
Wordlessly, Raiden jumped in the air, landing in a crowd of mages as he found himself surrounded."Inferno Magic: Scorching Impaler!"
Spikes of inferno came out of Raiden's body, piercing through a great number of enemy mages and leaving them incapacitated on the floor. The young man then lunged in the air, thrusting his blade into a tree and helping himself up a branch.
"Not bad." Gauche flew by Raiden on his broom."But I can do better than that. Mirror Magic: Reflect Refrain!"
A vast number of mirrors surrounded the area, reflecting Gauche's attack and damaging as many mages as he could.
"At this rate, I'll get to go see Marie today." Gauche's nose bled at the thought.
"Get real, Gauche." Yami swung his sword, sending a backslash of magic at the enemies and launching them away."Everyone is staying here until this is all sorted out."
"This is really fun!" Luck cheered."Shattering their kneecaps is great!"
"Of course, he'd say that." Gauche cringed at Luck's violent side."I wonder how the others are doing."
"Probably bored out of their minds." Luck shrugged, not caring about the subject."Meanwhile, we get to fight as much as we want! It's too bad they're not that strong."
"Oh, Fanzell! I was so worried! I was afraid you were hurt!" Dominante Code, Zell's fiance, hugged him lovingly.
"Well, you kind of hurt me right now." Zell chuckled, returning the embrace."You don't hold back your punches, do you?"
"Well, it's a good thing we found her. Guess the Captain was right to send a group over here while the others stayed behind." Abel smiled, happy at the turn of events.
"Right. Had we sent old man Zell here by himself in that condition, even he would have trouble with that many assassins after him." Asta said."I wonder how the others are doing. I hope they're okay."
"We left behind the most threatening and dangerous people in our squad." Finral pointed out to his juniors."I'm sure it's the enemy we should be worried about."
"I guess..." Noelle yelped when she was suddenly embraced by the woman.
"Thank you so much, young lady! I never thought you'd do this much for me because I gave you a little extra! Bruce was right about you."
"I'm not sure about that..."
"And you must be Asta!" She turned her attention to the Anti-Magic user."You look as gutsy as I've heard!"
"Wait, you've heard about me? Did old man Zell tell you?"
"Not exactly?" Zell felt a cold sweat dripping down the back of his neck, feeling a presence behind him. He instinctively jumped in front of Dominante protectively. A young woman stood behind where Zell was, a blank expression on her face.
"Mariella?! You're here!" Asta exclaimed, taken back.
"Oh..." Abel muttered, his eyes widening and his heartbeat increasing."Okay...Woah..." Time slowed down for the brown-haired young man and only the young woman seemed to be the only thing moving at real speed.
"You alright?" Noelle gazed at him from his side."Why is your face all flustered?"
"W-what? I-I'm n-n-not flustered!" Abel squeaked, hands in front of his face."I'm okay! Really!"
"You don't look okay to me." Finral said, hands on his hips."Your face suddenly got all flushed when this girl came out of...wait...this girl...Abel, could it be that yo-"
"A-anyway!" Abel ran up to Asta, still covering his red cheeks."Why are you here?! And how did you find us?!"
"Dude, you're being loud." Asta pointed out, much to his chagrin."And that's coming from me."
"I agree." Mariella said softly."I mean you no harm, so you can calm down and take a deep breath. You all outnumbered me anyway. What can a single girl do?"
"S-sorry..." He meekly apologized, lowering his hands.
"You and your buddies beat the crap out of your instructor, Mariella!" Asta accused her without missing a beat."If you think we're going to believe anything you have to say, think again!"
"As I have said, I mean you no harm." Mariella rose her hands."I didn't come here to attack you."
"I think she's right you guys." Abel pointed out, immediately freezing when he felt all the stares."I-I mean, think about it, if she were here to hurt Fanzell and Dominante, she could have just attacked him while his back was turned, right?"
"That's right." Mariella nodded, giving him a brief smile of appreciation."Allow me to explain my plan. I had the assassins attack your base in hopes that you'd take care of them. While the attack was taking place, I hurried over to the black market to let Miss Domina know that the instructor was coming. I wasn't expecting you'd get here so fast, though."
"Yeah, we are kind of fast." Finral laughed, his mind imagining what kind of hell his squad must be given to the assassins.
"I've drawn out a safe escape route on this paper." Mariella supplied, placing the paper down on the table.
"I don't get it. Why are you doing this in the first place?" Asta inquired, curious to know her reasoning.
Mariella seemed to ponder on that question for a few seconds before continuing."Including the ones that were sent to the city, we'll be able to take care of about sixty assassins at once. On top of that, Instructor Fanzel and Miss Domina will be able to escape. I'm sure these incidents will set the organization back substantially. This is my revenge against the organization."
"Revenge?" Abel leaned closer."What for?"
"Being an assassin is...tiresome, for lack of a better word." She sighed, sorrow clear in her eyes."Working for the Diamond Kingdom to do those things...but also I'm not prepared to be on the run for the rest of my life. So in the end, I decided to go through with my revenge, then surrender myself to the Clover Kingdom's Magic Knights. I was patiently waiting for all of this to align accordingly. I just want this to end."
"Wait, hold on!" Abel took a firm step forward."So you want to do this whole revenge plot so you can leave that life but also are okay with just being locked up? That's crazy! You're too young for that!"
"Abel, you're 16, you can't be calling other people young like you're any older," Finral said, much to his dismay.
"Besides, considering the things I did, my age is inconsequential." Mariella lowered her gaze, avoiding his eyes."This is just what has to happen. You shouldn't concern yourself with my actions. After all, I used you and your squad."
"I get that, but think about yourself for a minute!" Abel took another step, a few inches away from Mariella. The purpled-eyed girl reflexively took a step back."I mean, is that what you would really want? Who knows how long they'll incarcerate you for and what they'll do! There has to be another way. What do you think, Fanzell?"
"I'll be frank..." Fanzell ran a hand through his face."Given what she's done, she'll be locked away for a long time. Also, she could be more open to assassin attacks. Mariella, you'll be a mouse trapped."
"No way..." Abel deflated, shaking his head."But...she doesn't deserve something like that..."
"You don't know me. You can't say that." Mariella told him."I told you, you shouldn't be concerning yourself with me. Your part in this is done."
"Like hell it is!" Abel cursed, his determination resurfacing back."Maybe you're right. Maybe I can't comprehend what you did. But we all screw up, right? Jeez, you sound like Raiden. Always having the most radical solutions to problems. We're human, we make mistakes and fix ourselves. Everyone deserves a second chance. I know you're a good person because you wouldn't be risking yourself like this for them otherwise. You'd sold them out. You're doing the right thing and I want to do it too by helping you as much as I can."
"When did he become so stubborn and...determined." Noelle whispered to Finral."Usually, he's timider and goes along with the flow instead of voicing what he thinks like this."
"Come on, I thought it was obvious. He's crushing hard for her." Finral muttered back, causing Noelle to silently gasp."I'm so proud of him. But his technique can use some improvement."
'What?! He has a crush on her?!' Noelle covered her mouth.'But...he's Abel! He's the good boy of the squad! Why would he be attracted to an assassin?!'
"Why would you want to help me?" Mariella asked, her gaze locking with Abel's."It doesn't make sense. Why would you want to help someone like me? You're a Magic Knight."
"And as a Magic Knight, it's my job to help anyone I can. No matter what. Also, it's what a hero would do."His cheeks turned crimson, embarrassment clear on his features."And besides...I think you deserve to be happy too. Wouldn't you want a happy ending as well?"
"A happy ending..."
"Yeah, remember when I said to find a reason to live for yourself?" Asta chimed in."That applies to this as well. Don't just give up. I know you may think this is the best way to atone, but you can try something else. Try living for those who care about you. Right, old man Zell?"
"Asta..." Fanzell muttered."You're right. I can't approve of this, Mariella. It's too risky."
"Everyone..." Mariella breathed, flabergasted."But I don't-"
"Just try it." Abel cut her off, giving her a sincere smile."Try to aim for that happy ending. Everyone deserves a second chance."
"Look how optimistic this one is! How hopeful!"
A red portal opened up, revealing two figures that emerged from within. One of them was a man, Galleo, commander of the assassins that were leading the attack to the Black Bull base. The other one was a young woman with creamy skin. She had a delicate face, orange eyes, and blond hair tied up in a spiky ponytail. She was a V-neck, sleeveless and short jet-black dress along with black knee-high socks and black boots.
"Galleo?! And...Pauline! But why is one of the Eight Shining Generals here?!" Mariella cried out, her eyes wide in fear.
"Little Mariella, an obedient soldier trying to run away from her responsibilities." Pauline waved her hand around."That's just not proper at all. I wasn't expecting that from you. Seems like our kingdom really has a thing for betrayal and deceit. Anyway, do you want to do the honors? I don't like to get my hands dirty."
"But of course. Killing a traitor would be the best thing I did today." Galleo sneered, preparing his Grimoire.
"Leave me the idealist kid, though." Pauline licked her lips."I do love crushing people's hopes. The mere sight of it is enough to..." She ran her hands through her torso."Give me life..."
"Why is it that always the crazy ones are after me?!" Abel screamed in dismay, grabbing his Grimoire.
"Wait, don't!" Mariella moved in but it was too late. She, alongside Fanzell and Asta, was warped to another place, leaving Abel, Finral, Domina, and Noelle with Pauline.
"What happened?! Where did you take them?!" Noelle demanded, taking her wand out to fight.
"Why worry about them when you have to worry about yourself?" Pauline splayed her hands, her Grimoire floating around her. It was crimson, decorated with a cloud-like pattern and a diamond in the middle of it."Just now you were saying some pretty interesting things. Abel, was it? Are you really sure you want to help Mariella, an assassin? From the bottom of your heart?"
"Of course I do!" Abel gritted his teeth."I'm not going to let you guys get your hands on her! She won't go with you!"
"Well, let's see if your words are true. Fear is usually the best tool to bring out the truth. So I'll be the judge. I want to see just how much your mind can take before it breaks."
"My mind?"
"That's right. Wounds can heal over time but..." She began poking her head with her index finger, a crazed expression on her face."Mental damage will never go away no matter how hard you try! Cubic Magic: Stormterror of Fantasia!" Over a dozen of red cubes manifested behind Pauline, quickly towering over the group.
"Holy!" Finral stammered, watching in awe.
"My name is Pauline Illuso, one of the Eight Shining Generals." Pauline winked at them, doing a pose with her fingers over her left eye."Show me just how real fear can be!"
