Page 3:Onward To The Capital
As the whole ordeal was finally over Arran was resting on his bed as he took a gaze at his now bandaged arms. Luna was able to heal him like he said he would but then he got an earful about using his magic carelessly. "Kinda hurts to move but I should be fine" He said as he looked out the window of his tiny little room. "Mom said I should be fully healed by tomorrow. So starting tomorrow morning I'm training.." He said as he looked back at his arms
That intense magical power that turned his arms into flaming claws. After all this time he finally managed to use his magic and he was going to make the most of it. In 6 months the Magic Knights Exam was going to start. Which means , not just him but Yuno and Asta as well, have 6 months to train and hone their magic.
"I'm gonna get some rest..."He yawned and laid back in his bed quickly drifting to sleep...
"Three cheers for the happy couple!"
It seemed like some kind of wedding ceremony but the husband...he had pointy ears. That can also be said for most of the other participants as they also had pointy ears. The only one didn't was the wife as both of her and the husband smiled at each other. Before the sky began to darken...
The next morning Arran was already awake and out in the forest practicing with using his claws in short bursts. 'From what I gathered with our encounter with Revchi I seem to a fire attribute but it possibly burns me if I use it for too long' Arran thought to himself as he looked at the burning claw marks on the tree he attacked then he looked down at his arms which were starting to burn again. "I can go back to Luna for healing...right now I need to keep going"
"991! 992! 993! 994!" Asta loudly counted as he continued to slash at a tree with his greatsword. "995! 996! 997! 998! 999! 1000!" Asta stopped on the 1000th slash and grabbed a nearby bottle of "Time for some magic boosting moguro leaf juice! Bottoms up" Asta yelled as he chugged down some green colored liquid but then he immediately gagged. "So gross...Time for another round!" Asta said drinking some more as a weird colored bird was watching him. "Still gross..."Asta said as he took notice of the bird and held up the bottle. "You want a swig birdy?" He offered but the bird just turned its head and flew away
Asta then reached down and grabbed his grimoire looking at it with his traditional smile. "Yeah got my own grimoire. So what if don't got any magic. I'll still kick butt anyway" Asta proudly said before he grabbed his greatsword. "Ok now back to work!" He then began to slash at the tree once again. "I bet Yuno and Arran are doing some special training right now. I won't let them get the best of me!"
And he was right He and Arran weren't the only ones training
In another part of the forest Arran was in Yuno had cut a tree stump into numerous pieces with his Wind magic. "That's enough for today..."He said as he looked up and thought about it. Though once he heard a battle cry from Arran he immediately changed his mind. "A little more wouldn't hurt. They'll be training too after all" He said before brought his hand down and summoned a gust of wind to crush a boulder
Back to Arran he actually to cut a tree down with his dragon claws. "Im starting to get the hang of this" He said to himself as the claws were getting easier to maintain. "I can't let Asta and Yuno pull ahead of me..."He then looked at his arms which were still burning but it was less than the first time. "Maybe a few more minutes..."
As Yuno, Asta, and Arran were training Sister Lily, Orsi and Luna were having a talk with Drouot. "Now Yuno I understand...but encouraging Asta and Arran to take the Magic Knights exam are you sure?" Orsi asked with Luna nodding in agreement
"Well why not. They both insist on taking it so what should I do?"Drouot simply replied
Sister Lily had a look of uncertainty on her face but Drouot continued to speak. "We had some other promising youngsters" Drouot asked as he recalled back to what happened
"It's impossible...there's just no way" Two voices said as they were revealed to be the two nobles Revchi easily defeated earlier. "He was part of the magic knights..."
"That guy was insanely powerful and they kicked him out of their ranks?!"The blonde noble exclaimed as both him and his friend had faces full of fear even as Revchi was being arrested and Drouot was standing over them now. "We didn't stand a chance..." The blonde said before both said "We're sorry!"
Returning back to Drouot with Orsi, Luna, and Lily Drouot continued to speak "But it seems they had a change of heart"
"Ok Yuno I understand and maybe Arran if he somehow manages to control his magic, I highly doubt it due to how destructive it is. But Asta's different. Will he really be able to pass the exam?"
"Well they, especially Asta, insist on taking it so what else should I do?" Drouot replied but Orsi wasn't the least bit convinced.
"Yuno I understand but I really don't see the point in Asta and Arran going" Orsi said
"Yes well they insist on taking it so what else should I do?" Drouot replied again
"You know Orsi from the sound of it your gonna be lonely when Arran and Asta leave for the capital aren't you?" Luna said with a teasing smile making Orsi blush in embarrassment
"I was thinking the same thing" Drouot said with a chuckle
"That's so sweet father" Sister Lily added with a smile while Orsi turned away from all 3 of them
"Your both totally off the mark! It's just that since Asta's going to fail anyway wouldn't it be better if he never took the exam in the first place? And the littles ones they'll miss the both of them dearly! So this isn't about me I'm just thinking about the children that's all" Orsi explained
Sister Lily gave a chuckle and a smile for that but the back of Orsi's head was sweating bullets. "Don't give me that look" He said
Drouot then placed a hand on Orsi's shoulder patting it with a sly chuckle while Luna was giving him a knowing smirk. "That goes for you two as well" Orsi said once he caught their stares
"I know I'm going to miss Yuno, Asta, and Arran once they leave for the city. Your not alone" Sister Lily admitted
"You and me both sister especially when the two of us have been with them for most their lives" Luna nodded her head in agreement before turning to Orsi. "Right Orsi?"
Orsi nodded and cleared his throat. "Yes you and me have taken care of Asta, Yuno, and Arran since they were infants and we've spent all these years living alongside them. It's only natural that I'd miss them a bit"
"I understand. We've always looked after them and took care of them. But now we must give them a chance to live their own way" Sister Lily said
"Well then look at it this way. With Yuno's high magical prowess and Four leaf clover he's bound to pass the exam. Depending on whether or not he manages to control his magic in these 6 months there's a 50/50 chance that Arran will pass or fail. Meanwhile Asta is practically guaranteed to fail. So with the odds in your favor those two will end up failing and will come straight back to Hage" Drouot explained
"Yes! Your right they probably will! Ok then Yuno and , possibly Arran, may be lost to us but we still have Asta" Orsi cheered up.
Luna slightly giggled at this before turning to Drouot."Now then about those books that Asta and Arran have. Could they truly be Grimoires? It just seems so unlikely. How would they get one if they weren't chosen in the ceremony"
Drouot didn't answer as he looked back to after the incident once again
"Check it out we've got our very own Grimoires!" Asta proudly smiled as he and Arran showed their Grimoires
"We don't exactly know how it happened but we got ours!" Arran added with a smile of his own
'The Five leaf Clover...Who would have thought that kind of clover existed..' Drouot thought to himself
Back outside Yuno was heading back towards the church with a large amount of wood chunks in tow
"Hey Yuno!"Arran ran to catch up with him with a tree trunk in tow
"Why are you carrying that around?" Yuno questioned
"Could make for some good exercise" Arran shrugged
"Training doesn't stop until I reach the church!" The both of them heard Asta yell but when Arran turned to meet him Asta ran right past them while saying "Coming through!"
"Oh yeah?" Arran muttered before he ran after Asta while carrying the tree trunk. Then Yuno began to run as well easily passing the two of them which made Asta and Arran pick up the pace until the three of them were neck and neck right until they made it to the church
"You made it!" Recca smiled as Aruru and Hollo approached the 3 boys
"Well who got here first?" Asta panted while Arran finally dropped the tree trunk he was holding. Nash approached the three of them with his hands behind his head and said "It was a close call but Yuno was a bit faster than you two"
"Seriously?! Were you really watching?" Asta comical angry eyes
"Yeah I call bullshit on that one" Arran pouted before he started stretching his arm out. "Ok running with a heavy tree trunk was a bad idea..."
"Alright then let's see who's first into the church!" Asta said as he was about to start running but instead he started floating up up and away
"Looks like that will be me" Yuno said as he entered the church first, followed by Arran who was rubbing his shoulder. Then Asta landed face first in the ground
"Never thought Yuno and Arran would be into competitions" Recca admitted
"They must've snapped with all the training they've been doing" Nash said. "It's getting pretty intense but at least we'll have firewood for years"
Several Months of rigorous training had passed by very quickly with Asta, Yuno, and Arran getting stronger each in their own way until tomorrow was finally the day
"Wow!" was everyone's natural reaction when they saw all the pot potatoes out on the table
"Well now Asta, Yuno, and Arran are heading off to the royal capital tomorrow after all" Orsi said
Luna nodded. "That's right. So we figured we should send you three off in style"
"It's quite a feast. Father and Mother went to many villages to get all the pot potatoes they could" Sister Lily added
"No way..." Asta said with starry eyes and his hands clasped together. "Thank you father..."
"Don't look at me like that this isn't just for you. Honestly I mostly dedicated this to Yuno" Orsi said
"Father..." Asta whined
"Wait father what about me?" Arran pointed at himself as if he was forgotten
"It's true. Yuno might make it into the Magic Knights. But you two.."Orsi looked away
"So what your saying is you don't believe in us at all?" Arran asked with a deadpan
"No no that's not what I'm saying at all" Orsi said but then he placed his hands on Arran's and Asta's shoulders. "Now listen you two. Its a tough exam so there's no shame in failing" Then his face switched from wise to mocking "It's not like anyone expects you two pass anyways"
"I can't even tell if your cheering us on or putting us down right now" Asta said while Arran kept his deadpan face 'He's definitely putting us down' Arran sighed internally
"Don't worry boys I believe in you" Luna smiled to which both Asta and Arran replied with "Thanks Mother/Mom"
"Remember you two will always have a place here. You'll be welcomed back with open arms no matter what" Orsi said. "For this is your home" He then looked back at Luna. "Even if they are crumbling old dumps they're still your home"
"Yeah don't you ever forget it" Recca smiled
"We're gonna miss you guys so much" Aruru said
"Yeah cause we're family!" Hollo cheered
"Yeah but uhh" Arran and Asta then pointed towards Yuno and said with Asta's slightly awkward smile ad Arran's deadpan face "But your gonna say all of that stuff to Yuno right?"
"Yes well uhh he'll be fine" Orsi looked away from them
Arran's deadpan face grew even more from that. "So your just picking favorites now huh?"
"Yeah not cool! Besides we'll be just fine!" Asta added. "I'm gonna be the Wizard King and then I'm gonna come back for Sister Lily" Asta proclaimed which made Sister Lily turn towards him in surprise. "And then I'll ask her to marry me-"
Asta was interrupted by a water fist crushing him into a wall courtesy of Sister Lily. "Let's all eat now shall we?" She suggested
"You should've seen that one coming" Arran said as he shook his head and sighed before pulling Asta out of the wall
Long after that morning shortly came and it was finally time. Today was the day that Asta, Yuno, and Arran leave for the Royal Capital
Everyone gathered outside the church to say goodbye. "Take care boys" Orsi said
"Do your best out there you three. I can't wait to hear about how you all became Magic Knights" Luna smiled
"Thanks Mom" Arran nodded
"Yuno you'll write us letters won't you?" Recca asked
"Of course" Yuno smiled at her
"I hope you guys have fun" Aruru smiled
"But come back soon ok?" Hollo added
Nash crossed his arms in indifference. "Asta and Arran will be back soon anyways"
"Come on Nash.." Asta closed his eyes in annoyance while Arran deadpanned again. 'Oh great him too?' He thought
However Nash then approached Asta. "But listen. By some chance Arran makes it into the Magic Knights and by a very small chance that you also make it in as well. Then I'll start believing that dreams can come true. And that I can be anything that I want. And someday I'll be a Magic Knight too...or something like that"
"Well then I'll be waiting" Asta smiled
"Alright Asta Arran lets go" Yuno as he started leaving
"I'm coming" Arran followed suit
"Hey will you two wait up" Asta ran after them. "Do you have to be such a jerk all the time lady killer? Sure we're all rivals that doesn't mean we can't be friends" He said but Yuno just ignored him
Arran just chuckled at this before he turned around and waved towards everyone at the church. "Goodbye everyone!"
Asta followed suit in waving towards them. "Wish us luck everybody!"
"Have a safe trip! Good luck!" Everyone minus Nash said as they waved back
That left Asta, Yuno, and Arran to walk off into the sunrise
'Yuno, Arran, and Asta. It feels so strange to watch them leave. I can't believe how much they've grown. And Asta's always had that boundless energy since the day we met' She thought. 'While Yuno might not admit he and Arran know that Asta changed them. Made them stronger and determined. Good luck boys...we're proud of you" Sister Lily thought as she wiped a few tears from her eyes
The three musketeers have already gotten a fair distance away from Hage as their heading into the forest that leads out of it. The capital is significantly far from Hage however so their journey is bound to be a long one.
"The capital huh? I wonder what it'll be like" Asta said
"Probably some type of huge castle like in those old fairy tales Sister Lily used to read us" Arran said as he looked up at the sky
"Yeah maybe. And we might get the chance to meet the Wizard King" Asta said with excitement in his voice
"That is if we pass the Magic Knights exam" Yuno said
"Oh man I can't wait" Asta said
"You can't wait?" Yuno said as he turned to look at Asta. "Aren't you nervous?"
"About what?" Asta asked
"...Nevermind" Yuno said
"Come on let's get a move on huh? We got a long way to go!" Asta said as he began to run ahead
"Hey!" Yuno called out to him while Arran just sweatdropped at this
"I gotta be the Wizard King like yesterday!" Asta said
"It doesn't matter when your gonna get there it won't make you the Wizard King any sooner" Yuno said
"And once I am the Wizard King..." Asta said as he kept running
"I don't think he heard you Yuno.." Arran said as Asta was now dreaming of coming back to Sister lily with his newly acquired title of Wizard King
"It'll be great" Asta smiled as he was holding a branch like a makeshift broom
"Uhh Asta? Can you even use a broom without magic?" Arran pointed out which made Asta's eyes widen comically as he dropped the branch
"Yeah sure I'll make it work" Asta said
"Will you now?" Yuno said
"Totally" Asta winked. "Besides I got my trusty Grimoire to help me. As long as you don't give up you can do anything. Now come on lets move or do you two wanna get left behind?" He said before he ran off again "We'll keep training until we reach the capital"
Arran looked at Yuno and merely shrugged before running after Asta
"Sure we will" Yuno reluctantly said as he followed behind them
"Bet you two can't catch me!" Asta said
"Your making this a race now?" Arran questioned while Yuno didn't respond
It wasn't even 10 minutes before the 3 of them had their hands on their knees panting heavily
"No...I'm not done!" Asta yelled as he grabbed his bag and started running again startling Yuno and Arran but they quickly caught up
They ran for longer this time because now they were somewhat out of the forest.
"Will you stop this?" Yuno panted. "So much...further to go"
"Not yet...still going" Asta exhaustingly yelled as he tried to run but Arran and Yuno held him in place by his shirt before they threw him onto a rock
From there their journey continued each with its own moments
Asta protected himself from the rain with his sword as Arran had to share a wind umbrella with Yuno
Arran was busy sleeping as Yuno was reading the contents in his clover. Though whatever they were doing was interrupted by the sound of Asta in pain due to rolling into the fire
They all got to eat some roasted boar that Arran took the job of cooking . "Everyone at home should get to try this" Arran said to which Asta and Yuno nodded in agreement
"It's this way" Asta pointed as the three of them were currently in a cloud full of fog. Yuno used his wind to clear up a sign that actually pointed the opposite way of which Asta was pointing. "Actually it's this way" Yuno said
Suddenly they both encountered a rockslide as Asta made a move to cut one of the boulders. Yuno was about to use his Grimoire but they both were interrupted by a stream of fire destroying all the boulders. Asta and Yuno looked at the culprit, Arran. In surprise to which he acted like he didn't do anything
They traveled through deserts, rivers, and even raced through plains. One last obstacle was climbing a cliff but when Yuno reached the top he stopped. Arran stopped as well as his eyes widened in amazement
"Why'd you guys stop?" Asta asked as he looked out into the distance and saw it. The Royal Capital of the Clover Kingdom. They had finally made it.
"Wow its huge!" Asta yelled.
"We finally made it..." Arran smiled
"Oh yeah time to do this thing!" Asta exclaimed as he started running downhill. "I will be the Wizard King! Yeah!"
Arran and Yuno both grew smiles on their faces at this before they started following him downhill and into the capital
As they walked out the lively bustling streets of Castle Town Kikka fireworks were launched near and far in response to the beginning of the Magic Knights Entrance Exam
"This place is pretty crowded..." Arran commented as they walked down the street and towards the center of the town where the coliseum was.
"And it's cool!" Asta said as he looked at everyone using their magic
Arran had his eyes on a giant batch of meat one stand was selling as it was covered in fire magic. "That looks so good..." He drooled
"Hey guys come check out these swords!" Asta called out to them but his eyes widened in comical shock and jawdropped when he saw how expensive each weapon was
"Damn thats a lot of yule" Arran commented and Yuno nodded in agreement "This place is a far cry from the village huh"
Asta then looked up at the large assortment of towers and castles in the distance. "Hey you guys think that's where the Wizard King lives?"
"It's probably where this country's king lives as well" Yuno said
"Not mention any possible royalty and nobility" Arran added
"That's pretty cool especially seeing how it's going to be my castle someday" Asta said confidently
"My castle you mean" Yuno said
"Nope MY castle" Arran said
"Nah I'll probably let you two live there" Asta said
"If your both lucky I'll let you live there" Yuno smirked
"Oh is that how it is? Well then you both aren't living in my castle how about that?" Arran said as he was about to walk ahead of them but then the three of them heard crying and turned around.
The crying belonged to a small baby on the back of a red haired teen who looked a year older than Asta, Yuno, and Arran. She was carrying several bags of groceries and three younger children with similar red hair were behind her
"Hey come on sweetie don't cry" The red haired teen reassured the baby before they all started walking again. "Don't worry we're almost home." And with that they left unaware of Asta, Yuno, and Arran watching them
"Reminds me of the kids back home" Asta said. "Yup they must feel pretty lonely without me there"
"Sure they must love seeing you try and fail every day you propose to Sister Lily" Arran joked to which Asta looked at him with comical shocked eyes.
"Sure" Yuno muttered sarcastically before he walked off
"Hey wait/Yuno slow down" Arran and Asta said simultaneously as they walked after him
As they kept walking through the streets Asta was chewing on a purple snake like treat. "So where's the exam supposed to happen anyway?"
"Over there I guess" Yuno said turning towards the nearby coliseum
"By the way Asta what the heck are you eating?" Arran said
"Grilled violet snake on a stick. It was super cheap. You guys want a bite?" Asta offered
"No thanks" Arran quickly answered
"I'll pass" Yuno calmly said
"Alright more for me then. Chock full of nutrients that'll keep ya going" Asta said
"Yeah sure" Yuno said nonchalantly as he walked off
When they finally got to the entrance of the coliseum it was jam-packed with examinees and spectators. With newfound determination Asta. Yuno, and Arran made their way inside
"Good luck to you all!", "Your the future of the Clover Kingdom!", "You can do it!" were just 3 of the many encouraging cheers the spectators sent towards the examinees
"Thank you! I promise I won't let you down" Asta waved towards them
Arran was just waving towards them while Yuno was silently muttering "I don't know him I don't know him"
"There you go" A staff member said as he finished scanning an examinee's grimoire. "Your number 163. Next" The staff member said
Once the scanned examinee left Yuno stepped up to the signup booth. "Names Yuno. From Hage"
"Yuno from Hage...ok. And your Grimoire?" The staff said to which Yuno showed his 4 leaf clover. Needless to say that staff member was shocked. "A four leaf clover?"
That stirred up some murmurs and gossips from other staff members and examinees
Once he got over his shock the staff member scanned Yuno's Grimoire. "Alright your number 164. Next"
Asta then walked up to the sign up booth. "Im from Hage as well. I'm Asta. And here's my Grimoire" Asta said before showing the staff member his 5 leaf Grimoire
"That thing looks old and beaten up...you sure that's a Grimoire?"
Asta then got a bit closer. "What of course I'm sure! Come on take a closer look" Asta said as he put the book in the staff member's face
"Alright alright back up a little" The staff member said as he pushed Asta back while also scanning his Grimoire. "your number 165"
"Yes!" Asta cheered as he ran off.
"Next" The staff member said causing Arran to walk up to him. "I'm from Hage as well. My name is Arran'
"Arran...from Hage...And your Grimoire?" Arran showed his burnt and beaten Grimoire in response
"What are they just giving Grimoires straight out of the trash nowadays? Alright.." the staff member reluctantly scanned Arran's grimoire, "Your number 166"
Arran lightly bowed and said "Thank you sir" before running after Asta
'The entrance exam...our first step to becoming the Wizard King...I refuse to fail!' Arran thought with determination in his eyes
While Arran had left a yellow-greenish haired man stared in his direction. "Ha ha coming all this way from a no named village. Quite motivated are they" He said with a confident snarky tone