Chapter 20
Wind vs. Fire

"Yami," Julius called out after his long-time friend. The Dark Mage-user stopped in his tracks, followed by Asta as they were inches away from the door that exited his office."If you would, would you mind staying behind for a bit? It's regarding the inquiry you had a few weeks ago."

Yami's full attention went to the Wizard, sparing a glance to his subordinate."Go on ahead kid. Wait for me outside."

"Huh? Oh, okay." Asta nodded, deducing that whatever they were going to discuss was extremely important, and left the room.

"Sorry about that. But with this whole traitor thing going on and after what happened today...it's best to try to keep this information under wraps for now."

"Just get to the point. You've got me on the edge of my seat."

"Right." Julius rested his hands on the desk, his demeanor changing to a serious one. Yami noted this, noticing the shift in the air and the meaning this conveyed."I did some research in my spare time and I had Marx help me out with putting everything together. Most of this I got from the Clover King, which is very limited. He told me to go get more information from our library and search the documents there. As it turns out, the Ace Kingdom wasn't official before." The Wizard King pulled a deck of cards from his drawer, drawing a card and showing it to Yami.,

"That's...the Ace of Spades." Yami unfolded his arms, walking closer to his desk.

"Correct. I'm sure you've already made an idea of what this means. But basically, the Ace Kingdom was originally part of the Spade Kingdom a couple of centuries ago. I confirmed this information by talking with Xander Crowley, the Priest."

"Oh, that guy." Yami didn't bother in showing his disdain."I'm surprised you got anything out of him. He wouldn't tell me squat."

"Well, he was required to file proper documentation along with Ray and their lady friend, the nurse."

Yami perked up at that."Wait, lady? There's another one?"

"Yes. I've had the pleasure of conversing with her. She's a very talented young lady with high skills in medicine. She's working at the hospital and is already rising in the ranks. She went from being an assistant to a nurse in a short time. Soon enough she will go for the position of Owen's assistant."

"I see. Unlike the other two, she sounds like a reasonable person."

"Sounds like Xander and Ray left quite the impression on you."

"You have no idea." Yami grunted, ruffling his hair."So, the Ace Kingdom came from the Spade Kingdom."

"Yes. It appears as though the brother of the king at the time decided that he wanted something else. He wasn't on board with how the kingdom was being ruled so he took a group of people and ventured outside of their home. Eventually, they found a vast, empty and unused area in the east, across the sea. However, at the time, they had no time means to travel across the ocean, so the Clover King allowed them to keep this territory in exchange for a peaceful alliance, since at the time all the kingdoms weren't on friendly terms, per se. He even provided them with enough resources to expand and accommodate their people.

Yami decided to take a seat, realizing this story was going to take a while to finish, and wanted to be comfortable."So they just ditched their kingdom and decided to make their own? It can't be simply because the brother disagree with how the kingdom was being run. Maybe jealousy had something to do with it."

"Perhaps, but it's unclear to me. Xander didn't know more than what I'm telling you. Regardless, people quickly that the king's brother was offering a place where only peace prospered. Away from wars and conflict. Many people migrated from other kingdoms, increasing the number of people. Eventually, they became known as the Ace Kingdom." Julius flipped the ace of spades card in his hand."Their symbol is the same as the Spade Kingdom but flipped upside down. They took over the land around them, expanding their borders and quickly becoming as populated as the other kingdoms. It is said they were blessed by the Gods themselves who gave them fortune and good luck."

"I can't believe I didn't piece together the fact that their symbol is the same as the Spade Kingdom but flipped upside down with a line going across it. But some countries are not within the Kingdoms, like the one I come from. Did they absorb the countries around them as well?"

Julius opened his drawer again, pulling out a map of the five kingdoms."The Ace Kingdom started where the city of Babylon is today. After the Spade King's brother noticed how much his territory had grown, he began to expand in hopes of making his kingdom more prosperous. The already occupied countries with no relation to the kingdoms seemingly became part of the kingdom. As of today, the Ace Kingdom is the biggest out of all the kingdoms."

"You're kidding me." Yami's eyes widened at the statement."You're telling me they're the biggest kingdom?" Snatching the map from Julius' hands, his eyes scanned over the map, his jaw-dropping. In effect, the Ace Kingdom was way bigger than any of the other kingdoms. It was at least twice the size of the Clover Kingdom. "How can a kingdom this big keep its secrets away from others? We wouldn't know this if it wasn't for Xander."

"They must be keeping their citizens silent in some way. Probably manipulating information and the flow of it. They became close off a few decades ago, but they allowed visitors from other Kingdoms to some degree. But they officially closed their borders five years ago."

"Right. An economic crisis." Yami still wasn't convinced with that information."There must be something else."

"Perhaps. But whatever happened, it was enough to spook them and make it impossible to enter or leave. They never asked for aid to other kingdoms, not even to us, and we were on good terms with them. Not even we are aware of what happened. It came as a surprise to us that a year ago, the prince himself came over with Ray and offered the idea of a casino, hoping to aid their economy and become stable again."

"Still, a casino?" Yami scoffed, leaning back on his chair."There could have been better ways to help their economy. And after five years? How come they never came up with a solution for that."

"Economics is a pretty sensitive subject, Yami." Julius answered, offering a smile."If inflation were to happen here, it would be a catastrophic event. Taxes would be raised as well as prices for simple things. A loaf of bread could be worth a week's salary. When a currency loses value, it affects everything. Absolutely everything. People lose their money in their banks, riots began, among other things. For a kingdom as big as theirs, managing it all must have been an arduous task. I get your suspicion on them, but for now, they are on good terms with us. Thus, we cannot just turn them down or start throwing accusations."

Yami remained silent, absorbing the information he had just received. He supposed Julius had a point, after all. But there were still too many secrets, and he knew that Julius was aware of them.

"I know that look, Yami. You are right to feel the way you do. Many things don't fit and some that we don't know. Rest assured, I'm keeping a keen eye on those three. For now, you can conduct your investigation as well. But for now, there's not much we can get from a priest and a nobleman. We can't force them to submit for interrogation either."

"I understand." Yami stood up, cracking his neck."If that's all, I'll be on my way."

"Hold on." Julis called out, prompting the man to halt."I have yet more news. This one you will like. It has come to my attention that the prince of the Ace Kingdom is coming to visit the casino in a few days, right before you leave for your mission at the Underwater Temple."

"Huh?" Yami was astonished by the news."You're kidding me. The prince is coming?"

"That's right." Julius nodded, standing up from his chair and heading for the window, admiring the sunlight."It's strictly for business, so I'm not sure if he'll give an audience to the Captains. We will be meeting him, and we will establish a proper alliance as well as a trade network. We'll help them get back on their feet and they'll gladly trade resources with our kingdom. However, they are requesting a team of mages to protect them from their border to the casino. I'll be entrusting mages from your squad and Vangeance's. We need the new magic knights involved since they have the least chance of being traitors or informants. And I trust the two of you since I've known you for a long time.

"A mission right before our big mission? Well, I guess if you really put that much trust in me and Vangeance, then I guess I have no choice. How many people do you need?"

"Approximately, two per squad. The prince is bringing a royal knight with him already. It should be a simple and easy mission that shouldn't take more than a day at most."

"Sounds good. If I can't get in contact with him, we'll just have to gather information using our subordinates. Easy enough."


Finral was at a loss for words with what Yami had just told him. The Captain seemed to notice his lack of response, quickly getting annoyed.

"Hey, I told you this for a reason. I trust you. You're my wheels as well as one of the older members. What do you think about it all?"

"Wel...I knew there was the Ace Kingdom thanks to that mission Raiden, Gauche, and Grey took a while ago, but I didn't know they were once affiliated with the Spade Kingdom. But...why are you telling me this? I thought this was top secret information that you'd only entrust to the ones you trust. Wait, am I going to be assigned to protect the prince?!"

"It would be ideal." Yami offered, puffing some smoke out."But the mission requires getting information from the prince without him realizing it. Meaning that whoever goes has to engage in a conversation with him. If you were to go, you would just open a portal and appear in seconds at the casino. I'm telling you this because you're basically the second in command."

"Huh? Really? It sure doesn't feel like it. Also, I'm not a Vice-Captain or anything."

"There's a good reason for that, actually." Yami stated, his mind remembering a certain man he met a long time ago.'I wonder how you're doing right now...Nacth.'

"Huh? What reason could there be?" Finral tilted his head, eager to know one he thought about how their squad didn't have a Vice-Captain like all the rest. Yami, however, didn't respond. He had a nostalgic look on his face and clearly wasn't going to answer any more questions about the matter. Finral gave him a firm nod, deciding to just go with how things were."Got it. So, who are you going to choose?"

"I have two in mind. I'll make an announcement later today."

Meanwhile, the battle between Yuno and Raiden had finally started. Raiden had proceeded to jump several yards away from Yuno, earning a good deal of distance.'He uses wind magic. And I'm not very good against those, so I'll watch what he does first to decide how to proceed.'

"Ha! He's already running away!" Bell pointed out with an arrogant smirk.

"No." Yuno narrowed his eyes, much to Bel's surprise."He's trying to analyze me. See those swords of his? They're not made of magic but are enhanced with it. Meaning that he most likely focuses on close-quarter combats, like Asta. Normally, I would think he's out of his mind for keeping his distance against me, but something tells me he has something in mind."

"So, what should we do?"

"I'll take the bait. He won't get close unless we show him what we're made of. Wind Magic: Wind Blades Shower."

A dozen blades made of solid air manifested around Yuno as he prepared to launch them.

Raiden smiled, twirling his swords around, patiently.'So, that's how it is. Unlike Thomas, his spells seemed to be more concentrated. But this is the first one. I can't assume he doesn't have something like that damn cyclone from before.'

The blades came flying at Raiden, unexpectedly fast, might he add. The boy jumped from side to side, evading as many as it could, but there were too many."Inferno Magic: Blazing Cut!"

Now it was Yuno's turn to be amazed. His attacks were being cut away like butter and the black slashes were coming straight for him. He used his magic to launch himself in the air, hovering above the trees.

"So, he can fly with the wind?" Raiden noted, clicking his tongue."His mobility exceeds mine then. If I want the ball back on my court, I'll have to bring him close to the trees. Still, he has the advantage, considering he can keep on attacking me while keeping his distance from me. And now knowing he can fly, this will be a pain. Huh. Poor Asta. Unless he grows wings, he'll never even hit this guy to make his Anti Magic work."

"As I thought, he has long-range attacks." Yuno surmised, landing on top of a tree branch."I wonder what he'll do next."

"We have to strike him before he closes the distance, Yuno." Bell offered her opinion."We still don't know the extent of his power."

"It goes both ways. If we can cut down the amount of ground he's got to work with, we can win."

Raiden fired two more inferno slashes, forcing Yuno to leap in the air once more. Raiden was able to follow Yuno maneuver around, his amber orbs focusing solely on his target. The teen began following him on the ground, increasing his speed to keep up with him. He sent a few slashes of inferno, making Yuno always keep an eye on him at all times.

"You're fast, but let's see how you do with this! Wind Magic: Gale White Bow!"

Arrows of air were created, floating beside Yuno. With a flick of his hand, they were shot at Raiden down below.

"Child's play." Raiden jumped against a tree trunk, using it to leap from tree to tree, avoiding the attacks. Once he noticed the attacks stopped, Raiden hung from a branch."See?"

"Yeah, I see."

Raiden gasped, realizing that Yuno was behind him.'Ah, so that's why the attacks seemed to go in random directions. He was trying to make me lose focus on where he was, and with the trees all looking the same, I lost my sense of direction. Not bad.'

"Now, Yuno!"

Yuno's Grimoire flipped through its pages, ready to launch his spell. He noticed black dots appearing all over Raiden's body, growing in size and becoming spikes. Yuno grabbed Bell, sheltering her in his hands as he felt the inferno spikes cutting through his body, avoiding piercing his flesh since Raiden controlled where the attack was going.

Wincing with pain, Yuno jumped back, immediately firing his spell."Wind Magic: Towering Tornado!"

Raiden gritted his teeth, his body being engulfed by a tornado. He hadn't expected Yuno to make a comeback after receiving his attack like that. Granted, he had to make sure to not fill his body full of holes, but enough to make him lose concentration. He groaned in pain when he felt his back hit the hardwood, his body falling limp back on the grass.

"Yuno! Are you okay?!" Bell cried in concern, using her powers to help Yuno descend safely to the ground. The Wind Magic-user's body was cut all around, fresh blood tainting his pristine white uniform.

"Yeah...I could be worse." Yuno clenched his teeth, leaning against a tree."If I was his enemy, I'd have more holes than a block of cheese. I guess getting close to him to make sure my spell worked was a bad idea."

"True, but the same could be said for him." Bell said, watching back where Raiden was launched to."No matter how strong he is, he won't come out of that unscathed. We hit him point-blank.

"That Raiden guy..." Cain couldn't take out his eyes off the fight."He's good. Incredibly fast too. I didn't know the Black Bulls had a powerhouse like him."

"We're not pushovers as people say we are." Asta grinned, proud of his squad."Raiden and I...we don't exactly get along. We fight, more often than not. And some things he says are really mean but...I can't judge him the same way he judges me. He told me before that I knew no struggle, which isn't true. I never had it easy. But then again, I don't know what his life was like. Maybe he had it worse than me, who knows? What I do know is that I respect him and his strength. I'll prove him wrong. And I'll do that by getting stronger and one day beating him. If Yuno loses here, I'll just get even stronger than that. I won't stop."

"Sometimes...it takes more than brute strength to change one's outlook on life." Cain offered his opinion."Whatever you guys got going on, it seems to be even deeper than a simple "who is stronger than who" problem. It's none of my business, but you have to be careful with things like that. You said you guys don't know each other's problems but he judges you. To me, it seems that he thinks that whatever he went through is more than anyone can go through. Either that's true...or he's completely self-centered. And people like that...are hard to reason with."

Asta pondered on his words, recalling his fight with Raiden at the Black Market.

"You know no struggle, do you?! You're a damn hypocrite who can only spout saccharine bullshit and baseless ideas!" Raiden shouted, glaring at him with nothing short of disdain."You've lived your life with no burdens or turmoils. That's why you're so naive and think everything is sunshine and rainbows."

Cain spared a glance at Asta, noticing he had his fists clenched so hard he saw veins in his hands.'What is he thinking?'

'Why are you like this, Raiden? I want to be your friend, but you won't let me past your defenses. Back then, I couldn't come up with a proper answer for you. You see me as just an idealistic kid who doesn't know how hard life can be but you're wrong. And I won't change your opinion of me through my strength but my actions. No matter what, I'll make sure you see me as for who I am. And I hope I get to see the real you as well.'

Asta found himself chuckling silently.'Is this how Abel feels about his brother? To want to be recognized by him and be his equal? Yeah, I guess I want to be Raiden's equal. He's so strong, it's nuts. Whatever happened to him...whatever he went through to make him the way he is...it motivated him to become strong. But now I'm more motivated than ever to see beneath the surface.'

Back in the fight, Yuno continued flying above Raiden, firing spells in hopes of creating an opening. But Raiden proved too fast for his attacks. And the trees getting in the way added Raiden's advantage in avoiding attacks. The game of cat and mouse had begun.

"You're pretty good. No wonder you have a four-leaf Grimoire and were chosen for the Golden Dawn, despite your status. And honestly, I'm having fun."

"Glad I could entertain you." Yuno mused as they both landed on opposite branches."I'm having fun as well. You're as tough as Johan said, maybe even more."

"Yeah." Raiden nodded to himself."I can say this for sure. Asta has nothing on you. I understand his delusional ass sees you as a rival, but you? What could you possibly have to worry about him?"

"There you go again." Yuno narrowed his eyes, something inside him snapped.

"What again?"

"You're undermining Asta. A lot. Just like you did when we first met after the whole Nean incident. When you spoke about Asta that time, you came off as arrogant and so sure of yourself. At first, I thought it was because you beat him that badly. But now I think I'm starting to realize there's another reason for it."

It was Raiden's turn to scowl, tightening the grip on his blades."I don't think I follow."

"If it was a matter of you being stronger than Asta, you wouldn't be openly talking like that about him. Or me for that matter. Johan never said you were that type of person. Which leads me to believe there's something you have against Asta."

"You bet I do." Raiden sneered."He's so damn naive, it's nauseating. Always rambling on how people can always have a second chance, even those who did the most unspeakable things. And then he dares to compare himself with me, saying we were raised in a similar environment. Overall though, he's got his head in the clouds. He doesn't know what reality is. All he has is this little dream of becoming the Wizard King and trying to help others when he knows no struggle. He hasn't suffered, so what does he know?"

"Asta knows no struggle?" Yuno trailed off, closing his eyes. Bell circled him, slightly confused where this conversation was going."You're wrong. I can tell you know nothing about Asta. I thought you were more open-minded, but I see you only hear what you want."

"What was that?"

"Asta was born without magic while I was. Matter of fact, they say I was loved by mana. And yet, despite all of that, I can confidently say Asta is no pushover. I used to be a crybaby, but Asta always made me feel better and looked after me. He did all of that while he suffered inside because he was always being ridiculed. They made fun of him because he has no mana but had big dreams. Every time strangers compared the two of us...I couldn't help but feel guilty for some reason. Because I didn't want to get all the praise at the cost of his discomfort. People looked in my direction but never his. Regardless, he never gave up on what he wanted. He trained hard and hard every day. Harder than anyone I know. He dreamed that if he trained his body, he would one day awaken to his magic."

Raiden remained silent, listening intently at Yuno's words. He didn't know why he couldn't move his body. He didn't care about Asta, did he? So why was he listening with so much attention?

"We were already being discriminated by being commoners. But Asta had it worse than me. At least people could respect my magic, but it wasn't the case for him. Even commoners laughed at him. And without parents or family of our own, he only had me and the people at our orphanage for support. Even then, I don't know if they truly believed in him as they did me."

"Discriminated...?" Raiden gaped, begrudgingly realizing that maybe he and Asta weren't so different. He vividly recalled a particular memory in his past, where he was kneeling on the floor, a fresh wound on his right shoulder. He heard the noblemen around him laughing and cheering, demanding more. But what he remembers the most was the person next to him, mockingly rubbing his back with a twisted smile.

"What's wrong? I thought trash like you had more in them. You insignificant piece of shit."

"Yuno..." Bell murmured under her breath."I had no idea about your friend..."

Yuno gave her a side-smile, returning his gaze to Raiden."But he shut everyone's mouths when he became a Magic Knight. With dedication, discipline, and a lot of effort. I can only imagine what he went through to get to where he is today. And he will continue growing not only as a person but as a mage. I can see that he made great friends in his squad, as well as my own. Wherever he goes, he motivates people to do their best. That's his special talent. And you know, I'm looking forward to competing with him to be the Wizard King. I have no doubt in my mind he'll give me a great challenge. What about you, Raiden?"

"What about me?"

"I'm not going to pry into your life. But I want to know what are your dreams. You called Asta delusional, so maybe you have something that you believe you can achieve."

"I...I want to purge the evil from this world." Raiden solemnly stated."I'm going to make this world a better place by getting rid of all evil."

"That's a big goal. But what I meant to say, do you have any personal goals?"

Raiden rose a brow at the question, unsure of why this was relevant. He supposed he should humor Yuno back."I made a promise to a friend back at home. In a way, I want to eradicate evil for her sake. So she can live in peace. I will do that after I find a way to cure her disease."

"What about you?" Yuno asked again, causing Raiden to tense up."What do you want for yourself? No one else. What do you want to become? Are you going to become a Captain? Or maybe you'll join in on the race to become the Wizard King?"

"I..." Raiden's voice died in his throat. He didn't know why he struggled. It was obvious what he wanted for himself. He...He glanced down at his arms."I...I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I..." Raiden tried recalling anything in his past to give himself a hint at what he wanted. But Yuno's words were repeating in his head in a loop.

"So you don't have an answer." Much to Raiden's chagrin, Yuno, unknowingly, was throwing the words Raiden used with Asta back to his face."I don't know much about you, but what I know is that you're self-righteous and unreasonable. You're hiding behind your past and using that as an excuse to go around thinking you can put people down. But deep down, you know. You're jealous of Asta, aren't you? Because despite everything...despite all he had to endure, he's standing stronger than ever. Something that apparently you can't do."

That was it. Raiden's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull, the grip on his blades tightening to the point where he thought he'd break them.

"Are you sure you're not just jealous?" Noelle's words were still clear in his mind.."Because Asta has hopes and aspirations and you don't? Or perhaps is it that he has a goal set in mind and motivations while you're stuck, self-loathing? Asta is a far better person than you'll ever hope to be."

"Yuno...is making him mad really a good idea?" Bell whispered in his ear."He doesn't seem to be...well, very stable, I suppose."

Yuno remained silent, his brow still furrowed as he glared down at Raiden. This immediately changed when Raiden fell on one knee, grasping his head."Huh?"

"Shut up..." Raiden grumbled to himself, dropping his blades on the branch as he smacked his head."Just shut up! Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP! We're not the same!"

"What's with him?" Bell hid behind Yuno, slightly intimidated by Raiden's sudden shift in emotion.

"Raiden..." Yuno breathed, his stoic expression betraying him and showing actual concern.

The swordsman took a few deep breathes, muttering incoherent words as his breathing slowed down to normal. Unceremoniously, he picked up his blades, cladding them with inferno once again. He rose his head, amber eyes meeting Yuno's own."I'm not like him. And I'm not like you. I know what has to be done. That's all."

"So I guess we're going to continue." Yuno turned to Bell."Let's hit him with that spell we used on that old hag at the Capital."

"Right!"

As Yuno prepared for his spell, Raiden emotionlessly rose his hand, his Grimoire flipping through its pages."Inferno Magic..."

"Wind Spirit Magic..." Yuno and Bell combined their mana into one, forming a large attack.

Cain and Asta observed from afar, watching eagerly to see who will win this class."

Simultaneously, both mages shot their respective attacks, causing the leaves in the trees to be completely cleaned off by the intensity of their attacks.

"Sylph's Breath!/God Hand!"


"This is a pretty cozy base they have," Arthur observed, marbling at the interior of the Black Bull hideout. In contrast to the Golden Dawn, it wasn't well lit and was rather small in comparison. Nevertheless, he found it less stressful than constantly being in a well-kept place all the time.

"Well, we do try to keep it clean." Vanessa patted the spot next to her on the couch. Arthur gladly accepted the innovation, watching Johan pace around the room."In fact, Raiden was cleaning the place until recently."

"No wonder he had long face when he came out." Arthur chuckled, nodding when Vanessa handed him a cup of wine."It's a little early, but I do enjoy an occasional drink. You should sit down too, Johan. I'm sure their friend will be here in a second."

"Speak of the devil." Vanessa pointed at Charmy, who was making her way to the common area, yawning."Tired?"

"Nothing beats a nap after a meal." Charmy nodded, rubbing her eyes. She then noticed the Golden Dawn members, her hopes immediately getting up."Oh! Golden Dawn? Is my Meal-serving Prince?"

"Who?" All of them parroted, confused at what she meant.

"Ah, right. Sorry." Charmy giggled sheepishly."His name was Yuno. He saved my meal from being ruined."

Johan made his way to Chaarmy, baffled that the Black Bulls had a kid with them. He couldn't tell if this was a joke or not."Yuno is fighting my friend Raiden, your squadmate. He's a bit busy right now. But hey, I'd like to talk to you, if possible. You see, everyone's saying you are the best cook ever and I would love to try one of your dishes. Or a couple. Or as many as you can make."

Charmy's eyes instantly lit up, jumping up and down."La! You came all the way here for my food! Don't worry! I will not leave a single mouth unfed! I hope you have plenty of room because I'm making a feast! Cotton Creation Magic: Sheep Cook!"

A group of cotton sheep was created, all of them wearing funny-looking chef hats that Johan found simply adorable."Wow! They're so cute! So you have cotton magic, huh? I'm impressed. You could open up your own restaurant and run it on your own."

"La...you really think so?" Charmy tilted her head."Well, I do enjoy making food for people. It's important to be properly fed at all times if you want to function right. Plus, it's so yummy!"

"Ah, stop it." Johan playfully waved his hand around."I'm starving as it is. I don't need to hear any talk about food right now or I'll die. Say, sorry if I ask, but how old are you? You seem young to be a Magic Knight. Are you perhaps someone's sister?"

Vanessa snorted before laughing at loud while Arthur gave her a puzzled look.

"I'm 19 years old." In the blink of an eye, Charmy went from being her childlike self to growing a few inches, barely, and striking a modeling pose."I look younger than I am, but that's just one of my charms. I'm rather sophisticated too and all of this..." She pointed to herself."Doesn't need any magical enhancements."

"Oh. I see." Johan nodded as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Arthur, on the other hand, had his jaw opened so wide, it might as well have hit the floor."That's your response? It's like you've known this for the longest time."

"Usually people are shocked." Vanessa agreed, leaning her on her palm.

"Well, she's not the first short person I've met. I know someone close to her age that's not as short, but still short. So this isn't a surprise. Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself to you. My name is Johan Axebreeze."

"I'm Arthur Pendragon." The ginger introduced himself to Charmy.

"Oh, yeah. He's also the nephew of the Clover King."

"Johan!"

Vanessa and Charmy both gasp, exchanging glances with each other."Wait, so you're...royalty? Like actual royalty?"

"In a way." Arthur chuckled nervously, alarmed when Vanessa began fixing her attire to look more presentable."Please think nothing of it. I'm not going to judge you or anything like that. I'm not like some people in my family. I don't expect perfection out of anything. I came here, looking for normal people to chat with and I'm satisfied with what I've seen so far."

"Is that so? I guess he's not a stuck u-I mean, not as full of himself as the other royals." Charmy quickly corrected herself, giving him a friendly wave."It's nice to meet you both. I'm Charmy Pappitson. Hope we can get along. I know you and I will, Johan. If you're a food lover, then you're already my friend."

"Great! I love making new friends." Johan laughed excitedly."Looking forward to your cooking, Charmy. Man, I can barely wait."

"You're a lot more jolly than Raiden. It's kind of funny when you think about it."

"Raiden can be a little tense sometimes." Johan sat on the floor, watching as the sheep cooks began preparing the food."It's not wrong to say our personalities are switches. He acts more of my age while I act his. But he's more tamed once you get to know him."

"That is true." Vanessa gave a nod."I had to buy him a drink, but he opened up to me a little bit. He's nice when you're past his tough exterior."

"Huh? You...bought him a drink...?"

"Yeah. Holy cow that boy can drink. I wasn't sure at first since he's a minor. But he chows bottles down like it's nothing. He has a high alcohol tolerance."

"That Raiden..." Johan rubbed the edge of his nose."I told him many times he can't be doing something like that. But does he listen to me? No."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Vanessa clapped her hands together."If I had known he wasn't supposed to...I-"

"It's fine." Johan shook his head, offering her a smile."He's his own person. I doubt that he'd listen to me anyway."

Vanessa sighed in relief, a hand to her chest."I got really worried for a second. He said that his instructor was the one who got him into drinking."

Johan huffed, folding his arms."Yeah. Yeah, he did. It was...rough, back then. To say the least. That instructor...I was also taking lessons from him. Well, he was more of a supervisor, than an instructor. Our superior, if you may. Not the best guy to hang around with. Bad influence. Raiden got a lot of bad habits from him."

"Sounds to me like a pretty irresponsible adult to let a child drink."

"You're one to talk." They all turned to the newcomer. Gauche, hands in his pockets, entered the common room and sat on the empty seat on the opposite side of the couch."What, you invited some friends?"

"I'm Raiden's friend. Johan Axebreeze."

"Arthur Pendragon."

"Gauche. Pretend like I'm not even here. I'm just going to sit here and admire my angel Marie's beautiful face." He said, staring dreamily at the picture of his sister.

"Huh...Interesting." Arthur noted, genuinely amused.

"Never mind him." Vanessa leaned forward."Tell me more about Raiden and you. How did you two meet? You have a few years on him, right?"

Johan pondered about this for a moment, muttering a thank you to Charmy as she handed him a glass of grape juice."We grew up in the same neighborhood pretty much. Next to each other. He was pretty rough around the edges and got into trouble a lot. Picked fights everywhere and whenever."

"Sounds like him," Gauche commented offhandedly.

"On one of those occasions...he came to me." Johan had a toothy smile on his face upon remembering."Yeah, I was walking around and he bumped into me. From the looks of things, he had just gotten out of a fight, so his guard was up. He tried to fight me. Didn't go too well."

"If you took down Raiden, you must be really strong. Like extra strong." Charmy said, ordering the sheep to start serving the food on various plates, setting them on the floor around Johan."I haven't seen Raiden in action, but he's taken down Asta and Magna."

"Actually, back then, Raiden wasn't strong at all. He was skinny and wimpy. But he had guts." Johan remarked, silencing the group."I helped up get in shape. Well, it was more like I gave him pointers. He wasn't very sociable so he would always take everything the wrong way. Doesn't so different from now, does he?" Everyone present, except Arthur, laughed at his, who had no idea why they were laughing.

"But he had a heart of gold. Eventually, he warmed up to me. He met my dad and he would occasionally come over to play baseball with us. We had a blast. But I was worried he hadn't made friends his age. Or so I thought. Apparently, he had already made friends with a very good friend of ours. I don't know if he's told you about her...?"

"He has." Gauche sat up, his voice leaving no room for doubt."Someone very important to him. Someone that's his motivation to wake up every day."

Vanessa and Charmy stared at him oddly, much to his dismay."That's what he told me."

"Right. They were an inseparable duo. I was glad. Honestly, on my end, I never really had a friend my age. Most of the time I would help my dad teach baseball to the kids in our village. I liked it. We were poor but happy." Slowly, Johan's smile changed to a frown."But the happiness didn't last. Our friend was sick and can't get out of bed. As for my father...he won't be able to do the thing he loves the most."

"That's horrible." Vanessa covered her mouth in shock.

"What happened? What caused all of that?" Arthur inquired, curious to know.

"Disease. Disease in the shape of evil." Johan grimaced, his clenched tight."Sorry...But I don't like to talk about the subject. It's...hard."

"Poor you." Charmy walked up to the sitting giant, gently rubbing his back."Whatever it was, I hope everything can turn out okay."

"That friend...Raiden said he..." Gauche scanned around the room."Did something stupid because her life was in danger."

"Right." Johan closed his eyes, deep in thought."I don't know why he calls it stupid. It was necessary. Otherwise..."

"She would have died." Gauche finished the dreadful thought.

"Wait, what are you..." Vanessa suddenly gaped, realizing what they were hinting at."Oh. But...have you guys visited your loved ones yet? Raiden told me he hasn't, but what about you? How is your father?"

"I haven't seen him since we departed from our home. I send in money to cover the medical bills. But it's not for his legs. It's so someone can go to our house and take care of him while I'm away. Raiden is doing the same thing for his grandma and our friend. We want to go back...but we haven't accomplished anything yet. We can't go back home empty-handed. If we're going to go home, we want to see the world in a better shape."

"That's why Raiden is so...volatile when it comes to evil. You don't want your loved ones being hurt anymore." Vanessa surmised, earning a nod from Johan.

"Why didn't you tell me about this, Johan? I could help you if that's what you need." Arthur offered with a warm smile."Just give me the word and I'll have you and your father transported to the best place you guys can live in and your dad will be taken care of."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Arthur. I do." Johan trailed off, his gaze falling on his crossed legs."But I can't. It's complicated. I wish I could tell you but...I can't. Sorry."

"That's enough sad talk for now." Charmy stated, grabbing a plate of food and handing it to Johan."You came here to taste my food, right? Stuff your face as much as you want. It'll make you feel better."

"Thanks, Charmy." Johan felt his spirits being lifting once he began digging in."Oh! This is so good!" The burly young man began devouring plate after plate, not stopping if not for breathing.

"That's the spirit! I hope you have plenty of room cause' I made a lot!"

"Thanks for the food!"

Gauche rolled his eyes, quickly losing interest in the conversation, and went back to staring at Marie's portrait.

"So, Arthur. What about you? What can you tell me about yourself? Being a royal and all."

Arthur rubbed his chin."Well, there's not much to tell, honestly. I was born in a noble family. My father is cousins with the current king, but he always calls me his nephew. In fact, it's because of him that I could become a Magic Knight."

"What do you mean?" Vanessa inquired, raising a brow.

"My parents don't think too highly of the Magic Knights. They think that for someone of our status, there are greater and better things. So, they wanted me to become part of the Parlament. But that wasn't what I wanted to do. What I want, is to become the future Clover King. And for that, I decided to join the Magic Knights."

"Really?" Vanessa crossed one of her legs, leaning back on the cushion of the couch."What made you so interested in becoming a Magic Knight?"

Arthur's face lit up with glee, like a child would when they thought of something they like."That's easy. I used to read a lot of books growing up. I was into medieval history. The Knights of the Round Table were my inspiration to always strive for justice and fight for the people. That's why I want to become the King. I want to help improve the livelihoods of everyone in the kingdom and get rid of discrimination. For that, I joined the Magic Knight. Because I need as much experience as possible. Besides, this is the best way for me to help at the moment."

"That's a great way to go about things." Vanessa expressed her thoughts, giving him a reassuring smile."Not many people think the way you do. And if you're really serious, I have a feeling you'll go far. I'm looking forward to seeing you as the Clover King. Hey, Asta wants to become the Wizard King."

"Is that so? Asta is the magicless guy, right?"

"That's right. But despite having no magic, Asta doesn't stop pursuing his goal. He works hard every day to make that happen. Don't let the fact that he has no magic change your opinion about him."

"I won't." Arthur shook his head."The Wizard King has talked about him a lot. And like he says, results are what matter the most. It doesn't matter if he's a commoner or has no magic. I haven't had a conversation with him and I already have a high opinion of him."

The main door opened, revealing Noelle, carrying a bag over her shoulder."Hey. What's going on? Wait...Arthur?!"

"Noelle!" Arthur stood up, splaying his arms to receive Noelle in a big hug."How are you? It's been a long time!"

"I've been very fine, thank you. And what about you?" Noelle broke their hug, their hands still connected.

"Fantastic. Better now after finding out how you're doing. I was a bit worried when you joined the Black Bulls, all things considered, but I'm happy to know that you're okay and are feeling better than ever."

"Yes. The Black Bulls are not as bad as everyone says they are."

"Hey." She ignored Gauche.

"But I'm comfortable. So, what brings you here? Are you here to request someone on a mission?"

"Hold on, you guys know each other?" Vanessa stood up, making her way to them."I didn't know that. Then again, you are both royalty."

"I've known little Noelle since she was a little girl." Arthur explained."We met a few times here and there, but as we grew up, we drifted apart because of our families. As to why I'm here...my partner over there and a few other friends wanted to come over and visit you guys."

"Partner?" Noelle shifted her gaze to Johan, who was caught red-handed with food in his mouth."Wait, I know you. We met at Nean, after the whole thing with the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Johan."

"And you're Noelle Silva. Hard to forget someone like you." Johan gave her a playful grin, but Noelle was having none of it. She stomped over Johan, his grin slowly disappearing."Uh..."

"You need to go talk to Raiden right now!" Noelle jabbed her finger to his forehead, causing him to flinch."He's out of control and is extremely rude!"

"Ah...I see." Johan tried backing away but Noelle persisted."Well, he might come off as rude sometimes, but he's not tha-"

"And what he said to Asta the other day is completely unforgivable!"

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing after Noelle's outburst. Noelle began explaining what had transpired the day they helped Fanzelle and Dominante escape with Mariella and what Raiden had done to Asta and Abel.

"No way." Vanessa frowned upon hearing the story."Raiden said all of that?"

Gauche said nothing and Charmy looked uncharacteristically upset.

Arthur glanced at Johan, worried about how the gentle giant would react. The grey-haired man set his empty bowl down, grabbing and napkin and wiping his mouth."That was a nice meal, Charmy. Thank you. Any man that catches your eye will be lucky to have someone like you cooking for them."

"Johan, what are you-"

Johan stood up, patting her on the head before turning to Noelle. The youngest Silva bit her lower lip, not knowing what to expect when Johan walked closer to her. To her shock, he bowed down respectfully."W-what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry. I apologize on Raiden's behalf for everything he has done and said to not only you but the rest of your squadmates. Frankly, he's never behaved like that before. This is a side of him I did not know but thank you for bringing it to my attention."

"Y-y-you don't have to apologize to me!" Noelle stammered, flustered at Johan's bowing."I mean, it's Asta who he has to apologize to..."

Johan stood up tall once more, his lips curving to form a gentle smile."Message received loud and clear. Don't worry. I'll make him come to reason."

Walking past her, the others didn't know what to say or what to do. Johan's gentle smile was no more. Instead, a scowl was present on his face as he marched towards the door, giving loud and powerful steps.

"Wait!"

Johan stopped, turning his gaze to the side and noticing someone new in the room.


Back outside, Asta and Cain were watching the combatants charge up their strongest spells, their hairs blowing in the air due to the gust of wing their attacks were made.

"We should move out of the way," Cain stated, already preparing to leave.

"Huh? Why?"

"It's fire against wind." Cain supplied, offering Asta and hand to help him up."If they collide, the wind is going to spread some of the fire everywhere. It might catch us. And from what I've seen and heard, that black fire is way stronger than regular fire."

"Ah, no worries." Asta shot him a toothy grin, taking his Demon Slayer and Demon Dweller swords out from his Grimoire."I can protect us with these. My Anti Magic can withstand their attacks."

"No need for that."

The duo turned on their heels, nearly avoiding being bumped into by Johan as he stormed towards the fighters."What's he doing?"

"This is it, Yuno!" Raiden grinned, ready to launch his attack."Inferno Magic: God Hand!"

"I'm not going to lose against you!" Yuno shouted, using Bell's help to power up his spell to the max."Wind Spirit Magic: Sylph's Breath!"

"No, you don't! Obsidian Creation Magic: Magical Cylinders!"

Two cylinders appeared in front of the attacks, taking them all in and firing them up in the sky. The shockwave forced Raiden and Yuno to fall back to the ground, receiving considerable damage after their falls.

"Ouch...what the fuck?" Raiden grimaced, rubbing the back of his skull."What the fuck, Johan? We were just getting to the good part!"

"Why did he do that? We had him!" Bell yelled, pouting in frustration. Yuno winced, sitting up and watching curiously as Johan went to Raiden.

"Sorry, Yuno." Johan gave him an apologetic look briefly.

Raiden used his blades as support to stand up, ready to go off at Johan for jumping into the fight. As he was about to get the first word out, he received a punch to the gut, knocking the words and air right out of him. Due to the power behind the punch, Raiden was sent flying away, rolling on the grass and outside the forest back to the plains.

"What's going on?!" Asta cried out, baffled after what had happened.

Cain himself didn't know why this was happening but chose to remain silent and watch things unfold.

"Captain, should we..." Finral started, but Yami didn't seem worried in the slightest.

"Nah, let them work this out. If Raiden is going to listen to anyone, it's that guy over there, his best friend."

Coughing up spit, Raiden rolled on his back, still trying to recuperate from the punch he took head-on. As soon as he thought to stand up, Johan was right in front of him, fists clenched."We have to talk."


It took a bit longer than expected to finish this chapter. I've been busy with school and work lately. On top of that, I've been playing Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel every day and it takes most of my free time. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We're learning more and more about the Ace Kingdom and what they're all about. Don't worry, Yuno vs. Raiden will continue the next chapter. Johan stopped it temporarily and for good reason. If you want to know more, stay tuned for the next chapter.